Contemporary Interior Design

• Posted on 05th February 2013 by Nicola Holden

It seems an awfully long time since the Autumn 2012 Home Exhibition, but I never did find the time to blog about it then, and I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to share some of the wonderful products I found there, so I thought I’d include them with a blog covering the Spring 2013 Home Exhibition which I went to a couple of weeks ago.

This is rather a long blog – for which I apologise, but there were a lot of wonderful products to get in so I hope you will bear with me.

My absolute highlight company from the Autumn exhibition is love milo, a South African designer who is inspired by nature, and produces the most wonderful ceramics, fabric and wood products. I could buy them all!

Another creator who inspired me last year was Sian Zeng and her magnetic wallpapers. Inspired by the changeable nature of fairy tale stories, where frogs can suddenly become princes her work allows visual narratives to be created using magnetic characters on the wallpaper. Hours of fun for a little one!

And there was a stand featuring various South African producers including beautiful hemp bowls from Moonbasket, beaded table mats from Sithabe African Crafts, and trophy sculptures with a twist created by Head on Design.

Other Autumn exhibition products of note include Sandy A Powell’s feltwork, Authentics quirky products, Swedish textile company Linum, and funky homewares from New House Textiles.

Woop Studios were at both shows, and I think their art is such fun!! Whether you’re after works to depict a clan of meerkats, a murmuration of starlings, a bale of turtles, or whether you have another favourite collective noun for an animal, bird or even insect, there is something for you here.

Talking about trophies, how about these ingenious Trophy bicycle holders – a slightly unusual and inventive way to store your bicycle in the house.

This year’s international inspiration came from casaNOA, an Argentinian company selling beautiful Alpaca silver, fabulous cowhide rugs and wonderfully colourful textiles that will add a splash of sunshine to any scheme.

To add that ‘something distinctive’ to your home, how about these wallpapers from Mitas & Co, Jessica Hogarth Designs and akin & suri? All of them are wonderful for very different reasons!

And for the Spring exhibition there was also fabulous thread drawn illustrations by Tobyboo, fabulous tableware from reikokaneko, Denise Moloney’s playful ceramics, and characterful textured fabric from Waffle.

What is your favourite from this selection?

“In order to create there must be a dynamic force, and what force is more potent than love?”
Igor Stravinsky

Image credits from respective companies.

If you have enjoyed this post why don’t you head over to our Facebook page, or follow Nicola’s updates on Twitter or Pinterest. Full details of our Interior Design services can be found on our website.

• Posted in Home London, Interior Design | 4 Comments

• 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