Posted in Fabrics, Favourite designers, Inspiration, Recommended, tagged black and neutrals, cabbages and roses, colour, design, fabric, fabrics, homewares, interior design, nautical, retro, style, vintage, wallpaper on September 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
We all love Cabbages and Roses for their pink, light blue and soft red roses but their homewares style guide on their website shows how gorgeous their designs also look in black and smart neutrals. I was really blown away by their lovely and inspiring images and whilst once I had browsed through the whole style guide, there seemed to be quite a few things in my shopping basket. Viewers beware!
Posted in Cambridge News blog, tagged blue and white, by the water, cambridge evening news, designers guild, gp and j baker, nautical, on the water, reflected light, seaside, stripes, strpies, the white company, ticking, william yeoward on July 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Summer holidays are on the horizon and the seaside is calling; get a flavour of the sea with this guide to nautical style for your home. From fresh and breezy stripes to rustic linens, the key to this look is keeping it simple and making the most of the natural light.
Nautical living dictates a no-nonsense approach to interior decorating; hardwearing materials and sturdy fabrics are essential to withstand sandy feet and dripping seawater. This rustic kitchen has practical seaside living sorted; the whitewashed walls and floor are sturdy and simple and the cheery blue shelf and traditional AGA add character and colour.
If you’re lucky enough to live right on the river or by the sea you will know that the light reflecting off the water can lend a magical quality to the light in your home. Emphasise this (or create an illusion of it) by keeping your backdrop bright with lots of white to capture every little bit of sunshine that filters in. You can then pick cheerful textiles to complement this simple backdrop like these beachcomber fabrics by GP& J Baker.
A simple blue striped fabric is a nautical staple and no one does stripes better than Ian Mankin. These fabrics from his denim range are hardwearing, practical and fun; use them to upholster chairs, hang as curtains or create sturdy cushions, and they will instantly shout ‘seaside’.
But you don’t have to stick to blue and white for a nautical look. The soft dusty red and yellow stripes of this linen by William Yeoward for Designers Guild have a soft, vintage feel which evokes the weatherbeaten charm of the traditionanal British seaside town and captures the essence of traditional seaside life in a more subtle way.
And finally, nothing says summer more than dining alfresco. The simplest meals are sometimes the best and a rustic runner in a hardwearing ticking instantly dresses up an outdoor table. Just add freshly baked bread, locally caught fish and a glass of something cool for the perfect seaside lunch.
Image credits: Fired Earth, GP & J Baker, Ian Mankin, Designers Guild, The White Company
Posted in Inspiration, Seasonal, tagged angel and blume, beach, coastal, colour board, country, imspiration, moodboard, nautical, seaside, soft dreamy colours, the paper mulberry, vintage on May 6, 2011| 3 Comments »
How pretty is this seaside-style blog post by The Paper Mulberry. When we received an email to let us know that The Paper Mulberry had used one of our images in a blog post we hopped over to take a look and what a discovery! This pretty blog is filled with evocative, dreamy moodboards of gorgeous interiors and pretty colour combinations. Click here to see the rest of the post and for full image credits. And extra points if you can spot the Angel + Blume image in the moodboard above.
Posted in Book Club, tagged book club, book review, home, katherine sorrell, merrell, modern, nautical, review, salvage, shabby chic, vintage, vintage modern home on April 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »
As a big fan of all things Vintage I was thrilled when this lovely book landed on my desk last week. Written by Katherine Sorrell it is packed with gorgeous images and practical tips. As the former Associate Editor of Homes & Gardens Katherine knows her stuff and has broken the book down into chapters that focus on broad subjects such as colour, pattern and texture.
She starts the book by asking the reader to asses what they already have and to spend some time thinking about what look you can pull together from your existing possessions. A great piece of advice which we are all guilty of forgetting when rushing out to buy something new. The photos are varied and inspiring – I love this shabby chic dining room with its mix of vintage furniture and cheerful accessories.
How great is this casual arrangement of vintage signs and prints. And that fisherman’s lamp – gorgeous!
There are ideas for every room in the house and there are enough images to fill two books. This kitchen image is lovely and light and airy. It is also a perfect example of the rest of the book which aims at encouraging readers to make the most of their own space and to create a cosy, comfortable home which reflects their lifestyle, without feeling like they have to live in a magazine-styled show home.
Click to buy The Vintage Modern Home.
Posted in Favourite designers, tagged coast, coastal, cornish, cornwall, designers guild, fabric, nautical, sea, seaside, stripes, summer, william yeoward on March 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
How great are these striped fabrics by William Yeoward for Designers Guild. I love nautical stripes all year round but I think they are especially suited to the breezy months of summer and one look at these lovely images has me reaching for my straw hat and deck shoes and dreaming of lazy summer days by the sea.
The Polperro collection is inspired by Cornwall and the fabrics perfectly reflect the fresh, relaxed atmosphere of the English Coast. Describing his new collection Yeoward explains “There is something about the English coastline that is so unique. There is a quality of light and a sense of freedom for me that is found here. I love the colours of the landscape, the boats, the sailcloths, rolling pastures and the ocean spray: these to me are the essence of my being.”
I love the variations on the classic blue and white colour palette. The inclusion of a jaunty red stripe instantly adds cheerful seaside twist to a dark blue and white. And the soft dusty red and yellow stripes above have the perfect amount of faded glamour to evoke relaxed country-style coastal living.
Image Credits: Designers Guild
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