Colour Lovin' Mother

Mary Katrantzou for Topshop

2012-02-20T22:41:00.000Z

Not saying I'm wearing it, but LOOK AT IT in all it's amazing colourful joy.

State of Independents: St Judes

2012-02-20T21:24:00.000Z

I've been meaning to write about St Judes for a while, as they've got some beautiful designs which are really unique and totally recognisable. I've just seen that they've got a new range for sofa.com, so I had to get on here and tell you about them right now.

Founded by Simon & Angie Lewin, the company works from two studios – one in Norfolk, England (how I discovered them - I have family connections up there and used to wander longingly past their window); the other in Morayshire, Scotland.

The Lewins began St Judes printing just two of Angies designs onto fabric. They had looked externally and found that other fabric companies just didn't seem to give much credit, or control to their designers (surely the most important cog in the wheel??). Now the company is thriving, and they are able to work with a number of artists, makers and printers they admire, producing a core range of textile products, and taking on a small number of bespoke commissions and projects.

As I said, they've just started a collaboration with sofa.com in their design lab, and I have to say, I'm totally excited to see these designs on a large furniture scale.

Snowdrop Loveseat in Doveflight by Mark Herald at sofa.com

Commander wingback in Hedgerow (green) by Angie Lewin at sofa.com

Kilkenny armchair in Bird Garden by Mark Hearld at sofa.com

Angie Lewin, clockwise from top left: Nature Table, Seed Heads, Dandelion Two, Dandelion One

Clockwise from top left: Treehouse by Alice Stevenson, Native Heath by Old Town, Herring Moon by Jonathan Gibbs, Bird Garden by Mark Hearld

all images sourced from St Judes or Sofa.com

Fabulous for 30-something: Shoes

2012-02-08T21:39:00.001Z

Clarks + Liberty = Yum #GettingOldAndIDon'tCare
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I was out with some girlfriends the other night, in Peckham. Feeling edgy, feeling a bit cool, feeling a bit, well, younger than usual. The conversation ran around the usual things: our children's ailments, habits, cuteness; our husband's quirks, habits, cuteness (kind of); film, politics, work. It was a wonderful night, and reminded me of a conversation I'd had with another friend last week, about feeling fabulous for thirty-something.

Both evenings made me realise that I've been feeling exhausted of late, stretched too far, dehydrated, a little lacklustre. They also reminded me of that brilliant time in your twenties when you're really working your identity (I liked to think mine was channelling Debbie Harry with a touch of Hitchcock Blonde).

Now, I'm not sure if it's a 30-something thing, or a motherhood thing, or a marriage thing, or what, but I'm so very glad that I can look at the beautiful things younger than me, and not give a monkeys about how I compare to their bodies, hair, confidence. I simply, genuinely, admire them for being so gorgeous and brilliant.

I'm not saying either that I have suddenly perfected myself, far from it. The magazines aimed at me are trying hard to celebrate all women by saying we can have it all, but I'm still fighting personal feelings of lacking, because I can't wear Louboutins (or anything more than a 2 inch heel) and I don't run a successful start-up that I began while breastfeeding, and I'm beginning to suspect that Debbie Harry was only ever in my head. But I am simply saying that I am grateful for what I have, it's all bloody brilliant.

And while the Louboutins elude me, there's always Clarks.

Pattern: Liberty Meandering Chrysanthemums B Tana Lawn

Charlotte Taylor

2012-01-26T19:00:00.000Z

Ooooh does this girl know how to give good web or what?

Spring Summer 2012 Collection

I don't know what happened. One minute I was browsing the internet, next thing, this Charlotte Taylor lady was coming at me every which way. I've obviously had my head stuck in a hole judging by the press she's received. I'm totally appreciating her quirky choices of subject - fish, robot, lobster, ants, in simple graphic patterns. They'd be nothing without the grown-up colour combinations. What do you think?

Robot and Lobster tops: Katie and Jo,

Fireants wallpaper: Anthropologie

On a Grey Day in London Town

2012-01-24T22:05:00.000Z

I bought some sunshine

Kikkerland magnetic kitchen timer

Walk Don't Walk

2012-01-24T21:05:00.000Z

You people who walk, just walk without destination. You who have visited my brilliant city to see the architecture, to browse the shops, to just walk. You who walk in front of me, in front of my pushchair, who don't know that my time is limited by the patience of a toddler. I remember being you, I remember that I was oblivious to people behind me. I envy you, you are truly lucky, enjoy your walking.

image: Brewers @ Wallpaper Direct

State of Independents: Louise Body Wallpaper and Fabric

2012-01-18T22:06:00.000Z

I've been watching Louise Body's developments over the past few years, and love that her work is very different from so much that is on the market. She has just released a new collection named 'Still Life' consisting of two wallpaper designs and four co-ordinating fabrics, featuring key illustrations of loved objects passed on through generations.

All of the pots and vases featured in the designs have been handed down through Louise or her partner's families and the watercolour paintings of a Carnation and a Petunia were painted by her Grandmother who was an artist.

Totally adore the 'Vase' design above, the mirroring lends it a gorgeous natural element, like it could be water, or wood. Reminds me of the ethereal styles of Eskayel

Shelf wallpaper with Money Penny fabric, the designs that make up this collection complement each other without being totally samey, I'm all about clashing the patterns woop woop!

The 'Traily Plant' wallpaper in silver is so elegant without being too grown up.

And I couldn't leave you without introducing you to some of Louise's designs that caught my eye when I first came across her. Fabrics clockwise from top left, Foxglove, Marney's Lace, Plant Life, and Garden Birds

Finally, the fabulously saucy and decadent Erotica wallpaper, I think this would be brilliant in a small cloakroom, somewhere behind closed doors, where you would look twice to check what you'd seen.

All images from www.louisebody.com.

I made that - Emily Peacock Cross Stitch

2012-01-09T21:18:00.001Z

I am a crafty tart. Not in a Brer Fox crafty way, I mean, I am a crafter with no commitment to my methods. I like an open relationship with my arts, if you will. So my latest creation comes in the form of a tapestry cushion. Finally finished after two years. I didn't spend the whole two years making it mind, I've made many other things in between, including a whole human being.

The Kiss tapestry designed by Emily Peacock is available elsewhere online ready made, and the description says it has over 25,800 stitches and takes more than 60 hours to complete. I didn't count, hours or stitches, but that's probably about right. Insert changing jobs, buying a house, getting pregnant, having a child, getting married, Christmases, birthdays, painting, quilting, sewing, cutting, sticking, tea and cake and you get two years I reckon.

The cushion is made with counted cross stitch, so it's just about a lot of counting. I finished the cushion with a pom pom edging as Emily does on her site. It makes me happy.

The back is a fabric we picked up for wedding decoration. I might add a couple of buttons. But if I say that then it means it's not finished. So I won't.

I adore Emily Peacock's other designs, especially the tattoo cushions. Cross stitch is cool! (the above image from EP website).

The biggest pleasure was the combination of gorgeous crewel wool colours supplied in the kit. My photos don't do it credit, but I have quite a lot left so shall have to whip up a small design of my own to use it. I'll show you in 2014.

Mwah!

Colour Pop Wedding

2012-01-04T22:26:00.002Z

Hello all, Happy New Year! I trust that everyone has enjoyed the season of love and bubbles? I'm so pleased that I can start 2012 by bringing the details of our wedding to you.

I've been providing sneak peeks here and there, but now, 4 months later I can finally talk about our nuptials, as featured today on the awesome Rock My Wedding blog. I highly recommend it if you're looking for inspiration, it was my blog of choice during my preparation - and I don't say that lightly. I was overwhelmed by the amount of information out there for the common or garden ~~bridezilla~~ bride-to-be, so I chose just a few blogs to follow throughout my planning process.

You can see the main gist of the wedding over on RMW, so I thought I'd just highlight some of the colour-lovin' details for those interested...

Our napkins were made by my industrious Mum from Heather Bailey and Amy Butler fabrics, plus other offcuts from our bottom drawers. The patterned cards on the luggage labels were out of date business cards that I'd had printed at moo.com years ago. I also used some of the Shepherds Falkiners paper that I mentioned a while ago.

The flower jars on our tables were just any old clear saved all year by my family and friends, and we used offcuts from the napkins to to cover any that were a bit sticky.

The table numbers and orders of service I just printed with the Rosewood typeface on to cheap brown kraft paper. I had the inners printed double sided on plain white paper at a print place in soho , then I (well my minions) folded them and tied some garden twine around them.

We went to New Covent Garden Market in London in the early hours 2 days before to buy all the flowers, my main aim was to select English garden flowers. Although I did cheat a little with the ranunculus and craspedia (billy balls) that went in the chaps button holes and paid a little more for them as they were out of season. I was also pretty pleased with the centifolia roses in my bouquet and dotted around, they were a brilliant alternative to peonies which were totally out of season.

I highly recommend you find a sister as brilliant as mine who once did work experience in a florist and learnt how to tie bouquets and make button holes. I was all planning to follow a youtube tutorial, but Helen did a wondrous job and took away my stress.

My Dad and the rest of the groomsmen all wore different Liberty print ties, M's floral shirt was a £3 ebay find from Next - perfect.

My hairpiece was so wonderful that all should bow down and adore it. Right now. Thanks Mrs Winter (Wedding-seekers see here for some gorgeous little headbands for your flowergirls).

For our table plan I used an old plastic (yes that frame is plastic) frame which looks quite naff in real life, but was a pretty good prop. I covered a bit of cardboard in one of the Shepherds Falkiners papers (as before). Then tied some garden twine across and pegged the names to my tiny washing lines. Oh, and Ali had bought a bag full of scrabble letters on ebay, so I used them as a reference to our hard-core scrabble tournaments where I always win. Ahem.

When I say 'I' did all of this, I mean that I prepared it all, but my wedding pixies did the actual assembly on site the day before.

Our guest book was a box of Penguin book cover postcards, which we placed next to an empty album from Muji (covered in Shepherds paper), for people to insert their messages. The sign was made like the table plan, the paper underneath is a Cole & Son Cow Parsley wallpaper sample I had in the cupboard (it helps to be a hoarder).

The floral tablecloths featured on our card table and cake tables, were 60s duvet covers from ebay.

(Willing to sell these on if anyone fancies!)

I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted our invites to look - we made a cd of our favourite love songs, naff you may think, but it's a pretty eclectic selection, and people who know Ali, know that a good mix tape is what he is about. I liked the idea that people might listen in the car on the way to celebrate with us, and it would get them in the mood! So our invite was a simple cd cover - we had a wedding website so that we didn't have to feature every little detail on the invite (we did send a print-out of key details to our older relatives).

I incorporated the family logo that I had come up with, and the banner I had designed for the website. My amazingly talented bridesmaid Hannah happens to be a graphic designer and took all of my rough ideas and turned them into the joy you see before you. Ali and I then had many nights of cutting and sticking cd labels on. Very satisfying!

Our logo featured in various places - the cake bunting was made out of origami paper on string. I highly recommend making large lengths of tiny bunting as therapy for wedding stress. You can then use it for tiny mouse weddings, or something.

And something you can't hear on a blog.

We walked back up the aisle to '3 is the magic number' by De La Soul.

It totally is.

The majority of photography here were from our official photographer, the wonderful Mark Osbourne. I highly recommend dropping him a line!

Sydney Harry Design

2011-12-16T15:00:00.000Z

I have a lovely friend. Another colour loving mother. We've been friends for 17 years. And I've always thought that she had a pretty amazing style all of her own. She's just one of those ladies.

When we were a bit older, just out of university I think, I remember being in her flat. This was the time when we still didn't have much money for lovely belongings, so when something lovely came into our lives, it was noted. I noted a brilliant piece of art framed on her wall. She said it was by her Grandfather, that her Mum had a bunch of his stuff in the loft, and that they'd decided they should get a few out to enjoy.

Roll on a few years, and her sister decides that it's time to get those paintings out and do something with them. And thus it was that Sydney Harry's art came back out into the world, and I learnt the real legacy of his work.

Sydney Harry (1912-1991) was one of the UK's leading colour theorists in the 1960s and ‘70s who lectured across the UK and Europe as an expert in his field. Yorkshire born, his background in textiles and photography lead to a life-long fascination in colour.

His artworks are an exploration of colour and are an unusual academic and practical blend of science and art. Bridget Riley attended his lectures, and a study of her subsequent paintings may suggest that Harry's 'colour magic' influenced Riley to reassess her use of colour.

Sydney Harry prints are available from Sydney Harry Design, and some beautiful notebooks, cards and other prints from CultureLabel.com.

I Made That - Echino Quilt

2011-12-15T21:31:00.000Z

When thinking about new babies (others, not mine), I wanted to give them something homemade, as I'd been inspired by my Lotta Jansdotter book. Or I'm guilty because M is 14 months and I still haven't made anything for him. Whatever.

Anyway, one of the gifts we appreciated most for M when he came along were two beautiful quilts made by his Grandma. Many months of lolling around were made far more comfortable, and now he moves we use them as cotton blankets on the carpet to stop him getting covered in fluff when I'm trying to apply creams after his bath (trying being the operative word, he's slippy, and moves fast).

So I collected a bunch of offcuts from Echino Furuya's designs, and made this quilt. Which I'm quite pleased with.

I'm a bit of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl, so I followed my Jansdotter pattern so far, and made up the rest to suit me. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy. Frankly the brilliant fabric covers a multitude of sins. It is made from Echino Furuya's Grassy Plain in pink, and Bird Song in pink and green. I forgot to take a picture of the back which was made from Echino Glasses in pink:

I think a little girl might just like this quilt enough to keep it until she's a big girl.

Brainfood For Your Inner Goddess

2011-12-05T20:49:00.001Z

When mooching around Bloomsbury recently, I came across Persephone Books. I had heard of them in the far reaches of my mind, knew that they reprint neglected classics by C20th (mostly women) writers. However I did not know about their aesthetic choices. I was so excited to find such a goldmine of understated patterned beauty. In their own words:

"With their distinctive plain grey jackets and cream 'labels' for the title wording, all our books look the same from the outside.

Inside, each is different, with the endpapers chosen especially to match the date and mood of the book.

Fabrics are as much a part of our daily lives as furnishing and dress materials, yet we rarely see them used in any other context. However, fabric design should be celebrated for its own sake; and because it is a field in which women designers have been particularly prominent we would like to use their work whenever possible."

Love love love, and intrigued by the content too (I'm not that shallow!). For now, some of my favourite endpapers.
All descriptions are from the Persephone website.

An Interrupted Life: The Diaries and Letters of Etty Hillesum 1941-43

The fabric, by Otti Berger (d. Auschwitz 1944), a Bauhaus designer living in Holland, could have been Etty's bedspread; the stripes running across the muted, if cheerful, pattern have the effect of barbed-wire.

It's Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty by Judith Viorst

The endpaper is a 1968 Liberty's fabric called 'Bangles'. The three-dimensional kinetic pattern is characteristic of the period, the pinks and purples reflecting the influence of op art and psychedelic design; it might have hung in the Viorst family apartment.

Midsummer Night in the Workhouse by Diana Athill

A 1970s furnishing fabric which the author bought as curtains for her flat in North LondonThe

Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby

1920 printed dress silk fabric designed by George Sheringham for Seftons

Good Things in England by Florence White

The endpaper, a 1932 Duncan Grant fabric which Leonard and Virginia Woolf had as curtains and on a sofa, is called 'Grapes'.

Consequences by E. M. Delafield

Much of the book is spiky and sharp: appropriately, the fabric for the endpaper is 'Thistle', a Silver Studio block-printed cotton sold at Liberty's in 1896, the year Alex would have been nineteen; by which time she is ensnared - scratched - by thickets of convention and etiquette.

Saplings by Noel Streatfeild

A 1938 fabric by Marion Dorn was chosen for Saplings. It is called 'Aircraft' and shows pairs of stylised pigeons in flight on a background of natural linen. It contains the imagery of aircraft being readied for war yet of birds freely in flight.

The Elixir of Life

2011-11-28T21:49:00.001Z

Tea is very important. And Tea is very beautiful. Tea deserves a capital T.

Kusmi Tea

Pukka Tea

Rare Tea

Tea Caddies from Imperial Teas

Tea at my house.

Eskayel

2011-11-23T15:38:00.000Z

Based in Brooklyn, NY, design studio Eskayel is the branchild of designer Shanan Campanaro. A graduate of Central St. Martins in London, Campanaro was redecorating her apartment in the spring of 2008, and decided to experiment with the idea of making wallpaper by digitally manipulating sections of her watercolour paintings. After fabulous results she began using the designs in her exhibitions, which quickly led to her first interior wallpaper commissions.

The ethereal quality of her designs is exquisite, I'd love a room with any of her wallpapers, I can't help but think I'd feel beautiful just being in it (this is also a room where babies are dressed in white cashmere and don't have snotty noses ever). Plus, she's just launched a range of rugs with Doris Leslie Blau, which appeal to me as a wonderfully delicate alternative to persian patterns. No shoes allowed!

Eskayel wallhangings at the very least - cuttings of any choice of wallpaper - on the wishlist.

Trellis Stripe

Samui Sunrise Sky Blue

Madagascar Rose

Bear in Mind left - ice,right - sand

Cosmonaut Crystal left - Light Slate, right - amethyst

Print Your Own: Spoonflower

2011-11-09T16:30:00.000Z

While searching for fabric online to make gifts for new babies (so much fun! a girl and a boy - not from the same family - so I get to indulge myself both ways!) I found the brilliant American site, Spoonflower, who ship internationally, luckily.

In their own words, Spoonflower make it possible for individuals to design, print and sell their own fabric designs. Founded in May 2008 by two Internet geeks who had crafty wives but who knew nothing about textiles. The company came about because Stephen’s wife, Kim, persuaded him that being able to print her own fabric for curtains was a really cool idea. She wasn’t alone. The Spoonflower community now numbers around 150,000 individuals.

Oh the possibilities! There are hundreds and hundreds of prints to choose from (or design your own), including cut and sew patterns. I could get - and have been - seriously lost in these patterns, but here are some of my favourites. This week.

Some William-Morris-alikes

Garden of paradise 3a by Muhlenkot

Topkapi 1b by Muhlenkot

Some gorgeous nursery choices:

Hippo Tower from If by Air by Ttoz

Leaves from If by Air by Ttoz

Tree Tops from If by Air by Ttoz

Coral Bells Pink by Holli Zollinger

Vintage Shabby Rose by Kristopher K

Multi Owls by Petunias

Some pretty, but grown up:

Chinese Stars Brown by Holli Zollinger

Century Linen by Holli Zollinger

Chevrons by Holli Zollinger

Ocean Bubble by Holli Zollinger

Too good for the kids?:

Whales and Waves by Holli Zollinger

Birch-Big by Troismiettes

Birdhouse by Troismiettes

Nursery Cameo Fabric by Natitys

Boy Heaven (that's not just for boys!):

Tetris Border Print by Chronically Uncool

Lotsa Bots by Diana Rich

Cute Retro Robots by Jumping Monkeys

Robot Gear Garden by Jackie at Wee Life

Reallllly Old Cameos by SammyK

And finally, for my husband:

Blue Nebula by Corseceng

All images copyright www.spoonflower.com

Pretty in the City: Fleet Building, Farringdon

2011-11-08T15:56:00.003Z

On a grey day pushing a buggy through Farringdon, I realised that I was walking past some wonderful pieces of modernist art, on the side of what seems a derelict building. Had a look when I came home and found out that they are the work of Dorothy Annan. This blog, Esoteric London tells me that the building is the Fleet Building:

"All the panels have a communications theme, as Fleet Building was built for the General Post Office, which eventually morphed into British Telecom. In its time the building was an expression of progressive thinking in design and technology, but the creep of obsolescence has left the building vacant and derelict, another relic of mid-century modernism and the period’s quaint faith in the future. As it is, the building is now in a state of decay and its future is ‘uncertain’ (i.e. it is doomed). "

- Roger Dean, Esoteric London

Pick up a Penguin

2011-11-03T13:36:00.000Z

Some may know that my dayjob is in audiobooks, and I truly believe they have a place in the world. When you're stuck on the tube, with your nose in someone's armpit, and you simply couldn't hold a real book up in front of your face, I love to close my eyes and listen to someone tell me a story. When the narration is good - and you have to hope it will be when publishers are deciding who should perform a book, it's a missing link between book and film. It's more than a book, because it's totally dependent on the narrator suiting the job and doing it well. As with a movie, the story might be great, but if the actors don't do it justice, you may never get to the end of it. (I highly recommend The Help as a great example of story and brilliant performance, if you're interested.)

All of that said, audiobooks will never replace a physical book for me. They aren't for the same thing at all. Picking up a 'real' book is for when I have some time, half an hour of silence and comfort in which I can totally indulge myself - happens less often these days...

And let's not forget the beauty that is a book cover, like album covers, book covers are a whole art form in themselves. Whether tactile, clever or simply gorgeous to look at, I am totally guilty of regularly judging, and buying, books by their cover.

Penguin have been creating iconic book covers for years, and this fabulous range of Clothbound Classics caught my eye while in Tales on Moon Lane*. Each individually designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, these are all of the above: wonderfully tactile, brilliantly clever and totally fabulous to look at. Enough to make me ponder on how I might find time (or justification simply to display) these classics.

And as we're on a trip to look at Penguins, check out these wonderful covers on a range of F. Scott Fitzgerald hardbacks, also designed by Bickford-Smith to mark the 70th anniversary of Fitzgerald's death. I'd love these as wallpaper!

Inner Cover of The Great Gatsby

all images courtesy Penguin.co.uk

*The most divine children's bookshop in SE London. I cannot leave without spending money, and yes, friends with children, this is why you always get books from Auntie Sara.

All My Life

2011-11-01T15:30:00.000Z

Straight to my Christmas list, a set of ceramic, yes, ceramic USBs, which look so pretty. Super modern lockets, there are four designs, each dedicated to four of the most important fields in our lives: “My Family”, “My Work”, “My Secret” and “My Passion”. They are each made in four different colours – for each field, for each day. Total geek chic, I like.

Designed by Helena Rohner for Kahlerdesign.com

Emily Wheeler Interiors

2011-10-30T21:06:00.000Z

I've been dabbling in some redesign of other people's blogs, and think you ought to see. Emily Wheeler is a deeply talented interior designer, stylist and writer, check out her beauteous work here.

Fabulous wallpaper at Manoir de la Foulquetiere.
Image copyright Emily Wheeler.

It's inspired me to make a few changes to my own virtual space - that old banner was only ever supposed to be a place holder, and it's taken me nearly a year to design a new one. I hope you like it.

As Time Goes By

2011-10-29T14:34:00.000+01:00

It has been a while since I posted, and I have brilliant excuses aplenty, all of which I believe to be totally justified, so sue me. Reason 1: I got married, which was phenomenal and all-consuming, and I can't quite blog about yet, because there may be something in the offing which I can't mention. Reason 2: I went back to work. To the day job. So now I have two, being a mother and making someone else's website look good. These two things often combine to mean that at the end of the day, I neither have the energy, nor the inclination, to sit back down at a computer screen.

But I love this thing, I love to write about pretty things, and nourish myself, and hopefully you, with beautiful ideas, so I shall continue, so bear with me.

For today, let's ease ourselves in with a cup of tea. Courtesy of Anthropologie. Mine is an S, right now, of course.

Hello Liberty!

2011-08-17T21:11:00.000+01:00

If my love affair with Liberty could get any stronger, it just did. See the new Hello Kitty prints due out at the end of September...

If anyone fancies buying me a painting...

2011-08-17T10:08:00.000+01:00

Please buy me something from The World of Moose. I ADORE the colour. I also adore his terribly clever drawings... Found him at Spitalfields, go see, buy things from him!

(all images from www.worldofmoose.com)

Hanging Gardens

Flowers 35

From College Row to the Barbican

School of Robotic

Big Jam

Festival of Parps

Living Room Lovin'

2011-08-15T22:06:00.000+01:00

Oh for goodness sake, its weeks and weeks since I posted, if anyone's counting. In that time, our tiny punk has started crawling, FAST. We have realised our home is full of danger to tiny hands. And we've edged ever closer to our big day, bit by bit, getting things done. But I digress, you don't come here for that, you come here for colour and pattern. Here's some.

With babies, weddings and life, our living room has slowly slowly been changing in the last 18 months, when we moved in it was a riotous combination of flame red and lemon yellow. Not a combo I adored (can you recall the colours in the master bedroom to begin with? This was not a magnolia house people).

Pic from estate agents details of house.

Tidy enough I know, but not really our thing at all. The first thing I felt when we moved in was that the room had no focus, they had their TV in the middle of the room, and that was not my plan, and anyway, I don't love having the TV as a focus. We were in a Victorian living room, and someone had stolen the fireplace. The non-existent fireplace was the elephant in the room, it needed replacing.

So we got Wimbledon Fireplaces in, who knocked a hole in the wall and confirmed that there was indeed a fireplace in there, and it was possible to add a new gas fire to it. Of course a real fire is preferable, and if we had the whole house, and the fireplace was on the ground floor, I would have considered it. But the idea of lugging fuel up the stairs, and a cold house if we ran out (bearing in mind the tiny punk was born in October), meant we went for a gas fire, and I have no regrets.

We went for a traditional tile surround, but I took a leaf (i.e. stole the idea) from an image I'd seen of Orla Kiely's fireplace. Tiles this shape and size aren't sold in shops, so I had to order a whole bunch of sample square tiles in order to get enough multi-coloured tiles - I'd have had to have bought the single colours in bulk otherwise, and cut them to size myself. I had the fireplace fitters slide them into place according to my planned order, and then I grouted them. I'm still very pleased with the effect.

The red and yellow walls gave way to my favourite shades of sludge or Farrow & Ball's 'Clunch' anyway. And if you can stop looking at the cute punk in the foreground, my Dad built and fitted new bookshelves for the alcoves, plus a low cupboard for TV etc. (Getting doors for cupboard this week, woop woop - was not a priority until small hands started investigating).

The next step was to get curtains, we had a rather chilly first Christmas with only white voiles on the large windows, but our fairy godparents descended in the new year in the form of Sue Foster Interiors. I had chosen beautiful linen curtains from the Manderley range by Romo, and on a chilly January morning, the marvellous Chris turned up and put up new tracks and new curtains, done by 10am. It's such a treat to invest in beautiful fabric, and, especially as I talk about it and look at fabric all the time, it felt like such a risk to choose just one that I would live with for a long time. I'm sitting here beside them now, 8 months later, and can honestly say they are still fabulous. I haven't been able to take a picture of them closed that would do them justice, so you'll have to look at this image to understand the beauty.

Adelphine in Cactus from the Manderley range by Romo

image from Romo website

And here are a few more images, showing hold-backs that I made from the offcuts.

If you think the curtains are maybe a touch short, that's my own pre-Christmas-baby-brain-I-can-do-this-measuring-lark-myself fault, but I don't mind, it means they don't collect dust.

As I couldn't decide on just one fabric, I also bought a length of another pattern from the same range from Romo, which I will be making dining chair cushions out of once I get my act together after the wedding. See the beauty:

Manderley in Cerise from the Manderley range by Romo

On the left wall we had new bookcases made to contain the vast media collection. Solid wood and made by some cabinet makers I found online, they were delivered untreated and I painted them pearl grey. You can also see there the most brilliant, massive, relaxing-but-smart-long-enough-for-full-length-sleepage sofa from sofa.com - brilliant customer service.

All in all, the living room is pretty much there now. Bar the fireguard which I've just ordered, because there are some places you just don't want small hands investigating...

Paper Love: Shepherds Falkiners

2011-06-10T17:03:00.000+01:00

I've already written about Shepherds in this wedding sneak peek. However their products are so stunning, I simply couldn't leave it at one post. So I've picked out a few designs which really rock my world.

Katazome-Shi 87

Hand stencilled in Japan

Katazome-Shi 64

Hand stencilled in Japan

Les Ramages - Kongpo - Tabac Blue

Chione & Lorenz Orange

Lewis Marbled - Botanic
Hand marbled paper by Jemma Lewis.
Marbling on Wibalin Buttermilk 120gsm paper. Long grain.

Judd St Edward Bawden - Green.
From an original design by Edward Bawden for London Transport, 1935.
Design copyright by The Estate of Edward Baden 2009.

Dog Lovin': Funky Mutts

2011-06-08T22:20:00.000+01:00

Now I'm not going to fib, I'm not a pet owner. I feel about animals the way some people feel about children: Cute and all, but they'd mess up my house. So I'm very happy to love other peoples dogs, but I'm giving them back pronto.

However. Would it be wrong to get a dog just so I could accessorise? I know the answer to this is yes, very wrong, but when you can get such beautiful things as are available from Funky Mutts, a girl could be tempted, especially as they do human accessories.

I'm not talking Paris Hilton type bling here. I'm talking honest to goodness gorgeous. Liberty prints, retro numbers, brights and subtle. Every dog (and even cats) deserve some pretty, and frankly, with a 7 1/2 month old son, I can think of my own uses for that fabulous poo bag.

Wedding Sneak Peek #2

2011-06-04T22:42:00.000+01:00

I took a trip to Shepherds Falkiners to invest in some beautiful paper which we'll be using in various ways in the wedding. This shop is, quite frankly, heaven. Exquisite papers from all over the world, I could have spent far far more than I did. These are from their Florentine collection.

Left to Right
Italian 743 - Floral - Blue & violet
Italian 912 - Olive branch - Cesious/bluish-grey & mint
Italian 820 - Floral line drawings - Orange, blue and green
Italian 741 - Floral - Rose & blue

Pretty in the City: Shoreditch

2011-05-19T15:39:00.000+01:00

Wording on either side of Ebor Street. The black building is Shoreditch House. I love the way the colours pop.

Redchurch street, I didn't even notice that these were faces on this doorway when I first walked by, it's only when I went back to take the photo I saw how much work must have gone into them.

Curtain Road, kind of cheating as it's the outside of a gallery, but still!

All photos (c) Colour Lovin' Mother All rights reserved.

State of Independents: Mibo

2011-05-06T16:17:00.000+01:00

Mibo are a lovely company I've been following for a few years now. Founded by designer Madeleine Rogers, they began with some fabulous printed lampshades, and have grown to offer a small but perfectly formed range of diverse products, from cut-out paper animals to tile stickers, all designed by Madeleine with her individual, folky Mibo style.

The thing that makes Mibo stand out from the crowd for me, is that the designs take an original step forward. They could make a stuffed fox, but for all you sew and sews, they've designed a tea-towel which you can use just as it is, or cut up and make a fox yourself. Equally, what's so great about paper animals? the point is in the making, the cutting and the sticking. Far too good to leave it to the kids.

Each year I have bought their beautiful calendar downloads, and even downloaded the most brilliant valentiny card, a 3D paper owl in a crate with love message to deliver. I highly recommend you sign up to their mailing list to be kept in the loop about these special exclusives, this years calendar is beautiful.

Mibo range

2011 Calendar

Valentiny

images: Mibo.co.uk

Designer Babies

2011-05-05T16:52:00.000+01:00

Before I had a baby, I thought expensive baby things were a frippery. A fools game. I was right, to an extent. This morning's blueberry and banana projectile vomit proved me so.

However, I have learnt one thing. That actually, up to about 6 months, babies are actually very tidy beings. Well, as long as the nappies fit, and you're a tidy sort yourself, they really can't move to make any mess for themselves. So certain expenses could be justified.

Maybe, just maybe, even these new buggies from Bugaboo, in collaboration with Missoni, coming to a Clapham cafe near you in July 2011.

Beyond 6 months however...

How does your garden grow?

2011-05-04T21:48:00.000+01:00

With beautiful prints all in a row. If anything was going to inspire me to grow my own, it would be these beauteous seed packets from Balcony Gardener.

Pretty in the City: Covent Garden

2011-05-04T17:21:00.000+01:00

Thanks William

2011-05-02T23:09:00.000+01:00

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”-- William Morris

My birthday gift. Some may ask, 'Why make a watering can pretty?' They obviously have sheds to keep their watering cans in.

Silent Sunday

2011-05-01T23:00:00.000+01:00

Britain's Next Big Thing

2011-05-01T10:05:00.000+01:00

I loved watching Britain's Next Big Thing on BBC2, especially when the designers were presenting their items to the Liberty buyers. Having been in the buying seat before, it was interesting seeing what the designers were thinking. From a buyers point of view, you're always just hoping that the supplier will have done their homework and will be bringing you something that will genuinely complement your offering and fill a gap, and even better, be something you've never seen before. It's so great to get really excited about a new product!

I particularly liked Richard Weston's scarves, created by scanning minerals, stones and fossils and blowing up the results onto silk. I'm always drawn to natural prints, and love the fact that these really celebrate the colours and magical forms of nature.

9800 Eggs

2011-04-24T09:36:00.000+01:00

My lovely friend Michelle sent me this fabulous image, of Volker Kraft decorating a tree with 9,800 Easter eggs in his garden in the ancient town of Saalfeld in Germany. The Kraft family have decorated their tree with Easter eggs for over 40 years. What a brilliant and beautiful thing.

Images: Jens Meyer

Lotta Jansdotter

2011-04-14T21:40:00.000+01:00

When you have a love for print, and a borderline obsession with stationery, what could possibly satiate your desire than exquisite sticky notes, with the most wonderful designs? Lotta Jansdotter does just that.

I planned to make some of her brilliant baby things from this book before M arrived. Hasn't happened yet, but I still flick longingly through the book thinking of new intentions...

Pimp My Baby

2011-04-08T21:37:00.000+01:00

Ok, I pimped Max out for a furniture voucher. He's featuring in the SCP 2011 brochure.

But cute isn't he?

Pretty in the City: Dusseldorf

2011-04-05T15:31:00.000+01:00

Spotted this over on Ninja (Go!Team)'s blog. The street was/is used to house disadvantaged children. I want to visit!:

Pretty in the City: Bloomsbury

2011-04-04T21:05:00.000+01:00

Walking around, specifically keeping an eye out for PITC, I looked up and saw this ornamental stonework, not colourful, true, but it had my name on it! I had to snap it up. Historical pretty in the city.

These coats of arms actually say Che Sara Sara, the family motto of the architect's employer (architect: C. Fitzroy Doll). I found more info here.

Round the corner, I caught this work by Nathan Bowen:

Happy Mothers Day

2011-04-04T18:10:00.000+01:00

This is what my first Mothers Day looked like :)

Happy Feet.

Dreeeeeeamy Daps

2011-03-31T17:59:00.000+01:00

Can't tell you how happy this makes me:

image from Liberty.co.uk

For Folks Sake

2011-03-30T23:50:00.000+01:00

I love the intricacies that folkloric designs involve, and the beautiful contrasting colours often used. The new Anoushka range from Harlequin really shows the bohemian influence, but with fresh contemporary colours.

Curtain fabric: Lilia

Curtain fabric: Alina; Chair, a selection of fabrics from the Anoushka range

Curtain Fabric: Tulia

Whilst shopping in Liberty yesterday I also saw this new range (named 'Folklore') from Wild & Wolf, available to buy online from Bloomsburystore.com:

This 'Folk Garden' cushion by Gisela Graham is very sweet, it reminds me of old Clothkits patterns my Mum used to make. Available to buy here :

And whilst I'm talking folklore, I can't ignore the 'Taika' range from Iittala, designed by Klaus Haapaniemi, not new, but fabulous:

Klaus Haapaniemi has had a place in my heart for a while, but he deserves a whole other post...

State of Independents: Barneby Gates Wallpaper

2011-03-20T23:17:00.000Z

Hey ho, it's been a little while, and despite all good intentions to post at least twice a week, a small boy and life simply happen, and my writing doesn't. And that's ok.

I've been taking an e-course 'Blogging Your Way', run by the prolific and terrific Holly Becker of Decor8 (and Decorate) fame. The course has been an eye-opener so far, and has really made me think about what it is I'm doing here in the blogosphere. This post is something I had down to do, and also nicely fits into this weeks homework - to start a new regular column.

One of the most important things I've always felt in regards to design and interiors is to support the little man, the independent designer/makers who are out there fighting the high street tides and producing wonderful items which are happily individual. I like the fact that they retain a sense of exclusivity as they're not widely available, and while there's definitely wonderful things going on in the big boy brands, the smaller brands should get just as much, if not more, screen time.

So here's my new column, State of Independents, to profile and celebrate the independent brands doing it for themselves.

And I begin with the wondrous Barneby Gates, created by Ex Vogue Living Editor, Vanessa Barneby and Alice Gates. Barneby Gates design and print wallpaper at one of the few remaining print works in the Midlands using traditional printing techniques. That's my kind of company.

Typecast. Blame my old graphic designing flatmate, but I love typefaces, and this typographic design has words hidden amongst the jumble of letters.

Boxing Hares. It took me a while to even see the hares in this pattern, which makes me love it all the more, subtle.

All Star. One for Prof Brian Cox, this paper is described as "A fluid constellation of gently decaying stars." I think it would be divine in a child's bedroom.

PS One of the things I'm going to try as part of my course, is to be more pithy, shorter posts with more valuable content - more bang for your buck. Can you tell I will find this difficult? Why use 3 words when I can use 20? Ok I'll stop writing now.

Happy Holi

2011-03-20T22:34:00.000Z

The Hindu festival of Holi (often called the Festival of Colours) is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year to celebrate the beginning of spring. Check out these awesome images by Poras Chaudhary.

Images found via desinuts.com

Num Num Num Munro Sofa

2011-03-02T12:00:00.000Z

I have quite a big love for Donna Wilson, and especially love her Nos Da collection at SCP. So so excited then, to see this Munro Sofa appear in the SCP 2011 collection. How delicious is that? Colour, weave, quality, fabulous.

Donna Wilson's Nos Da at SCP

Decoupage for Grown Ups

2011-03-02T11:35:00.000Z

Absolutely loving the latest crafty number by the wondrously inspiring Dottie Angel. Vintage wallpapers make an old ikea stool look pretty magical, I think.

Pretty in the City

2011-02-28T17:35:00.000Z

I've had this idea knocking about for a couple of years now. It began because I was living in Shoreditch in East London, which is a hive for artistic types. So often we'd be out for a walk, even just popping to the shop for a pint of milk, and there would be some new art, often illegal, but also often cheeky, beautiful and always interesting. In my head I started calling it 'Pretty in the City', and it's come to include other surprising beauty on the street, whether it's some interesting decorative tiling long since forgotten, or sometimes even 'proper' commissioned street art. Anyway, let me catch you up on some of the photos I've taken which I consider PITC.

Off Redchurch St, Shoreditch

Clever fingers, Waterson St, Shoreditch

Gated entrance to council estate, Pitfield Street, Hoxton - go Hackney council!

Art installation - the monsters are coming! Curtain Road, Hoxton

Levi's Advert installation, Old Street, Shoreditch

Graffiti, Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch

Shepard Fairey poster, Norwich

Side of a garage, Homerton, Hackney

Possibly my favourite so far, beautiful graffiti birds of paradise, on a wall on Regent's Canal in Dalston. The words say 'Just be thankful for what you got'. Yes indeed.

Greeeeeeeeeen

2011-02-28T17:11:00.000Z

This week's veg box was like an advert for perfect veg boxes. Well, my perfect veg box anyway, can't you just see the iron and general health? mmmmm.

Wedding Sneak Peek

2011-02-20T22:53:00.000Z

I'll be using these gorgeous fabrics for our wedding, but where? Hint, not my frock.

l-r Bliss Bouquet Teal and Water Bouquet Mint from the Love collection by Amy Butler; Picnic Bouquet Tangerine from the Nicey Jane Collection by Heather Bailey

Pixel Perfect

2011-02-19T15:31:00.000Z

Well hello pretty dress. I love that your broken tie dye multi stripe print looks a bit like a pixelated zebra. I have 2 weddings this year (not including my own) can I justify that price tag? Unlikely. Paul Smith Black Label Multi Dress £265 at Coggles.com

Colour Scream - bedroom redecoration

2011-02-19T15:02:00.000Z

When we moved into our home, the colour scheme was somewhat bright. Now I'd be a hypocrite to say this was a bad thing, but let's just say that the colours someone had brought in over the years were less than subtle. It was evident that they had been done a fair few years ago, as everything was just a little bit grubby too. The previous owners told us they had always intended to redecorate, but never got around to it.

A big problem in this lovely place, was that, for all its space, we had no storage anywhere. Not an under the stairs cupboard, and nary a nook or cranny utilised. So when we saw this massive bedroom:

I decided a couple of things:1. the colours had to go - I'll admit this picture from the previous owners has a kind of kasbah feeling in the jewel colours they used. However, once you take their belongings out, and remove the shop style shelving from the wall, you're left with a big old expanse of clashing colours, with holes in it.

2. This room is MASSIVE - well for a flat in London town anyway, and there was definitely a better way to use the space. Soooooo, we had a builder come in (a whole blog of its own - suffice to say, ALWAYS get a reference for your builders, and insist on receipts). He built a new wall just in from the chimney, creating double wardrobes on either side of the chimney breast, and cupboards above the wardrobes. The space between the new wall and the chimney has given us shelves from floor to ceiling accessible from either side, and thus, ta daah, mucho spacio. I have filled my side with clothes, shoes and bags, as you would, and A has filled his with a few clothes, a lot of cables and computer equipment - hey, it's his space.

Following the building work, the redecoration went quickly. We replaced the dirty seagrass flooring with neutral carpet, wallpapered the wall our bed faces with 'Grove Garden' by Osborne & Little (not the obvious wall, which would have been the wall our bed backs on to, but I love to lie in bed gazing at it - I couldn't enjoy it nearly as much if it was behind me). We chose the lime colourway, which is a lovely soft, glowing golden colour. For the other 3 walls I matched a dulux colour to the lightest greenish/yellow that features on the leaves on the paper. I'm very happy with the result, the room feels really luxurious now - warm, cosy and grown up. I adored going for afternoon naps when I was pregnant, lying on our bed, with the sun filtering through the blinds - delicious!

With no space on either side of our bed for a bedside table, Dad created a cunning mantel shelf that goes behind our headboard, providing us with space for displaying stuff, books and mugs of tea - perfect!

Key furniture in this room: Bed from Habitat; Sideboard from Unto This Last; Table and stool from Garden Trading Company; Ercol Butterfly Chairs (vintage); Eames LCW Chair from Vitra; Mirror on sideboard Durlston Designs by Owen Thomas c. 1967.

ta daah

2011-02-16T22:26:00.000Z

This is a small beginning, because everything must start somewhere. If you are reading for the first time, let's begin together. Let me take you by the hand and lead you through... ooh going a little Ralph McTell there, but let's just see where we go. I love an adventure. Have you brought sandwiches?