All Things Bright and Beautiful

A couple of weeks ago I looked at the fabulous book COLOUR by Abigail Ahern for our monthly Book Club. Since then I have been intrigued by all things colourful in the world of interiors. It’s a fun and easy task to turn your home from a neutral setting to fabulously colourful! A bold paint choice, or wild decorative piece may be exactly what you need to create an enviable rainbow-esque room, but if you’re not ready to dive straight in there are small injections of colour to be made by the addition of bright home accessories.

So starting off slow, I’ve got together a collection of exciting, sophisticated and most importantly brightly coloured accessories and furnishings to show you how much fun there is to be had with the bold and beautiful.

If you feel like you might need easing into the idea of eccentric and bright interiors, it’s best to go easy and introduce colour step by step with a few gleaming home accessories. These glass candle holders from Rockett St George are a great way to spice up a window sill or bare surface. The interaction between the gold and the colourful exteriors will create a warm and inviting setting in any home.

‘Glass Globe Candle Holders’ from Rockett St George

Before you go in bright and beaming, opting for a more muted colourful tone is a good way to get acquainted with colour, something like these crackled, antiqued plant pots from Graham & Green will jazz up a patio area or conservatory without being too overbearing, plus they’ll make a strong canvas to continue to add colour to in the future.

’Turquoise Plant Pots’ from Graham & Green

I’m finding it ever increasingly harder and harder to resist a bit of trim these days, so this blanket is absolutely perfect. The lovely blue tones with make a bright impact, and will be easily adapted into all sorts of colour and style schemes.

‘Pom Pom Blanket’ from Holly’s House

 

Not all bold colour interiors need to consist of the bright primary colours, take a cooler, more relaxed journey with some sophisticated metallics, like this bronze Barabra chair from Sweetpea and Willow. It’s has a fantastic retro vibe going on, and will transform a simple front room into a plush cocktail lounge.

‘Barabra Bronze Chair’ from Sweetpea and Willow

When it comes to a large piece of furniture such as a dining room table, there is always an urge to stick to the status quo and go for something conventional. But if you’re interested in adding a little colour to your palette, there’s no need to go to extremes and end up with a tomato red shiny table. Find your middle ground with something like this stylish piece from Houseology. The traditional wood top combined with the playful painted legs makes a wonderful contemporary statement.

‘Moooi Paper Table Patchwork’ from Houseology

When you get more comfortable with the idea of bright, colourful interiors you can really start to have some fun with the concept, from small and big ideas. If you’re thinking big, you can’t get more bright, colourful and stylish than this iconic design by Missoni from Roche Bobois. Whether you want to make a big statement or have just fallen in love with the design, it’s every colour lover’s dream.

‘Mah Jong Composition Missoni Home’ from Roche Bobois

This Zulu girl cushion from Graham & Green brings a lovely regal side to the world of bright interiors, it makes the perfect scatter cushion, either in a collection of equally bold cushions or as a statement piece against a sea of neutral cushions as its backdrop.

‘Zulu Girl Cushion’ from Graham & Green

There is always something to be found from the colourful section of home accessories if you want to add a sense of humour into your interior settings. Although they might be a little too quirky for some people’s taste, this set of winking eyes is rather fun. They’re perfect for a den or bedroom and are a great way to put a smile on people’s faces.

‘Winking Eye Cushions’ from Rockett St George

To give your table a quick fix of colourful fun, these Magritte inspired plates are a must. They’re so fabulous that they’ll even distract the guests if the dinner all goes wrong!

‘Magritte Melamine Plates’ from Rockett St George

And finally if you ever need a little colourful pick me up, this pink budgie is marvellous, hide it away in some plants or up on a shelf so that it’ll catch anyone who spots it by surprise as they walk past.

‘Pink Budgie’ from Rockett St George

Whatever your budget and whatever your taste or space requirements there is always a way to add a little brightness into your interiors and a little joy into your life!

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Paws for Effect

More often than not when I’m gushing over wonderful home accessories, it because the design features an animal motif. It appears that I keep a large, vacant soft spot for all things animal related, from real life bouncy puppies to lamps shaped like monkeys, I just can’t seem to get enough! In honour of our furry friends, I’ve picked out some of my absolute favourite animal themed home accessories that are not only full of style and character but are also perfect for indulging your inner animal-loving self.

‘Bear Salt and Pepper Pots’ from Graham and Green

These ceramic, bear shaped salt and pepper shakers are simply adorable! They’re a modern play on the ceramic figurines you might find at your grandmother’s house, without the dated and twee style. Instead they are full of fun and can be worked into any style.

When you combine the world of interior design with the animal kingdom is the outcome is always going to be a fun, playful one. So if you want your sense of humour to transcend to your interiors an animal scheme is always going to be an exciting way to do so. These planters from Anthropologie are wonderful! Coming in either a chicken or hedgehog design they’d fit perfectly into an English country style home, and would decorate a window sill nicely.

‘Charming Critter Planter’ from Anthropologie

If you’re taste leans more to the exotic side, then these teapots are sure to take your fancy, I am particularly smitten with the camel design. You can whip them out for special occasions, and use them as ornamentation for the rest of the time.

‘Bling Teapots’ from Graham and Green

Continuing with the glamorous side of things, Jonathan Adler, who will forever do sophisticated chic how it’s meant to be done, has created a beautiful range of safari animal coasters. With an Elephant, Tiger, Zebra and Giraffe with a gold lustre background to tie them all together, these coasters are a great way to add a spot of luxury to your table.

‘Animalia Coasters’ from Jonathan Adler

If you’re into the no muss, no fuss interior style but are still looking for that animal chic look, there are loads of ways to include animal motifs into your home whilst avoiding a wild zebra or leopard print! This beaded bee cushion from Sweetpea & Willow is a simple way to add a little intrigue to a room.

‘Beaded Bee Cushion’ from Sweetpea & Willow

If subtly isn’t your thing at all, and your more into showing off your wild side and style, then the world of animal interiors is your playground. These monkey lamps from Graham & Green are just amazing, full of style, character and originality. Try it on for size with just one, or go all out with a group all in a different stances, they’ll be a non-stop talking point and will always put a smile on your face.

‘Monkey Lamps’ from Graham and Green

For another original lamp design, House of Hackney have a whole selection of animal style lamps, but my personal favourite is this stacked, porcelain Tortoise lamp. It’s fun, quirky and will help create an individual look to an interior.

‘Stacked Porcelain Tortoise Lampstand’ from House of Hackney

If you’re looking for something extra quirky, with a hint of the avant-garde, Rockett St George stocks a wonderfully wacky collection of surreal animal trays from Ibride. Whether you use them for either decorative or functional means, they’ll be sure to make a statement!

‘Ibride Animal Tray’ from Rockett St George

From English countryside to minimal chic, there are hundreds of home accessories that will show of not only your animal loving tendencies, but your style too!

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Remedies for beating those January blues!

For many people the words January and sale mean finding the latest bargains at a favourite clothing store, however at Angel + Blume, the January sales also means being able to get our hands on some beautiful pieces of furniture at a fraction of the cost.

The January sales is one of the best times to purchase that long sought after item you’ve been wanting to buy, whether it’s an investment piece or something striking to add to your home, there is so much on offer.

While some may dread the month of January, we think it’s a gift from the shopping gods, so out with old and in with the under-priced! I’ve chosen some simply gorgeous pieces from the sale section of some fabulous designers and stores to give you a little inspiration!

Vreeland Stripe ‘Atlanta’ Sofa in Multi Stripe from House of Hackney

Sometimes we need a little justification to help push us in the right direction, and in this case being brave enough to purchase a wild design like this vibrant number from House of Hackney just got a whole lot easier with its reduced price tag. Just like most of House of Hackney’s designs this sofa doesn’t err on the side of caution, its beautifully rich design oozes with contemporary glamour and will make a worthwhile investment.

Miss Adventure Sofa from Sofa Workshop

This beautiful bohemian style sofa from Sofa Workshop takes on an equally stunning pattern, but with mellow hues for those looking for a more laid-back style. This sofa and print combination would look amazing in a dozen different style settings from an industrial loft space to a classic country home; it’s a useful and delightful piece to have in your house.

For an investment that’s a classic, the ever faithful Habitat always has something up their sleeve. This Colin sofa is effortlessly chic and is perfect for a busy and changing lifestyle. Its relaxed nature makes it work as the staple of a room, meaning that as its furniture accompaniments change around it, it will never look out of place.

Colin Three Seater Sofa in Charcoal Fabric from Habitat

If you’re all set for sofas but are still in the mood to do a little revamping to your living room, buying a statement armchair is a great way to make your home feel all shiny and new without going into redesign overdrive.

Deco Tub Chair from David Linley

This Art Deco inspired armchair from David Linley is an ideal little dose of fun for any room, its vibrant colour will make it a stand out piece, while its size means it won’t overpower the room. Purchasing this colourful item will make the January blues seem more like a myth than reality. The same goes for this gorgeous rattan chair from The White Company, which is absolutely great addition for a modern or contemporary home.

Radial Rattan Occasional Chair from The White Company

You may have made quite a lot of use out of your dining room or area over the holiday period and if your table and chairs are looking a little worse for wear or you just feel like an upgrade, the January sales will lead you to an overwhelming amount of offers, but there are some truly lovely designs by some wonderful designers out there.

Vienna Chair from Tom Faulkner

This mid-century meets Art Nouveau style chair is a design masterpiece! Whether you feel like decking out the entire table, or perhaps just one at the head, this chair will show off your design skills. As with all pieces from Tom Faulkner there is an easy elegance and fluidity that makes the design so beautifully contemporary.  It also comes in a vivid pink, yellow or green.

Benchmark is home to some fantastic designs and products that are classic contemporary at its finest. This superb design from Benchmark is a home staple, plus it’s designed by the legendary Terrence Conran making it an absolute steal!

Normandie Side Chair designed by Terrence Conran for Benchmark

Another investment piece from Benchmark again designed by Terence Conran is this stunning sideboard. It’s a beautiful contemporary piece that unlikely to ever go out of style. Its clean lines means it’ll work with several design schemes without stealing focus or looking out of place.

Albin Sideboard designed by Terrence Conran for Benchmark

Or for something a little more rustic and flamboyant, there’s something quite special about this piece from Sweetpea and Willow. It will give a little grandeur to a room and fill it with some old school elegance.

Julien Commode in the style of Louis XV from Sweetpea and Willow

So don’t despair when it comes to venturing into the deep dark world of the January sales, there are some wonderful investment pieces out there that will last you a lifetime, and will hopefully leave you with some leftover cash!

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Raise a glass to stylish bar furniture

Whether you are having an impromptu get together or a friend drops by for a catch-up, it always makes great welcome to have a favourite drink on offer and I think a well stocked drinks cabinet makes an attractive home accessory, particularly if you are like me, partial to a tipple or two.

A drinks trolley is not only practical but can be super stylish and this one from Rockett St George is one of my favourites. In brass and marble, it has just a hint of Art Deco in it’s fab shape.

 

 

A cabinet is even better than a trolley especially if your home bar is extensive and I love this glorious and yet so practical mirrored drinks cabinet from Jonathan Adler.

 

 

 

This beautifully designed and constructed piece from David Linley is surely an antique of the future, and in the meantime it will make you the party host with the most. Private commission from David Linley

A charming and elegant drinks trolley from Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam which holds more than you think and is perfect for topping up drinks at a party.

 

Inspired by the 1930s and yet would look so comfortable in our current contemporary interiors, this glorious piece from Ralph Lauren in Rosewood and stainless steel is beautiful and functional.

If a statement piece is what you are after, look no further than the Classic Line bar cabinet from Chaplins. It also comes with optional lighting, castors and refrigeration.

Finally and although possibly the simplest of the offerings on show, this is the one that I have my eye on. It is a beautiful piece and takes me right back to the seventies and my parents’ very formal dinner parties with my brother and I in the background eyeing up the drinks trolley. Say no more.  www.sweetpeaandwillow.com

Chin, chin everyone.

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