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October is shaping up to be a pretty big deal in our calendars, not least because our new website launched on October 3rd, but also because yesterday was our 5th birthday since we launched. It’s gone both exceedingly quickly, whilst in a way, also feeling like a lifetime. Life before Audenza seems so long ago, yet I can’t quite believe we’re already celebrating 5 years.
Anyway, aside from giving you a special birthday offer of 15% off (we’ll get to that at the end!), I thought I’d take the opportunity to share 3 lessons I’ve learned over the last 5 years.
11 Oct 2017
Each to his own, as they say, of which I’m a very firm believer, but I can sympathise with Jess of Gold is a Neutral blog on her thoughts on living with her white box of a living room. Soulless is the first word to come to mind, and frighteningly devoid of character, so it’s exciting to see how Jess has transformed her white box with this before and after living room reveal. I love the blog name as gold is definitely a neutral must have for us Audenza ladies.
We asked Jess a few questions about herself and her makeover:
Hello! My name’s Jess. I’m a former showbiz journalist and I have an interiors blog called Gold Is A Neutral which I launched in April this year. The blog covers all aspects of interiors, from my own journey renovating our Victorian terrace in South East London, to trends, house tours, expert advice and a bit of stylish travel as well. I’m loving it and am excited for what the future holds. I’m married to David and have two children Rafferty, 5, and Nellie, 1. They are both full of beans, stubborn as hell (like their mama) and are the reason I gave up the 9-5 and never looked back. I’m proud to be a working mum, though sometimes the juggle is a struggle.
5 Oct 2017
How do you go about choosing the right chair for your room? It’s a daunting prospect for many, more so than the sofa. You know the sofa is going to dominate the room and going to be the costliest item, but the right chairs are the finishing touch. Gone are the days of a matching three-piece suite – oh so simple were those days. And, of course, not just the sitting room benefits from a chair, the hallway, the bedroom, the home office, all spaces where a chair makes a feature with colour and texture.
The biggest consideration should be what do you want from a chair? To curl up and read or watch TV, upright and firm for back support, an occasional chair for family gatherings, or are you looking for that statement piece to give your décor wow factor? Is it going to be well used, or as a style statement for show, as in a hallway or bedroom?
26 Sep 2017
Ladies and gentleman, today is the day. We have been drip feeding you information on social media for months, and finally, it’s time. It is with great excitement and a hint of apprehension that we reveal our NEW NAME!
A name which we feel perfectly encapsulates what we do. A name that evokes images of unique, stylish and bold pieces, which ooze character and scream fearless style.
15 Sep 2017
OK, so we’ve got some fairly big news to tell you. Actually, that’s a lie. It’s like, THE biggest news we will probably EVER tell you.
You see, we’re saying goodbye to MiaFleur….
No, we’re not going anywhere, it’s just that the name MiaFleur is. Why? Well, we’ll get to that. But firstly, let me just say that this was not an easy decision. It’s not one we’ve taken lightly, and we know that many of you love the name, but in the end, we just felt that it was the right decision.
What a delight we have for you today with a stunning before and after living room transformation of the ‘Peach Palace’. The 80’s was definitely the era of peach (although this house perhaps takes it a bit far), and swags and tails were the in thing. I should know, I even made a few myself! To cut a long story short, Katie (Mrs Peach) has devoted a blog, Come Down To The Woods about her trials with eradicating the colour to create a vibrant, eclectic home for her family.
Katie was a self-confessed neutral décor woman at heart, so this is her first foray into the wonderful world of colour and eclecticism, and her blog shines through with her new-found love of colour and pattern. The first room to get the treatment is their glorious family living room, so we wanted to share it with you and hear a little more from Katie about designing the room.
31 Aug 2017
Today we have 2 perfect pink interior colour palettes for you to drool over, both a completely different shade, to show you how versatile pink can be and what colours are best to pair it with. Pink is my go to colour if I want some warmth and glow to my décor, from softest baby pink to full on hot pink, there has to be pink in my life and I know many of you out there feel the same, although some of you are still in the closet, or shy about admitting a fondness for this supposed feminine colour. I read an article the other day called ‘Pink Wasn’t Always Girly’ that goes into depth about the history of pink and its gender connotations that makes for an interesting read if you want some background detail.
17 Aug 2017
There is a whole world of science out there about lighting your home, (a complicated and expensive one at that) but most of us just want atmospheric lighting for those dark evenings, and something that is decorative during the day. Lighting is not just about bringing light into your home on those dark evenings – it’s also a way to create atmosphere and drama, day or night. How to choose decorative lighting is certainly not rocket science but here are a few helpful pointers to bear in mind.
Lots of table lamps in various sizes around the room, to create an equal distribution of light. I always think of table lamps as like mirrors – the more the merrier! And where you have the space, a standard lamp makes a striking feature and varies the height of lighting. Lighting is the same as furniture in that you need various heights to achieve balance and interest.
4 Aug 2017
Design inspiration can come from anywhere, and I always find it fascinating to hear where designers draw their inspirations from. So when I was introduced to Anatomy Boutique, an interior lifestyle company, who design wallpapers and ceramics, amongst other things; not only was I drawn to their incredible creations, but also the fascinating story behind them.
The owner and creative force behind Anatomy Boutique is Emily Evans, anatomist, medical artist, author, publisher and senior demonstrator of anatomy at Cambridge University. Phew! If that’s not enough to be going on with there is even more to her skills – check them out on, Emily Evans Illustration.
This is such an unusual path for a homewares designer, so we asked Emily a few questions about the inspiration for her designs and why she decided to go into the design side of things.
29 Jul 2017
East meets west in spectacular style at Bar Palladio Jaipur to create a luxurious and out of this world orientalist fantasy. Combine the stunning restaurant décor with the best in Italian cuisine and you have a wonderful setting for a luxurious holiday retreat. Inspired by Caffe Florian and Harry’s bar in Venice, and named after Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, the restaurant is the brainchild of Italian, Barbara Miolini. Located within the grounds of historic Narain Niwas Palace Hotel, the Bar Palladio is home to the best of Indian craftsmanship for which Jaipur is famed. Dutch fashion designer Marie-Anne Oudejans, a resident of the Narain Niwas Hotel, was inspired by the opulent lifestyle of the maharajas of the early 20th century, to create a magnificent garden belvedere with tented canopies, mature mango trees and wandering peacocks.
