Getting some interiors inspiration at Snape Maltings

We recently stayed in Suffolk basing ourselves in Framlingham for a couple of nights. We’d stayed relatively close by when we last visited back in 2017 - I’m not sure how it was this long ago though, but it was good to be back and we were keen to take another look around the interiors shop at Snape Maltings.

I remembered it being a large place, full of inspiration - and I wasn’t disappointed.

Since we’ve been back it’s been fun to look back at the 2017 post, and we do indeed now have a mustard velvet sofa and it is not a corner sofa! Sometimes the inspiration sticks, but adapts doesn’t it?

Colourful accessories, including table dressings are clearly a staple for the interiors shop there as there were many to choose from, even crocheted ones. I looked at both of the versions below and admired them, but in reality we have table mats we use all the time, which we love and are a lot plainer than these. While a nicely done table does look good, for me it’s all about the food and how that tastes more so.

I was quite taken with the folded paper heart garland though, but realised that I’d need one much larger than that on display for it to have the same impact in our living space, and also that I could probably make one myself - though I have resisted putting it on my list. My guess is that if I want one badly enough I’ll find the time to make one - or more likely, there’ll be an occasion that I think that’ll be nice to decorate with a heart garland and then I’ll go at it all guns blazing right at the last minute! There’s something about knowing yourself isn’t there?

I also spotted this jigsaw, which if I could tolerate jigsaws would be just the thing. I can’t abide them though so it was safe on the shelves, and I was happy to admire it and the people that spend time putting them together to immediately dismantle them!

There were cushions everywhere, and it’s just as well I don’t need any or otherwise at least one (maybe two) might have made it home with us. Instead I was able to enjoy their wonderfulness.

This urchin jug was harder to resist, but I managed that too. I mean I like a nice jug and this would be a great addition, but I really don’t need any more jugs either for holding liquids or displaying flowers, so it too stayed on the shelf. Though at £40 that was relatively easy to do, but it is gorgeous - just not gorgeous enough for me right now.

The rug area was a real treasure trove of colour and textures, and I do love a rug or two. But with mostly carpet in our new house I’m struggling to make use of and justify keeping the rugs we brought with us.

Side tables also appear to be a thing of mine, some featured in the earlier post too, and since we’ve been here I’ve bought more than we’ve ever had, and I am on the lookout for one to go in between our two sofas, but these weren’t them. Sadly, I love the texture on them.

Like a magpie I was drawn to a brighter corner of the shop. And sigh, these were gorgeous, but phew thankfully I’ve only recently made myself a new dressing gown, otherwise I’d have been seriously tempted.

I do love a mooch around a good interiors shop, and the one at Snape Maltings is most definitely that.

Interiors inspiration from Yorkshire

One of the things we enjoyed on our weekend trip to Malton was browsing around the independent shops - and there’s plenty of those. What I realised afterwards is that it’s not only the interiors store which provided interiors inspiration, so in this post I’m sharing photos from our mooch around the shops, and more.

But let’s start at the interiors shop Interiors at Nine to Eleven who had planned a ‘yard sale’ for the weekend, but had valiantly moved that inside given the weather forecast - that’s where I found my £1 fabric sample. Around the shop there was a riot of colour and pattern, and I was smitten with the green sofa pattern, MOH less so. I’m less sure about the wallpaper but the bold prints definitely do it for me.

In another section of the shop it was the black and white wallpaper that caught my eye. I think it’s too ‘tame’ for what I have half an eye out for, mainly as I think this will be an even harder sell than the patterned fabric above with MOH who already thinks our house is too white!

Heading back to the stairs and the main shop I did stop and admire the fun carpet, and I mean if you can’t have fun in an interiors shop trying out things to assert your style and brand, then when can’t you?

I kept coming back to these ‘cheeky’ plates by Yvonne Allen, as they just made me smile - and in fact I’ve since bought a set and am keeping up with my ‘making cake era’ just so we can use them, though I did resist the matching cake forks - mainly because they weren’t dishwasher safe and I can’t be doing with that kind of faff, and reminding MOH every time we use them.

Looking around the curios shops in The Shambles we found plenty of tins, too many to make a choice (or even photograph) decanters and a gorgeous wire chicken.

Our next stop was the secret whisky bar at McMillans, and there was plenty of good looking interiors there too, no really there was.

Our hotel was it seemed prepared for the weather with a selection of wellies for use in the entrance lobby, as well as chest of dreams (for me at least) which doubled up for room key storage.

We’d struck it lucky with our hotel room which had a lounge for our use - and with the weather on Saturday, that was very welcome and very much used by us. Though we still didn’t use the TV, something about being away - we just don’t, I don’t know why.

So if you’re looking for interiors inspiration and getting stuck, then think about looking in some less expected places - you never know where you’ll be inspired.

If you enjoyed this post and/or are looking to visit Malton and its surrounding area, then check out all my posts from our impromptu weekend away.

Plates, paperweights and trays

As I had a day in London last week - I was invited to the Garden Press Event in Islington - I thought I would make the most of the time and pop along to Liberty in the West End, quickly hopping on the tube to reappear in a part of London that is probably more well known, and well visited than Islington.

I’d seen some enamelware that I was keen to buy, and even more keen to avoid the £9 postage fees for, so when I saw that Liberty was a stockist well, it was meant to be wasn’t it? It’s been a while since my last visit, and it’s always an interesting place to window shop. Sadly the enamelware didn’t happen, and I was a tad disappointed by the range they had which was shoved in a corner and took up a whole two shelves. Sigh. I still want the small tray and the small sauce dish, so have ordered online and only winced a little at the high postage costs for three very tiny items.

Yes, I could have trawled around any number of shops in the West End and beyond, but I’m really not that much into shopping. But while I was in Liberty, I did have a mooch around before hitting the fabric and haberdashery departments!

Sidetracked by the lobster and cat’s eyes

I have no need for any paperweights or glass tray-plate-things, but I couldn’t help but admire them and how they were displayed on a simple wooden table. The glass tray-plate-things remind me of those that as growing up older relatives or neighbours would have on their sideboards filled with boiled sweets, or next to their bed for their jewellery. I’m sure there’s a million and one other uses for them, but that’s where my memories took me.

I’m still not sure if I like the tabby cat paperweight or not, I think it’s the tongue for me. Maybe it’s because there were two - double trouble - that I’m not sure. The lobster was a lot less disturbing, and I daren’t look at the price, though I’m sure without looking it was “too much”.

Next I was drawn to a brightly coloured table mat of a hare with what looks like artichokes for ears, yes really.

And that led to the trays

In fact it led to many trays - all of them with drinks emblazoned on. Not all alcoholic - there was tea and coffee too, but for some reason I don’t have photos of those. My next stop after my Liberty mooch was the pub, so perhaps that was it.

Fun aren’t they?

Though again they’re not cheap, starting from £40 and upwards. So if you want a fun boozy or non-boozy tray Liberty could be the place for you - some are available on their website if you’re really keen. And if you want to pop the lobster plate in your basket for me that’d be appreciated, though you’ll have to go in person as thankfully that’s not on their site.

Still feeling slightly miffed about the enamelware, but less so having raised a smile at these trays, I decided to head up to the fabric and haberdashery, that was more successful - though with all the colourful fabrics on show, I think I am probably the only person to leave with two grey patterns, but I’m still sticking to my brief for the extended floral fancy quilt.

I think I took even more photos in those departments, so I’ll share those separately - but before I go an only in Liberty. In their remnants basket there was a bargain silk 1.3 metre remnant for £175. I didn’t leave with that either (it wasn’t grey) but that did make me smile!