Amanda | The Womens Room

Home & GardenFebruary 19, 2016

Gardening in Small Spaces with Nicola Sweeting

By Amanda

In the third of garden designer Nicola Sweeting’s guest blogs, she’s looking at gardening in small spaces….For more inspiration check out Nicola’s Pinterest boards. When most of us think of gardens we think of lawns, shrubs and herbaceous borders, trees,… Read More

Food, We Are ReadingFebruary 17, 2016

Grow Your Own Cake by Holly Farrell

By Amanda

This book had me at the cover really, as a keen gardener and cook, the idea of being able to combine the two in one read was appealing. Our favourite Reader’s Digest cookery books from years ago did this brilliantly,… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 17, 2016

adidas Originals Tubular, a clean looking trainer for spring.

By Amanda

Since I can’t have a pair of those lovely, men only Grenson New Balance trainers, I’ve been searching out another style to fill the space. The enthusiasm for trendy trainers worn with smart daywear shows no signs of abating, although… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 15, 2016

Another look at the Spring Bomber Jacket

By Amanda

What I’m looking for with my fantasy spring bomber jacket is exactly this look above, on Ana Gimeno Brugada, my current style crush and a woman whose wardrobe I would happily sell my soul for. I’m looking for an oversized… Read More

Things We LoveFebruary 15, 2016

Scented animals at Avery, who could resist?

By Amanda

I mentioned last week that the home scent market is getting more decorative, as stores try to tap our ever-growing love for a scented candle and a nice smelling room. Shortly afterwards, I got invited to the opening of the… Read More

Home & GardenFebruary 12, 2016

Fashionable and Bold Colour for the Urban Garden

By Amanda

In the second of her guest posts for us, garden designer Nicola Sweeting concentrates on getting bold with colour in the urban garden. For more inspiration from Nicole, check out her inspiring Pinterest boards. I’m peering out through the winter… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 11, 2016

What to wear to your wedding when you’re a grown up

By Amanda

Congrats to Jerry Hall, shortly to become Mrs Murdoch IV, and whatever your thoughts on the union, the two of them do seem to be having a blast. Spotted out and about at the Golden Globes and the rugby, they’re… Read More

Fashion & BeautyFebruary 9, 2016

Heritage scarf maker Begg & Co

By Amanda

I need another scarf like I need another cookery book. I have enough of both to last me out. And some. I suffer from scarfitus, a highly contagious condition where you find it almost impossible to resist buying another… Read More

Things We LoveFebruary 9, 2016

Forget scented candles, it’s all about floral incense, with Fornasetti

By Amanda

If you are into scenting your home and have more scented candles than Jo Malone (ahem, me) then listen up. Incense is the future; posh incense, not those Nag Champa sticks you’ve still got left over from your student days… Read More

Home & GardenFebruary 5, 2016

Fashionable Flowerbeds: Spring fashion trends as Garden Inspiration

By Amanda

We have garden designer Nicola Sweeting blogging for the next few Fridays to bring botanic cheer to the grim month of February. She’ll be covering all sizes of gardens, from balconies and small plots to those with bigger beds. Yes,… Read More

Art & Culture, Fashion & BeautyFebruary 2, 2016

Street Style from Jaipur Literary Festival, by Ishtailista, Part Two

By Amanda

Street Style photographer Abhimanyu Singh Rathore has shot some terrific images from the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival for us this year. Today we’ve got scarves, chandelier earrings, pattern and layers. Do check Abhi’s fantastic Ishtailista blog out, as there are… Read More

Art & Culture, Fashion & BeautyFebruary 1, 2016

Street style from Jaipur Literary Festival with Ishtailista, Part One

By Amanda

In Rajasthan at the end of every January, the Jaipur Literary Festival takes place, closely followed by the Wonderful Workshops craft week, both a huge draw for arty and bookish types from both India and around the globe, keen for… Read More

Art, Culture & Craft, We Are ReadingFebruary 1, 2016

Saul Leiter, with introduction by Max Kozloff

By Amanda

There is a small but perfectly formed exhibition currently running at The Photographer’s Gallery in London that everyone should go to if they have a spare 15 minutes. It only costs £3.00 to visit and it will brighten your week,… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Out & AboutJanuary 29, 2016

Guest Blogger from New York: Elena Bowes looks at Jussara Lee

By Amanda

Today’s guest blogger is reader Elena Bowes, a London based American cultural writer who finds herself in New York a lot. She has volunteered to search out interesting stores and events happening in NYC for us, for anyone visiting. Over… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 28, 2016

Beauty buys for January, including Omorovicza, Liz Earle and Ren

By Amanda

It’s January therefore we shall talk about beauty products…or so goes the traditional women’s magazine schedule. I guess this makes sense if we are trying to detox and cleanse everywhere else, why not overhaul our beauty routines? So here’s a… Read More

Home & GardenJanuary 26, 2016

What to serve during Dry January

By Amanda

Dry January. Are we really such a bunch of lushes that we need to take a whole month off to prove we’re in control? Denial only makes me want something more, so I’m unlikely to adopt this idea as a… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 20, 2016

Sale Shopping for bomber jackets

By Amanda

It’s been a remarkable sale for retailers apparently. Due to it not actually being cold enough to need knits and coats, we all held back on our pre Christmas purchasing so much so, that by the time the sale did… Read More

Home & GardenJanuary 18, 2016

January Style Crush: Ellen DeGeneres and her Home

By Amanda

While we’re all de cluttering our living spaces and tidying up our sock drawers Kondo-style, the collector in me still can’t help looking at a clear table surface without thinking ‘that space needs something on it’. However, the January ‘tidy-clutter’… Read More

Fashion & Beauty, Health & HappinessJanuary 14, 2016

What To Wear To Yoga: More Inspiration and a Special Offer

By Amanda

I’m still looking for the perfect yoga outfit, regular readers may remember by recent post on the subject. Since I wrote about my struggles (ok, first world issues, hardly a struggle exactly) a number of readers have been in touch… Read More

Art & CultureJanuary 13, 2016

See This: Champagne Life, Girl Power at The Saatchi Gallery

By Amanda

Great news for better acknowledgement of women in art. Regular readers may remember we’ve been banging on about the appalling underrepresentation of women in art for some years now. Well, The Saatchi Gallery’s first exhibition of the year is Champagne… Read More

Food, We Are ReadingJanuary 11, 2016

Ferment Your Vegetables by Amanda Feifer

By Amanda

I have no idea why January seems to be the month everyone goes on a diet. I get the Christmas overeating reaction, but January and February are often miserable months that require comfort food and cosy living in front of… Read More

Fashion & BeautyJanuary 7, 2016

The Grenson and New Balance 576GRB collab sneaker for middleagedads

By Amanda

Be still my beating heart, our favourite shoe brand Grenson has created a stylish, brogue-y sneaker with New Balance that is the best thing I’ve seen in shoes for a long time…..(I’m not sure brogue-y is an actual word, but… Read More

Art & CultureJanuary 6, 2016

Serial is back!

By Amanda

Were you hooked to Serial back in 2014 like I was? It was a great example of engaging documentary storytelling which became a world wide hit, reaching 5 million downloads faster than any podcast in history. The first season looked… Read More

Home & GardenJanuary 4, 2016

Happy New Year and Welcome Back!

By Amanda

Happy New Year to all our readers and welcome back from the festive break, did you all have a good time? As part of my break I went to Copenhagen and although we don’t really do New Year’s Resolution’s here… Read More

Things We LoveDecember 22, 2015

The Very Best Christmas Scented Candle by Annick Goutal

By Amanda

I know I’ve already written about scented candles, but just before we break for Christmas I need to tell you about this beautiful Limited edition Noel one from Annick Goutal. It is the mother of all tastefully blingy scented candles.… Read More

Health & Happiness, Home & GardenDecember 22, 2015

Hygge Christmas! And a big thanks to all our guest bloggers

By Amanda

The last of our guest bloggers of 2015, Juliette Chisholm, offers some sound advice on how to adapt our favourite home trend of the year, hygge, to the Christmas season. We’ve had some really brilliant guest bloggers this year on… Read More

Art & Culture, Home & GardenDecember 18, 2015

Guest Blogger in Residence: Selvedge looks at Harris Tweed

By Amanda

Today is the last of our guest blogger in residence posts from Selvedge Magazine. We’ve really loved having Polly and her team write about textile heritage for us and hope you have too. Today they are looking at Harris Tweed.… Read More

Fashion, We Are ReadingDecember 17, 2015

Fashion’s Front Line by Nilgin Yusuf and Niall McInerney

By Amanda

Strange as it may seem to today’s digital natives, there was a time when behind-the-scenes at a fashion catwalk show was a place few got to see. Before Instagram and slick marketing departments, BTS coverage was pretty much non existent.… Read More

Home & GardenDecember 16, 2015

Festariums, The New Terrariums

By Amanda

Terarriums! So last season! It’s all about the Festarium now…. OK, I made that up, but look how cute the terrarium looks when you make it a Christmas decoration. I learnt how to pimp up my terrarium at McQueen’s Flower… Read More

Fashion & BeautyDecember 14, 2015

Party clothes for grown ups, AKA another excuse to visit &Other Stories

By Amanda

This weekend I had my friend Lyndsey up from deepest Pembrokeshire, where there are plenty of beautiful Welsh blankets, but fewer stores selling well priced, current fashion. She is always keen to bring herself up to sartorial speed on her… Read More