So the journeywoman picked her first card,  the Five of Pentacles. Feeling like an outsider.   Never loved or lived long enough with anyone or anywhere to feel like I belonged. It's because I've been running away. 

The bad men came knocking on my door around 1998. I think i saw them a year before. Did my guardian angel leave me or give me challenge.  

Couldn't get close to people know case they got hurt.

They were knocking on my door in dreams.  Enough for me to know they were real and Carl to wake me up. Afraid to go to sleep. Who knew years later my dreams comfort and don't want to wake up. 

Anyone these tunnelers spent years trying to get into my life and my last house in my nightmares . They were trying to get inside my life through bay window but I always awoke in time. 

Think they won. 

Drinking Fountains

 Public drinking fountains first made an appearance in London on the 21 April 1859. While London was becoming more populated, the standard of quality domestic water supply was failing to keep pace.  So much so that beer was  an alternative to water. Renowned philanthropist Sam Gurney MP gifted the public drinking fountain which is attached to the railings outside St Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church on Holborn  Hill. With Edward Hill he set up the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association, later renamed as the Drinking Fountains Association. So popular was the fountain that it was believed nearly 7000 people a day would use it.

Closer to home is this public fountain erected on Hoylake Parade. It was designed by McFarlane and Co Glasgow to

commemorate the jubilee year of Queen Victoria and was erected in 1901. The dedication reads "For the children of Hoylake and Meols".

A simple fountain built on the top of Bidston Hill on Wirral may well be one of the highest fountains found in the UK.  The pumping station is located at the foot of the hill though I would imagine a significant amount of engineering was still required to pump water. Interestingly the manufacturers,  Glenfield Kennedy Kilmarnock, has as their founder Thomas Kennedy who invented the world's first water meter. While there appears to be no date on the fountain, it is assumed is was installed not long after 1899.

157 years later and our need for public drinking water is gaining renewed interest.  The sales of bottled water have never been higher, and the environmental pollution  regarding waste of plastic bottles and transportation is a concern. Many charities try to address the requirement for safe drinking water in poorer countries.  Few have succeeded in implementing public outdoor fountains in the UK.

The Architects Journal developed a competition called Kiosk back in 2014 where 6 renowned architects practices were tasked to design an outdoor fountain which could be built in London. Kiosk is theTurkish term for a meeting space which includes water, and the competition was in conjunction withTurkish Ceramics as part of the Bologna Water Festival. While some of the entries were incredibly elaborate,  the idea of recycling water bottles was captured perfectly in their headline Kicking the Bottle. Their vision for fresh free outdoor drinking water  has been listed as one of the 13 most key projects visualised for London.

Fresh outdoor accessible drinking water available to all,  including pets, sounds like a plan many people might enjoy. Imagine refilling a bottle instead of throwing one away.
And help is available.

Find a Fountain will help you locate a fountain, and their site has an indication as to which are working, and ask you to submit or correct information on their website.
The Drinking Fountains Association,the original charity set up in1859, will assist with grant applications to restore or develop free drinking water schemes in this country and abroad.  Public drinking fountains come under the council public realm. While London has tried to lead a national initiative , it is failing to implement any schemes yet.

We love the designs AJKiosk  generated. Who knows what trickle effect it will have in future projects around the country.

2016 Trends

While the following thoughts are by no means set in stone as to what trends in interior design lie ahead, they are based on patterns we see emerging.

Certainly over the years architects and designers have approached design with "wellness" in mind. Much of this is to offer spaces which allow individuals to live and function in a positive environment.  In fact you only have to search wellness to see how relevant it is in many

sectors from food to town planning.

From here we see the family bathroom receiving the greatest makeover. No longer just a space to bathe or shower,  it has become the starter for creating that multi generation space. From wetrooms to steam rooms , showers are still evolving. Technology includes mirrors doubling as flat screen TV s,  electronic sensor taps, thermostatically controlled showers, led shower heads, sound systems recessed into ceiling, and air injected taps to reduce water use.
Ordinary tiles and grout on walls have been making way for ceiling height water proof panels. White raised shower trays being replaced by wetroom floors.

One crucial area too has been in the importance of good branding. By that I don't mean having Downton Abbey initials on some type of unknown porcelain, but the clear branding of suppliers like Villeroy and Boch, Hansgrohe, Laufen... It does seem that people once fooled by cheap quality are now looking for the tried and trusted.

While there will always be a favourite accent colour in furnishings, the bulk of showhomes still play safe with a neutral pallette.  Magnolia has long gone, with white being around some time. What we might see is layering of whites. By this I mean a few shades of white close to each other that work to highlight different surfaces. This is something that many people who use Farrow and Ball paint will be used to doing, but tricky to get right.
As an alternative to white, grey is becoming more popular.


Surprisingly feature wallpaper is still hanging in there. Big bold, brash, and often shiny - 3 rolls is generally all needed. Thankfully there are alternatives in the form of  faux brick, and both engineered, and recycled woods which bring more texture and life to a room.

The industrial  look is perfect for apartments and older properties. Shiny chrome taps have been replaced by antique brass or nickel to compliment a more relaxed kitchen space. It is surprising how many cookery shows have a background of exposed brick in the kitchen areas.

A few years ago it might not have been out of place to install a bright red signature kitchen. Now the look is more refined, greys and creams as popular as white.
Much more attention is given to the work surface.  In fact many granite suppliers will say how much in demand that product is now. Overall the use of natural materials like granite and porcelain have  been on the increase in the last few years, and this doesn't appear to be slowing down.
Porcelain on the floor is perfect for heavy traffic areas.

What I have written about elsewhere in this blog has been bio flame fires. While I see no emerging trend as such, they have been spotted in prestigious London apartments recently. They really do look stunning, so that will be my one off the wall prediction for 2016..

For advice on delivery of any of the products mentioned, contact me 

White Interiors