Decorate: How to refurbish old photo frames

You will need:

1 x can of Montana 94 spray paint in matt finish; 1 x cutting mat; 1 x ruler; 1 x craft knife; 2 x sheet of Canford card; 1 x roll of masking tape; 1 x hammer; nails; used newspapers; photo frames (up to four with these materials)

The old photo frames were sourced from charity shops, with all of the other supplies from www.cowlingandwilcox.com. A mid-grey tone of paint was chosen to cover the existing brown and gold frames – if you select a pale shade you may need to coat the frames in primer spray paint first. As a contrast to the grey framing, Canford card in turquoise and pale blue was used as mounts.

Separate the glass and card that sits in the frames and set to one side. Using your newspaper to protect your working area, lay out the frames. If they have metal claws that hold the glass and card in, pull them out so that the frames sit up off the newspaper, as this allows you to spray the sides properly.

Shake the spray paint continually for a minute, then spray each of the frames in a thin coat of the paint, taking care to do the corners and sides. Leave for half an hour and then touch-test the first frame you sprayed – if it is dry, repeat the process. Once you have an opaque coat of paint, turn the frames and repeat on the back until you have the same finish.

Using the card or set-aside frame backs as templates for your new mounting, masking tape them to your Canford card, then place your cutting mat underneath and use the craft knife and ruler to cut out. Polish the glass that you removed earlier, place your photos on the mount card and fix the backs on to the frames.

Then it's time to grab your hammer and nails, and cluster-frame away.

Trend: Salvaged lighting

Words by Emma Kay

Utility light fixtures have become a firm favourite amongst interior designers and householders alike. From table top to ceiling, this edit will illuminate your home.

Dramatic effect: for statement lighting that will be sure to inspire envy in your friends, try grouping these 50s Leipzig helmet lights, to add drama. (h) 64cm x (d) 36cm, £740, www.trainspotters.co.uk

Are you being served: give your hallway a touch of 1930s elegance with these department store opaline lights. (h) 36xm x (dia) 30.5cm, £180, www.skinflintdesign.co.uk
 

Be bold: if a pop of colour is required to balance a grey wall or two, these giant Czech down lighters in cherry red fit the bill. They can be sprayed in any RAL (metal paint) colour for orders of six or more. (h) 89cm x (d) 53.5cm, £460, www.trainspotters.co.uk

Anglepoised: if you've been searching for precision spot-lighting for your walls, look no further. This 1930s machinist's work light by Invisaflex has a brushed aluminum shade and black lacquered arm. (l) 90cm at maximum projection x (dia) 13cm, £320, www.skinflintdesign.co.uk 

Assembly line: minimalist hallway lighting doesn't get much more utilitarian. These communist-era bulkhead lights with prismatic glass were discovered unused in a Polish factory store room. (h) 30cm x (w) 17cm x (d) 15cm, £245, www.trainspotters.co.uk

Linear thinking: if graphic lines are your cup of stylistic tea, try this 1950s industrial fluorescent tube lamp with polished aluminum casing. (l) 1.58m x (h) 23cm x (d) 19cm, £POA, www.elemental.uk.com  

Your name in lights: wooden letters seem to be atop every fashionable home's shelves these days, so dare to be different with 1950s illuminated shop signage. You can even group meaningful ones together to act as a personal installation art. £POA, www.elemental.uk.co.uk

Loud and clear: add interest to any living-room surface with this huge 1960s brushed aluminium German table lamp. Laterally adjustable, it has been rewired with black elephant braid cable. (h) 49cm x (l) 27cm x (dia) 39cm, £320, www.skinflintdesign.co.uk

Copper top: sprinkle some retro charm on to your desk space with this articulated vintage lamp. Created by Mark Beverton in the UK in 1950, it has a beautiful and rare copper base and shade. (h) 109cm x (d) 20cm, £1440, www.elemental.uk.com

Published: Are You Sitting Comfortably?, Project Magazine, March 2012

Set Design & Chair Edit by Emma Kay
Shoot Direction by Georgina Hodson
Photography by Beate Sonnenberg

Mood board: Rainbow Bright

Edit by Emma Kay

Smarten up your living space with paints in cool pastel shades or deep rich tones.

From top to bottom, left to right:

Mineral Mist matt emulsion by Dulux,£18.47, www.wilkinsonplus.com

Blue Ground 210 Estate Emulsion,£35.50, www.farrow-ball.com

Peppermint Beach 6 matt emulsion by Dulux,£22, www.dulux.co.uk

Willow dead flat emulsion by Zoffany, £33, www.designerpaint.co.uk

Paris Grey dead flat emulsion by Zoffany, £33, www.designerpaint.co.uk

Manor House Gray 265 Estate Emulsion, £35.50, www.farrow-ball.com 

Calamine 230 Estate Emulsion, £35.50, www.farrow-ball.com

Sherbet dead flat emulsion by Zoffany, £33, www.designerpaint.co.uk

Decorate: How to design strand pendant lights

You will need:

1 x tape measure, 3 metres of three-core braided lighting flex, 3 x cord-grip ceiling rose, 3 x cord-grip lamp holder, 3 x 40-watt globe 95mm bayonet cap light bulb, 1 x sketch book, 1 x pen, 1 x qualified electrician.

I sourced my large golf ball light bulbs (almost 10cm in diameter) from www.lightbulbs-direct.co.uk, bright red fabric cord from www.labourandwait.co.uk and my aged brass cord-grip lamp holders and ceiling roses from www.lampsandlights.co.uk. Use a sketch book and pen to plan your strands – remember to step each strand so you have three differing lengths.

Take a tape measure and work out the length and rough position of each strand from the longest one down. Mark up your sketch with the distances of each strand and the space between the ceiling rose fixtures – remember that you will lose a little length on each when they are wired up.

Discuss the products you intend to use for the installation with your electrician as well as the wattage you will be running through the fittings. They will then be able to check your electrical wiring and the suitability of the fittings. Provide your dimension sketch for clarification, as this will allow the electrician to understand the length you want for each strand and the placement of the ceiling roses.

Trend: Graphic & Pastel Wallpaper

Words by Emma Kay

The design world frequently takes its cue from fashion, so it was only a matter of time before the combination of pastel colours and graphic prints, leapt off the catwalks and onto our living room walls. With many of us calling our urban rental spaces "home"for longer, papering a wall is a simple and impactful way of updating your interior, while keeping it to a single wall will allow you to be a shade or pattern braver than you may be ordinarily. It also leaves less to paint back to white before you leave...

Clockwise from top left: Mix n' Match wallpaper, £150 per 10 metre roll, www.kirathghundoo.com; English Garden wallpaper, £75 per 3 metre roll, www.dupenny.com; Harlequin wallpaper in mint, £69.95 per 10.05 metre roll, www.heals.co.uk

Clockwise from top left: Mixed Tiles wallpaper, £75 per 10 metre roll, www.dupenny.com; In the Rain wallpaper, €67.50 per 10.05 metre roll, www.ferm-living.com, Nova Mist wallpaper, £38 per 10 metre roll, www.isak.co.uk; Jazz in Central Park wallpaper, £POA for 10 metre roll, www.lizzieallen.co.uk

Published: Fashion shoot, GQ Magazine Turkey, March 2012

Prop Styling & Sets by Emma Kay
Fashion Styling by Georgina Hodson
Photography by David Goldman

Left to right: Estate emulsion in Oval Room Blue No. 85, £48 for 5 litres, www.farrow-ball.com;  mid-century French tall filing cabinet, £595, www.theoldcinema.co.uk; Sisal WGSS7 rug in brown metallic, 120 x 180cm, £280, www.wovenground.com. Porcelain Abbey tiles in ivory and iron, £1.99 per tile, www.firedearth.com. Estate emulsion in Print Room Yellow No. 69, £48 for 5 litres, www.farrow-ball.com









Left to right: Estate emulsion in Print Room Yellow No. 69 and Estate emulsion in London Stone No. 6, both £48 for 5 litres, www.farrow-ball.com. Estate emulsion in Oval Room Blue No. 85, £48 for 5 litres, www.farrow-ball.com; Sisal WGSS7 rug in brown metallic, 120 x 180cm, £280, www.wovenground.com

Left to right: Estate emulsion in Oval Room Blue No. 85, £48 for 5 litres, www.farrow-ball.com; vintage double-sided library steps in pine, £384, www.elemental.uk.com. Sewing chair stylist's own (for similar try www.elemental.uk.com)

Left to right: Estate emulsion in Print Room Yellow No. 69, £48 for 5 litres, www.farrow-ball.com. Broccato wallpaper in Brocade BP3210, £75 per 10-metre roll, www.farrow-ball.com; engineered oak flooring, pre-oiled 180mm, £47 per square metre, £57.50, www.naturalwoodfloor.co.uk. Plywood ‘Cherner’ armchairs in walnut, £1,066 each, by Norman Cherner at www.twentytwentyone.com

Decorate: How to update a chair

You will need:

1 x nursing chair or similar, 1 x metre of fabric, 1 x metre of trimming, 1 x adjustable spanner, 1 x industrial staple gun, 1 x pack of industrial staple-gun nails, 1 x pack of Wundaweb, 1 x tube of fabric glue, 1 x fabric scissors, 1 x nail scissors, 1 x box of dress-maker pins, 1 x iron, 1 x ironing board, 2 x can of Montana 94 matte spray paint, 1 x can of primer spray (optional), 1 x tea towel, 1 x tarpaulin and 4 x cardboard boxes (of same height).

I sourced a vintage Lloyd Loom nursing chair from eBay, where you can find similar designs. The seat fabric is grey cotton twill from EPRA Fabrics, the Montana spray paint is a matte finish from Cowling & Wilcox art supplies, the industrial staple gun from Leyland SDM and the trimming and other sewing supplies from haberdashery expert and fashion college favourite MacCulloch & Wallace.

Turn the chair upside down and you will see the bolts and fixings holding the upholstered seat in place. Gently undo these and set the fixings, seat and upholstery fabric aside. Protect your working area with tarpaulin and wipe the chair down with a damp tea towel, removing any dust and dirt, then place on your cardboard boxes using one to prop up each leg. Shake the can of spray paint continuously for a minute and coat the chair evenly, leaving roughly 20 minutes between each coat; repeat until you have complete opacity of colour. This may take up to four coats depending on the original colour of the chair; if it is dark and you are spraying it white, you may find it easier to use a coat of primer spray first.

While the chair frame is drying, gently remove the original fabric from the hardboard seat with nail scissors, then set aside the wadding and the hardboard. The fabric must remain in tact as it forms the pattern for your new seat cover. Iron the fabric you have removed and pin it to your new fabric, gently cutting around using fabric scissors. Take your hardboard/wadding and place face-down on the new fabric, with the hardboard facing up towards you. Work out which side needs to be left out to cover the front edge of your chair and staple the fabric using just one staple to secure to the three sides of the board. The fourth edge reaches over and covers the front of the chair, so you will need to leave this edge until last. Gripping the fabric, go around the three edges of the board with the staple gun, securing the fabric. Use fabric glue to secure any loose edges and trim any treads with your nail scissors. Leave to dry for at least four hours.


























Once your frame and reupholstered seat board are dry, turn the frame upside down and reattach your seat board to the frame using the fixings that you set aside at the beginning of the project. Take the staple gun, folding the edge of the fabric to make a clean straight line, and use it to secure the vertical edge, taking care to keep the fabric taut. Moving to the other vertical edge, tuck under any excess fabric and repeat the process, ending with the bottom edge. Finally, use your trim and Wundaweb, or textile glue if you prefer, to cover the staple nails on the front edges of the chair.

Published: SentUAMessage, Xbox TV, February 2012

Set design & Prop Styling by Emma Kay

Trend: Creatures

Words by Emma Kay

Whether it be ethereal glassware etched with sea life, be-winged bird friends swooping on to plates or rabbits popping up on our dining tables, our recent animal infatuation shows no sign of slowing. Glassware, art, ceramics and textiles have all seen creatures stealing centre stage.


























Thrifty upcycler and designer Esther Coombs first began illustrating unwanted ceramics. Laying bold graphics over traditional design, she gave old crockery a new lease of life. Recent collections have expanded on her green credentials and now include upcycled tea towels and cushion covers. Yellow Robin plate, £36, www.esthercoombs.com

London-based artist Jen Franklin has a long-standing animal obsession. The Camberwell Art College graduate's anthropomorphic line drawings of cats, birds, squirrels and foxes have a subtle retro Victorian charm to them. Giclee limited edition Falconry print, £75, www.elphicks.bigcartel.com


























Glassware designer Christian Haas launched his 'Small Worlds' collection for Theresienthal during Vienna Design Week 2011. The intricately engraved cased crystal tumblers picture sealife, woodland owls, ants and bees. Designs are available in blue smoke, smoke grey, dark blue, clear and mandarin. Whale tumbler, £175.16, www.artedona.com

Ceramicist Fliff Carr has been working from her Camden studio in leafy north London since the late '90s. Creating finely rolled and hand-thrown earthernware products for the domestic market, each piece is finished individually with no two ever the same. Gold and Hare sugar bowl, £65, www.roostliving.com

US lifestyle brand Anthropologie has all sorts of weird and wonderful animals starring in its collections, with its Hardware section a veritable menagerie of brass woodland creatures. Sly fox door knocker, £24, www.anthropologie.eu

  






















Louise Body is a Brit designer with an eye for the outdoors, her designs inspired by British garden life and frequently depicting birds, botanics and nature. The 'Harry's Garden' union linen fabric is a modern take on a traditional material and can be used for domestic upholstery, drapery and soft furnishings.  Harry's Garden fabric, £47.20 per metre, www.louisebody.com

On set: TV channel set design, Microsoft Xbox

Words, Set Design & Styling by Emma Kay

When I took the brief from Microsoft, it demanded cohesion of three existing set areas at its Soho studio. Here the technology firm films and broadcasts video game-related shows for digital TV channel 'Inside Xbox'. Using 2K's iconic gaming hit 'BioShock' and its beautiful '30s interiors as inspiration, the client wanted to fuse retro and modern with an added dash of science fiction.

 

Part of my job is establishing what items need to be on display, or how they should be stored. I edit together pieces that will be on show and put aside bits I can tuck away or place on other parts of the set for best effect.

Installation day begins with heaving piles of boxes that need to be unpacked and the contents assembled. The giant wooden 'manikin' measures 1.8 metres – the size of an actual male adult –

and took three actual adults to put together.

My styling kit contains a full complement of screw drivers, all manner of sticky tapes, glues, wires, markers, pins and tacks. If it can be bought in an art shop then there is probably some lurking in my kit. In addition to basic decorating tools, I carry an armoury of cleaning products, to make sure every piece of furniture or prop is wiped down and dusted before final styling. Greasy fingerprints ruin photographs and the darker the item, the more they show up.

Storage formed a large part of the requirement, with Xbox needing somewhere it could keep props for filming, camera equipment and also somewhere to display memorabilia, superhero figurines and Gollum-esque models in all shapes and sizes. I sourced the antique metal and glass display cabinet from a company that specialises in vintage utility furniture, and commissioned a small designer to custom finish a G Plan sideboard for the additional space to store props. A brick wall also had to be commissioned, so I found brick slip tiles in an aged brick finish that we used for cladding.

The life-size wooden 'manikin' will be used to display outfits of current video-game characters and I am told will be redressed for each show that airs. I stumbled across vintage illuminated signage letters from '50s Germany to spell out the initials of 'Inside Xbox', which the client fell in love with. After searching high and low for the originals, I put together a dimension drawing and commissioned a signage designer to make some up for us. Interestingly, it is the same company that makes most of Vogue magazine's lighting props for fashion shoots. Although expensive, the result was stunning.


























The set was already home to an '80s arcade machine used to preview new releases. Placing the machine against the brick-clad wall lessened the harshness that this kind of object can have on a room. Key to this project was melding Xbox's items with retro, utility and modern furniture to create a thirtysomething gamer's dream loft apartment.

Lurking in the bottom of the utility display cabinet is a Czechoslovakian factory steel pendant light that will be used as a set prop, and which was sourced from a company who specialise in architectural lighting salvage. The pendant is 35cm high and a huge 25cm in diameter and I was desperate to hang it up, but with it weighing in at 8 kilos, we weren't entirely sure the ceiling would take it.

Mood board: Play skool

Words & Styling by Emma Kay

Sun made of linen blend 'Sarona' fabric in tumeric, £46 per metre, www.romo.com

Sea made of cotton velvet 'Taormina' fabric in peacock blue, £42 per metre, www.sanderson-uk.com

Road made of cotton twill fabric in grey, £3.99 per metre, www.eprafabrics.co.uk

Balloon made of linen blend 'Sarona' fabric in lacquer red, £46 per metre, www.romo.com

Fuzzy felt fridge magnets used as set props, £8.50, www.johnlewis.com