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Archive for the ‘design’ Category
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
If you enjoy browsing through interior decorating and home magazines (and blogs!) and like discovering new ideas for things you could do in your own home, then you’ll love 1000 Home Ideas, by Stafford Cliff, with photographs by Christian Sarramon.
Stafford Cliff, a design consultant and art director, who produced the very first Habitat catalogues with Sir Terence Conran, has teamed up with French photographer Christian Sarramon to produce this fantastic book. It’s very much a coffee table book and is designed to be dipped into and browsed through when you’re in need of inspiration.
The book is divided into various sections, covering different design areas, but it’s by no means your usual, bog-standard categories. Instead, you’ll find descriptions such as openings and closings, interest under foot, shelf life, quiet corners, walls of wonder, reaching outwards and steps and banisters.
The large majority of the book is devoted to fantastic photography, of the type that will make you ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ with excitement. There’s one page of text introducing each category, but it’s followed by numerous photos of stunning homes. Some are in the form of huge, double page spreads, others fill a page, plus there are lots of smaller images too.
Although you do get to see some images of entire rooms, it’s the smaller, more intimate details that this book does so well. In the Walls of Wonder section, for example, there are images illustrating a myriad of ways in which people adorn the walls of their homes, from intricate wall tiles and old fashioned kitchens, to contemporary art, photo montages and walls of wellies (yes, really!).
I also love the section on staircases and banisters – who knew there could be so many variations on the humble stairs – and the way the photos have been put together are works of art in themselves.
There’s so much to look at and enjoy in this book and you’re bound to be inspired by something. In fact, there’s far too much to absorb in just one reading and each time you pick it up again, there’s more new, exciting details to notice.
If you’re looking for a book to browse away the hours, or are seeking ideas for your own home, then 1000 Home Ideas by Stafford Cliff is the perfect book purchase. It’s published by Quadrille, is available in a choice of hardback or softback and can be found on Amazon (the best price on Amazon is for the hardback, currently £12.46 instead of £20 – bizarrely, the soft back version is marginally more, at £12.74).
Other Book Reviews
A Girl’s Guide to Decorating, by Abigail Ahern
Life is Sweet, by Hope and Greenwood
Tags: book, decoration, home ideas, inspiration, interiors, Stafford Cliff
Posted in book review, design | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
 Mirrored drawers Mirrors are great for helping give a room a sense of space and helping smaller areas look bigger than they really are. As well as hanging a mirror on the wall, another way of making use of the power of mirrors is to invest in mirrored furniture.
One carefully chosen piece, or a couple of items, should do the trick - too much mirrored furniture, and it could look over-done.
We really like the mirrored furniture available from Graham Green, like the Josephine mirrored drawers. Stylishly designed and well made, the drawers have a great mirrored finish which enhances the room they’re used in. The three large drawers provide some excellent storage space too, open smoothly and are finished off with simple chrome handles.
The drawers would be perfect for use in a bedroom, lounge or even a hallway.
Tags: drawers, graham and green, mirror, mirrored
Posted in design, furniture | No Comments »
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
 The Panton Chair If there’s ever a good reason to investigate the January sales, it’s the chance of getting some classic design pieces at reduced prices.
The Lollipop Shoppe currently have up to 60% off a range of classic home and interior items (until 31st January 2010), including the Panton Chair, which is half price. It’s an ex-display model, but is in good condition and it’s not often you can find such a gem with 50% off the usual price ticket.
There’s also 40% off a classic egg chair, by Arne Jacobsen.
If you’ve been debating investing in a favourite design piece of furniture or lighting, then do check out the sale now.
Related Posts
Design classic: Panton moulded chair
Iconic Amoebe highback chair
Tags: egg chair, panton, sale, The Lollipop Shoppe, verner panton
Posted in bargain buy, design, seating | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
 Creative heart art This is a great piece of art by Brigitte Herod and one that could easily be replicated if you haven’t got £175 spare to purchase it.
The heart is made from lots of little button badges, all sourced from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and if you look closely, you’re sure to pick out badge images that you remember from your past.
The picture is framed in a white box frame and looks great from a distance, as well as close up.
To own the original, pop over to Rockett St George and snap it up.
But if you happen to have a load of old badges stashed away in your cupboard, perhaps you could have a go at creating your own wall art?
Tags: badge, Brigitte Herod, button, create your own wall art, heart, Rockett St George, wall art
Posted in Valentine's Day, art, design | 1 Comment »
Friday, November 20th, 2009
 Funky bread bin Isn’t this a fab bread bin?
It’s the aptly named armadillo bread bin, which is made from brushed aluminum, plastic and wood, and will provide a funky storage solution for your bread and a great design statement for your kitchen.
You can snap up your own armadillo at Where Did You Buy That?
Tags: armadillo, bread bin, kitchen, storage, Where Did You Buy That
Posted in design, kitchen, kitchen accessories, storage | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
 
If you’ve been lusting over Orla Kiely design homeware, but can’t quite afford some of her products, then how about a mug?
These gorgeous mugs are available in a selection of popular Orla Kiely designs and won’t break the bank, at only £6.99 each.
They’re made of bone china, are dishwasher safe and you can get your mitts on them over at Ilustrated Living.
Designs include the Orla Kiely scribble multi stem mug, the red flower stem mug, the green apples and pears mug and the Orla Kiely green car mug.
Tags: china, crockery, design, designer, Illustrated Living, mug, mugs, Orla Kiely
Posted in crockery, design, home accessories, kitchen, kitchen accessories | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
 
This rather unusual and award-winning chair is designed by Stefan Heiliger and, due to its shape, is aptly called the Question Mark chair.
Made from steel and foam, the chair consists of one sweeping curve, which wraps itself around to form a comfortable seat. The chair is upholstered in a choice of leather or fabric, in a variety of colours, and the base has a 360 degree swivel function.
It would be the perfect seat for contemplating decisions, or simply to relax and unwind in.
The Question Mark chair is custom made to order and is available from Within4Walls for £1527.
Tags: chair, question mark, stefan heiliger, Within4walls
Posted in design, seating | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
   
To help celebrate the 300th anniversary of casting iron at its Coalbrookedale foundry in Shropshire, and as part of the AGA-Rangemaster Group’s Great British Cooker Campaign, four celebrity designers were asked to create their own unique cooker designs. Together, they certainly liven up the look of these cooking appliances.
Emma Bridgewater stamped her mark on an AGA in her typical style, with a cream background and multicoloured polka dots.
Eco designer, Oliver Heath, created a patchwork design on a Rayburn.
Celebrity chef, Nick Nairn, unleashed his Scottish roots on Falcon cooker, creating a tartan materpiece.
And Natasha Hamilton, of Atomic Kitten, adorned a Rangemaster cooker with a contemporary bold cupcake design.
You can find out more about why each celebrity designer chose their particular designs, and get information about each model, over at Great British Cookers.
Which is your favourite?
Tags: aga, celebrity, cooker, Emma Bridgewater, great british cookers, natasha hamilton, nick nairn, oliver heath, rangemaster
Posted in design, designer, kitchen, kitchen appliances | No Comments »
Friday, September 4th, 2009
 Milk bottle lamp chandelier
Designed by Tejo Remy for Droog, the milk bottle lamp is one seriously unusual chandelier.
The design features a dozen recylced milk bottles which have been fitted with internal bulbs. The milk bottles each have their own pendant power line, then they’re hung together to form a hanging chandelier type light. As is typical with Tejo Remy’s designs, it’s environmentally friendly and unusual.
For lovers of modern and contemporary design, then this is a great statement light to have in your home and will definitely attract attention.
The chandelier measures 300cm by 27cm by 37cm and you can purchase it from Dutch By Design for £815.
Tags: chandelier, lamp, milk bottle, Tejo Remy
Posted in concept, design, lighting | No Comments »
Friday, August 28th, 2009
 A Girl's Guide to Decorating Decorating secrets, ideas, tips and knowledge abound in A Girl’s Guide to Decorating.
Written by internationally renowned interior designer and stylist, Abigail Ahern, this book offers a hands-on guide to all you need to know to decorate your home.
The book literally does cover everything, from choosing your style and planning your space, to creating a wow factor, using colour, adding texture and making the most of lighting.
One of the great points that Abigail makes is that creating a stylish home doesn’t necessarily mean spending a fortune. Yes, it can help to have money to splash out on unique home furnishings, but it’s by no means it’s essential and you can achieve a fresh, unique new look without breaking the bank.
Before launching into exploring ideas for decorating and transforming your home, the book begins with the basiscs - analysing the space you’ve got and planning what you’d like to do with it. They’re both essential steps, but all too easily overlooked when you’re longing to get your paintbrush out and start changing your home!
Abigail explains why they’re important and how you can work out the best way of dealing with the space and light you’ve got in the various rooms of your home, even if they’re small and you seem short of space.
Glamour, texture, colour and light
The subsequent chapters each deal with creating glamour in your home, using colour, creating different forms of texture and how to use light effectively.
Between them, they each offer a lot of practical advice, expert knowledge and insight into what you can do to get great results. There are clear and highly illustrative photos throughout the book and this helps a lot with visualising and seeing what you can achieve.
With the various practical ideas, like how to put up shelving, how to make a stair runner, or putting together a flat-pack cabinet, there are clear step-by-step instructions, plus a shopping list of items you’ll need.
The specialist advice and knowledge is invaluable and you’ll learn some great decorating tricks, like different ways of displaying items (symmetrically, in themes, asymetrically and mixed up), different ways of arranging pictures (in grid formations, organic clusters or in lines) and the different effects that colours can have.
The book ends with a useful section dealing with the tools of the trade - the items you’ll need in order to decorate successfully and a basic guide to accomplishing certain techniques, like sanding, stripping, filling a hole or calculating how much paint you’ll need.
Overall, it’s a great book that’s packed to the brim with informative advice, knowledge and tips, all of which can be taken away and applied to your own home decorating.
If you’re keen to create your own unique space, but aren’t sure where to start, or wish you could afford the advice of an interior designer, then The Girl’s Guide to Decorating is the book for you!
The Girl’s Guide to Decorating by Abigail Ahern, published by Quadrille, RRP £16.99
Find out more about Abigail Ahern’s design tastes on her blog.
Tags: abigail ahern, book review, decorating
Posted in book review, decor, design, designer | 2 Comments »
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