Diamond Jubilee: Union Jack Rooms

Pin It

Its the queen's diamond jubilee weekend and Union Jack's are aflutter across Cambridge, adorned on shop window displays, hanging from office windows, draped across cars and bicycles. The city centre is full of people wearing Union Jack hats, scarves and dresses. It's all incredibly festive, colourful and very  British. 

So why exclude our homes from all this festive cheer. The Union Jack is a powerful graphic and the iconic colour trio of red, white and blue can instantly liven up any room. So let's look at a few ways to use the Union Jack as a focal point in our interiors. 

       

Images via Desiretoinspire, Retrogo, Marissa, Fab, Honeyandfitz and Projectnursery. 

London Olympics 2012, Medal Display at the British Museum

Pin It

Excitement is building up to a frenzied pitch, as the Olympic Games approach. Tickets are like paper Gold right now and the lucky few who managed to get some are holding on for dear life. I was really disappointed on not getting any tickets, even though I bid for more than fifteen events. So if you like me, lost out on attending the games, at least go and see the medals on display at the British Museum.   

This fascinating display tells the story of the production of the medals for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, from the mining of the metal by Rio Tinto to the creation of the designs by David Watkins and Lin Cheung and production by the Royal Mint. 

There is also a bit of history provided by 19th and 20th century objects highlighting the longstanding links between Britain and the Olympic. This  includes a range of objects from the 19th-century Shropshire games alongside medals from the 1908 and 1948 Olympic Games held in London and the 1960 and 1984 Paralympic Games.

I really liked the gold medal designed by David Watkins as the core emblem is an architectural expression, a metaphor for the modern City with the River Thames in the background as a symbol for London. The radiating grid suggests both a pulling together and a sense of outreach – powerful energy that represents the athletes' efforts

 

Liberty at Westfield Mall: A Sneak peak!

Pin It

Liberty is opening it's second store next Thursday 31st May, at Westfield Mall in London, everyone knows that. But how many people can say they've seen the store before it has opened? Well you can count yourself as one of the lucky few, for I have the exclusive behind the scenes photographs. A sneak peak for all of you a week before the store opens! Go ahead, have a look now, I know you are as excited as I am.   

For those not in the know, Liberty is 'the' destination store in London. It opened in 1875 and since then has been synonymous with luxury, quality and beautifully designed product.

And now there will be two! To celebrate they are even giving away £250  to a lucky winner to spend in store (scroll down for more). All the more reason to head over to Westfield Mall next week and enjoy the special ambience that only Liberty can provide. Maybe you'll find me there as well, flitting around the store, happy as a lark.

The outside of the store adorned in Liberty Print for the opening

Just a few of the brands you'll be able to find

The new illustrated Liberty timeline

The Liberty team hard at work

Union Jacks are up to celebrate all that is 'Brilliantly British'

The store taking shape

The photobooth is nearly ready! 

Once complete you'll be able to celebrate your visit with a printed Liberty photo and you may even appear on the big screen in store.

Liberty Print

Liberty Print galore!

You'll find lots of fabulous Liberty Print products, including their famous scarves

Join the 'I Love Liberty summer campaign' and take part in the competition for a chance to win £250 to spend in store, Here.

David Trubridge lights

Pin It

"I work within the limits of what I have & know, 

simplicity & low impact, 

natural materials & process, 

leaving a delicate footprint." 

David Trubridge 

A beautiful and simple design philosophy which defines, English designer David Trubridge’s work. Based in New Zealand, he creates these beautiful, sculptural, energy efficient and sustainable light fixtures. His inspiration comes from nature - the flora, fauna, and sea life of Australia & New Zealand. The lights are made of Bamboo plywood and come neatly flat-packed in cardboard boxes. The user can quickly and easily assemble them at home. 

All credits for this post go to the Accessorator. The images are from her post about David Trubridge and his lights as featured at ‘Wanted Design 2012’ during International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

        LED lit 'Baskets of Knowledge' based on a New Zealand Moari myth.

New series of mini plywood kitset lights by David Trubridge. Shown with painted interiors are Koura, Kina, Hinaki,Floral and Coral.

Aluminium Coral lights

How to use patterns in a room?

Pin It

A room can benefit instantly from some patterned furnishing, as patterns add oodles of beauty and interest when used in the right way. I find patterns irresistible, they come in such an array of gorgeousness - stripes, floral, geometric, ikat, animal prints and so on and so forth. Yet, despite being individually striking, they are notoriously difficult to combine. How many of you have found yourself impulsively buying a bolt of beautiful pattern in a shop but flummoxed once you reach home and realize you have no clue how to use it in your living room. 

Although it seems very complicated, it really isn't. I have put together a few basic rules of colour and pattern mixing. So next time you come home with that bolt of pretty fabric, you can use my five easy rules to help you achieve this look effortlessly.

1. Same Colour: The easiest way to work patterns is to have both patterned pieces and solid pieces in the same colour or compatible colours. This can keep the patterns from clashing with each other. This rule can work specially well in small rooms as a diverse mix of patterns and prints can make it look larger. You can put stripes with spots—and add much-needed dimension—as long as you stick to one colour.

2. Contrasting Colours: Another simple way to work with patterns is to use contrasting colours. This works because contrasting colours are visually appealing and give a coordinated look even if you have used a variety of patterns. Just remember to stick to a simple palette with two or maximum three colours.

3. Similar style of patterns: Try to pick all your small patterns from the same print family. It can be any style of your choice - floral, geometric, Islamic or tribal, but sticking to one group is an easy way to give a neat coordinated look to the room. 

4. Only one big pattern: This is an important rule. After the simplicity of the first three rules, you may want to get adventurous with patterns. And rightly so, using bold prints confidently adds a whole layer of complexity to a room. But don't use more than one big pattern as it may bring down your carefully crafted scheme. The danger with using too many different patterns is the room might come across as cluttered. Avoid this by combining several small prints with one big pattern, this will act as the focus and give definition to the room. 

5. When in doubt, pick Black and White: So you have filled your room with pretty patterns and they look really nice together. But you are having trouble picking the one big pattern to bring it all together. Trust me you are not alone,  choosing the big pattern is often the toughest decision for me as well. The smaller ones usually merge together, it is the big one which stands out and is noticed. So if you are having trouble with this, think no further and just go with black and white. It matches with everything and will instantly anchor the room by providing a perfect backdrop. 

Images courtesy absolutely beautiful things, coastal living, furbish, gypsy purple home, little green notebook, susan connor, red online, Jones Owen, The grammar of ornament (1910) and material girl.