When I was growing up, we moved around a lot – I was born in Wales, went to two different infant/junior schools in Norfolk, another junior school and then secondary school in Berkshire. All the homes we had were very unassuming, either rented or bought, but never anything special or old. So much so that I have no idea why I’ve been so obsessed with period properties ever since I left home because we never lived in one, but maybe subconsciously the double-fronted Victorian-style dolls house I had may have played a part in shaping my future home choice 😉
House-hunting at the end of 2013 there was no question for me that it had to be a period property. I love the higher ceilings, the bigger rooms and windows and most importantly, those oh-so solid walls. The people who lived in our house before us had a loft conversion built which is great, but you can absolutely tell the build quality isn’t the same as the rest of the house. The walls sound hollow when you knock them and you need to use those funny plastic plugs if you want to hang anything.
Yet despite how much I love an older house, my interiors taste is anything but. I favour minimalist and modern, Scandinavian, wireless, sleek, practical necessities which have been re-imagined to appear beautiful. We have a big glass coffee table in the living room from Pete’s bachelor days, and last Christmas we installed the Nest smoke/carbon monoxide alarms throughout the house to replace the existing smoke detectors we inherited because they look stylish and I love their technological features.
I recently attended the London Design Festival, a treasure trove of cutting edge style and invention. Exhibiting at the event were Colebrook Bosson Saunders, international designers, manufacturers and global distributors of award-winning ergonomic IT products. One of their products in particular caught my eye, the Cubert, described as “a stunning fusion of light and power”.
Awarded with an Honourable Mention by the Red Dot Design Award in 2015, Cubert uniquely combines the ability to power and charge portable devices with a touch-dimmable LED task light. Its compact base houses two mains sockets and two smart USB power outlets for charging of mobile phones, tablets etc. This type of device is ingenious and perfect for Pete and I who are self-confessed technology addicts, always needing somewhere to charge our respective mobile phones, iPods, my iPad and his kindle, as well as our laptops. I HATE that we end up with cables all over the place as well as random plugs which clog up the house and definitely don’t appeal to my minimalist nature.
There is so much I love about Cubert – it’s compact which would be perfect for either our bedroom where the only space for the bed at the moment is under the eaves meaning bedside head height is low and we have to keep clutter to a minimum, or our home office where it would look great with our white and grey colour scheme.
It has four touch-operated dimmer settings, using high-efficiency, long-life ultra bright LED lamps, creating cool, white, glare-free lighting. The lamp head can be rotated and positioned to suit any user’s needs without the need for additional lights and the inbuilt intelligent USB charging facility means that charging priority will be given to the item first plugged in when more than one device is being charged at the same time. So for example, if you’re heading out and need to give your phone a quick power boost, it provides the perfect solution.
Cubert is available to buy here in the UK and very definitely on my wish-list in my search for super-stylish technology-enhanced everyday products.
What’s your home style? Do you like a bit of technology around the home or are you a lover of keeping things traditional?
This is a collaborative post but all thoughts, words and opinions are my own. All images kindly supplied by Cubert.
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Looks so cool! Want one! I went for brand new recently, our home is super new, and we love it! Although I miss the character and period features, it really is so nice to have everything so modern and spacious. Great pot and will be checking this out! xx
Yes and I also love that flexibility you have to make it look older and characterful too, like you’ve done by adding the fireplace (which is so beautiful!) When Pete and I first got together he had a new house just outside Cambridge and replaced the laminate with real wood flooring and repainted all the magnolia walls and it was just lovely. And then we upped and sold it 🙁 Xx
Your taste sounds similar to mine, not that you’d know it from my house. I would absolutely love a period property but I too love minimal furniture. x
Yay great minds! I think the problem I have with clutter is I’m not creative enough to make it look welcoming, it just looks messy and then makes it harder to clean up after the dog X