Friday Five: Week 2

This week's Friday Five is entirely devoted to fabulous finds from one of my favourite shops - Papermash!

Last week, I was lucky to assist at an incredibly fun evening of shopping, crafting and mingling hosted by Lynne in celebration of her fantastic shop Papermash. If you don't already know Papermash, you simply must take a look - it's one of the best online retailers specialising in paper goods sourced from independent designers and has a richly deserved reputation for stocking the most gorgeous, unique products. With a huge array of beautiful goods including cards, notebooks, decorative washi tape, banners, poms and tableware, it's safe to say that I would pretty much buy every single thing in this shop if I could!

It's nearly impossible to choose a few highlights, so I'll just say that these five finds are my favourite this week.

All images by Papermash

Shopping list:
1. Blue graph washi tape
2. Paris & London post-its
3. Smile camera print
4. Bonjour notecards
5. Single colour masking tape

The room that isn't a room...

It's perfectly understandable that the majority of interior design inspiration focuses on, well, rooms. But there's another area of every home which is equally important - whether it be the first space you see upon entering your home or whether it's the space you walk through each day to get from room to room, or whether it's both! I'm talking, of course, about the hallway. It's often approached as an afterthought or sometimes even ignored altogether, but after seeing this collection of images I'm inspired to make more of mine!

Here are a few fantastic hallways ranging from the functional to the purely decorative, each of which aims to make the most of the space and proves that whether your approach is muted or flamboyant, the hallway shouldn't be neglected!

What's your hallway style?






All images by Alvhem Makleri

Getting to Know: BOLT Editions

I'm very excited to introduce you to the extraordinary work of BOLT Editions in the first of what I hope will be an ongoing series of profile features on the blog. If you are, or know of, an artist who would like to be featured please do get in touch here!

Nestled away on the third floor of Netil House in Hackney, the BOLT Editions studio sits in the heart of East London's creative community in a building which is home to over 100 creative businesses.  Bolt Editions was founded in 2011 by two incredibly talented artists - the Scottish illustrator and animator Eleanor Meredith and the German illustrator and writer Claudia Boldt who between them have exhibited internationally, published children's books and worked for clients as far ranging as Waterstones, Southbank Centre and the beatboxer Shlomo. BOLT Editions is a print house which also sells a curated collection of beautiful printed matter by Meredith, Boldt and a selection of other talented illustrators - so many wonderful things to decorate your space with! I met with Eleanor and Claudia to talk about their work as individual artists and about Bolt Editions - I hope you enjoy!
 

Friday Five: Week 1

When you spend a significant time browsing online for fantastic design finds, you end up with a new list of favourites every week. As a new regular weekly feature, I'm collecting my five favourite finds from around the web each week to share with you - I hope you enjoy!

1. I was looking for something to add a splash of colour in my kitchen and came across this gorgeous vibrant tea towel by the wonderful Finnish textile designer Jonna Saarinen. Available at Leif


2. A whimsical take on the wastebasket, designed by Cordula Kehrer and commissioned by fair trade NGO Preda, these colourful and unique baskets are made by the indigenous Aeta people of the Philippines. Available at areaware

3. The print on this gorgeous sofa instantly attracted me! This generous five-seat sofa was originally designed by Josef Frank in the 1940's and is covered in a floral print textile created in the 1920's. Available at Svenskt Tenn Stockholm

4. There's no reason that basic household items like a cutting board shouldn't be chic - I love this blue/grey board. Available at Fine Little Day

5. I love this Aztec print iPhone colour based on an original illustration by Dawn Gardner. Available at Society 6

Dream Home No.2: pink and grey in Paris

Another day, another dream property. As if the idea of living in Paris weren't enchanting enough, along comes this gorgeous apartment to sweeten the prospect. The combination of the 15 foot ceilings, huge windows letting in the French sunshine and the understated colour palette all have a dazzling effect. Even the grandiose columns in the living room are balanced by the delicate moulding around the perimeter of the room and the elegant furnishings, chic artwork and antique mirrors which all work so well in this space. And really, who wouldn't want to lounge on that fabulous pink sofa?

Images via Feau Immobilier

Colour Focus: Coral

As we head further into the month of June, it's beginning to become clear that the best days of the so-called British Summer might already be behind us for 2012 sadly! It looks as though I'm going to need to seek out other summery inspiration from a source other than the weather, so I've turned my attention to one of my favourite Summer colours - coral!

Here's a round up of some beautiful coral things I'm currently eyeing in the hopes of bringing back some much needed Summer cheer:

Shopping links:
1. Vintage coral clock
2. Floral burst birthday card
3. Patterned notebook
4. Dipped spice cellar set
5. Serving bowl
6. Tray
7. Kate Spade flats

Dream Home No.1: Turn of the century Stockholm gem

I’m sure some of you out there know the feeling. You’re browsing the internet or flipping through a magazine looking for inspiration and suddenly you see the most beautiful, wonderful, magnificent home which you can’t help but to proclaim as your DREAM HOME (!!). There’s certainly nothing wrong with doing this – it’s fun to browse and gather inspiration. My problem is that I see a different DREAM HOME every day of the week! I’ve probably amassed several hundred DREAM HOME candidates over the years! I thought I’d start a new regular feature here where I can share my current favourites, though as you have guessed it's probably going to be updated with an embarrassing frequency!

Candidate number one is this gorgeous turn of the century villa in the Stockholm borough of Old Enskede and it's such a charmer!  Beautifully preserved features such as original windows, tiled stove and enclosed veranda? Check! A backyard big enough to fit a large patio, fruit trees, berry bushes and a tree house? Check!

Now all I need to do is find £350,000, learn to speak Swedish, convince my husband to move to another country and find a job there. Sounds doable, right? Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean a girl can't dream. And dream I shall thanks to this stunning home...

This original wood burning stove makes my heart sing and it works surprisingly well juxtaposed with the modern furniture and decor in the room.

Using this kitchen storage space as a child's play area is adorable.

Who wouldn't want to sit outside on the terrace on a warm summer's day overlooking the garden and the tree house?

The tree house has its own house number! Are you KIDDING me? Perfection.

Turning the landing at the top of the stairs into a sitting area is a stroke of genius. The bold patterned carpet makes such a great impact.

Anyone else feeling the urge to hop on the next flight to Stockholm?

Images via Fantastic Frank

Little Attic Shop

 

I can't remember exactly what I was searching for on Etsy when I first came across Little Attic Shop. I suppose it must have been one of those circuitous afternoons clicking on one shop, then browsing someone's list of favourites, then being led to another shop and ultimately stumbling upon something truly special. 

Little Attic Shop is run by a Brooklyn based duo called Mony and Tom who are designers and illustrators. They are inspired by nature, geometric lines and patterns as well as a healthy dose of colour. What makes their beautifully embroidered pillow covers and bags so unique is the rare fabrics they use - namely the Hmong tribal cotton fabric found in the Northern part of Thailand. Each hand-stitched design is one of a kind and displays a fascinating juxtaposition of modern and traditional. What's even more impressive is that despite this extraordinary craftsmanship, the most expensive piece in their current collection is only $50. I've got my eye on several of these gorgeous designs and I reckon a few of you will too - shop the full collection here.

All images by Little Attic Shop

Monochrome in Malmo

At the end of last year, I made an early New Year's resolution to wear more colour every day. I'd somehow unwittingly been caught in a trap of sticking to black, white and grey on an almost daily basis. For me, it was mostly subconscious, but when a few friends and family members separately began pointing it out I realized that I was dressing a bit drab out of a sheer lack of awareness. So, when it was time to hit the shops for the Boxing Day sales I deliberately sought out colour and have been really happy with the results! After five months of colour, I wonder how I hadn't noticed what I was missing out on before!

Which brings me to my current conundrum. Black and white: yes or no when it comes to your home? I came across these gorgeous images of a beautiful home in Sweden and while part of my brain was drooling over them, another part did very acutely notice the lack of colour variation. I think this particular home pulls it off because of an abundance of natural light and a knack for perfect placement of mirrors to open the rooms up, but what do you think? Could you ever live in an entirely black and white home?

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