Salomon XT-6

By the end of 2020 I was ready for the break. Not so much switching off digitally speaking, but more-so from the feeling of not knowing when to down tools for the day. We didn't really know what was coming next; what a 2-0-2-0 Christmas would look like, how to plan, or when things would feel stable again. I can still only think 1 or 2 days ahead right now.

It was nice just sitting around, watching films, eating chocolate and staying home, but also, a part of me wanted in to be over. Not that it felt like "fake Christmas, but it just wasn't right. We didn't see anyone over the holidays, other than chatting to my mum from her front garden, and Hollie's parents alike. The DPD guy feel like best mates at this point. Wonder if he's take a fit pic of me...

I worked with Salomon in mid December around their XT-6 line. The deadline was short, and asked for this stand-out model to be worn in both urban and outdoor settings. Travel restrictions could mean only one thing, stay local.

        - Photography by Jake Millers

All Parked Up - Our Print Shop

One thing that has kept me busy over the past few months is working on getting some prints ready. It's something I've thought about doing for a while, and after a fair few regular requests via Instagram, I finally got my act in gear and set up a super basic shop on Etsy.

 

Since July I'll shipped 50+ orders to all parts of the world; from Malibu, CA to a small coastal village in Australia. It seems folks are enjoying them in Scandinavia too, with the majority of international orders going to Denmark. Crazy.

 

Currently we have five prints available; three cars, One "Shopping Trollies in Orlando", and one of Hollie's It's a Love Story" print. We have plans to add a handful more in the run-up to Christmas. Each print has featured on my Instagram account at some point, so it's a lovely feeling to see them in other people's homes.

 

Here's a link to our Etsy store.

Thank you,

Mat.

Caminito Del Rey, Malaga | World's Most Dangerous Walkway?

"Risk taker" and "thrill seeker" aren't two words that would describe me. It's not that I haven't done some cool and slightly hairy things in the past, but on my recent trip to Malaga with AC Hotels I'd say I certainly ticked one of the boxes off properly - with a 8k walk along the "World's Most Dangerous Walkway". Well, that's what Google likes to label it anyway...

When Hollie saw that I might have the opportunity to explore one of Spain's more dangerous pursuits, it was a firm no...No way, no how. And I must admit, the articles and stories which I'd seen online didn't install me with the greatest of confidence either. But then, a little further digging suggested that the whole cliffside walkway - which cuts through one of Malaga's most beautiful regions, along with the early 1900s hillside railway - was actually fully renovated in 2015, taking on extensive repairs to tired parts of the hike, while also creating a whole new modern walkway which now sees thousands of visitor's feet each day. Sounded pretty resonable to me.

Sure, it could be very silly if you messed about or stay glued to your phone screen a little too long, but it would be wrong to label "The King's Little Path" as dangerous. It was definately high up, and and some points the pathway does become narrow, but to called it dangerous would be sensationalism.

That's not to say it wasn't a sensational experience. In fact, the hike through Caminito del Rey in 32 degrees heat was one of most amazing experiences of my life, and I'm so pleased I said yes to the opportunity. Scary at points, almost unbearable heat throughout, and some of the most stunning views I've ever seen in person. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

Mat.

Malaga Travel Diary

 A stay at AC Hotels Malaga, the ideal location

Trip part of a paid project w/ AC Hotels

On the odd occasion when an exciting opprotunity drops in my inbox I start to feel very anxious and overwhelmed by the end of the email. These feelings hit when AC Hotels approached me with a travel commission; to visit two of their newly renovated hotels in the South of Spain and explore both cities while documenting my time via Instagram. Sounds ideal! But in the back of my head I was thinking about the other incomplete projects I was juggling with at the same time.

This is by no means a problem, a busy schedule is what I'm after as a full time freelancer, but I don't love the anxious feeling that can appear when my battery on low-power mode.

Then usually it just takes Hollie to snap me out of it - telling me to grab those exciting opportunites and make the most out of them, because you really don't know if that opporunity when present itself again. And I'm so glad I did.

So I found myself walking head-on into a wall of heat as I puffed across the sun-bleached runway at Malaga airport. Prepped as much as I could be with only a few days notice.

Hey Malaga.

A welcomed break from the direct heat at Mia Coffee House 

I've decided to lay low on the words and leave it to the photos this time. Next up, a hike around Caminito del Rey and 24 hours in Seville.

Mat.

Our House Tour, Updated

Porch Tiles by Tops Tiles, Desk by Dan Marc, Wall Mounted Shelf by IKEA x HAY, Lamp by Anglepoise x Paul Smith

the porch, hallway and my office

[Features gifted items]

Whoa there, has been a long time coming! I seem to share an interior update maybe once a year, but this is probably the first time I've done the full shebang - the full house tour. It's pretty surreal to think we've been homeowners for nearly three years, and it honestly feels like yesterday since we were plastering white paper on to our windows for curtains and having dinner from the floor.

A lot has changed at number 23, both me and Hollie are incredibly proud of the work we have done on our humble 1930's semi-detached plot. The small tweaks, the big builds, the epic DIYs (if anyone remembers last summer's back garden fence project?!), the investment pieces and the last minute repair job - the whole thing is a massive learning curve, and something that has helped us grow as individuals.

So let's have a nose around:

Sofa, Coffee Table, Chair, Planter, Bar Accessories, Picture Frame by West Elm [gifted], Magazines via Coffee Table Mags, Byredo Candle via MR PORTER [gifted], Jacket by Kestin Hare [gifted], Bar Cart by West Elm

 the living room

About three months ago we embarked on an interior styling project with American furniture and homeware brand West Elm. We have a bunch of items by the brand already - including the mid-century walnut bar cart, which we received as a wedding present - and they'd been enjoying my interior content which I'd been sharing on my Instagram page. So they approached us with an idea; pick out some stuff from their website to integrate into our home, documenting the styling of each item across my social accounts, blog and follow up with a feature on their website. Ace!

It's an on-going project as things are always changing around ours; with corners taking a reshuffle on a weekly basis, new things being built [my father-in-law made our dining room table], and adapting the rooms depending on the weather, aka if the bi-fold doors are open we need to move certain things out the way.

So as you look though these photos you may spot a few things dancing around depending on when I first took the photo :) We both really love this space and spend most of our time there.

Dining Table create by us, Dining Table Chairs, Sideboard, Rug + Vase by West Elm [gifted], Serving Bowl + Wooden Block by ARKET [gifted], Candle by Wxy [gifted]

the dining room

This is the space I've always struggled to photograph, but still one of my favourite areas in our whole house. Where all the good stuff gets eaten. The slight jut-out from our living room / kitchen area was created by the previous owners, and if you look at the original plans for the house you can see that our now-dining room was once part of the back garden. 

The skylight brings loads of natural light in even when it's a dull day - slightly defused by the privacy glass we had installed (we don't want our neighbours seeing what we're eating!) - and the red brick wall is sympathetic to the original time period.

The West Elm sideboard and chairs worked perfectly with our style, which is somewhere between mid-century Americana and Scandinavian, but I would still like to add a little more colour and interest above the wall. New lampshades needed too.

Table Lamps by Menu [gifted by Utility], Vase by H+M Home, Drawers by IKEA, Hanging Lamps by Anglepoise

 the bedroom

One of the first rooms we decorated was the bedroom, and it's probably the most simplistic in the house. I'm terrible at sleeping, even at the best of times, so the idea was to create a relaxing space, free from clutter and void of anything too distracting. The result is a airy, neutral space, filled with soft sandy coloured walls, beige linen bedsheets and subtle brass fixings. 

For the long terms plan we aim to get rid of the grey carpet and restore the original floor boards to a liveable state, add a nice big rug, heavy curtains and away we go!

Sideboard by IKEA, Planter by West Elm [we bought that one], chair by Made, cushions by Anthropologie

the front room and back garden

One complete room vs one total work-in-progress. I realise that I'm not really showing off these spaces so well here, but I'm planning to do a full video house tour over on IGTV soon - then I'll be able to get in deets a little more.

The front room is a cosy kinda place, heavily influenced by the art deco and mid-century design movements, with an added bit of Asian travel and 50's Americana. Ok, that probably sounds well schmancy, but it works, honest. You'll see, soon.

And that leaves us with the back garden. The biiiiiig ongoing project. Currently we have four tub chairs, a small round table and two plant pots, sans-plants. We're planning to build some wooden planters around the edge in the same style as we built the fence, and create a dining area in the opposite corner, complete with pergola, tall plants and maybe a space for a small bbq. We'll make that happen soon!

I hope you have enjoyed a little look around our home. As things change I'll try to keep updated you via more blog posts and such, but until then if you'd like to see more of how we created each room then be sure to check out my highlight tabs on Instagram.

Mat + Hollie.