Today

 I miss my children.....

A little bit of home....

I'm a newbie to Instagram thanks to my children - all summer they were taking photos and uploading them for their friends to see.... naturally I wanted to be part of it too. So I now have an Instagram account under the name violetroselondon and boy is it fun AND time consuming!!

So before we left Norfolk to head back to Riyadh I took some interior shots of our house and popped them on Instagram - I have since had a few comments and queries about doing another series of interior styling shots ...I will get around to it but for now here's a little bit of shabby chic in Norfolk by the sea!

Enjoy!

Some Miu Miu protected under a glass cloche with +J.Crew gorgeous necklaces on display...

               Dried Blue Hydrangeas from the garden displayed in glass vases throughout the house

          My fave room in the house with a big old bath and silver oriental wallpaper with lots of white            and plantation shutters to add some warmth...

Sea shells feature a lot in our home - most collected by the children over the years but some hand me downs through the family including this one found by my late grandfather decades ago...

When we first bought our home in Norfolk we found a brilliant antique buyer and have several really loved pieces from her travels ( including the armoire above). Have a look at her finds here

Through the house the walls have been painted either bright white of pale grey everything looks great against these colours and if you paint the woodwork white next to the greys it really 'pops'

   A vintage find can be revitalised with some cut glass knobs or handles - a simple effective make over!

I like a little bit of humour in our home....

Baby's first shoes are kept safe and dust free under a cloche...

Collections of shells and beach stones lovingly carried home by the little people years ago are everywhere ...

               Happy memories of Summer and the bushes of scented Lavender under the windows....

A little bit of France in Riyadh....

So excited to take a trip downtown for lunch at The Noodle House ( FAB, FAB, FAB) in Centria Mall, Riyadh to discover my own little bit of France amongst the land of camels, sand, heat and black abayas.....

For those of you who have been asleep for the past few years Laduree make MACAROONS and they are Gluten Free which is always a huge bonus for me! They have beautiful tea salons all over London, Paris and the rest of the world - now this includes Riyadh!

The windows are gorgeous and just like the shops in London and Paris - all pastel colours with lots of ribbons...

Even the gifts looked beautiful and so perfectly packaged - I could have bought everything!

For me choosing the box to take my macaroons ( GLUTEN FREE!!!) away in is almost as hard as deciding on the flavours!!

They have outside terrace seating in the Mall - so fully air conditioned but still seems a little like eating in a shopping centre to me BUT inside is divine - all velvet banquettes and pretty little tables with delightful frescoes on the walls - very 'salon' !

This little room only has 1 table and is very private - perfect for afternoon tea for two and a gossip!

It is a little more expensive ( 67 SAR for 4 pieces including the box!) than London but just so lovely - I plan to keep returning until I have the full collection of boxes!

So in the end I chose 4 flavours and I have to say my fave two are still the raspberry and the salted caramel - needless to say DH only ate O N E !!

I couldn't resist this box with the flouro pink and clashing bright green and orange - DIVINE

I can't wait for my next visit!!

Laduree Tea Salon and shop, 2nd Floor, Centria Mall, 
(Corner of Tahlia Street and Olaya Street) RIYADH

Playing Tourist in Madrid

So we thought it was time the children saw a little bit of Spanish culture rather than just the beaches and restaurants so we spent a couple of days in Madrid. WOW what a cool city - I loved it - so full of energy!

We stayed in a really cool hotel right in the centre of the city so everything was within walking distance ( and it had underground parking so we left the car full of suitcases !) and boy did we walk. We walked EVERYWHERE - my fave place was the Museo Del Prado - admittedly the kids had had enough after 2 hours of looking at paintings but it was a welcome break to sunbathing and eating!

                   We did manage a quick trip into a huge ZARA store just to pacify the teenager!