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May 20th, 2013
It seems to come round quickly, but one of our favourite garden events of the year, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, is on again this week.
As ever, there are loads of amazing garden designs on display and plenty of ideas to gain for modern and contemporary gardens.
The BrandAlley garden, in the Fresh Gardens category, has been designed by award-winning gardener Paul Hervey-Brookes and is inspired by city living and the blend between the psychology of our public and private fashion sense. This is represented by a public, showy side of the garden, with stone monoliths and sculptures on one side, contrasted with a private, more hidden garden with relaxed seating on the other side.
All the plants used represent current colour trends from the fashion world – creams, lime greens and bursts of orange – and there are interesting textures and installations adding height and sculpture.
British sculptor, Andrew Flint, created the four bespoke sculptures for the design and installation artist Fiona Haines produced an unusual textile water feature which is made from recycled optical lenses.
And here are the drawings of the concept behind the finished design:
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May 17th, 2013
Looking to treat yourself to designer home accessories that won’t break the bank? Head on over to Design55 to grab yourself a Fab Friday Bargain! Here are some of our top picks.
Get your magazines organised, with this Born in Sweden contemporary magazine rack by Pascal Charmolu. Choose between red, black or white. It’s reduced to £44.98.
Bring light into a dark corner of a room with this large stealth floor lamp. When it’s turned on, it will provide atmospheric lighting, and when turned off, it adds sculptural interest. The floor standing light is reduced to £99.
This unusual notice board by Box32 Design is made from glass, in the style of a retro TV set. The ‘screen’ can be written on and wiped off, so you can use it to record important memos. It’s now just £13.
Finally, how about adding a bit of feline bling to your dining table, with this pair of black and white cat design salt and pepper cellars, complete with diamante collars? They’re just £15.
Tags: Fab Friday Bargain
Posted in Home accessories | 1 Comment »
May 16th, 2013
Where scented candles are concerned, Yankee Candle have a vast array of products that can fill your home with glorious scents.
From sweet scents based on favourite baked goods, to fruity aromas, seasonal options and candles with just a hint of scent, there’s a candle for almost every taste.
The candles have a great burning time and the candle jars, in their various sizes, provide a safe way of burning a candle and keeping the wax contained. They’re perfect to burn to rid your home of cooking smells, or evoke memories through adding favourite scents into a room.
Yankee Candle are currently celebrating getting one million fans on Facebook and have launched a special limited edition version of their best-selling Vanilla Cupcake candle. They’re also hosting a March to a Million Golden Ticket Contest, giving a rare chance to win a three day trip to the company’s flagship store in Massachusetts.
The Thanks a Million Vanilla Cupcake candle is brimming with the aroma of freshly baked vanilla cupcakes. It’s available as a large jar candle and can be purchased online exclusively from Yankee Candle.
Posted in Home accessories | 1 Comment »
May 15th, 2013
Lounge, living room, sitting room, family room, front room – whatever you call it, it serves the same purpose. This area of the home is usually the first room that your visitors see and the one that they spend all their time in.
It’s also the room that we tend to redecorate the most in order to reflect our style and the season. Whilst heavy throws, chunky pillows and dark curtains might be ideal for those dark evenings throughout winter, they’ll probably look a bit gloomy at the height of summer.
Redecorating and swapping the furniture will certainly create a new look, but that’s not something we can do regularly. If you want to update your front room, but you’re working to a tight budget, here are some small changes that you can make to create a whole new look this summer.
Change the cushions
Your sofa and armchairs are big purchases that are designed to last for years, but they can quickly look outdated or tired. Freshen them up by changing the cushion covers – it’s not just colour that can have an impact, but you could even go from a modern look with a solid bold colour to vintage, with a floral design.
Take down the curtains
Thick and heavy curtains will make the entire room seem darker than it really is, so take them down and replace them with a lighter voile curtain or a roller blind. If you don’t have any nosy neighbours, you could even leave your window open, allowing all the natural light to flood in.
Create a feature wall
Redecorating every time we move from winter to spring would be a waste of our time and money. However, if you really want to change the look of your front room, you could add a feature wall. A bold wallpaper pattern will make a huge difference.
De-clutter
Homes up and down the country have far too much clutter, whether it’s a shelf of DVDs that are never watched, books that are no longer read, or ornaments that are never dusted. Simply putting your stuff out of sight will create a clean living space, which is perfect for summer.
Change your tableware
In the winter, you might have some candles in the centre of the coffee table. Switching them with a bowl of fresh fruit will give a fresh and summery feel – you can even match it to your colour scheme. Also, if you have dark wood, lighten up the furniture with some lightly coloured mats and coasters.
Add a house plant
By adding a splash of greenery to the front room, you will immediately fresh up the place and make it feel more summery. This tip should not go unnoticed by those that aren’t particularly green-fingered, as you could always add a fake plant for the same effect.
For more ideas on how to change the look and feel of any room, visit Betta Living, the UK’s favourite home improvement specialist.
***This is a guest post from Betta Living***
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May 14th, 2013
Love Alice in Wonderland? Celebrate and share some of the best quotes from the book, with this Alice in Wonderland themed cushion.
From the bold wording, “We’re all mad here,” to classic phrases such as, “We called him tortoise because he taught us,” and “You’re nothing but a pack of cards,” the front of the cushion is adorned with a newsprint style collection of favourite quotes from the novel.
It’s handmade and created by Vintage Designs Reborn and can be purchased as just a cover (so you can use it as a replacement cover for an existing cushion) or complete with an inner pad.
The Alice in Wonderland quotations cushion, and other designs based on quotes and lyrics, can be be purchased from Not On The High Street.
Posted in Cushions | No Comments »
May 13th, 2013
If you’re keen to look after your feathered friends, then here’s a stylish and practical way of doing so.
The Flock Follies bird feeders combine modern design with feeding ability. The sturdy plastic cube design feeder is aimed at feeding small garden birds, such as sparrows, wrens, robins, finches and tits, and has been designed with safety in mind.
Five different types of bird food can be dispensed, such as seeds, nuts, suet balls or meal worms, plus there is an area for drinking built into the lid.
Made in Cornwall, the Flock Follies feeder comes flat packed for easy home assembly. The feeder is available in a choice of four lively colours – kiwi green, raspberry pink, mandarin orange or clear frost. They’re £35 each from Bouf and come with sunflower seeds to get you started.
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May 10th, 2013
In search of a bargain for your home or garden? Here’s a selection of Fab Friday Bargains that will save you money on great buys.
Get 20% off glassware and free postage and packing at Emma Bridgewater.
Splash out on some new china, from the new tulip mix and match china range at Whittard of Chelsea and get 50% off. Just use the code TULIP (this special deal expires on May 12 2013).
Need a new duvet? Get 40% off all 13.5 tog duvets and 15% off all other orders at Duvet And Pillowcase Warehouse, using the code APR66.
Rejuvenating your garden? Get up to 60% off selected plants at Van Meuwen, using the code VMAF111 (expires 30 May 2013).
For more home and garden deals, check out www.promotionalcodes.org.uk
Tags: Fab Friday Bargain
Posted in Bargain buy | No Comments »
May 9th, 2013
When Missoni Home make bath mats, they do it in style.
The Otil flower bath mat is no ordinary bath mat. In fact, it would be easy to overlook that it’s a bath mat at all, bar the fact that it’s made of plush cotton towelling.
With its bold black and white design, this piece looks more like a stunning rug for your home, rather than something you’d step out of the bath onto.
As you’d expect with Missoni Home, the designer Otil flower bath mat also comes with a price tag far removed from most bath mats….£179, gulp!
Should you wish to invest in this piece, as either an amazing bath mat or rug, it’s available to buy from Selfridges.
For more black and white home interior design ideas, check out our post on monochrome home accessories.
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May 8th, 2013
The colourfully designed drawers are the stars of this upcycled and fresh design drawer unit.
In retro style with fresh, zesty colours, this is a piece of furniture that will provide both functional storage and a striking feature in a room.
The retro chest of drawers are handmade from reclaimed wood and the painted drawers have been designed using eco friendly paints. This lively piece of furniture is available from Green in Mind.
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May 7th, 2013
If there was ever a print design that translated effortlessly onto a variety of home and decor products (as well as other accessories), it’s Orla Kiely’s iconic stem print design.
These stacking chairs are the brilliant accompaniment for a modern dining table and are available in a choice of three colours – poppy, pebble grey and olive.
The chairs are made from birch and poplar plywood, together with a chrome frame, and the colours can be mixed and matched for a relaxed dining experience.
Nest have the stem print chairs in stock for £150.
Posted in Seating | No Comments »
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