Monday, 7 March 2011

Table Delight


I don't need a new dining table at the moment but if I did, this is the one I would buy. Made by Glenn Rushbrook and Samantha Robb of Pacha Design from sustainably sourced British oak and lovely grey steel, it is a thing of simple, streamlined beauty which celebrates the inherent charms of its materials. Available (with matching benches) from www.pachadesign.co.uk, it's worth every penny of the £1,700 price tag.

Friday, 4 March 2011

Fabulous Fabric


Rejoice all you fans of Jocelyn Warner for she has turned her fabulous floral wallpapers into a range of furnishing fabrics. Yes indeed, all your favourite prints (Blossom, Tree Tops, Flora and Leaf) in the sophisticated, dull metal tones she has made her own are now available on 100% linen. Buy now and celebrate the arrival of Spring.
www.jocelynwarner.com

Friday, 28 January 2011


Cushions should be soft, luxurious things designed to bring some beauty and comfort into our lives. Any other features, including top notch Eco credentials, are secondary.
Newly established designer Lorna Syson understands this. Her Linear Fold cushions happen to made from a planet-friendly mixture of wool and stinging nettles but they are also gorgeous: feather-filled, soft to the touch and adorned with striking three-dimensional flowers and ruffles. She will go far.
Cushions start at £32. www.lornasyson.co.uk

Wednesday, 8 December 2010

Cult Shop



Those of you who like your shops small and interesting should hot foot it to Hoxton tout de suite for there you will find SHOP, a mini boutique offering just three collections. There are stoneware pots whose simple modernist shapes belie their recycled origins (they're made from the clay left over after throwing and turning) and whose bold colours would have delighted Le Corbusier himself. Then there are the witty seat pads with their images of ipods and take out coffee cups (sewn and printed by the same Vicky Thornton who made the pots) and finally Morag Myerscough's eclectic and eccentric collection of vintage chairs.
SHOP@Her House can be found at 26 Drysdale St, London N1 6LS (020-7729 2760). The doors close on 12th December so you'd best hurry.

Thursday, 18 November 2010

Marvellous Melamine





If you think November is an odd time to launch a collection of melamine tableware then you clearly haven't come across Thomas Paul. (Shame on you.) The crowned king of this particular nice of the tableware market, Paul's latest collection, somewhat ironically titled the Luddite Collection (cue interesting fact of the day: the Luddites were a group of British textile artists who formed a movement protesting against the changes the Industrial Revolution brought to their industry) features tumblers, dinner plates and trays printed with witty references to the motifs used in traditional fine bone china. So not just for picnics as they say.
www.supernice.co.uk

Thursday, 4 November 2010

Storage Glory


It's not everyday I find myself lusting after a modular storage system but when news of this one arrived in my in-box, I was smitten. Launched to celebrate Montana's founder Peter J Lassen's 80th Birthday, it's a Limited Edition version of Model 1120 ( a vintage model if ever there was one) boasting, alongside it's truly glorious colour, doors decorated with gold line drawings and the great man's very own signature. It's a design geek thing...

Monday, 25 October 2010

Pop Up Shop




Pop up shops are, well, popping up all over the place these days and a jolly good addition to on-street shopping they are too but if you only visit one in the run up to Christmas, make sure that it's Settle.
Conceived by textile artists Helen Minns and Eleanor Pritchard, ceramicist Louisa Taylor and mid century furniture specialist Stefanie Legros, Settle is a small but perfectly formed gallery of gorgeous things - we're talking exquisite hand thrown porcelain pots, soft, woven blankets in muted shades of grey, cotton/linen lampshades printed with charming illustrations of leaping hares and pieces of vintage children's furniture.
Those of you drawn to understated craftmanship will find beauty in every piece here but I defy anyone to leave 14 Woburn Place, London WC1 without having lingered over something.
As with all pop-ups, Settle is a blink and you miss it kind of a place so get these dates in your diary: 20th November - 7th December 2010.