During these late January days when daylight is still in short supply, it seems more than a little appropriate to share a great lighting idea. Coldharbour Lights‘ theatrical feathered bicycle wheel chandeliers are where Art Deco design meets Baz Luhrmann with just a dash of Boho chic. The perfect concoction perhaps to spice up the darker days of midwinter?
Sunday night rituals in the winter for me entail putting the fire on and settling in to watch the season’s best period drama. I was so excited and, if I am honest, a little worried that I would be disappointed with the current BBC 1 TV serialisation of Howards End. Continue reading “Interview: BBC1’s Howards End set decorator, Tanya Bowd”
If you are one of the dedicated Instagram followers of Gear Antiques (IG @gearantiques), you won’t need me to tell you that the King is alive and er … barking on Lillie Road in Fulham. Elvis has not only been entertaining clients with his gregarious stage presence but he is also proving to be Gear Antiques’ secret weapon, when it comes to marketing. His patch – more regal in style than rock and roll – is an antiques shop run by his owner Marc on Lillie Road in South West London. If miniature schnauzer Elvis isn’t posted in an Instagram photo by Marc – either sitting on a Jacobean chair on the pavement outside the shop or mannequin style in the window – there follows an outcry from IG followers asking ‘where’s Elvis?!’ So you see, he does live on … just in Schnauzer form …
I keep my eye out for new textile and wallpaper designers and one whose work stood out recently was that of Anna Jeffreys which was showcased by Tissus D’Helene at a press show at The Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. Journalists usually keep their own thoughts to themselves at these events, but there was a little gasp of surprise and delight at Anna’s swatches. Anna’s seriously pretty designs stood out for their fresh colourways which mix traditional motifs with more contemporary flourishes. What makes them difficult to place is that the colour palette particularly doesn’t seem like it comes from a British design stable and that’s what makes them so interesting.
Continue reading “Anna Jeffreys – new wallpaper and fabric collection”
When guests visit Helen and John Worton’s home for the first time, they sometimes find themselves left a little bit speechless! This is due to the fact that to all intents and purposes the terraced frontage of this 16th Century Cornish cottage is not at all what it appears from the village square. You might imagine that what lies behind are low-beamed ceilings with a conventional upstairs/downstairs floor plan and a country-style interior in a neutral Farrow & Ball palette.
Continue reading “House and garden tour: artists’ home in Cornwall”
When I was approached by Helen Cormack of Tissus D’Helene to style her Chelsea Design Week (12 – 17 March 2017) window display, to say I was excited was an understatement! As dream jobs go, this is right up there. When I styled some features for Homes & Gardens magazine, they often used Helen’s fabrics – and I have always adored them.
Continue reading “Tissus D’Helene: styling for Chelsea Design Week 2017”
If you are channelling your inner **Hygge this Autumn, you may wish to join me in worshipping some beautiful log stores from a maker I discovered on Instagram. These are veritable temples to the humble log, kindling and coal store. The photography features log stores installed in cute cottages to more sizeable Georgian properties on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border (but also supply nationwide).
Continue reading “Into the woods … discover the most gorgeous log store designs!”
It’s rare for me as a stylist to get the privilege of working directly with a designer on a shoot, I am normally working with the finished product. I absolutely relish every time I get the opportunity to collaborate with one of the UK’s most talented knitwear designers, Erika Knight. Before I show you the finished photography for these new designs, Erika has kindly agreed to an interview. Continue reading “British Design Edit: knitwear designer Erika Knight”
I have inherited a rather pronounced ‘hunter gathering’ gene which in plain English means that I like to shop – actually, really rather a lot! If you are a retail buyer or someone who frequents car boot sales or jumble sales or just generally enjoys this kind of ‘sport’ then you will know exactly where I am coming from …
Continue reading “10 top interior design finds at Decorex International”
At the beginning of the 1970s, a particularly ‘domestic’ revolution was taking place, this wasn’t the ‘Chuck Out Your Chintz’ advertising campaign (as extolled by Swedish furniture giant, IKEA) – that came later. Households up and down the country were, in fact, joyfully ditching blankets, eiderdowns and flat sheets – breaking free from the chains of endless bed making and the ironing that entailed…
Continue reading “How to style your bedroom for the best night’s sleep ever”
Charis White Interiors 