Ikea Family Live + New York + Me

Do you ever have those weeks when you're not sure how you're going to get it all done? Where the idea of cloning yourself sounds like the only solution? That's the week that I'm staring down right now. At the end of it, on Friday, I get on a plane to New York to style some houses for the Ikea Family Live magazine. So I've got that to look forward to. But in between now and then I have to source and shop for a last minute 2-day shoot (Bathrooms! So we're talking tile, wallpaper, paint, pretty toothbrushes), return everything from said shoot, plan for the Ikea trip, buy new school uniforms, sort my taxes/expenses out, wash the very smelly dog, help Johnny with a school project for the first day at his new school (can you say last minute?) and on and on.......and that's about 10% of my list.

The great news is that I'm really busy with work and for that I'm grateful. I've been lucky enough to work on some great projects this summer, including styling a home in Budapest, Hungary, for Ikea, and working on Cath Kidston's next book, shot at her stunning country home (she was very nice in case you were wondering).

Have you heard of Ikea Family Live magazine? It's a quarterly magazine published in 34 countries, with certain articles also published on the website. It features homes all over the world where the owners have incorporated Ikea pieces into their home decor and mixed it with vintage, designer or just plain hand-me-downs. Occasionally you see a home like this one below where the family only decorates and dresses in black and white with splashes of yellow. Even their underwear! Isn't that wild?

My job as the stylist on these shoots is to maintain the integrity of the homeowners style. Ikea don't want them overly "done" (do you know how hard it is to style a place to not look styled?) They like a bit of mess, they don't have a problem with seeing the tangle of wires under a desk, and they love people in the shots. All the stuff that I love too!

It's unlikely I'll be blogging much in the next two weeks so follow along on Instagram or Twitter for updates from New York and Vermont and wish me luck!