RAINY DAYS...

DARK AND RAINY DAYS

Currently I have a strange fixation with all things warms and cosy - a tonic whilst the days are short, dark and rainy. My love of the month is the Saarinen Womb Chair. I just want to curl up in it, with a blanket granny-style over my knees, by a fire, with a book... is this too much to ask? (Oh and maybe a hot chocolate on the side?)

DECOREX 2014 - PART 2

FERMOIE

I do apologise for the delay in finishing my Decorex round-up for 2014 but I have had flu.. miserable.. and lost 2/3 weeks of my life which I'm busily catching up on..

It's been a while, but I'll just hop in my time machine and head on back........

At Decorex this year I officially found my 

Favourite Fabric of 2014.

I smiled - a lot - when I saw it, in this beautiful screen form, outside 

DANDYLION DESIGNS

I am ashamed to say that I had never come across this gorgeous company, since it was not one we dealt with at my previous place of work.

So, having gazed at this perky floral in all it's cheeky citrusy gorgeousness, I stepped inside. It is most certainly a fabric to dwell on over the coming darker months.

Many thanks to Jessica Fell, Creative Director, for telling me all about Dandylion.

For those of you who don't know, this company is based in Lancashire where the fabrics are also milled.

Certainly one that I will be keeping an eye on in the future.

 

OFFICIALLY MY FAVOURITE FABRIC OF 2014

More fabulous DANDYLION fabrics:

all from the VERVE COLLECTION.

CUTE ADVERTISING

Dandylion designs has lots of other goodies on its website so do have a look!

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Last time I blogged, I mentioned the wonderful Copper & Silk.

This week I must mention another fabulous lighting company, whose lighting was also spotted at Chelsea Harbour in the Zoffany window display a few weeks' before:

CURIOUSA & CURIOUSA

Here is Esther Patterson, the founder of this Derby-based company, which is committed to working with UK based craftspeople and suppliers. 

Truly covetable lighting.

EMMA @ DECOREX 2014 - part one

OK so Decorex has been and gone. However, I did make it, just, by the skin of my teeth; so here is my delayed contribution, for what it's worth.
I have to say that, having been disappointed by last year's venue, I  loved this year's 
SYON PARK.
Access was made easy via a pretty slick arrangement of bus collections (mine from Richmond Station). 

Clipboard huggers were positioned at great vantage points to direct and everyone was smiling. The bus was awash with chatter and I sat next to an author so the trip went quickly whilst we nattered. All good so far.

Rain hadn't dampened spirits on arrival at the tents. There was a lovely feeling of arriving at a party which I adored because it built excitement.

And inside didn't disappoint either, with plenty of places (albeit pricey)to rest your brain and feet and pick up a coffee/snack/meal/champagne.

And, with a coffee or two inside me off I went up and down the grids, stopping only when something gorgeous caught my eye...
which it did:

COPPER & SILK

Love these dip-dye lampshades.
Glorious colours against the  Copper & Silk Stand.

KLC DIPLOMA - getting there...

Finally getting there! I have been working on an Interior Design Diploma at KLC School of Design for a few years now and recently completed my Module III (of  5). It was a hard slog, being shoe-horned in before and after work but I now have the result and it was worth it:
A (92%)!  

Here's a little sample of the some of the work involved.. can't wait to get started on Module IV!!

Jewellery Boutique

SKETCH BOOK DETAILS - ABOVE & BELOW:

 

 

 

 

 

AXONOMETRIC

MY BEDROOM

My BEDROOM SCHEME has been lovingly created and the finishing touches will be happening over the next few weeks:

I have given in to my wallpaper obsession (below). This will be my first ever use of wallpaper in a home of my own to date and I mean to make it count. This gorgeous Cole and Son wallpaper will sit on the wall behind my bed, showing off the gorgeous wall lights from The Historic Lighting Company:

Squiggle wallpaper by Cole and Son, from their Vivienne Westwood collection.

Maria Banjo Wall Light

Clarke and Clarke Foxgloves in Mineral.

Curtains are made from this lovely sprig-gy Foxglove fabric by Clarke and Clarke. I love the naive sketchiness of this design; it is extremely calming - like watching grass stalks in the Summer against a blue blue sky.












There will be a blackout roller blind inside the window recess to prevent Summer light disturbing sleep. I have shamelessly mixed my florals and patterns in this room, all based around taupe and navy, with pops of a lighter blue thrown in to lift.

William Yeoward

Sanderson

Beautiful
William Yeoward (for Designers Guild)
fabric, 
with Sanderson 
drop bead fringe.
I was lucky to purchase the Anthony in the Stone colourway before it was discontinued.
(See the link above for available colourways).

My bed is a wonderful cream brass bedstead which was purchased a few years ago from Seventh Heaven in Shropshire, since re-named.

It is the most solid, impressive and the comfortable bed I have ever slept in. It has a princess-and-the-pea quality, being higher up than most contemporary beds.

Floorboards are painted in a soft neutral, as are the walls and paintwork.Door furniture is metal. I don't have a problem with mixing metals, especially where the background is neutral as I like the warmth and variety that this brings to a scheme. 

A most wonderful carpenter has been on site for the last month, working out of my garage; a true craftsman. He has been building storage for me throughout the house and a wardrobe has appeared in a week, fitted to my storage needs. For now it is unfinished but the painters return in a week to complete the job. I am keeping it light in colour to maximise the sense of light and space in this lovely room, but inside is a different matter - it will be navy to tie in and show off my clothes and shoes.

Beautiful ply handles are waiting to be fitted, 

once the painting is done: 

http://www.chocolatecreative.co.uk/category/knobs

As for bedding, I think I will wait until the room is complete but I am tempted by the following:

Linen Bedding in Light or Dark Grey.

 hmm.. not sure...

AT ANY RATE I am extremely pleased with my almost-finished bedroom. I have a bedside table to upcycle and that, with a few well chosen books and magazines, is that.

#loveit

SO 'LONDON'.....

Ok, so over the past couple of weeks several clients have uttered the following: 

' that is so London' or 'too London'. 

This is always in relation to a fabric or scheme and whether it fits into their image of how their home should be... 

or not.....

What is going on?

'So London' 

conjures up an image for me of the ubiquitous London bus, 
but also of the following:

  

But, and here is the point London is about so much more!

What is going on?

The first time these words were uttered was in relation to a holiday home's sitting room. We built the scheme around a rather lovely retro painting and indulged in textures and retro colours -

Harlequin Tessalate in Tangerine and Teal

..but the brief kept becoming about not letting it be 'too London'.

I would not have dwelt on this too much if I had not again heard today, at a different client's house, "no, that fabric is just 'too London'".  

(This as a way of distinguishing one Ikat fabric from another).

I must admit that I am mystified. 

What on earth makes a fabric or scheme too much like something in London? 

What is this thing and why has London design or fashion become 'it' instead of the actual varied, indeterminate, vivacious, wonderful, life affirming 'they' that exists?

For me, fulfilling a client's brief is always about creating very much more than it is about trying not to be something else. 

A room, or indeed house, scheme should always stand up on its own merit, with many varied building blocks to make up the whole and a certain magical cleverness to pull the whole thing off.

So, in the face of this new onslaught my preference is just to hear, acknowledge, and then, well, just get back to it.