The Reds, Whites and Blues

 colour, decorating, fun things, inspirational, interiors, shopping  No Responses »
Mar 132013
 

The Reds Whites and Blues The Reds, Whites and Blues

It just so patriotic on here today. Next, they’ll be offering me residency. I’m doing a little American week, as we’re now just under a week away until I fly stateside for BlogTourNYC. The nerves are mounting, the mind has turned to mentally packing and repacking, I’m checking the weather and making sure I know the language. Kidding. I think I may need to turn down the Cockney sparra’, otherwise I may well be repeating myself. Anyway, It’s been a while since I did a paint post, so it was ripe for the picking. The American dream is red, white and blue, and if you’re brave enough, here are a mix of UK paint sellers offering up some of my favourite of the well-known hues. If we could all be standing, let’s hear it for the land of the free, home of the brave.

1.) No Moral Value, £36, Colour Makes People Happy, 2.) Sarong by B&Q Colours, £14.98, B&Q, 3.) Zoffany’s Architect’s White, £35, Designer Paint, 4.) Gauze (106), £32.50, Little Greene, 5.) Isle of White, £19.50, Graham & Brown, 6.) Burn after Painting, £36, Colour Makes People Happy, 7.) Drawing Room Blue No. 253, £34.50, Farrow & Ball, 8.) Cinnabar Red, £31.50, Fired Earth, 9.) Very Well Read, £POA, Paint Library

All prices for 2.5lts tin of matt emulsion

Scratch The Surface

 architecture, decorating, decorative, events, interiors, product design, surfaces, texture  No Responses »
Feb 072013
 

Surface Design Scratch The Surface

I have to confess, it was my first visit to the Surface Design Show, how I’ve managed to miss it, I don’t know but I shan’t be again. A really good mix of wall surfaces, flooring and ceiling treatments all on display for our pleasure. It was good for me, because not only was my surfaces folder on my computer’s address book looking a little neglected, I realised that I don’t really know much either off hand. So, it was most definitely a school day for me. These were my top ten bits. Some of them were so splendid that they might well pop up again on the blog, for a more in-depth look, but until then, this teasing taste is all you’ll get. I hope you’ll see something you’ll like. (apologies for the gap in the listings at number 9, I wasn’t paying enough attention and forgot the list the company. Ooops)

1.) Hi- Macs Natural Acrylic Stone 2013 colour range, 2. selection of materials on display at the Scin stall, 3.) unsure due to lack of labelling, but could be Formica Group, 4.) amazing natural clay plaster, in different shades and textures at Clay Works, 5.) pictorial concrete, could this be any more exciting? Well done to Graphic Relief, 6.) I am so smitten with this wall treatment. I would love to have this in my own home. Clever, too. Giles Miller, 7.) Francesca’s Paints, another welcome addition to the environmental independent paint market, with lots of eco-emulsion nice shades on offer, 8.) Bottle Alley Glass, a close up detail of the beautiful effect made from bottle glass, 10.) For all those after painted veneer, Eden Anglo French are your chaps.

Manolito’s Dream Palette

 animation, Art, colour, decorating, illustrators, inspirational, interiors, nice things, shopping, shops  1 Response »
Nov 212012
 

Manolitos Dream Manolitos Dream Palette

I’m still watching the animation that I featured in Monday’s blog post, Manolito’s Dream, and enjoying it so much that I’ve done a little interiors paint blog post to accompany it. The colours are marvellous in it, as are these, and whilst you may not use them all in one room (god forbid), they look pretty spectacular here all together. So, please enjoy the short and I hope you don’t all have nightmares of living in a room painted in all of those colours at once. Crikey, just think, D.I.S.C.O.

1. Heat, £30.50, Little Greene, 2.) Crown Paints’ Seville Orange, £23.98, B&Q, 3.) Rubberband, £34, Colour Makes People Happy, 4.) Washed Denim, £30, Mini Moderns, 5.) Blue’s Blue, £POA, PaintLibrary, 6.) Mid-Century Colours’ Garden City, £31.50, Fired Earth, 7.) What’s That Got To Do With The Price of Pork, £34, Colour Makes People Happy, 8.) Mist, £25, Habitat , 9.) Dulux’s Beeswax, £9.73, Homebase

Purple, Grey and Yellow

 colour, decorating, decorative, homewares, inspirational, interiors, nice things, shopping  1 Response »
Oct 162012
 

Purple Grey and Yellow Purple, Grey and Yellow

My current colour crushes, purple, grey and yellow. Rather 80s, I grant thee that, but it’s all in the application, you know. Slithers of zing in amongst dark slathes of colour will have the angels singing songs of glory upon high. Believe me. Lighten it up with pale accessories and you’ve got yourself a powerhouse of colours within which to bathe. It’s officially Autumn and they best you can do is to embrace it wholeheartedly. Go forth and choose strong.

1.) I Will Not Dignify That With An Answer, £34, Colour Makes People Happy, 2.) Habitat’s Mustard, £25, Homebase, 3.) Midsummer’s Day 09-134, £21.50, Graham & Brown, 4.) No One Ever Went Broke Underestimating The Taste of The British Public, £34, Colour Makes People Happy, 5.) Piccadilly Pigeon, £POA, Paint Library, 6.) Dulux’s Bowler Hat, £20.98, B&Q, 7.) Mahogany, £32.50, Farrow & Ball, 8.) Opera Cape, £36.50, Fired Earth, 9.) Earthborn Paints’ Bleached Lilac 142, £31, Vanessa Cooper

All prices based on a 2.5lt tin of emulsion.

Clip, Cloppity, Happy Clogs

 colour, decorating, decorative, fun things, inspirational, interiors, London, nice things, photography, shops  No Responses »
Aug 172012
 

AugustBreak 170812 Clip, Cloppity, Happy Clogs

The lovely colour chart in painted clogs at ‘Colour Makes People Happy‘ in East Dulwich, London. Run by the splendid Simon, these colours not only are wonderful but also come with funny spoof paint names. Where would we be without the show of humour, life and essential humanity that comes with independent sole traders?

Get A Bit Of Kuboaa On Your Walls

 colour, decorating, decorative, Designer-Maker, homewares, inspirational, interiors, nice things, paper, pattern, product design  No Responses »
Jul 192012
 

kuboaa Get A Bit Of Kuboaa On Your Walls

I’m very glad my friend and colleague, Charlotte Duckworth, reminded me about this company for I had clean forgotten all about them. Shame on me, for they are a splendid purveyor of fine wallpapers. Bringing the traditional bang-up-to-date with contemporary colours and modern twists, Kuboaa supply a fine line in postmodernist furnishings. Headed by illustrator, Andrew Hardiman, the company was created in 2003, not long after Hardiman graduated from the Royal College of Art where he studied and completed his MA. Obviously multi-talented, Hardiman may well have turned his hand to anything but luckily for us he didn’t. Us being the lovers of paper and internal spaces, we got him instead. And thank the lord, for he brings forth much happiness with his bright hues and bold patterns (Hardiman, that is, not the lord. Well, I suppose one might argue that the lord does too but this is neither the place nor the blog for it). This is my collection of personal favourites, as you can see, no theme or recurring trend. The ranges couldn’t be more different from each other if they tried. And that’s a good thing for it means that Kuboaa will keep you on your toes with surprises with every new collection. Let’s hear an ‘amen’ for that.

Product details, from left to right, top to bottom: 1.) ‘Sequoia Wellington‘ in Overcast Blue (K3SW06), Repeat: 530mm, 2.) ’Ginko‘ in Braken Lagoon (K3GK05), Repeat: 530mm, 3.)‘Fine Apple‘ in Apple (K2F02), Repeat: 530mm, 4.) ‘Fuchsia and Hummingbird‘ in Soft Blue (K2A04), Repeat: 600mm,  5.) ‘Allumette‘ in Broad Bean (KUAL01), Repeat: 540mm, 6.) ’Tulong‘ in Teeboo (KUTU01), Repeat: 195mm, 7.) ‘Hepburn‘ in Light London Red (K3HE02), Repeat: 530mm, 8.) ‘Rhododendron‘ in black (K3RH06), Repeat: 530mm, £57.50 per roll,  Roll Size: 10mx52cm

 

Bringing The Summer Indoors

 ceramics, collaborations, colour, decorating, decorative, Designer-Maker, homewares, interiors, London, nice things, pattern, product design, shopping, shops, textiles  No Responses »
Jul 182012
 

Neisha Crosland Bringing The Summer Indoors

I’m on a bit of a collaborative roll this week as this sublime selection of tiles is the result of yet another creative pairing between De Ferranti tiles and textile designer Neisha Crosland. The ‘Florentine‘ collection has been developed from a recent collection of wallpaper and has been inspired by wooden parquet floor patterns and architectural motifs. The range sees a series of four geometric patterns in rich earthy tones, perfect for late summer/ early Autumn redecoration plans. These are handmade encaustic tiles which means that the pattern is formed in the construction of the tile, the design is not painted on, thus it never can wear away. Made from cement these tiles can be used anywhere, indoors or out, floor or wall. The gentle pastel-hued colours are reminiscent of a dusty hot summer in southern Europe or Northern Africa which is something we could all do with a bit of. If the ‘dusty’ look isn’t for you the tiles can be transformed into sleek glossy slabs with an application of wax. This summer truly sees the extension of the make-do-and-mend trend; make your own summer indoors with this latest offering from De Ferranti. Just add a picnic.

Product details: 20cm x 20cm, £6 per tile or £150 a sq metre (not inc. VAT)

De Ferranti can be found on-line and at: 583, King’s Road, Chelsea, London, SW6 2EH. Tel: 020 7384 4424

images with thanks to Sheila Fitzjones PR

The Beauty of Earthborn

 colour, decorating, homewares, inspirational, interiors, nice things, product design, shopping, shops  No Responses »
May 162012
 

Earthborn The Beauty of Earthborn

Increasingly we are moving in a direction of better, kinder, friendlier products which are made from natural resources or recycled materials. “But what about the compromise on colour!”, I hear you cry. Fear not, for long gone is the time of limited colour-schemes with a slightly dodgy finish. This latest addition to the scene is Earthborn. A environmentally-friendly British paint-company which unfortunately doesn’t have its own stores as yet but has no shortage of stockists, both on the high street and on-line. Earthborn are one of the few paint companies to have been awarded the EU Ecolabel which means that it’s the best alternative for a healthier paint for both planet and homeowner. Their Claypaint range I am particularly interested in as it gives an almost tangible matt finish which looks thick and luxurious. Now, if you want neon-pops, this might not be the brand for you but if gentle hues and muted brights are what you’re interested in then I definitely recommend having a look through their ranges. If you want a more hands on exploration, then pop into your local branch of Lombok for a closer look. Lombok have partnered with Earthborn which is a good business-thinking, if you ask me.

Visit Earthborn or ring: 01928 734171, for more information and stockists. Available in tester pot, 2.5l and 5l size pots.

Colour In Your To Do List

 animation, Art, collaborations, colour, decorating, fun things, inspirational, interiors, organisational, shopping  2 Responses »
May 012012
 

Created by Yaniv Fridman and Daniel Luna
Music and Sound Design by WhiteNoise Lab / Roger Lima

Seeing as it’s the start of a new month, I figured we could all do with turning over a new leaf of good intentions to put into practise to re-adjust the work/life balance. As a freelancer, I am especially guilty of working long hours; all evening, all weekend, and with the introduction of smart phones, it gets worse. Hands up everyone who immediately checks their phone at the sound of that incoming ping of an email? ALL of us. This little video not only reminds us of what’s important in life but also what’s not so important. It has nice graphic illustrations and a pleasing linear theme. Also notable is the rather lovely paint palette that seems to be very relevant to the popular colour theme coming out of this year’s Milan design week. Now, you might want to turn the sound down a bit as it’s a trifle intense (unless electronic-techno-meditation is your bag) but a rather nice piece of work anyway. A good way to say hello to May. Here are my top nine interiors paint colours to match the video.

To Do List1 Colour In Your To Do List

1.) Zoffany’s Snow, £32.90 for 2.5l emulsion, Cromwells Interiors 2.) Paarl, 2.5L flat emulsion, £32.50, Paint and Paper Library 3.) Arsenic No.214, £32.50 for 2.5l Estate Emulsion, Farrow and Ball 4.) Kevin McCloud’s Oak Apple, £29.50 for 2.5l, Fired Earth 5.) Earthborn’s Lucy’s Scarf, £22.88 (sale price) for 2.5l emulsion, The Green Shop 6.) Colours by B&Q’s Turtle Seas, EAN: 0000003836545, £13.98 for 2.5L Silk Emulsion, B&Q 7.) Mono, £30.50 for Absolute emulsion, Little Greene 8.) Marston & Lainginger’s Homberg, £41.50 for 2.5 L, Designer Paint 9.) Barbara Hulanicki’s Fang, £21.99 for 2.5l emulsion, Amazon

Walls Deserve To Be Bright And Cheery

 Art, colour, decorating, decorative, Designer-Maker, flowers, fun things, illustrators, inspirational, interiors, nice things, product design, shops  1 Response »
Apr 302012
 

Camilla Meijer at Mydeco Walls Deserve To Be Bright And Cheery

As we see the end of yet another wet weekend, on the last day of the month and hopefully the end of April showers, I wanted to bring you something bright and cheery. I know I could do with it. And I have found just the thing. Camilla Meijer’s digitally printed floral wallpaper. Printed onto non-woven fleece paper, this wallpaper is similar to that old 70′s vinyl-esque paper. Which makes it not only easy to clean but also suitable for wet areas. These four designs are part of Meijer’s collection available on Mydeco and a very nice selection it is too. Crystal clear linear drawings of some of the most popular and well known English flowers combined with a bold and bright colour palette, this is the easiest way to inject some neon pop into your home. Probably best if you stick to just covering one feature wall, otherwise you might pass out from an over-indulgence of colour, though if that appeals, by all means reject my words of advice. Go sew the seeds of colour!

From top to bottom, left to right: Rose flower, in orange; The Summer Garden; Victoria, in blue; Poppy, in yellow, All W:46.5 x L:1000cm, £240, available from Mydeco.

pixel Walls Deserve To Be Bright And Cheery
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