Dwell Wishes: cushion

Showing posts with label cushion. Show all posts

Saturday, 29 October 2011

Clarissa Hulse presents Kallianthi

Textiles genius Clarissa Hulse has teamed up with Harlequin to create a beautiful new collection of wallpapers and fabrics called Kallianthi. The name comes from the Ancient Greek for 'wild flowers' and of course the range features her signature botanical graphics. In fact, most of Clarissa's designs are inspired by real plants that she has spotted and photographed while on countryside walks.

The designs in the Kallianthi collection are all beautiful - some bold, some serene. All come in a dazzling variety of colourways, combining the bright shades of fuchsia, chilli or turmeric with muted neutrals such as pewter, putty or pebble.

This stunning watercolour wallpaper - Demeter Stripe - has just been named 'Best Wallpaper over £40' at the Homes & Gardens Fabric Awards. Hang it horizontally for a fabulous sunset effect.

Demeter Stripe wallpaper in magenta, fuchsia and flame

Persephone patchwork cushion in magenta, peat and turmeric

Grasses fabric in zinc, coral and chilli

Grasses wallpaper in coral and pewter

Saturday, 16 July 2011

Pick of the sales: Plümo

The lucky buyers at Plümo travel the world to find beautiful artisan goods for you to put in your home. And guess what - they've got a sale on! Just look at these bargains!

Painted tinware jugs, handmade in India. Was £49, now £25

Mexican bird cushion, was £39, now £24

This Fairtrade wooden toadstool nutcracker would make a great gift. Was £33, now £18

Palekh boxes - traditional lacquer boxes depicting Russian fables. Handmade in Russia. Was £39, now £15

Not a teapot but a Fairtrade watering can, made in India. Was £35, now £19

Fairtrade sisal placemats, hand-woven by a women's cooperative in Bangladesh. Was £9, now £5.95

Dowry boxes, handmade in Northern India from recycled metal. They are bigger than they look - the square one is 41cm high and the rectangular one is 59cm long. Was £119, now £75.

Sunburst mirror, was £219, now £159. If you like sunburst mirrors (and who doesn't?) take a look at this post from Natural History's blog...

Thursday, 30 June 2011

Where I keep my other blog!

I'm very excited to tell you that I am now a member of the Natural History blogging team! The blog is over at http://naturalhistory.typepad.com and there's a bunch of us who blog about different topics. My subject is design history, looking at various styles and techniques, and you can read my posts on Monday mornings at 10.

I was already a big fan of Natural History (the actual shop is in Oxford and the website is called Origin of Style) so it's an honour to be part of it. It's a treasure trove of unique pieces and unusual, beautiful homewares. The founder, Sarah, says she spent a lot of her youth in the Museum of Natural History in Dublin, so much of the shop's collection is inspired by such things as birds, entomology and Victorian taxidermy!

Here are my top seven wonderful things to be found at Natural History (it was going to be my top five but I couldn't narrow it down!)

Hummingbird prints (set of six, unframed), £25
Hummingbird cushions, £70

I would love to swan about my house wearing this fabulous silk robe. Possibly while pretending to be Margot from The Good Life and drinking a martini.

Coral printed silk robe, £120

Beetle tea towel, £12

This luxurious blanket would make a brilliant gift for anyone.

Bright cosy lambswool blanket, £60

Fretwork lanterns: small £12.95; medium £18.95

Dove bottle stopper. £5.95

Sunday, 27 March 2011

Ideal Home Show

The Ideal Home Show packs up today for another year. Over the last week I managed to go not once but twice! I had heard that it was going to improve hugely on previous years, but I'm not sure if it really delivered in that respect. Nevertheless, there's a lot to see and you can still count on getting a few free food samples, just as you can pretty much guarantee that you'll leave with some sort of artisan sausages.

In terms of interiors, it's actually quite limited but the highlight for me was Ideal Home magazine's roomsets. You can find pictures of the rooms here on House To Home. These are a few of my favourite things...

Tesco appliqué birds cushion, £9

Heal's bird leaves printed silk cushion, £72

Ecochic wallpaper, £45..95 per roll, Wallpaper Direct. Image: Simon Whitmore for Ideal Home

Ikea Stockholm Rand rug, from £101

Set of two chess pieces, £26, Next

Plum acrylic dome ceiling light, £54.99, Litecraft

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus!

Happy St David's Day! I have made Welsh Cakes to celebrate. I have also found some lovely daffodil things to show you.

I get really excited looking out for daffodils at this time of year. I love the way they just appear out of nowhere, even on scrubby little patches of grass by the side of the road in Brixton, their trumpets heralding the end of winter. And suddenly it's spring!