Above my Fireplace

Cactus Vase, £21.50, Holly's House at Trouva; Tin Sign, $5; Ginsberg is God Candle, £40, Bella Freud; 

Ampersand, £29.99, Holly's House at Trouva

There genuinely aren't enough negative adjectives in the world to truly convey how much I completely and utterly despise this vile fireplace/mantlepiece. However as I'm currently/forever renting there's little I can do other than to spruce it up and add a little joozh with some ornaments and candles. I'm going to be re-launching my YouTube channel in the new year and thought that sharing little aspects of our cosy flat would be a nice way to acquaint you with it ahead of time :)

A few of my pals have recently purchased their first homes and whilst I'm genuinely super proud of them I'm also beyond envious of the fact that they're now allowed to put up shelves, paint walls and remove hideous mantlepieces. It's the simplest and most basic things that make such a difference when renting. We currently have so much dead space in alcoves that could so, so easily be utilised through very pinterest-able shelving - the fact it isn't kills a little bit of my soul everyday.

As this is the first time my boyfriend and I are actually 'officially' sharing a room in the six years we've been together I've actively tried to make it more 'us' than 'me' and quite gender neutral. Although the fact that this mantelpiece is positioned between my dressing table and book case filled with shoes contradicts this slightly.

We picked up the tin Los Angeles sign at a $5 store next to the Chinese theatre in Hollywood, it was a super spontaneous buy and I'm so grateful that we purchased it. I look at it every single morning and night when I try and think of ways in which our American dreams can be realised again. Sob.

I attended the launch of online boutique Trouva at the start of September and purchased the Cactus Vase (mine's the small) and the Copper Ampersand afterwards with the generous voucher they kindly gave us. I think the vase is super fun and a quirk alternative to an actual living cluster of cacti - which were demoted to the downstairs windowsill upon the arrival of this gem. Whilst the Ampersand is such a timeless home accessory, I jumped at the opportunity to finally tick it off my never ending interiors wish list.

Those of you who know me IRL will know that Bella Freud is one of my all time faves. I finally invested in one of her iconic 'Ginsberg is God' candles and it's truly been a game changer. I'm usually a fan of clean, cosy fragrances but this fruity, Fig & Tomato fragrance makes me super nostalgic, taking me back to visiting my Pappy in his green house whilst he watered his precious cherry toms. I've taken to only burning it when we have visitors, but already have great hopes for it as a brush holder.