Publik i

If you are after a lush piece of Mid Century furniture for your home, can I point you in the direction of Publik i based in their very lovely and recently transformed store in Beckenham, although of course they are online too. Publik i owner and founder Gary Dennie is about as passionate about great design as it is possible to be, and what I particularly liked is the way he mixes a love of the character and heritage of a vintage piece with a resolve to bring it up to date enough to make it look great in today’s interiors. Several of the upholstered pieces he had in his studio had been transformed by his fabric choices (it helps he has a great eye for colour) and he works with really good craftsmen to restore the furniture – they were there when I visited so I know!

 

There are a number of items on the website but if you are on the look out for something in particular, give Gary a ring as he can source items. Better still, drop into the shop the next time you are in the area – there is a lot of stock in the shop and it is an ever changing feast. www.publiki.co.uk 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Side Kicks

Side tables are a really useful piece of furniture to have in your home, especially in your living space. Not only do they offer a practical elements, they can have so much style as well. I’ve pulled together some fun and glamorous side tables that can give you an idea of how you might like to change up your home or add in some new pieces.

French House White and Elm Hand-painted Round Lamp Table’ from Angel & Boho

This simple, French style table from Angel & Boho offers a simple but charming effect for a relaxed and low-key room, a perfect canvas to pair with some exciting and colourful accessories.  Side tables are a great way to introduce a particular style, especially antique and vintage ideas. This piece from West Elm is a mid-century design, which would look beautiful paired with an antique sofa or armchair in the same style. The golden magazine rack adds both a pretty feature as well as some 21^st century practicality.

‘Mid-century Magazine Side Table’ from West Elm

If you want to inject a touch of high-end glamour to your living space, a glitzy side table may be just the ticket. Julian Chichester always has some exciting and beautiful designs, and this Penn side table is no different. Its unusual shape will make it an eye-catching feature in any room.

‘Penn Side Table’ from Julian Chichester

Choose to go really contemporary with this hexagonal side table from Skandium. The geometric almost avant-garde design would really make a statement in a contemporary setting.

‘Slit Side Table Hexagon by Hay’ from Skandium

 

‘Liberty Side Table’ from Tom Faulkner

This gorgeous piece is from Tom Faulkner and has a modern, Art Deco feel to it. The glass top shows off the table’s legs, and gives the whole look a sophisticated, grand look.

If you want to bring the glamour, minus the price tag, there are loads of less expensive pieces available. These marble top side tables from Swoon Editions make fantastic little add-ons to a glam living space, and would go hand-in-hand with some sumptuous velvets.

Wooden  ‘Pearl Side Tables’ from Swoon Editions

These side table were originally design in metal, but have been altered to wooden form. The curved bases give them a unique look and would give any room a big dose of character.

‘Wooden Side Table by Vitra’ from Skandium

Keeping with the wood theme, this little piece from Swoon Editions is super sweet, and a really versatile design that can work with a lot of different schemes and styles. The arched legs give the simple design a lovely bit of character.

‘Oscar Side Table’ from Swoon Editions

Finally, for some real eclectic fun, this face side table from Rockett St George will really get people talking. It’s a great idea if you want to add some excitement into a scheme without it losing its glamorous feel.

‘Faces Side Table’ from Rockett St George

With endless styles, sizes, shapes and colours, side tables are a great way to revamp your living space and experiment with ideas, and maybe finding some new favourite pieces.

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Velvet Treasures

Over the past few years velvet has featured heavily in the interior design world, and we love it! A great way to give a house, room, sofa, bed or anything a new spring of life is with the addition of something velvety. What’s more there are some great ways to get creative with the material, so if you think you might have a little soft spot for velvet here are some great ways to dress up your house in the stuff!

For some, velvet can be initially a little overwhelming, by its very nature it’s quite a dramatic fabric, especially compared to a linen or cotton. But this drama can either be played up or down depending on your preference, and mixing the fabric with a variety of designs or colours means you can integrate the texture with other factors in a room scheme easily and smoothly. If you want to start off slowly, you can never go wrong with a few velvet cushions to brighten up a sofa, armchair or bed. For a little bit of subtly, opt for a neutral colour, like these mink coloured cushions from Cox & Cox, play around with the different sizes and eventually add in some more complementary colours to go with them.

‘Velvet and Linen Cushions in Mink’ from Cox & Cox

Next add in this delicious creation from Timorous Beasties via Houseology, the bee motif is an iconic Timorous Beasties design and gold contrasted against its dark velvet background offers a dramatic spin on a comfy cushion. It’ll look wonderful popping out against a crisp white sofa, or enhance a romantic atmosphere mixed in with some dark and moody colours.

‘Napoleon Bee Cushion by Timorous Beasties’ from Houseology

If you’re looking for the perfect snuggly material for the remaining winter months, and probably the-not-so-warm spring ones, a velvet throw will turn an average bed into one fit for royalty. This pin-tucked throw from Cox & Cox is gorgeous and comes in this dreamy, timeless sage colour.

‘Velvet and Linen Pin-Tucked Quilt in Sage’ from Cox & Cox

Velvet is a great fabric to add to a traditional style interior, and the glamour can help a room look a hundred times more sophisticated. This button quilted Enya chair from Graham & Green is all about old school Hollywood style, and can transform a room, giving it that lift it’s been in need of, the velvet will catch the light in a wonderful way, giving it extra vibrancy, especially against more muted tones and fabrics.

‘Enya Relaxing Chair’ from Graham & Green

Velvet doesn’t just go with traditional style rooms and furniture, in fact incorporating a modern design with velvet is a great way to balance out the fabric’s dramatic nature. This velvet dining chair has a distinct Nordic style it and the combination of the plush velvet with the modern legs gives an interesting vibe that would give your dining room an individual look.

‘Velvet Button Dining Chair in Blue’ from Out There Interiors

The same goes for these fantastic revived Mid-Century designs distributed by Rose & Grey, and made by 366 Concepts. This rocking chair design takes its inspiration from Jozef Chierowski’s original Easy Chair, with the modern edition of the rocking feature. The Mid-Century wooden frame mixed together with the velvet upholstery creates an exciting, dynamic look.

‘Jozef Chierowski 366 Rocking Chair Velvet’ from Rose & Grey

Another wonderful design from the Rose & Grey and 366 Concept is this occasional chair originally designed by Teofil Halas in 1963. The smoky grey colour gleams in the sunlight and pairs perfectly with the tones of the wood frame. It brings about a balance between low-key elegance and distinctive design can will really set your interiors apart from the rest.

‘Velvet Halas Dining Chair’ from Rose & Grey

Heals have a wonderful sofa bed in stock at the moment, which reinvents the concept of a Chesterfield sofa. The Chesterfield is a classic design that can be worked into all sorts of interior schemes, the gorgeous sofa bed offers the same style in a contemporary way, it’s available in leather but I think the velvet version is the way to go. Shown below, its styled perfectly with some vibrant yellows and some extra velvet cushions if you just can’t get enough.

’40 Winks Sofa Bed’ from Heal’s

Speaking of yellow, I think I may have fallen in love with the colour of this super footstool from Swoon Editions. The velvet looks divine in its honey mustard colour, and would make a bold statement against some more neutral, contemporary surroundings, or even add a little spice mixed into a traditional setting. If you like the idea of velvet furnishing, but aren’t ready to invest in one of the larger pieces just yet, getting something smaller like a footstool is a great way to test the velvet waters.

‘Tivoli Footstool in Honey’ from Swoon Editions

A velvet effect rug will not only look luxurious but feel it too, a real treat for your eyes and your feet! This rug from Designers Guild is utterly beautiful. The interlocking patterns create an amazing textural effect giving depth and tone to the look of the rug. It’s the ideal solution when you want a simple rug that isn’t flat in appearance.

‘Roxburgh Rug in Moleskin’ from Designers Guild

For a little Art Nouveau touch to your velvet and your interiors, this golden flamingo lamp with a royal blue velvet shade will add a pinch of over the top frippery that all rooms need a little sprinkling of from time to time.

‘Metal Flamingo Table Lamp’ from Rockett St George

From beds to sofas to floors, adding a touch of velvet to an interior will give a scheme some wholehearted dramatic flair, which will not only make your home look fabulous but feel soft, plush and beautiful!

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Pelikan: A Mid Century Haven

This week I took a trip to Haverhill to visit the warehouse of the wonderful company, Pelikan. I not only had a good look at their collection, but I had a chance to sit down with the owners Penny and Rachel.

‘Romi Three Seater’

Pelikan is a furniture company that specialises in the restoration of Danish, mid-century sofas and chairs. While maintaining the sophisticated, minimalist style of Danish design from the 1930s to the 1960s, the Pelikan team revamp the furniture in modern wools and tweeds.

‘Coco Two Seater’

The concept and motivation of the company is to make vintage styles accessible and functional in today’s modern world. So often with buying vintage furniture, especially pieces that are in frequent use like a sofa, there’s always the slight hesitation that because of its age the piece will be too fragile to operate in the same way as a new sofa. However, the beauty of Pelikan is that they retain all the authenticity of the original design and style that mid-century modern has to offer but it is presented in a fashion that allows for the daily rough and tumble that comes with modern life.

‘Hera Armchair’

The company began to materialise after Penny, one of the co-owners, visited a friend out in Denmark and was struck by the beautiful furniture that filled the homes and buildings. Inspired by what she saw she began to delve into the mid-century world, finding a niche in the market for pieces that held the spirit of the past with the suitability and durability of the present.

‘Vera Three Seater’

The team have trusted places where they source all of their pieces from, after initially making to trips to Denmark themselves they developed a keen eye for fine craftsmanship and quality pieces, and with an abundance of designers, styles and pieces to choose from they seem to be spoilt for choice.

After their selected pieces arrive at the warehouse the process to finding the perfect fabric to suit the personality and style of each piece begins. From authentic Harris Tweed to wool blends in contemporary colours, each piece of furniture is treated as an individual, with its own needs, and this is perfectly captured by each piece receiving its own name, catered to its style and history, from Wolfgang to Raja.

‘Raja Daybed’

Pelikan also do a bespoke service, where a customer can choose from a range of unrestored pieces and have it customised to their specific needs and in their own chosen fabric. This process can often lead to the most daring and exciting pieces, which in turn inspire the fabric choices for collections that follow.

‘Wolfgang Armchair’

What is so lovely about Pelikan’s products, and the mid-century motif in general, is the way that the designs visually effect you. From the off-set when you walk into room that houses one of these pieces, you will immediately think ‘what a lovely piece’, but the more time you spend looking the more the piece comes to life. Small details that give the overall look such flair and style slowly come out and with each new glance or different angel you view it from the more the piece speaks to you, there’s a gradual appreciation that grows, which is perfect for a piece of furniture that is meant to last.

‘Flora Three Seater’

Whether you’re a vintage or mid-century nut, or you just like a hint of this style in your home, there’s bound to be a piece that’ll take your fancy. From large three-seater sofas, to laid-back armchairs to conversational footstools, each piece has something to say and something to add to a home. The kind of pieces you’ll find a Pelikan are ideal if you want to add a little retro chic into your interiors, they’ll act as a foundation, which you can build upon, as they’re the perfect balance between exotic vintage style and functional, contemporary finishes. Though each piece is approached in an individual manner, the collection comes together in a succinct manner that shows a focus, organised company that masters their passion.

Pelikan are having an open studio on the 17th & 18th June, visit their website for more information.

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