My interior inspiring stay at the 70s chic boutique hotel Hotel V Fizeaustraat

For my first trip to Amsterdam I was fortunate enough to be staying at Hotel V Fizeaustraat, the newest rendition to the Hotel V family at only three months old (!) and it was an inspiring delight.

Hotel V Fizeaustraat

This boutique hotel with its contemporary 70s design is finished off with a dash of glamour in every area - from the stunning retro chandelier on your entrance to the hotel, to the plushest of bathrobes in your room (that very nearly made its way into my suitcase, aside from an attack of conscience and a suitcase stuffed full of newly scoured vintage finds).  It's so on trend and yet timeless, and inspired by one of my favourite decades that oozed glamour; think Helmut Newton, Studio 54, Bianca Jagger, Motown - I feel the emoji hearts in my eyes already. 

The building itself was built by well known dutch architect Piet Zanstra in the 70s and in keeping with its exterior, the interior design remains as authentic.

The 'Star of the Show' lightbulb lit Lobby entrance

Even the lighting down the hallway to your room has been carefully matched to the design

Home furnishing goals! ♥♥

Similar to the Scandi aesthetic (which I can admit to unashamedly obsessing over), Dutch design is closely related to nature. In keeping with that, for example here, in keeping with the green surroundings of its neighbourhood, they have installed green living roofing that is not only chic in its design but sustainable. Simplicity is also key to dutch design which can be seen from the industrial-chic aesthetic of the hotel; its open 'raw' concrete ceilings of the bedrooms and objects d'art made from elements such as copper or the original metal of the building. Its all in the detail which Hotel V Fizeaustraat has mastered here.

It's all in the details : from the quality teas to the retro inspired mugs 

My very comfortable King sized double bed

Obsessed with the monochrome tiling & matte black fittings in the bathroom complete with walk-in rain shower

The detail in the furnishings are so on point with its Dutch aesthetic

Unfortunately due to a tight schedule of trying to cram work and play into a weekend stay in Amsterdam, I never did make it for a cocktail at their art deco straight-out-of-Mad-Men effortlessly cool bar, though I did make it to The Lobby Fitzeaustraat for their expansive breakfast in the morning, and then spent what felt like an age (in hangry time) deciding what to choose from their vast selection! Ordering from the menu (I like that rather than a buffet style breakfast, it feels fresher to me and more luxe) you had to choose one sweet and one savoury. The savoury items could be an English breakfast, granola & local farmers yogurt, Eggs Benedict, Eggs Royale, the list went on! And then, the sweet choice ranged rom American style pancakes with banana, maple syrup & bacon, french brioche toast & berry compote, to fresh fruit salad and pomegranate coulis. I was in breakfast heaven! Though this time my eyes didn't win over my stomach on my choice of food & I went for Eggs Royale for my savoury & a fruit salad for my sweet. A good choice at the time as my savoury dish was super substantial (and delicious!), washed down with the fruit.

 The substantial breakfast of dreams!

This hotel is MADE for the Instagram generation as yes I can admit to having an impromptu photoshoot (eye roll), but you can't help yourself with all the carefully chosen furniture, straight out of hipster Homebase succulents and coffee table books - from The Beatles to Jimmy Hendrix, that surround you during your stay.

That staring-at-cake gaze

If you like something unique, effortlessly cool and almost hidden away for you to discover than Hotel V Fizeaustraat is your match.  I left totally interior inspired for my flat back in London and with the warmth of the staff, the luxury of the decor and its high quality finishing touches; it truly sums up the hotel's motto, "From Amsterdam with Love". 

More of my Amsterdam trip from where to find the best vintage and which market to haggle the best bargains, to chicken, waffles & hip hop nights coming in a blogpost soon!

Maximising my workspace with the World's Smallest Printer by HP

When I was given the World's smallest printer I thought to myself this is purely exaggerated marketing terms, but on receipt of it, they weren't wrong!

With a width of 40cm its smaller in height than my iPhone 6s and half the size of any other all-in-one printer, so its perfect for small work spaces like mine.

I live my life in colourful clutter that I find myself continuously trying to tidy, so it's great to be able to have something that's smart and functional without taking up much space. 

As a stylist I find plenty of inspiration from magazines often tearing out imagery, but now I can take snapshots on my phone, save and wirelessly print them from the printer! You simply download a free app (AiO - all in one -remote), connect to the printer via its own connection or your wifi and you can get print happy for days (well until the ink runs out which luckily with the Instant Ink it comes with, lasts 70% longer than usual ink - ideal when you need to print out all your photos pf your friend's party last weekend for mega cringe-worthy lols. 

Setting up the printer I thought might be tricky (I'm not the best tech bod with an tech attention span of roughly 1 minute), though it took me thirty seconds to log in, find my printer and head to albums on my phone to get printing.

Fun photo printing aside, the printer is also able to print from saved files in your email like documents, CVs or spreadsheets simply by using the share button on your device and clicking on print. Particularly if you're in a rush to a meeting and need the document printed fast, fortunately the HP Instant Ink is super quick drying, you won't have to worry about smudging.

I firmly believe that to have your work space in order is to have your life in order, particularly when you are freelance like me, a clean space is conductive for a productive lifestyle and this little gem aids in this working environment. Not only does it look sleek with its Electric Blue and white wirefree exterior allowing it to slot into any modern work-scape, whilst helping me save time and space.

Printing in a compact space doesn't get any simpler or more stylish than this.

Dreaming of Tokyo Nights in Neon Brights

Blade Runner is my all time most favourite film in life. Ever. And when I was recently asked to do a shoot with Raw Files Co in a space that matches my personality and favourite things, Lights of Soho's neon backdrop reminiscent of the film was the right choice.

RawFiles is a 'documentation of the faces and styles of the very rare', interviewing individuals from the creative industries to inspire others.

Influenced by all things bright, fluffy and colourful, particularly anything that is Kawaii, I teamed a Motel Rocks body (if you're wondering what it says in Japanese, unfortunately its not very life inspiring, its just the brand name, Motel), my French Connection (yes I was surprised when I first spotted them too!) sequin trousers and Shop Floor Whore fluffy scarf, also known as my neck blanket that has kept me so toasty over the never-ending Winter months. Let's not forget my fuchsia pink Pom Pom Earrings, also from SFW and my silver pastel pink pom pom slingbacks from Asos. 

I fell in love with the dreamy style of the shots taken by photographer Stephane Yu, similar to the Future Noir idea, that became a creative movement originating from my fave film, Blade Runner. If you haven't seen the film its a must, particularly if you're into fashion; for a film made over 30 years ago, it still has such an influence on designers shaping the fashion world today.

For more of the tongue-in-cheek interview check out the article here.

New Season Fun - S/S '16

I was recently photographed by babe photographer Kiran Gidda in some of my fave new pieces for Spring Summer '16. As I'm obsessed with pastel colours it was inevitable that they would feature somewhere in this shoot. Featuring Local Heroes soft pink hues, This Is A Love Song bad ass brights and fun with leather velvet and metallics, I'm looking forward to next year!

With Pantone saying the colour for 2016 is Rose Quartz and Serenity, I've got my excuse to live in pastels throughout 2016 too.