I was having a geek at Monsoon earlier today. I have an awards ceremony (work related!) coming up at the end of the month and I was looking for a pretty frock that’s hopefully going to make me look taller and slimmer (yeah right!). But I digress…
I hadn’t been on their home accessories section for a while. I love Monsoon and sister company Accessorize with all my heart and soul when it comes to clothing and accessories but I never know what to make of their home collection. It’s a bit hit and miss but 2 really cute and unusual pieces caught my eye this morning. On the Monsoon they come under jewellery boxes but I can picture them being used in other rooms too.

Product info: 6 Draw Chest – £22, 3 Draw Chest – £22

It’s refreshing to see jewellery boxes come in an unusual design like this. I do love Shabby Chic and Vintage but, as it happens when a style is so popular, that’s all you seem to find in the shops when it comes to dressing table accessories. My little Monsoon findings remind me more of an oriental or colonial style!

My breakfast browsings have brought me to the world of decorative bird cages.
I’m sure you will have noticed too: everyone’s talking about them and you will now find them on all decorating magazines and websites.

Bird cages have become an incredibly popular and trendy interior design product because of their cuteness and simplicity. You can make them work with many different looks but it seems that these days they have mainly become synonym with the Shabby Chic decorating style.

I’ve got to be honest – I personally find Shabby Chic bird cages can be a bit boring on their own and this is why I’ve been looking into different ways to make them more fun and unique.

Here are my findings:

Plants

I love the idea of using a bird cage for holding  plant pots and I like the contrast between the white or other typical Shabby Chic pastel colours of the cage and the bright green of the plant. My personal preference would be something like ivy with trailing ends or even herbs! Image source: StyleHive

Candles

Placing a few scented candles inside the bird cage will completely transform it and, if using coloured candles, they will also provide a nice touch of colour.
Using candles will enable you to quickly update the look of your Shabby Chic bird cage.
How about having different types of candles depending on the time of the year? Ocean breeze in the summer, floral scented candles in spring and apple & cinnamon in the winter perhaps?
To avoid disaster, make sure you check the bird cage can handle the heat before you light the candles! Image source: Angel At My Table

Flowers and Potpourri

Another really quick idea to make your bird cage more unique is to place fresh flowers or a bowl filled with potpourri inside it.
Small bird cages decorated with flowers can also be turned into stunning table centrepieces. How’s that to impress family and friends?
Again, I love this idea because of it allows you to easily update its look whenever you fancy something a bit different. Image source: Wooldridge & Sleep

Other ideas that have been flying thru my head include:

- small perfume bottles
- books
- jewellery
- seashells

I guess the eaiest way to give you own creative twist to your Shabby Chic bird cage is to think of it as a display unit or decorative basket. The possibilities are endless!