Contemporary Interior Design

• Posted on 28th January 2012 by Nicola Holden

There has been much hype over the past few months for the brand-new Home exhibition which took place alongside Top Drawer at Earls Court earlier this month. I thought the show was a great success, and showcased some great British and international (particularly Scandinavian) design.

So, without further ado, here are my top picks from this new and exciting homewares and interiors accessories show:

JeVousEnPrie have launched a new fabric collection called ‘Elise’ which is much subtler than their previous Ash range with its iridescent Zig Zag design, but still just as gorgeous. I loved the simplicity and fun element of these lovely prints by Chase and Wonder. Wish.Original have brought out a new range of their fun and quirky Dog Doorstops, including Union Jack, Denim and Leather options. These colourful fabric or paper covered box sets by Danish Design company Manostiles were just fabulous, and they make some great cushions and tablewear too.

Alison Appleton makes beautiful tabletop ceramics, and had a wonderful selection of teapots on display at Home. I thought the block printed textiles from Woven Oak were fabulous! The fabric can be bought by the meter, or in the form of cushion covers, quilts, tea towels or bags. Leonora Hammond does a wonderful range of wall stickers for all ages, and can also do bespoke. This laptop / bed tray from iwoodesign is an ingenious design, and beautifully made too! She also has a range of other products including desk sets and jewellery and watch boxes.

As we reach six months until the Olympic games here in London, it’s definitely ‘time to get patriotic’ with these gorgeously fun cushions from Emma Lonsdale. As next week looks set to get chilly again, what better than to curl up in one of the simple but elegant woollen blankets from Scarlet & Argent by Hainsworth. The throws and cushions from Purvaai all reflect different aspects of Indian art and handicraft traditions. As they say on their website, “The designs are not only reminiscent of vibrant India but also resonate with all the elegance of modern Indian design.”, and that they definitely do! Graypants have come up with an imaginative use for unwanted cardboard boxes through these creative lampshades. Bravo boys!

Having an interest in our feathered friends, Green and Blue’s products caught my eye. It’s such a treat to find designer ways of attracting nature into your garden! Launching in the UK at Home, Bianca Lorenne are a New Zealand based company producing beautiful bed linen and home textiles. I so want this rug from Michelle Mason! She also has a fabulous collection of cushion covers, mugs and tea towels to boot. I can just see this print from Raw Xclusive on my kitchen wall – love it!

And I thought I would leave you with Cable & Cotton’s fabulous, inexpensive and fun way of adding feature lights to a scheme – in this case for alfresco dining.

Roll on summer!

Image credits from respective companies.

• Posted in Home London, Interior Design | 7 Comments

• Posted on 22nd January 2012 by Nicola Holden

Having lunched at Blakes, my next stop on Sunday was the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum. I love this show, and try to visit every year because it feeds my passions for both photography and wildlife. As I have been reviewing the photographs online for this blog I was struck by the power of nature to inspire fabulous interiors.

So, here are some of my favourite pictures from this year’s exhibition, and how they can be interpreted for interiors:

Who could resist this ever-so-cute picture of a young Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey by Cyril Ruoso trying to keep warm? But it is the colours and textures in this photograph that would inspire an interior, showcasing current trends, with the toned-down, almost utilitarian colours together with the textures provided by the bark, fur and the blurred background.

To create this look:
1. Alberta faux fur grey throw from Heals
2. Nero oak, black oil, brushed floor from Element7

I love this black and white photograph of an elephant’s foot (my favourite animal!) by Peter Delaney, but it also shows how lighting can be used to exaggerate the textures of surfaces to adding drama to interiors schemes, such as the example below by John Cullen Lighting.

The colours in this image of a tongue orchid and hare’s-tail grasses by Sandra Bartocha speak of summer freshness. This colour scheme would work together to create a bright and uplifting scheme.

This picture of snow and geese by Arthur Morris is mesmerising, and was Highly Commended in the ‘Creative Visions’ section of the competition. I think that the patterns of legs and wings created by the geese would translate well into a stunning wallpaper design.

The exhibition is on at London’s Natural History Museum until 11 March 2012, and is well worth a visit. If you’ve been, what was your favourite photograph?

Image credits from respective photographers / companies.

• Posted in Interior Design, Photography, Wildlife Photographer of the Year | Comments Off

• Posted on 16th January 2012 by Nicola Holden

Even from the outside Blakes is striking, with its dark painted Victorian facade. But it is inside that Blakes really makes its mark. The first thing that struck me as I walked into the reception area was the wonderfully warm aroma of oranges – from bowls of fruit placed amongst aromatic candles burning. Immediately you know that you have entered another world.

Blakes was created in 1978 by the world renowned designer Anouska Hempel and is the world’s first luxury boutique hotel, famous for its design, service and privacy. I was here for a lazy Sunday lunch, and I knew instantly that I was in for a treat!

The critically acclaimed restaurant is situated downstairs, and was recommended by my friend, Emyr Thomas, of Bon Vivant.

Blakes “… is a seductive design journey through India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and on to the Pyramids, back through Italy ending up in the heart of London.”, and the restaurant is no exception. Slipper orchids adorn every table, and the walls are adorned with an eclectic, ethnic mix of artefacts found all over the world by Anouska Hempel herself over the many years of her far flung travels.

Next to the restaurant is The Chinese Room, adorned in luxurious soft furnishings and a myriad of candles and books stacked high on the squat tables. Everything about Blakes is bohemian and beautiful – the epitome of decadence and comfort, fantasy and fun.

The food was as inspired as the interiors, my lunch consisting of:

Prawn satay with coriander
Peppercorn fillet of beef
Coconut ice cream with lime and palm sugar

What a treat for a Sunday lunch!

Images 1 and 2 Nicola Holden, image 3 Blakes.

• Posted in Blakes, Food, Restaurant Design | 2 Comments

• Posted on 10th January 2012 by Nicola Holden

As many of you will be aware, art features heavily in my life. I frequently blog about art shows because they excite me. My father is a picture framer which meant that I grew up surrounded by beautifully framed pictures, and I have always had a passion for art and artefacts, and their ability to carry you away mentally to a different world. As I scan the pages of magazines for inspiration, I’m increasingly finding myself being drawn to art walls, and so it came as no surprise when I found myself slipping the book ‘Creative Walls’ by Geraldine James into my shopping basket!

This book is a delight to read, and full of beautiful inspiration on ‘how to display your treasured collections’. It covers everything from mirrors to collectable items, and all guises of art work, with clever ideas on how to display them to their best advantage.

Here are some examples of art walls I have found on pinterest, which I’ve just started getting into, and is also a great resource of design inspiration.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
Thomas Merton

• Posted in Art, Interior Design | 1 Comment

• Posted on 04th January 2012 by Nicola Holden

Let me start this blog post by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! May 2012 be the year that your dreams become realities!

I came back to the office yesterday (after a great Christmas break with my sister and nephews in Ireland) to find my copy of Colour Futures 2012 had arrived – woot, woot! This book is full of wonderful colour trends and inspirations for the coming year, starting off with this wonderful red as the colour for 2012.

As the book states, ‘The Colour of the year is a blushing, lively, juicy red. This radiant shade … is at once whimsical and serious, dynamic and soft … A colour that can be many things to many people reminds us not to look for simple solutions, but to open our minds to new ideas that are waiting to be discovered.’

Here in the west, red is the colour of passion, power and festivity, but it holds other symbolic messages around the world. In China it is associated with good fortune, and in India it signals marital bliss and insightfulness. Red is loved by children and adults alike, and is used to convey value and meaning, often used to alert us to danger.

The book also highlights the five colour trends for 2012:

Delicate Mix
Refined, subtle and understated, the colours in this palette offer silence and visual stillness. They portray elegance and intellect, and in their smooth form can be used to reveal the intrinsic beauty of today’s trend toward natural products.

One Small Seed
This trend reflects our personal bond with nature and our desire to save the planet. The colour palette combines the mundanity of watery greens, rain clouds and pale, fresh neutrals with the surprise of bright blossom colours and warm dark soil.

Living Scrapbook
These colours reflect ‘The Story of Me’. The palette is balanced, warm and charming, and provides the perfect backdrop for sharing, collecting and narrating life. These are happy, quirky colours; modern, but ever so slightly degraded and non-mainstream.

Different Worlds
Science fiction and fantasy provide the inspiration behind this theme – a Wonderland world. The colour palette swings from the dreamy and surreal to the solid and super real. Lush, velvety bright blues, greens and reds and played off against ethereal and translucent pastels.

Rediscovered Heroes
This colour palette is inspired by the down-to-earth qualities of our industrial heritage, and its robust, masculine legacy. The theme is about rediscovering and appreciating those things that are already around us, revitalising them and giving them a new lease of life.

Personally I love the luxury of Delicate Mix, but I feel the need to inject this palette with a bit of the strength of Rediscovered Heroes, and the warmth and charm of Living Scrapbook. What do you think? Which colour palette are you drawn to?

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”
Georgia O’Keeffe

Image credits Colour Futures.

• Posted in Colour, Interior Design, Trends | Comments Off