As it's a horrible day outside today, I've decided to spend the day drinking coffee and catching up with the latest interior design magazines. I'm sure our postman dreads the beginning of the month when all the new magazines come out - and by the time I've finished writing this post, it will probably be summer!
idfx
London Design Week starts next Sunday (11th March) and
idfx magazine has an article previewing the spring fabric collections from the more well known fabric houses like Sanderson, Osborne & Little, and Manuel Canovas, together with those which are not so well known like Swaffer, Chivasso, Brentano and Scion (to name a few).
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| Rainforest by Sanderson |
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| Aurore and Gaspard by Manuel Canovas |
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| Sereno Velvets by Osborne & Little |
I've only included images for the new collections of the more well known fabric houses, but it is worth checking out the less well known ones too. Links below to some of them:
Also in idfx this month is a feature entitled 'Make Britain Great' asking why we should buy British. An interesting read, and interesting products too!
The
Beardmore Collection has some lovely door furniture for both traditional and more contemporary interiors.
I love these Domino side tables by
Somerville Scott:
Original BTC and
Davey Lighting have some great lighting products made in the UK. I'm lucky enough to have the Primo Desk lamp on my desk at work, and we're about to install the Davey spotlights in a project we're currently doing at work. The one shown has an integral transformer, so it's great for fitting where you don't have a void in which to place the transformer.
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Davey low voltage spotlight with shade
and integral transformer |
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| Primo Desk Lamp by Original BTC |
Flux Ceramics was established in late 2010. The ceramics are designed and made by students and postgraduates of the Staffordshire University MA Ceramic Design course.
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| Cups designed by Flux Ceramics |
25 Beautiful Homes
Always good for inspiration,
25 Beautiful Homes showcases some lovely products in its April issue (yes, April and it's only just March!).
The
Chandelier and Mirror Company don't just sell mirrors. They also have furniture, clocks, lighting and other home accessories on their website. The magazine features the Travolta open bedside table - sadly it's not on the Chandelier and Mirror Company's website yet, but it's worth looking out for.
My favourite thing this month in 25 Beautiful Homes is this Oka rug in gorgeous muted colours. The Haversham rug measures 180cm x 270cm and is made using a new manufacturing technique to give it an aged look. It costs £1,895 including VAT. I haven't told my husband yet, but I have my eye on this for our dining room!
If you're looking for a French style wall light (see my earlier post about
French style furniture), the French Wall Light at £64 from
Dibor might fit the bill. Whilst on their site, I found a couple of others too!
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| Rustic Wall Light |
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| French Wall Light |
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| Silver Wall Light |
Finally from 25 Beautiful Homes is this 30's inspired Daisy chair from
Poltrona Frau. Shown here in lilac leather, it's also available in different coloured leathers and upholstery fabrics.
Ideal Home
Ideal Home's offerings this month include the Cube rug from
Woven Ground. It's a shaped rug and it comes in two different sizes and shades.
Staying with their colourful theme for the April edition, is this Rasymatto cushion by
Marimekko and available from
Heal's - and whilst on the Heal's website, I spotted another one!
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| Marimekko Rasymatto Cushion £58 |
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| Unikko Red and Pink Cushion £58 |
Back to Original BTC, Ideal Home feature the Hector Bibendum pendant lights with coloured cord (shown here with red cord). These lights retail at £99.50.
Ideal Home are also running an article about
Joseph Joseph this month. If you've never heard of Joseph Joseph, and like bold colours with great, practical design their website is definitely worth a look. Here are just a few things which caught my eye:
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| Chopping Boards in case £45 |
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| Nest Utensils £25 |
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| Bread Bin £45 |
Ideal Home also found a reproduction Swan chair by
Blue Sun Tree. Originally designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, Blue Sun Tree offer their reproduction in a range of different fabrics and two sizes. They have just about every imaginable design classic chair (and other pieces of furniture) on their website!
The main theme for Ideal Homes this month is colour and they have suggestions for decorating rooms in red, yellow, blue green and purple and a black and white monochrome scheme in which they have this chair from Andrew Martin:
Finally, they have a feature on statement appliances. Smeg are no strangers to colouful appliances but it seems you can now get 'white goods' in all the colours of the rainbow! Much as I love purple, I don't think I could live with a purple oven! The danger with statement pieces like this is that they will date and if you want your kitchen to stand the test of time, I'd opt for white or stainless steel appliances and inject some colour with decoration! The only exception, would be an Aga who have been producing colourful cookers since 1956 and it's almost expected that you have anything other than cream!
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| 3-Oven Aga in Pistachio |
Homes & Gardens
Finally, Homes & Gardens - full of ideas and inspiration for your home and garden. Like idfx, Homes & Gardens also features the new collections focusing on "this season's vibrant colours and strong patterns" and have grouped them by colour:
Spicy nutmeg and saffron featuring fabrics by:
- Elenbach
- Watts of Westminster
- Kirkby Design
- Romo
- William Yeoward at Designers Guild
- Zoffany
- Nina Campbell at Osborne & Little
- Brunschwig & Fils at GP&J Baker
African Inspired Motifs featuring fabrics by:
- Mark Alexander
- James Hare
Fresh Emerald Greens:
- Harlequin
- Northcroft Fabrics
- Pierre Frey
- Manuel Canovas at Colefax & Fowler
- Sanderson
- Scion
Multi-coloured Designs:
- Christian Lacroix at Designers Guild
- Laura Ashley
- Linwood
- Boeme
- Thibaut
- Christopher Farr
Chic Neutrals:
- Larsen at Colefax & Fowler
- Dedar
- Casadeco
- Casamance
- Zinc
- Zimmer + Rohde
- Swaffer
- Blendworth
Blue Hues:
- Ferrick Mason at Tissus d'Helene
- Rubelli
- Ralph Lauren Home
- Jim Thompson at Fox Linton
- Nobilis
- Sandberg
The final category in their review of the spring collections is called "Springtime Brights" in which they solely feature Madame Butterfly by Designers Guild. It's 100% linen and available in one colour - Peony. It's part of the Kimono Blossom Collection.
The section on fabrics continues with a look at fabric trends concentrating on pattern, texture and colour with input from Tricia Guild, Emily Mould and Ariane Dalle. The final article in the fabric trends section is a piece which looks at different styles of blinds from formal to modern and relaxed.
From the Shopping article, I like this Hartford chair by Michael Reeves Furniture for Osborne & Little (very similar to the Julep Chair by Designers Guild). Shown here in O&L Alvare fabric, it costs £1,340.
Also in the same article is this bright "No 4 Chair" from The Conran Shop:
(This chair is also in an article in Ideal Home)
At work we've noticed that orange and pink (yes - together!) have featured a lot in this season's new collections and this dhurrie rug from The Rug Company is no exception. It's in their Studio Collection and costs £120 for a rug measuring 153cm x 91cm. It is available in other colours if this is just a bit too bright for you!
On the same page as the rug above is a book called I Love Stationery. As a self-confessed stationery addict, and someone who used to make my own gift cards, a copy of this might be making its way to my bookshelf!
Homes and Gardens are also holding a one hour Masterclass on Wednesday 14th March as part of London Design Week. During the Masterclass garden designer Stephen Woodhams and interior designer Joanna Wood will discuss indoor and outdoor spaces that will work in harmony.
There are pages devoted to lampshades and tables - here are a couple of lampshades to inspire you and if you're looking for other ideas, see my earlier post Lovely Lampshades or my pinterest board (link above).
As usual, there are inspirational pictures of real homes and the Designer Secrets this month focuses on Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, a designer based in Los Angeles and best known for creating interiors for clients such as Cher and Elton John.
Finally, there is an article about artist Melissa White who, in association with Zoffany, has produced a range of designs inspired by the Elizabethan style of the late 16th century. You can read the article here:
How I became a Decorative Painter.
There is so much more in Homes and Gardens this month, not included here - such as an article by Tricia Guild on Easter Entertaining, tips for hanging pictures, choosing fitted furniture and inspiration for bathrooms and kitchens. Oh .... and 15% off at Oka so maybe that rug could be in my dining room after all!!
Well, it's not quite summer but it certainly seems like a different season now compared to when I started this post! I'm off to Chelsea Harbour now for the start of London Design Week to see first hand what's new this season!
