This year we have seen an increasing
amount of geometric pieces on the market. The year of the gem in upon
us. From jewellery to art this edgy style has taken flight and covers
a vast array of products. But never have I seen it executed quite so
beautifully as in this little stool/side table from Edition X. The
beautifully carved wood is cut into an iconic piece of furniture that
suits any style. The ethically sourced timber comes fresh out of
Australia and each one is made too order. It comes from the duo at Faraway House in Melbourne, and is designed by the McRae sisters. It
comes in a large and a small and I just love how versatile and fun it
is! Find out more here.
Sophie xo
I write to you from my new blogging
machine, the beauty that my new mac. Finally I feel proud to be 'that
guy' who sits in a coffee shop with my computer...plus the keyboard
lights up and makes me happy – little things. But now its time to
accessorise, you cant have a fit laptop without having a pretty
laptop case to put it in! So I am on the hunt for some of my faves.
These vary in price a fair bit, but all are amazing choices...but we
all know how bad at decision making I am!
1. Embossed tan leather, £95 from
Rachel Orme. This little beauty keeps in with the clutch trend, it
comes in several colour ways including an embossed black leather,
but if your not into the whole embossed thing it also comes in a
soft black, red, purple and navy leather. Big big fan.
2. Small Shadow Stem, £70 (currently
in the sale for £35) from Orla Kiely. I have to admit, I am a fan
of the Kiely. I love this mustard colour it's bang on trend, but I
can't help but feel that everyone has an Orla Kiely bag right now?
3. Grey Linen chevron pocket pouch,
£17.16 from Hipster Haberdasher on Etsy. This funky little number
comes in a beautiful chevron zig zag pattern in cool grey. It also
has a handy little pocket, perfect to keep any laptop essentials in.
4. Faux Croc in Blue, £20 from Asos.
Now this bad boy is definitely one for the books, it has a lot going
on. It hits the clutch trend right on the head and has a handy
little handle strap. The faded blue croc fabric makes it eye
catching – plus it's pretty cheap!
5. Laptop Case, £48 from Lisa Stickley. As the last in the line up, this patterned case offers an
exciting black and white option, i'm not usually a fan of black and
white, but this one has a good ratio ie: half and half. The pattern
reminds me of telephone lines where birds sit and have a little
chat - Cute!
Enjoy, Sophie xo
One of my secretive vices in life is tea and cake, there is
nothing I love more than curling up with a cuppa and a slice of something
sweet. So when I saw this cheeky little print from Vintage Princess it had me
written all over it! Run by designer Amber, Vintage Princess specialises in bespoke
wedding invitations, but i really love her cute little ‘Home is where the…’ print collection. Featured Home is where the…
include - cake, wine, beer and gin…all big favourites of mine – minus the gin
ew. She does a large collection of cute stationary as well including these insanely
adorable daschund notecards, I love them so much I couldn’t bring myself to
actually write on them! I love her simple style that is inspired by nature and
all things vintage. Even better? It’s all done using letterpress, so each piece
has a wonderful individual approach. Check out all her work here, or view her Not on the High Street page.
Sophie xo
I have to admit I’m
not one of these people that enjoys things with little hearts on, things shaped
like hearts…essentially anything that reminds me of Valentines day. But I am
loving the ‘Loved up’ range from Deadgood, these love seats feature a high
back and large arms to ensure a cosy and snuggely seating experience. The tiny
heart shaped buttons gives them a quirky little feature instead of bombarding
you with their garishness. They come in several different colour ways but my
favourite is the grey and white combo, simple and elegant, and like I say it
doesn’t bombard you! I love this subtle approach to the romantic side in us
all, you can get more information here. And also just a side note, how amazing
is this book shelf?! Also from Dead Good this little beauty is by designer Max
Lamb and features a quirky little ‘U’ dip that holds your favourite book and
acts as a book end for all your other classics! Perfect! Check out all Dead
Good’s range here.
Sophie xo
A few of my favourite things? Cute things shaped like cute
animals, functionality, things that make me grin from ear to ear, all with a
colour palate that fits any style. So, what could possibly fit all of these
things? I tell you what, all the range from Bliss in the Woods, probably the
cutest range of ceramic kitchenware ever designed. They have rabbit butter dishes,
owl cookie jars, peacock measuring cups and bird tea pots. My absolute
favourite piece has to be this amazing owl spaghetti jar, its long thin body
and cute little face make an adorable addition to any kitchen worktop. I am also rather taken with the little bird teapot, it's s simple yet so effective. I have picked out some of my other favourites
but check out the whole range at Our home and Bliss Home.
Sophie xo
I am forever on the hunt for beautifully designed pieces,
one source of a never ending parade of stunning furniture is Scandinavia. They have
one of the best track records for well-designed modern pieces of furniture in
history, with a mixture of their perfectionist style, strict modernist mind-set
and simple yet functional approach to design, time and time again they create icons.
I have found a site based in London that solely sells traditional mid-century
pieces from Scandinavia – so happy right now. Førest London buy and sell traditional
pieces of iconic furniture and lighting from the 50’s-60’s but also do regular collaborations
with modern artists and designers. As well as being a brilliant source to buy
furniture, it’s also just a really good collection of Scandinavian design, kind
of like a look book. I am currently particularly taken with these traditional 1960’s
pair of armchairs from Bovenkamp, also this beautiful desk lamp by designer J. Hoogervorst, absolutely stunning. So If you’re interested get on over and havea little snoop!
Sophie xo
Essentially, I think my life just got that little bit
better. When I saw this print, I got so excited I was jumping up and down
waving my laptop in my boyfriend’s face….if this dog was real I don’t know what
I would do. This print from Lucie Sheridan of an adorably long sausage dog,
that wriggles its way down the page like a road is just amazing, and at the end
there is a very happy chappy. Not only does it also it come in a print but also
in a tray, so I’m pretty much in love 100%. Lucie’s work is just beautiful, she
is an insanely talented illustrator and all her work has a hint of humour to
it. The print is £85 and the tray is £25 available exclusively at Howkapow, have a lil browse here!
Sophie xo
How insanely adorable are these pieces?! I mean seriously it
should be illegal for stuff to be this cute. Aprons featuring plump turkeys,
totes with fabulous sewing machines and prints by the bucket load, that’s what
you will see when you visit Stephanie Cole’s website. A British textiles
designer who graduated in 2010, this girl has some serious talent when it comes
to putting a smile on your face. She works a lot with nature in her illustrations,
but her work is predominantly screen print based. She uses a nice cool colour pallet
of blues and greys but occasionally dabbles in some reds. She keeps her work
simple and her illustrative style is quirky but easy to read. I love her style,
and am very tempted by her aprons; both lobster and turkey - now just to
decide! Have a look here and visit her Etsy shop too.
Sophie xo
Morning everyone! I’m
sure most of you can agree that most mornings the only way you can function in
a morning is a good dose of coffee (or tea.) I am literally like a zombie until
I have sated my need for caffeine. I wanted to share with you probably the
single coolest coffee cup ever…in the world. It’s by Steve Watson and is called
the Skase cup. It’s a beautiful take on the relationship between two materials,
a glazed cream ware cup is pared with a walnut cross base. It laughs in the
face of a conventional flat base for a cup and features a small pointed bottom.
This cup is not for those who dip their toe into the coffee world, this is some
hardcore stuff. Check out more of Steve Watson's work here.
Sophie xo
Some of you may remember a few weeks ago I
wrote about Klaus Haapaniemi’s work, I
featured his beautiful collection of Korento dinnerware. So I wanted to
dedicate a post just to him, as I just love his work. Although designed under
the name Klaus Haapaniemi, it is actually a design duo between him and designer
Mia Wallenius, he brings the artwork and she brings the work to life through
the design of the product. Their work is inspired by Finnish folklore, nature
and fantasy. They themselves describe their work as “traditional decorative arts with a modern twist” a perfect
description of these beautiful pieces of work. Now onto the products, really
where to begin?! They do cushions, prints, scarves, ceramics and throws in a
vast collection of different patterns and colours. So I have picked out a few
of my best bits for you. My first is this beautiful shawl (Not very housey I
know but I just love that design!) I love how it tells a story and really comes
alive it’s 70% wool and 30% silk, it is just so beautiful I want to cry a
little. Next up has to be this brilliant hand painted cushion cover, featuring
a very comical and characteristic crane. Perfect for any set up this fun, witty
piece will brighten up all furniture, from bed to sofa. Finally (this one was
tough) I have gone for this stunning print – I know I am always sharing prints –
but this one has something different. For me it’s that colour way, the barely
there white and duck egg blue on the backdrop of silver/grey just adds so much
elegance and makes it a tender and delicate portrait. So there we go, my best
bits from Klaus Haapaniemi’s collection, check it out for yourself and pick
your owns favourites though!
Sophie xo
