Month: September 2016

home: trend [ flexible furniture ] 

home: trend [ flexible furniture ] 

Furniture and homeware design has to keep up with changing needs and demands of everyday living. 

Heloisa Righetto, of trend forecasting and  analysis service WGSN Lifestyle predicts a move towards furniture that facilitates numerous different activities, and that the furniture will become ‘more fluid and less about novelty’.

Modular units, sofa systems, and customising your functions as you need is growing essential in the home. As lifestyles change and what we need from our living environments develop, our furniture can flex to accommodate those needs. Changes in work, play and leisure can push towards what we demand from our homes. 

There has been a surge in integrated charging systems where electronic functions are combined with furniture or home accessories. Integration isn’t just for kitchens; stores including IKEA offer affordable products where wireless charging is designed into everyday products including bedside tables and lamps. 

Flexible furniture as a concept is also beneficial to many peoples reduced living space (either by choice or finances) and furniture that can multifunction is both space saving and efficient in costs e.g. a sofa that incorporates seating, storage, room dividing and even the table is a three-in-one or even four-in-one piece. Even with the complex design specifications, and quality in that furniture this will no doubt be cost efficient. 

Similar to flexible furniture we can also use the term ‘modular’ when a product or item furniture can be constructed of different components that can regularly flex and change to your needs. A modular sofa can adjust to how many people need seating, how you wish to relax or what direction you wish to face – both being easy to regularly change as well as add to with new modules. IKEA is an affordable leader in this market. 

1 Built in side table on sofa 

2 Modular sofa from IKEA 

3 Flexing between sofa or bed with ample storage underneath 

4 SELJE charging side unit £50 IKEA 

5 Urban Highsleeper (contemporary model of a firm favourite – the bunkbed with desk and storage) £409 RainbowWood 

6 Bunkbed storage combination system 

7 Vintage midcentury day bed unit with storage 

8 RIGGAD Wireless charging work lamp £49 IKEA 

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home: daily [ RSG @Liberty ]

home: daily [ RSG @Liberty ]

If you aren’t familiar with Rockett St George by now, then you should be. Whether you are a fan or a just a lover of exciting interiors then you should head to Liberty department store and see the cool, extraordinary, and flamboyant array of items in the flesh.

Up until now RSG has been primarily online based since 2007, growing a massive following and celebrity fans. Set up by Jane Rockett & Lucy St George, the company has grown with its vast online shop, a number of pop up events and talks hosted by the the ladies themselves. Now is the time RSG can reach the masses with its 5 month residence at Liberty, London.

Taking over a large space on the fourth floor set around a stunning atrium RSG have created zones, each one a different area of the house / garden, individualy capturing the essence of the brand with its eclectic, quirky, fun feel.

Wander through ‘GARDEN’ and you are greeted by an abundance of faux plants and tropical birds, hanging concrete pots and gorgeous lighting. If you don’t fancy a faux bird how about a gnome ornament or candle or how about the fab hanging monkey light.
Head though to ‘LIGHTING’ and ‘KITCHEN’ with a strong industrial feel; brass and chrome pendant lights, glass dome lamps and retro light cords blend into black wood chopping boards, marble patterned ceramics and gold accessories. [ Don’t miss the giant safety pins and gorgeous animal hooks assortment ]

Keep walking at you hit ‘BOUDOIR’ with amazing scented candles, quirky lotion bottles and slogan make-up bags. The key background colour throughout the brand is black, and believe it or not it actually works. This strong identity really stands out amongst other online stores and it translates perfectly into Liberty with all the walls painted matt black.

Soft furnishings and wallpaper is next and here you will find an array of fabulous lip and eye printed cushions, sheepskin rugs and some stunning wallpapers including wood paneling, ivy wall, and marble tiles.

The final areas of this vast space are ‘OFFICE’ and ‘LIVING’ which includes a  favourite of ours ‘COCKTAIL CORNER’!

The office set up has a picture wall to beat all picture walls, full of neon slogan lights and framed artwork. RSG has some great in-house products including their slogan notebooks…and of course they are black.

The great thing about this pop-up is every bit of furniture, every light, every piece of wall decor is possible to buy. Take it straight from the shop floor or order from the website.

Go glam with fun monkey candle holders and black & gold faux plants. There are some fantastic finds to make your dining room come alive and be the envy of your friends. Our favourites include skull bowls and beakers, and the honeycomb candle voltives.

There is a strong tropical feel throughout the space with palm tree lights and pineapple ornaments, perfect for creating your own cocktail corner at home. All in all RSG has created an amazing shop bringing something new to Liberty. Get along before the end of January and fall in love with everything.

Rockettstgeorge.co.uk

Liberty.co.uk

home: made [ macramé ]

home: made [ macramé ]

A big trend from the 1970s is back and as popular as ever. Macramé is a form of textile making involving knots rather than weaving or knitting.

As well as wall hangings, plant hangers have been seen everywhere in varying materials and colour. The main material is rope or twine with the addition of beads for added interest. Today we share some great tutorials showing you how to make your own plant hanger. Learn the techniques and you can create anything, keep the style simple or tackle an intricate design. Why not give it a go and fall in love with macramé.

Houzz.co.uk

Designrulz.com

Apartmenttherapy.co.uk

home: nice price [ lighting ] 

home: nice price [ lighting ] 

Amongst the gorgeous homewares in a great subtle colour palette at Mon Pote, we found this well priced geometric brass plated ceiling lamp is by Danish interior designers House Doctor [ £55 ] 

Mon Pote has perfectly curated their online and high street store with on trend, stylish, contemporary homewares and gifts. 

Find them online or at 177 North Street, Bristol BS3 1JQ 

home: favourite thing [ Anglepoise ]

home: favourite thing [ Anglepoise ]

This Autumn sees the launch of a new Anglepoise lamp designed in collaboration with Paul Smith. This is the third edition of the Type 75 lamp from this partnership and it looks set to be a winner. The bold block primary colours give a modern fresh take on this classic.

Head to anglepoise.com for more info [ price yet to be confirmed but expect around £160 ]

home: featured [ Jo Angell ] 

home: featured [ Jo Angell ] 

In the lovely old-meets-new development at Kings Cross (London), Granary Square was host to this year’s Design Junction. A huge spread of exhibitors showing new season products and interior trends as well as super brands popping up shop selling current products, home accessories, accessories and furniture. 

Here we got to meet the lovely Jo Angell and see her brand (of the same name) selling her gorgeous pattern and architectural lead designs in print, on homewares and stationery. Angell, based in North London, from her extensive and successful graphic design background now produces her designs on fabric, art prints and wall paper, as well as translating these designs to tea towels, ceramic mugs and greetings cards. 

Her patterns are crisp and fun using great colours, and all pieces would be fantastic in a modern home. Her prints would stand out alone on a wall but work excellently in a gallery cluster and her kitchenwares would brighten up any crisp  white kitchen. We love her bold designs taken from images of an favourite London architectural site – the old, no longer used, gas holders, which turn these metalwork giants into a great colourful abstract prints on paper and fabric. 

Check out the online store for shopping or to find out where she is exhibiting next or upcoming projects. 

1 Kings Cross gas holder print in navy

2 great prints of colour and geometric designs 

3 Tea towels 

4 Patterned mugs

5 Prints working great in a cluster 

6 Wall paper designed for Graham + Brown 

home: event [ antiques fair ]

home: event [ antiques fair ]

With three events a year The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair is a must if you are a fan of art, accessories and furniture of the 20th century.

Based in Battersea this family-owned fair launched in 1985 where the exibititors are encouraged to display their items in a room-set fashion, giving inspiration and ideas for how to design your room.

£10 on the door or get free tickets by signing up at decorativefair.com

Battersea Evolution

Battersea Park

SW11 4NJ

[ 27th Sept – 2nd Oct ]

home: found this [ SVARTAAN range ] 

home: found this [ IKEA SVARTAAN range ] 

Explore Another India with IKEAs new SVARTAAN collection of soft monochrome furnishings that will bring a subtle richness to a black, white and grey interior. It’s beautiful fabrics, patterns and silhouettes of the accessories, fabrics and furniture pieces are a modern, Indian inspired collection that would sit well all together as well as used in a minimal white interior and alongside dark woods and blues. 

‘With patterns inspired from urban landscapes, the SVÄRTAN collection invites us to explore a side of India that goes beyond the vivid colours usually associated with this striking country. Created in collaboration with Swedish textile designer Martin Bergström and Indian fashion students, SVÄRTAN uses only black, white and grey and consists of bed linen, textiles, paper items, rugs, bowls, glassware and metal objects. The result is a collection that offers both versatility and uniqueness to one’s home.’

Prices from £2 IKEA 

home: trend [ denim ]

home: trend [ denim ]

We love it when new paint colours are announced from Dulux, and for 2017 it’s Denim Drift. This lends itself perfectly to a new denim inspired trend for Autumn/ Winter 2016 running through to next year.

The great thing about this trend is that amongst the traditional washed denim colour you can bring in different tones to either bring drama or a subtle airy feel. Introduce blues through ceramics and accessories to hint at this trend. Marble and splattered paint effects look great in blue and can add interested to a shelf or table top.

Use soft furnishings in accent shades of blue against neutral tones of white, cream and grey. [ Try and avoid stripes as not to end up with a nautical feel ]

Bring drama to a room with a large piece of furniture in a deep blue, or paint a feature wall in a dark tone and add black, grey accessories like shelving and framed prints. 

Guide:

1. Painted vase – rockettstgeorge.co.uk [ £29.95 ]

2. Candle – ikea.com [ £4 ]

3. Wool throw – ikea.com [ £39 ]

4. Image from Dulux

5. Sofa – habitat.co.uk [ £1400 ]

6. Image from Dulux

7. Image from Dulux

8. Bowl – oliverbonas.com [ £7 ]

9. Cushion cover – hm.com [ £6.99 ]

10. Glass vase – grahamandgreen.co.uk [ £27.95 ]

11. Pendant light – made.com [ £79 ]

12. Image from Dulux

home: made [ plate wall ] 

home: made [ plate wall ] 

Think outside the box when it comes to wanting art or pictures on your walls. The design and imagery that are on plates are often works of art and hanging them can create a modern, unique decorative display on a wall. 

Plate displays, instead of traditional picture hanging, can give many different looks and follow different trends. 

Using floral or vintage style plates can give a country chic look, homely and colourful, with mixing up colours and patterns to look eclectic and retro. 

For minimal and monochrome trends try typography based designs or geometric patterned plates. 

Or when an interior is all about a specific colour then it’s all about matching that colour; and different patterns, designs and illustrations can look great if they are all in the same colour or a spectrum of shades of the same colour. 

Anthropologie is a great place to head for incredible designs of plates and our favourite for a minimal monochrome look we love the Arne Jacobsen Design Letters range of plates that are available across the highstreet and internet including Selfridges and Amara 


1 Design Letters Plate from £20

2 Set of Wedgewood Plates £75 

3 Illustrative plates from Anthropologie 

4 Go vintage with Ridgeway Homemaker (search EBay, Etsy + ChinaSearch ) 


And for a discreet, secure way to hang your plate art use the handy invisible wall hangers available in many shops including hobby craft.