Sunnies – Celine via SmartBuyGlasses. Watch – Larsson & Jennings. Envelope clutch – Sezane. Wallet – Prada. Serum – Innisfree. Necklace – Louis Vuitton. Scarf – MiH.

Top – Paule Ka. Culotes – Charlie May. Bag – Marni. Sunnies – Celine via SmartBuyGlasses.

Current location: Seoul, South Korea. Time-zone: Galaxy far far away, corner of Asgard and one stop before Uranus. My body does not comprehend the blue tint of dusk creeping through the blinds at the wee hours of the morning and sends out confusing bodily signals including but not limited to: hunger, a need-to-pee, PMS, utter exhaustion and insomnia (at the same time), and demands that I do something about it. In return, I do what I usually do when faced with jetlag: eat something questionable out of my Airbnb host’s fridge, entangle self within a duvet and find a TV shopping channel sufficiently entertaining enough to sap the last of energy. The effect is sublime – I arrived on Thursday and woke up on Monday morning ,feeling brand spankin’ new.

Problem is, I still don’t know what time it is. Imma go pee.

Candle – Dolce & Gabbana. Perfume – Gucci Bamboo. ‘Hello’ Ornament – West Elm.

Tackling the space issue

Combining two rooms into one

The two things you will learn about London in the first hour: 1) WALK ON THE LEFT, STAND ON THE RIGHT (this quite literally will be yelled at you in the tube, but you will never have a conversation with a stranger otherwise), and 2) Every space is multi-purpose: Heathrow, for instance, is basically a giant sandwich shop that is also occasionally an airplane parking lot. With nearly 9 million inhabitants trying to divide into cupboard-studios and oddly shaped 2-bedroom flats, walls are no longer used for what it’s made for. (Which reminds me: for the love of God, landlords, stop trying to make cheap IKEA screen-dividers happen, it’s not going to happen.) I, for one, don’t remember the last time I’ve actually been in a ‘living room’ that didn’t have some part of the kitchen and/or bed/closet spilling out into a corner, but perhaps I should stop hanging out with teenagers.

We recently moved out of our duplex studio loft flat in an attempt to grow up, where – if you remember – we had a wall of shoes next to the dining table, sofas next to that, and an open kitchen opposite all that. I think we only barely got away with the bed being above this all on the mezzanine. Our new abode is indeed a proper house, and while I can pride in the fact that our kitchen is actually surrounded by four walls and a door, we still had to find a way to fit the bedroom and living room into the second room for the sake of an office next door.

A mock-up that the West Elm free Home Stylist service drew up after our appointment

Photo: Philippa Langley

£74
Cubed sculpture

£24
Recycled Glass Candle Pots

After having paced the room scratching our heads, noticing one too many echos, calling Ghostbusters and getting put on hold, we decided to consult outside help. I’ve had my eye on West Elm long before we could afford to place yet another thing in the stir-fry of a studio we were living in, and now that we were starting from scratch, decided it was time. I noticed their free Home Stylist service and got all up on it like a crazy Asian lady over spinach sale. Well, now that the room is finished, here’s some handy tips I learnt from Ben, the Home Stylist, on fitting two rooms into one without breaking a sweat.

£49 £29.95
Sequin Shag Cushion Cover

£499
Marble Oval Coffee Table

Ben’s top 5 tips

Have a cohesive design scheme

Don’t overfill with patterns and colors that you might tire of. Pick out a few belongings that are must-haves in the space and use them as starting block for the rest of the room.

I decided on going for a mix of dusty blue, pewter and grey for the warmer seasons. In winter I plan on swapping in with lots of texture and monochrome accessories.

– Shini

Avoid bulky furniture

£149
Hex side table

Avoid bulky furniture – you’ll most likely have a lot to fit in to the space so pick out pieces that will help lighten the room not overwhelm it. Light-surfaced furniture like glass or marble are great for this.

We have a basket under the marble side tables for all bedside necessities.

Ben’s top 5 tips

Power of Three

Group three decorative items in different heights to allow the eye to follow the triangular shape, brings harmony and focus into the particular area.

£119.95 – £849.00
Riad wool rug

Work the floor

Use rugs and flooring to divide the space. That alone works with dual purpose – giving clear definition between the two functionalities whilst adding essential warmth to the room.

this shaggy rug feels like a fluffy cloud at the end of the day…

Directional patterns

Use patterns cleverly to bring fluidity in the room.

We opted for this long herringbone-esque pattern on the cushion to direct the eye towards the window and the garden.

Gold-dipped bowls and ‘hello’ object – West Elm. Glass Vase – H&M. Black marble vase – Dwell.

Top – Uniqlo. Dungarees – Alexa Chung for AG Jeans.

Click below to watch how it all came together ↓

This is entirely a personal initiative, but as a disclaimer, a discount was kindly given by West Elm.

Top – Regina Pyo. Belt – Stella McCartney. Trousers – Wilson PK

Above: Top – Stella McCartney via Harvey Nichols. This photo: Top – Charlie May. Dress – Tata Naka.

Dress – Marques’Almeida via Harvey Nichols. Jeans – ASOS. Sleeveless Polo-neck – x. Shoes – Coach. Earrings – Maria Black.

Top – Regina Pyo. Suede skirt – American Apparel. Culottes – Tata Naka

Wearable technology

Five favourite contactless weekend spots

One step closer to eradicating the bag altogether

When it comes to wearable technology, I‘d like to think that my bra is so far the most high-tech contraption I wear – I mean, making it seem like there‘s actually something there!? Pure magic. Sure, my phone is basically an extension of my right arm, but when I do want to switch off and enjoy the weekend in the city with my needy man, I find that there‘s nothing better than fastening a digital wallet on your sleeve and opting for a tiny, tic-tac sized bag with a face on it. Soon I will stop carrying bags altogether and morph into a dude, and that will still be fine because I already like wiping my hands dry on my jeans.

Here’s five of my favourite weekend spots, sponsored by bPay by Barclaycard, although I’ve always wanted to put this together since the dawn of contactless, so I’m glad it’s now a much more widespread form of payment. bPay is available to anyone with a UK-registered Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card, and can be topped up via the app manually or set it to auto refill. Perfect for Admiral Lazy over here, so join the club.

Blazer – Hofmann. Sweater – Hoss Intropia. Skirt – Tata Naka. Hat – H&M

Electric Cinema + Barbour & Parlour Kitchen

64-66 Redchurch St, Shoreditch London E2 7DP

Anywhere that supports a couch potato lifestyle is a plus in my book. Part of the Soho House Group, each screen seats up to only 50 viewers. Each plush armchair is complete with cashmere blankets and enough recline to nap during boring scenes. Pick up a drink and upmarket ‚snacks‘ at Barbour & Parlour kitchen, to enjoy during the movie. Quick contactless payments means darting in and out for seconds. I mean, cocktails + Magic Mike XXL = YES.

£165
Rag & Bone

£24.99
bPay wristband

£122
Hofmann

Shirt – GANT. Culottes – Kirsty Wade. Bag – Coccinelle. Scarf – MiH. Boots – Chloe

Rough Trade East

Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Ln, E1 6QL

From Sugababes to Iron Maiden – this is my London go-to for records and CDs when Spotify just won‘t do. Digging up old Disney Fantasia records is a personal favourite pasttime.

£139
Newgate Watches

For Those About to Rock
AC/DC

£24.99
bPay wristband

£350
Michael Van Der Ham X Lunettes

£59
The Conran Shop

Museum of Childhood

Cambridge Heath Rd, London E2 9PA

One of the most underrated, under-promoted museums in the city. Revisit your childhood and awaken curiosities amongst vintage toys and centuries-old child-education. One of my favourite museums in London since discovering it nine years back.

Top – Nike x Sacai. Trousers – Zara. Bandana – ASOS.

£35
Lipstick Queen

£14.99
bPay sticker

The bPay sticker is perfect for those that cannot part with their phone. Mine is stuck inside my phone cover.

£65
Marc by Marc Jacobs

£350
Marni

£80
Est by ES

wearable technology

Emirates Air Line

27 Western Gateway, London E16 1BW

One of the very few ways to see London from high up, without hitting up one of the towers in the city or a flight with a Western approach. Stellar views of Canary Wharf and the O2. Best seen at sunset, and even better on a rainy day. Use as transport method to cut across the river for a day out at Greenwich (where the second Thor movie was shot).

Scarf, Coat – Est by ES. Bag – Gucci. Dress – ASOS.

Coat, skirt – Versus. Trousers – Zara. Belt – Louis Vuitton.

wearable technology

While not necessarily the most attractive ‚weekend destination‘ (in fact, I personally recommend avoiding like the plague from the minute TGIF starts, straight to Sunday-stumble-home), the London Underground, or ‚the tube‘ is undoubtedly the best place to go contactless. No more fumbling at the gates for your Oyster card and causing a domino effect down the escalator, or waiting in a queue to top-up at the machine and then having to take retirement.

I‘m still a sucker for paperback, especially history books on World World II.

Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell

Ardennes
Antony Beevor

£19.99
bPay fob

£29.99
London Transport Museum

Jacket – Topshop. Skirt – Tata Naka. Trousers – Glamorous

Pitta Chips
Soffles

Tonic Water
Botanic Lab

£24.99
bPay wristband

£635
Tata Naka

Counter Albion

45 Redchurch St, London E2 7DJ

Hip, little sister of Albion Cafe a few doors down, this is also my second home when the going gets a bit stuffy at home and I need hot ginger ale on tap. Great lunch service, contactless – naturally, and heathy snacks between meals. Venture into the roomy back room for a seat under the skylight.

Also love…

Pret – Starbucks

Let‘s be honest, nothing else defines ‚on-the-go‘ city-gal than Pret or Starbucks. The latter just introduced a new summer drink called Caramel Coffee Jelly, which I‘m officially addicted to. Similar addiction applies to Mango & Mint Quinoa bowl at Pret, although slightly more difficult to find.

The trouble with making a living on the internet, be it via web design or blogging, is that if you’re ‘Out of Office’, you are most likely dead, or doing your taxes. Even though this trip to Royal Palm Marrakech marks the 18th flight this year, technically I am yet to take some personal time where I can truly switch off and loosen my bikini strings without the fear of a Skype call from a client. My laptop is the ball, connected by a chain that is wi-fi – and every time I organise prison-break it either ends up in 23-missed calls or emails with titles ONLY consisting of the word ‘urgent’ in capital letters. So, for the time being I’m learning to embrace it, calling my laptop a trusty sidekick instead of giving it scary names like PiL (Parents-in-Law). I‘m also finding different ways of switching off while still being connected, one of these ways involving putting aside my primary laptop and experimenting productivity with different devices like the ASUS Transformer Book Chi T100, a laptop-tablet hybrid. Verdict? Slick and handy, definitely more of a laptop than a tablet in terms of performance. Battery life leaves something to be desired but I probably should not have watched a whole season of Sherlock Holmes before determining this.

Here‘s a few ways I get the most out of working holidays:

Created for ASUS. Snap with Tripod + Nicole Lovett + Simon Schmidt

Cardigan – Zara (similar). Dress – PYRUS. Bag – Chloe. Shoes – GHBass 1876. Luggage – Globe Trotter. Trousers – DAKS (similar)

Phone case – Casetify

Bracelet – Astley Clarke. X-Ring – Elizabeth & James