Last Minute Christmas Delights

Christmas is nearly at our doorsteps, so here are a few more little treats that will be the icing on the cake of your decorations and Christmas celebrations this year.

If you want to spruce up your tree there are some absolutely lovely decorations and baubles around at the moment and here are a few of our favourites.

‘Five Metal Pressed Feathers in Silver’ from Cox & Cox

These feather decorations from Cox & Cox are a subtle, contemporary addition to a tree if you’re looking for something simple.

‘Six Magical Tree Baubles’ from Cox & Cox

Another charming, inventive touch from Cox & Cox to add to your collection, these Christmas trees in baubles are brilliant.

‘Large Party Chihuahua Decoration’ from An Angel at my Table

We couldn’t resist adding in this Chihuahua decoration from An Angel at my Table, a great find for those who like to keep things a little less traditional and a little more quirky. If this is a tad too left field for your taste but you’re still looking for something with a fun edge, these owl ornament are marvellous!

‘Pair of Vintage Style Brown Owl Decorations’ from An Angel at my Table

If the rest of your house isn’t looking as festive as you might have liked there are plenty of ways to add a little oomph to your surroundings.

These thistle tea light holders from ANTA are divine, I especially love the cup and saucer combo.

‘Cream Thistle Orange and Cinnamon Tealight Candle’ from ANTA

Decorate a window sill with these beautiful antique looking metal birds, perfect for Christmas and all year round!

‘Three Little Birds’ from An Angel at my Table

Treat yourself to some pretty copper pieces from Cox & Cox with these lovely bells and lights.

‘Copper Jingle Bell Garland’ from Cox & Cox

‘Copper Maroq Lights’ from Cox & Cox

Get into a contemporary Christmas mood with these creatively designed paper star decorations from Bodie and Fou, they’re great if you’re not too keen on embellishing your home with all things sparkly.

‘Paper Stars in Black and Grey’ from Bodie and Fou

I love this rather special card from An Angel at my Table, it’s an elegant way to do Christmas in style, and if you don’t want to send it to someone it would make a lovely, understated decoration in your home.

‘Pop up St Paul’s Cathedral Card’ from An Angel at my Table

Not to leave your kitchen feeling left out, this sweet robin and holly tea towel from Thornback & Peel is a delightful addition, the design is also featured on aprons, oven mitts, crackers and many other things in case you want to spoil yourself!

‘Robin & Holly tea towel’ from Thornback & Peel

Last but not least, make your gifts extra special with some beautiful wrapping paper, this starry designed paper from Cox & Cox is marvellous!

‘Mini Stars Wrapping Paper’ from Cox & Cox

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, full of wonderful household treats!

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The Rug Life

Rugs are a significant, but often overlooked part of any room or home. More than just an accessory, if used correctly, they can change a room’s style, atmosphere and overall vision. When buying a rug, people are often quick to jump to a safe option or to a style that they have used in the past, but being brave and taking a chance on a new style or size of rug can be just what a room needs for a little revamp and revitalisation.

Finding the perfect rug for your space and taste can be a little tricky as they come in all shapes and sizes, and like a pair of ill-fitting jeans the wrong match for you could be disastrous and could turn your beautiful home into a big old mess. But fear not, we’ve been doing a little research and we’re here to show you the best and brightest in all price ranges to help you to find you rug soul-mate.

‘Ivy Trellis’ by Rodarte from The Rug Company

If you’re out on the prowl for your dream rug it may be a good idea to take a look at some designer and high-end rugs to find out what styles, colours, patterns you are most drawn to (that is of course if you can manage not to shed a tear at some of the prices!) The best place to head to for some inspiration is The Rug Company, they are host to masses of beautiful rugs including collections from some of the best designers. A few of our dream rugs at Angel + Blume are designed by the house of Alexander McQueen, and though we might yelp at the price it’s good to have aspirations…

‘Military Brocade’ by Alexander McQueen from The Rug Company

‘Monarch Fire’ by Alexander McQueen from The Rug Company

Once you’ve established your likes and dislikes when it comes to rugs, you can start shopping around. Companies like Graham & Green are a great place to start as their selection is well stocked and their prices reasonable. This is a charming take on a Moroccan style rug, and could be easily worked into an already decorated room.

‘Atlas Berber’ from Graham and Green

If you’re looking for a small rug to allocate a space in a room for a few chairs and a table, or a comfy seating area, Graham and Green have some lovely circular rugs in a few styles, which are ideal for creating an individual space inside of a larger room.

‘Round Pink Rug’ from Graham and Green

‘Circular Goat Skin Rug’ from Graham and Green

There is always a pattern vs plain debate when it comes to picking out rugs, and ultimately it boils down to your taste and the room itself. If you want a plain rug it would be best to make sure you add colour or a pattern in another component of the room for example the walls or curtains so that the room doesn’t become too washed out. This elegant rug from Scottish designer Anta is the perfect plain rug to complement other styles and colours you may want to include.

‘Large Owl Rug’ from Anta

When a room is in need of a contemporary and quirky patterned rug, either to set the pace or follow suit, there are a few designers you can try. Jonathan Adler always brings a sense of fun and originality to his designs and has a wide range to complement your style.

‘Red Arthur Kilim Flat Weave Rug’ from Jonathan Alder

This enjoyable design from Adler is the perfect companion to a modern home, and can be the only splash of colour needed if you’re into more of a muted, minimalistic look elsewhere.

‘Zebra Peruvian Llama Flat Weave Rug’ from Jonathan Adler

If you like your interiors to have a playful edge, and you’re a sucker for a faux animal print, this zebra rug is simply to die for, especially since no animals did!

Stair runners are an amazing way of decorating a home, and one of the best place to go in search of runners is Alternative Flooring. They have a wonderful range of styles and colours, and can tailor their designs to your specific needs.

‘Wool Blocstripe Sable Bone Bloc’ from Alternative Flooring

This beautiful monochrome design will add a bit of pizazz to a neutral hallway and help create a welcoming atmosphere as well as a style statement upon entering your home. Another contemporary style from Alternative Flooring is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Roxanne design which would be perfect for updating a home’s interior into a modern look.

‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Roxanne’ from Alternative Flooring

When it comes to choosing a rug’s size, it’s generally best to follow the ‘bigger the better’ rule. If you buy a pre-made rug the standard size is usually around 300x200cm, although it will always vary depending on which store or website you visit. If you have a large space to play with, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t end up with a rug that’s too small and therefore disturbing the room’s ambience and flow. One way to get around this is to order a section of carpet and have the edges bound. This gives you flexibility on the size and can be quite cost effective. We did exactly that with a client with the brilliant Crucial Trader.

‘Audrey Sunrise’ from Crucial Trader

‘Krakow Rug’ from Niki Jones

Niki Jones creates some wonderful classic contemporary rugs, as well as cushions and linens, which can be custom made into any size you like.

‘Optical Rug’ from Niki Jones

‘Polygon Rug’ from Niki Jones

The possibilities are fairly endless when it comes to rugs, big or small, plain or patterned, classic or contemporary, expensive or cheap. Start thinking about what you would really love on your floor and then track down the right supplier, this will save you from being overwhelmed by choice!

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Cushions for January

With the Christmas tree undressed and the decorations packed away for another year our living rooms can look slightly sad and lacking. The addition of a beautiful cushion or two can make all the difference as this will add comfort and  texture to your sofa and chairs.

And whilst we are still in the midst of winter and not yet ready for spring time accessories, we thought we would list our favourite winter style cushions. There are some especially lovely embroidered options around at the moment, all ready made and great value.

 

From Magpie Miller, Hand Embroidered Laurel on rich black linen 50.8cm x 50.8cm £38

 

Also from Magpie Miller, these embroidered antlers on off white linen are current and fun 50.8cm x 50.8cm £38

 

Fabrics and Papers have some wonderful embroidered winter trees and this one is our favourites. Nest Egg Cushion, hand embroidered with blue and yellow birds on cream linen. 43cm x 43cm £145.00

 

Maxemilia have embroidered tree cushion covers, with dainty stitching. This design is copied from the drawing of a tree on Old Street in London. Thick cotton linen mix white fabric, 16” x 16” £35

 

Embroidered London Plane Tree Cushion cover on cotton with vintage tweed back. Also Maxemilia 16”x16” £35

Heals have a large and varied selection of ready made cushions.  This famous Melin Tregwynt Mondo dot design comes in lovely earthy colours and the wool fabric makes it warm and soft to the touch.

 

 Gold Green Melin Tregwynt cushion 45cm x 45cm £50

 

 The epitome of luxury and comfort, as well as being shamelessly glamorous is Heals Faux Fur Siberian Wolf Cushion.  £78

 

Lastly from Anta, woven in Scotland, in beautifully muted blue and brown colours, this tartan cover with horn buttons comes with a 45x45cm feather pad.  £74 Check out their Tartan Tuesday offer – you may get yourself a bargain!

Cadboll Tartan Cushion

£74

www.anta.co.uk

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