Fancy wallpaper and a painting to match my dress

Last weekend we celebrated my in-law's Golden wedding anniversary with afternoon tea at Alexander House Hotel in West Sussex. I'd not been there before, but when we arrived and I spotted those chimneys and the huge magnolia underneath them, I had a feeling it would be a place with some quirks. 

And I wasn't wrong. The patterned floor and log stack where in a porch near the bar. The desk with the vintage news sign and the chandelier were just inside the front door. Afternoon tea was great and I proved to myself once again why I could never be a food blogger. I was too interested in eating and drinking and so there are no photos of the food, but it's good, so if you're local definitely give it a go.

You're probably wondering why then I'm writing about a place I visited. Well, unexpectedly I discovered my next post in The Loo Series, which as you've guessed features the loos. And I say unexpectedly as wouldn't you know it I had to make a return visit with my phone.  But it gave me the opportunity to pose with the mirror that was almost as big as the generous door to the cloakrooms.

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It was the wallpaper that really caught my eye.

And the accessories.  The mirrors.  And the toiletries, the Verveine range from L'Occitane is a particular favourite and I'm also rather partial to a Verveine tea after dinner too.  When we're in France the Verveine tea bags are usually one of the first things that go in our shopping trolley as we head towards the wine!

All of that made for a lovely bathroom.  Once again though I was lucky to have the space to myself so I didn't look a right lemon photographing the loos.  In my title I promised you a painting to match my dress. And here it is.

This was in the ante room as you entered from the corridor, and while it's not my usual style of painting, I couldn't help but notice how well it matched my dress. I think my new friend agreed too.

So once again proof that bold colours do work in bathrooms, admittedly this is larger than a bathroom in a house might be, but it's bold and beautiful.  And top marks to the hotel for decorating it to match my outfit!

Do you find yourself noticing the decor in unusual places, or is it just me?

Let's talk Bamboo flooring

Now, if I said Bamboo flooring to you,  I've got a good idea what you might think. In fact it might be close to my first thoughts. Something like this maybe:

Thinking about it more I couldn't see any reason why bamboo couldn't be used for flooring, as I know it's a tremendously versatile material. I mean I have a couple of summer dresses made from bamboo, and instead of the stiff, hard fabric you'd imagine they are unbelievably soft. And remember those bamboo beach mats that were an essential holiday item? Well they're flexible and light too aren't they. 

So until I looked into this more, and browsed around the Ambient Bamboo Flooring site, I'd assumed that bamboo flooring would be a soft floor covering. It turns out I couldn't have been more wrong, as they are said to be three times harder than traditional wood floors, but with the same look and feel. 

The stranded flooring is so resilient because of the way it's made.  The bamboo strands are torn apart and then fused together using intense heat and pressure. And the strength increases if the strands are laid in a cross pattern, which makes sense even to my non technical brain.

So if it's strong, what does it look like?

That was the next question forming in my head. And no doubt yours. But I was pleasantly surprised there too. There's plenty of examples on their site and even as I was beginning to expect to be surprised, I was. 

It can be installed over many types of existing flooring, including concrete. And as bamboo's a fast grower - I can vouch for that if it's anything like the bamboo in my garden - the plants regrow in less than ten years, which is fast compared to seventy years for comparable hardwoods. It starts to make you think doesn't it?

So having not heard of Bamboo floorings before, suddenly I've found myself intrigued by it and wondering why it's not in use more. And then I thought, maybe it is and we just don't know it...

This is a collaborative post but all views and opinions are my own.

A pretty chateaux with stunning flower arrangements

We've already walked around both of the formal gardens at Chenonceau with their similarities and differences and today finally, we're popping into the chateau. But not without a look at the outside and how it bridges the River Cher. 

Isn't it stunning?  And like our homes today the bridge across the river was built in stages. It was first built by Diane de Poitiers who was gifted the chateau by King Henri II in 1547. When Catherine de Medici, Henri II's widow, removed Diane she added the two storey gallery, to hold glamorous parties - and I bet they were just that.

On the way in I spotted another gargoyle, this one looking a lot more menacing than the ones in Blois.

And what a front door. It dates back to François I and is made of sculpted wood and painted. It bears the arms of the builders of Chenonceau along with the salamander of François I and a Latin inscription. A grand chateau needs a grand front door, and this is certainly that.

As well as the grandeur which you'd expect from a chateau, what struck me about Chenonceau was their stunning flower arrangements. Throughout the chateau their modern take on the arrangements left me in awe. I'm annoyed with myself though as my photos aren't as sharp as they could be. As usual I used my iPhone but I suspect I had a smear on the lens. 

I couldn't wait to get into the Gallery, and when we did I was pleased that we'd managed to get there before the large group we seemed to be following about, so it meant it was almost empty. And in real life it's even more stunning than in the photo.

It's sixty metres long and six metres wide. Daylight floods in through the eighteen windows and you can just imagine the grand balls that would have taken place here. During the First World War it had a change of use when Dr Gaston Menier (of chocolate fame) paid to set up a hospital in the chateau. And as a crossing over the river it played its part with the Resistance too. I'm always totally amazed at the heroics of people at that time in readiness to save people.

There were as many flowers, plainer of course, below stairs. The greenery and hydrangeas below were in the kitchen areas. And while they are less fancy, I don't think you can say the same for that handrail, can you?

Back upstairs the flower arrangements continued to amaze. I loved this one, comprised of many square and oblong glass vases and full of flowers, which were also repeated across the mantelpiece in the library, where Catherine de Medici had her desk.

The last arrangement I'm sharing today is in one of the darkest rooms of the chateau, so along with a smudge on my lens I'm grateful I could rescue even a part of this photo. The shading helps though I think.  It's from Louise of Lorraine's bedroom, which is dark and moody and you'll not be surprised to learn that she retired to Chenonceau to meditate and pray after the assassination of her husband King Henri III.

I found this one of the most moving rooms in the chateau, and while the room was dark decorated in blacks, greys and silvers she always dressed in white, following the protocol for royal mourning and was given the name the White Queen.  The room is decorated with motifs of feathers, which represent sorrow and silver tears. This simple, but stunning flower arrangement was totally appropriate.

Quite a different take on flower arrangements aren't they?