It's All In The Details [Living Etc House Tours with AO.com]

Once upon a time, waaaaaaaay back in September, when the sun was still shining, and the world was a slightly better place, I was invited by the lovely peeps at AO.com to jump on their tour bus with a bunch of other bloggers to do my favorite thing in the world: nose around other people's houses on the LivingEtc House Tours.

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO





We visited four of the seven open houses on the day, and of those four, we could take photos in two, plus the beautiful manicured garden belonging Neisha Crossland pictured above, hidden behind the weathered doors of former stables. I never knew that I wanted a garden like this, but I do now. Buxus balls anyone? Total garden swoon!

And you may recognise this lovely conservatory of another home if you're a Living Etc fan, as I imagine you are if you're in the UK reading this blog...

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO



But I had a favourite. And one of the reasons for that, was that it was full of life, soul, and treasures that had clearly been collected over an interesting lifetime.

Details. It was full of details.

Okay, it wasn't just full of details, it was also full of religious paraphernalia, incredible lamps and artwork, and fun stuff including a random motorised disco ball in a hallway, with the odd skull thrown in for good measure. It was cool and grown-up, yet it didn't take itself too seriously. Totally up my street.

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO


But details really are what makes a house a home, they're what gives it warmth and character, and although it's obviously lovely if you're able to splash the cash, you actually can't buy buy a lifetime's worth of collected treasures in one fell swoop no matter how much money you have, and that's what makes it so special.

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO



French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO


French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO

And to top this house off, as if it wasn't already great enough, I walked down the stairs to the basement to see this...

French For Pineapple Blog - Living Etc House Tours with AO


No, I'm not talking about the utility room particularly, though I'd really love one, I'm talking about that bespoke paint tester pot shelving. Jealous much??!

I could have stayed in this house, not surprisingly, belonging to an Interior Designer and Colour Consultant, ALL day. In fact I had to be dragged out so we could make it to the last house in time!

Tell me, have you ever been on the Living Etc House Tours? I highly recommend you treat yourself next year if you're an interiors fan and not too far away from London - it's such a fun day. And if you're not an interiors fan, then what on earth are you doing here?!

I was a guest of AO.com for the LivingEtc House Tours.