INTERIORS // A sneak peek inside The Circle apartments

The Circle is back! Ever the interiors enthusiast, I wrote about last year's interior decor (and how the TV game show works) here but this year the interiors are quirkier than ever. Each apartment has its own theme and they are all so different (admittedly with varying levels of success). Are you ready?

I LOVE GOLD

The epitome of luxury with the gold shelving, gold kitchen units and marble worktops. 

Looks like somewhere Goldmember would hole up.

PRETTY IN PINK

Never before have I wanted a pink kitchen (nor did I ever expect to) BUT I DO NOW

BOHEMIAN

I'm not one for white walls (I find them really cold and uninviting) but this interiors scheme has plenty of warmth to it with its use of materials and patterns.

ECCENTRIC / QUIRKY

The most fun out of all the apartments, and it suits its 18 year old tenant to a tee. 

At the start I felt like I needed sunglasses constantly(!), but it's really grown on me

DARK INTERIORS

If I was ever on The Circle, this is the sort of apartment I'd live to be in (or LUXURY below). 

The dark walls are so cocooning and I love the pops of colour with all the pink.

BESIDE THE SEA

There is something quite coastal about this apartment with its white-washed wood, natural materials and touches of blue. I'm not as sold on the ornamental pigeons(!), but other than that, it's a lovely serene feeling apartment.

GLAM

I didn't know how else to describe this apartment. Sort of glam (like its first tenant) and sort of loud and in your face (like its last tenant!). I find that white kitchen units can be quite bland and boring, but backing them against a statement colour like this really makes them pop and gives added interest.

JUNGLE THEME

THAT WALLPAPER THOUGH. Designer wallpaper can be expensive. Sometimes all you need is one statement wall (both cheaper and makes a room look less 'busy'). I love the complimentary other walls painted in a similar shade and the touches of gold for added luxury. And speaking of luxury...

LUXURY

What makes this room 'luxury', you ask? It's the cocooning effect of a darker interiors scheme paired with gold accents and the clever use of designer wallpaper. Statement wallpaper can look a little 'busy' when used in excess i.e. covering an entire wall, or on all walls. By starting the wallpaper only midway up the wall, the dark wall paneling helps balance it, as well as making the yellow accents of the wallpaper really pop.

INDUSTRIAL

Or maybe that should be "industrial?" The kitchen, shelving and bar stools stick to the brief, but the rest of the apartment is veering on bohemian / worldly. The whole thing is a little muddled and the plain white walls just look a little soul less (exposed brick walls would work so much better here). My least favourite of the apartments

Which apartment is your favourite?

And if you are as in love with the statement wallpapers as I am, you can find similar sorts of designs here (they supplied the wallpapers for last year's show!)

All images from the @c4thecircle Instagram account

A few days away // a UK staycation

After a jam-packed few months, we needed a few days away to unwind. We didn't want to venture too far or spend too much, so a UK staycation was on the cards.

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed somewhere that holds very special memories for the both of us. For me, because of family holidays I had there when I was younger. I later introduced Mr Curiouser and Curiouser one year for a mini break and it's become somewhat of a tradition.

What I love most about the area is the surrounding woodland and the treetop hotel / treehouse hotel feel to it. You walk through floor-to-ceiling glass walkways in amongst the trees and it doesn't matter whether it's raining, snowing or sunny outside, there is always this incredible sense of peace.

The hotel had asked for the nature of our stay and very kindly gave us a complimentary upgrade. And oh my, the room was beautiful.

Purple accents added a touch of luxury to the room, as did the silver dressing table, dresser and side tables. I adored the window seat and looking out in the mornings.

WHAT WE DID

Understandably it was pretty hard to tear ourselves away from our room. We took things at our own pace, enjoying woodland walks by day....

With a stop off at the local zoo

.....and enjoyed the hotel's incredible bar and restaurant as evening fell.

WHAT WE ATE

The hotel is always big on local produce and sources a lot of its meat from Hampshire. This time around we enjoyed a mini farmhouse loaf with groundnut butter, followed by a complimentary carrot gazpacho amuse-bouche, which had the heat of ginger and chilli despite being a cold dish. Bread course and amuse-bouche aside, we had scallops to start (standard) followed by venison with savoy cabbage, parsnip puree, parsnip crisps and spiced figs. For dessert I had pears poached in mulled wine. DELICIOUS.

On this particular visit the hotel surprised us with complimentary champagne, which we enjoyed in the bar afterwards, taking the rest with us up to our room.

WHAT I WORE

At the time I was going through a floral wrap-around skirt phase and the soft waves and curls in my hair were the product of being caught in the rain a fair bit (who needs straightners?!) <3

We've actually booked our next visit already because autumn is the best time of the year to visit (not too hot, cheaper rates, and excellent seasonal food in the restaurant). EXCITED

What travels do you have lined up next?

Our room upgrade was complimentary as was champagne at dinner, but the rest of the hotel costs, our food and days out were all paid for by ourselves