Gorgeous Suffolk

As a true East Anglia fan, I am ashamed to say that until last week, I had only fleetingly visited the Suffolk coast and I am delighted to report that I not only had a wonderful week in this beautiful county but I also uncovered some new treasures on the interiors front, and visited some old favourites.

My first find was Smoke and Fire in Darsham who make the most beautiful and creative tiles. Their decorative tiles are real works of art and I love the delicate colours of their plain tiles. I would highly recommend a visit to their showroom where the tiles are also made.

Two of my favourite lighting companies are based in Suffolk and I took the opportunity to visit both. The first is Bella Figura who have a head office and small showroom in Melton (their main showroom is in Chelsea Harbour) where they make their lighting, using glass brought over from Italy. The products are gorgeous and it was amazing to see the workshop and a selection of some of the new chandeliers that will not disappoint.

The other lighting company that I love and we have worked with for a long time is Jim Lawrence who have a fantastic showroom in Hadleigh that displays almost every product they have. They have more recently expanded into other homeware including fabrics, furniture and accessories and although it is generally their lighting that catches my eye, I couldn’t resist their new scented candle (pink pepper and green mandarin) which is delicate and delicious.

Woodbridge is a town that is really worth a visit and I made two brilliant discoveries there – the first was 10 Church Street which is a wonderful interiors shop selling a carefully selected mix of tasteful and stylish furniture, soft furnishings and accessories. Some of their products are on their website so it is worth keeping an eye on what they have in stock www.10churchstreet.co.uk

The second is a delightful business run by three sisters called Sant Studio which sells jewellery, textiles and home accessories. Everything in this delicious shop was tempting but the jewellery really caught my eye and they have just a few items on their website, although you really need to visit to see how lovely the stock is.

Last but not least is the fantastic Thorpeness Emporium – we were based in Thorpeness (which is lovely) so we visited almost everyday for a browse at the antiques and a cup of delicious coffee in the cafe. They also had an exhibition of gorgeous prints by a local artist called Liz Clark and if you are modernist or retro style inclined, these might appeal. I thought they were lovely.

I am now back and hard at work – customers of Angel and Blume will be pleased to hear – but I will be going back to the Suffolk coast as soon as I can, I am a convert!

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Treading carefully

I recently came across Made a Mano, a unique company who produce a fantastic range of domestic ceramics using unusual materials such as lava stone that makes for a resilient and refined finish.

What I love most about their work are their ceramic tiles, which in many of their projects are used for amazing floor designs. Their projects are an inspiration – but also a reminder that the floor is not a part of the room to be forgotten in the course of design, even if it is hidden beneath our feet! Here are some examples of some inspiring floor treatments.

Cristilli tiles by Made a Mano, made from smooth lava stone and terracotta. I love the Herringbone layout that Made a Mano have chosen to do on this project.

Made a Mano have used some of their more traditional tiles to decorate this gorgeous household step.

Here, Made a Mano have used their extremely resilient tiles to decorate both the floor and the walls with the same tile design.

I have seen some fantastic rugs recently, especially from The Rug Company. This example is called ‘spectrum’.

Climbing leopard by Diane von Furstenberg, from The Rug Company

Cowhide flower rug by The Rug Company

Farrow and Ball have recently showcased some of their floor paints with some innovative faux stair runner and rug designs.

Alternative flooring has some great stair runner designs, especially their ‘inspiration’ range where they let you design your own. Here are a few examples.

So tread carefully and keep a look out for what you are stepping on.

 This blog first appeared on the Cambridge Evening News website 

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Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

We are lucky enough to be working on a fabulous house in Ramsgate at the moment (updates on this to follow) so yesterday, after work was done and given there was a barmy summers afternoon going on, I found it impossible to drive past Margate without stopping. On a flying visit, I did a too quick tour of the Turner Contemporary gallery which inspired the life out of me and a wander around the Old Town which if you are looking for some vintage, retro, mid-century modern, one of a kind action, is the place to go. I will be returning.

The Turner Contemporary with it’s fantastic views

Inside the gallery, the current exhibition is Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing

The Old Town is just a few steps from the sea front and the Turner Contemporary

Do you remember the Jolly Boys outing to Margate and the blown up coach? Still makes me laugh.

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