Entertaining at teatime

Socialising over food and drink can become a regular event during winter, as the outdoors becomes less appealing and the indoors seems ever more inviting. This can be a good excuse to have some fun with the design in your home as accessorising and styling can play a key role in dining and the dressing of your table. The pieces that you acquire for tableware can often be as decorative as they are functional and are a great way to welcome guests and add atmosphere to your entertaining.  As delightful as it to acquire these accessories for oneself, they can also make wonderful gifts; here are some examples to offer some inspiration.

This thick glass drink dispenser and stand from Rockett St George creates a wonderful spectacle and would be perfect for storing a home made concoction.

This elegant gold dipped cutlery from Anthropologie is both striking and luxurious.

Merci do a wide range of refined and unusual crockery and cutlery, including these stylish enamelled metal plates.

Enamelled metal plates in Red and black designed by Stefania di Perillo, at Merci.

Dressing a table can be a great excuse to mix and match different pieces. This metal teapot and glass mug from Merci make a great, eclectic pair.

Mug by La Rochere and Aluminium Kettle/Teapot, at Merci.

Richard Brendon is a British bone china specialist and has designed some beautifully refined pieces. His designs pay fantastic attention to detail and offer a wonderful new take on some classic styles.

In his collection, Reflect, Brendon cleverly applies platinum and gold gilding onto antique cups so that they reflect and make visible the ornate design of their saucer.

Reflect collection, Maker unknown, c 1900.

Reflect collection, Maker unknown, c 1890.

In Brendon’s ‘Details from Willow’ collection, he has adapted the most beautiful elements of willow pattern china into contemporary pieces.

‘Details from Willow’ collection, Tea Cup and Saucer Gold.

‘Details from Willow’ collection, Milk Jug Gold.

Coral & Tusk make some gorgeous accessories for the dining table including their charming range of table runners.

Navy Quill Table Runner by Coral and Tusk.

‘Grande Theiere Marbre Jaune Vert’ by Astier de Villatte.

Astier de Villatte has the most delightful range of crockery, including their ‘Marbre’ collection which allude to the brilliant designs of marble paper.

‘Tasse extrieure marbre noir bleu’ and ‘Tasse interior marbre vert rouge jaune’ by Astier de Villatte.

So treat yourself, or someone else, to something special to add to your dinner table this year.

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A touch of splendour

Besides the dinner table, the Christmas tree is the centrepiece to the Christmas holiday, and for me the act of decorating it marks the point when the festive celebrations truly begin. This old tradition is an activity to be enjoyed and most importantly a chance to go all out on splendiferous décor.  There are many gorgeous treats and trinkets on the high street to decorate your tree with, but sorting through the good from the bad can be a bit of a trial. So, for anyone on the look out for some new tree accessories, here are a few cherry-picked examples to offer some inspiration.

Christmas Berry Bauble Decoration and Gold Geometric Christmas Bauble

Large Drop Christmas Bauble – Silver and Feather Christmas Decoration – Natural.

Crackled Heavy Glass Bauble – Smoke Lustre and Set of 2 Pink Card Decorations.

Rockett St George’s bauble collection is gorgeous, and they have anything you could wish from beautiful paper honeycomb balls to elegant glass pinecone drops.

I am a huge fan of Klaus Haapaniemi’s superbly illustrated textiles and prints, so was delighted to see they have released some designs especially for the Christmas season. When opened these quirky creatures have paper honeycomb bodies.

Bat Card Decoration and Spider Card Decoration from Klaus Haapaniemi.

Heal’s have an extensive range of Christmas decorations, including these bright pink and gold leaf apple and pear baubles. They might not be to everyone’s taste, but they are certainly fun and original.

Berry Apple with Gold Leaf from Heal’s.

Cute and amusing, these fantastic laser cut greetings cards from Hus and Hem, can be popped out and bent into shape, forming adorable Christmas decorations that would look great on a tree.

Folding Star Cedar Wood Motif and Reindeer Cedar Wood Motif Postcards from Hus and Hem.

 

Coral and Tusk have transformed some of their lovable designs into Christmas decorations.

Badger with Mistletoe Ornament and Reindeer with Bells Ornament form Coral and Tusk.

If you are going for the simple, elegant look, Toast does a great range of tasteful glass and ceramic coloured baubles.

Large & Small Damascene Baubles and Teardrop Damascene Baubles from Toast.

Etoile velvet Ribbon from Anthropologie.

Icicles vintage tinsel from Heal’s.

Some lovely red ribbon, sparkly tinsel and an Angel are all that’s needed to finish it off. Happy tree decorating everyone!

This blog first appeared on the Cambridge Evening News website. 

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Windswept

Autumn is my preferred time of year because of its dynamic celestial weather and my enhanced appreciation for cosy interiors. The recent blustery winds and bright rains have reminded me of some of my favourite designers that have used this to inspire their designs for the home.

First example is Marimekko and their fantastic current WeatherDiaryRange, which consists of a variety of collections. This range of fabrics, home textiles and dishes are designed using Aino-Maija Metsola’s gorgeous observational paintings and sketches of changing weather and autumnal colours, and they definitely communicate the dynamic seasonal mood. Here are a few examples.

Kuuskajaskari Fabric, by www.marimekko.com, from Skandium.  The colour scheme has been taken from the autumnal season and depicts autumn winds.

Oiva Saapaivakirja Tea Pot and Mug, by Marimekko, from Skandium.

The design captures highlights of autumnal weather patterns and colours, and evokes an image of reeds swaying in the wind.

Oiva Saapaivakirja Plate, by Marimekko, from Skandium.  This is one of several attractive plates in the Saapaivakirja collection, and was inspired by rainfalls and sunrays.

Jussaro Fabric, by Marimekko. This last example of Marimekko’s WeatherDiaryRange, gives a wonderful impression of rolling storm clouds and thunder.

Cloud – Autumn Rug, by Luke Irwin.  This stunning rug is one of a set of four cloud rugs, with one for each season. The cloud shapes for autumn are a dash more manic than the others!

De Gournay’s luxurious wall papers are always striking and dynamic and often inspired by weather.

Windswept Blossom, by De Gournay. This enchanting blossom tree captures the transition from summer to autumn perfectly.

Cranes, by De Gournay.  I love this chaotic yet elegant display of wind blown cranes.

Flying Ducks Velvet Sky, by Mulberry Home, from Lee Jofa.  Mulberry’s Duck velvet is another lovely fabric that shows an array of windblown birds, playfully ducking and diving in the sky.

On the subject of flight, Coral and Tusk have got a charming range of embroidered home accessories, many of which feature feather patterns.

Large Feather Table Runner, by Coral and Tusk.

Detailed with peregrine falcon, owl and peacock tail feathers, these embroideries have a lovely illustrated style, with gorgeous splashes of autumnal colours.

Feather Vertical Curtain Panel, by Coral and Tusk.

Cole and Son have fantastic wall coverings depicting scenes and landscapes, including a couple of great celestial designs.

Nuvole, by Cole and Son.

I always imagine this beautiful mural to be an autumnal scene, combining wonderfully energetic clouds, with glimpses of sunshine.

Macchine Volanti, by Cole and Son.

This wall paper is another wonderful sky scene with a combination of quirky flying machines demonstrating all sorts of air navigation.

We hope you all survived St Jude storm’s visit safely and are still able to enjoy the blustery autumn weather! 

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