Yesterday morning I headed out early for my pre-work walk. As usual my faithful companion Sugar was jumping in the air with delight once she knew we were heading out. I was a bit earlier than usual so it was quieter and while overcast, a beautiful morning. It had rained in the night so the ground was damp and had that wonderful earthy smell plus the air was laden with the scent of lilac which are in bloom all around Nenagh. I really must plant a lilac in our garden but they do grow quite large in time so planning that is a little bit of a predicament. I think it will have to be our front garden as in time it will add privacy and more curb appeal.
As usual, my favourite magazine, Country Living is inspiring me at this time of year. The May issue has their Gardening Special so I've been going through each page with delight and soaking up any ideas for my own garden.

For today's post I've pulled some images out of an urban 1920's apartment in Montreal. The clever decorating makes it feel like the city is miles away. All the Charm of the Country was photographed by Donna Griffith - the apartment is owned by Nicola Marc, who was a former homes and gardens assistant at Country Living lending much more understanding to the wonderful English country feel inside.

As this was the couples first home, flea markets and junk shops became their favourite haunts and they also re-envisioned some of the furniture left behind such as the dining table and chairs. With a fresh coat of paint they were revitalized on a small budget.

The kitchen has a simple slate floor and the cooker is from the 1950's adding to that vintage charm. They built plenty of cupboards to store and display Nicola's extensive collection of china, jelly moulds and vintage mixing bowls.

A soft pale palette including lilac, pale blues and chalky neutral runs throughout all the rooms which adds light and calm to the spaces. The mix of fabrics and weathered pieces of furniture help complete the sweet country charm.

Personally, as you know, I'm a huge fan of mixing old and new and I actually think when you do have a tight budget, as we did when we moved to Ireland. You are more creative- you think outside of the box and find ways to create great style with less money. It's more fun too!