Interiors inspiration at Margo & Plum

We were lucky with the weather for our short trip away last week and it was great to spend time outside feeling the sun on our skin. It also helped to get us out and about and one of those stop offs was at The Engine Yard which is right next to Belvoir Castle. We’d stopped there before and remembered a vibrant, thriving space and it still has that potential. We last visited in August, and on this sunny March weekday morning it was much quieter, understandably so. But it was nice to enjoy the space, pretty much unhindered.

Also not surprisingly some of the shops had changed, and some chalet-style huts had popped up for weekend pop-up market stalls, which seems a great idea. We had a nose around all of the shops, but by far my favourite was the interiors shop of Margo & Plum who, as their website says, offer the most glamorous decorative pieces for your home.

And here, I have some snaps to prove it.

The relatively small space is full of the most sumptuous things for your home. While they look great together and the displays are full of inspiration, most of us won’t need quite so much, but together it’s quite a statement!

MOH was very taken with the neon signs, and I’m not sure he could quite decide which. Maybe at some point we’ll get to the stage where a decision is needed, who knows?

I had a couple of favourites, and definitely more than a couple of things I could have quite happily brought home. The first is this aqua jungle decorated vase, it’s quite unlike any vase I already own which have much wider openings, though I suspect this one probably doesn’t need anything more to improve it.

The other thing that I was really quite taken with was the sunburst mirror above - the ‘squareness’ of the sun’s rays really appealed and this feels a much more modern take on the more usual sunburst mirror design. We don’t have much, for want of a better word ‘bling’ in our house, but this shop tested my mettle (pun intended).

The final thing on my list was this flamingo plate - the vibrant colours and the design were the attraction for me.

One thing I’m sure of, we’ll be back here again at some point for more mooching around, and maybe even a purchase or two.

Vibrant interiors at Belton House

Despite the grey clouds below we stopped off at Belton House when we were staying close by last August - not quite the day we hoped for, but visiting somewhere with space indoors was a popular choice. It’s not a house I was familiar with, and we hadn’t visited before but it was clear that it was a popular place.

It’s a pretty impressive house, and the family - generations of Brownlows - commissioned the finest designers and craftsmen to deliver what is now a National Trust property. The house and gardens showcase cutting edge design and innovation including 17th century sash windows and a glorious cast iron-framed orangery which I’ll share in a future post.

Our visit started in the large and grand hall, with a vibrant carpet up the stairs and the classic chequerboard patterned floor. The suitcases discarded on the stairs gave an indication of the character of the place, and under the stairs - and not quite like the under the stairs storage that we’re more familiar with - was one of the first stunning pieces of furniture, an ornate laquered chest.

I was also rather taken with this very ornate writing desk, and I know it’s the many compartments and sections that are part of the appeal. But also it’s the scale and how it fits with its surroundings. Clearly it’s larger than standard furniture, but oh so stunning.

But it wasn’t the only jewel in the room, this restored lapis lazuli cabinet which was brought back from a Grand Tour over 300 years ago. Isn’t it stunning?

It wasn’t the only cabinet, or fireplace, or collection of vases that caught my eye and intrigued me.

And it seems that greyhounds were a bit of a thing for the family too - the table above, the doorplate below and outside on the weather vane.

Like many National Trust properties the rooms are vibrantly decorated, these rooms though remain vibrant I’m sure through recent restoration - the reds, golds and greens are very rich and point to a lavish and indulgent lifestyle.

Definitely ornate, and quite over the top - but I guess if you had money, and this family did, it was the done thing to show that for your standing in society. In some ways that’s not so different from today, whether we agree with it or not. The house, and its gardens, are definitely worth a visit - there’s so much to do, and so much to see.

A new mustard yellow enamelware jug

All the rest of my enamelware is the traditional white with blue rim, and over the years I’ve added various pieces. I’ve pie dishes, pie plates and tumblers and I’ve got my eye on a baking set, if only the traditional colour way were to come back in stock.

I’d spotted the mustard yellow items and my head was turned. For a while I pretended not to lust after it, but in the end it was no use. So when MOH asked what I’d like for my birthday I spotted my opportunity. He did say another jug, but that wasn’t too surprising. And then he said, not the blue and white - he knows me well.

It arrived this past week, and it is gorgeous.

I’m still a white and blue rim enamel kind of girl, but now with a branch out into mustard yellow!

For me its primary purpose will hopefully be flowers, and I knew I’d have some in the garden that would work. I cut the allium heads and set those in the jug alongside some of the longer stemmed clematis which is in full flower on our patio. Don’t they look great?

The colours of the sweet peas also went well but sadly it’s not a sweet pea kind of jug.

I’m hoping they do a smaller version if I’m honest!