Fit For A King

In honour of The King's Speech winning all the Oscars I thought I'd look at some king- and queen-themed home treasures. I'd like to point out that you won't find any William & Kate souvenirs on this page - it's all about the Kings & Queens!


First up - these brilliant mugs from Cole of London. I really regret not paying attention in History lessons but these are a fantastic way to fill gaps in your history knowledge, as each one is covered in useful facts about the monarch pictured. There's even a timeline on the website which lists all of them, all the way back to Alfred the Great. (I thought Athelstan was the first king of England - shows how much I know!)

Image: Cole of London
£10

Check out the arched brow!

Guess which monarch this is!

These Stamp Rugs are really cool, in a quirky-punky way. They come in several colours with the different stamp denominations on them. 

Image: Stamp Rugs

Image: Stamp Rugs

I love this King's Choice mug from Rose & Grey. Now, I think this particular king is is George V, Colin Firth's dad. Right?

Kings Choice Mug, £6.95
Image: Rose & Grey

This gorgeous tea towel will make doing the dishes a bit less dull. It's from The Chic Country Home.

Tea With The Queen Tea Towel, £6.95
Image: The Chic Country Home

Now, where would a king be without all his soldiers and all his men? These cute egg and soldier cups are designed by Takae Mzutani and made in Cornwall. You can buy them from Not On The High Street.

Egg and Soldiers Breakfast Set, £24.50
Image: Not On The High Street

Fit For A King

Cute retro finds from Hunky Dory Home

If you like quirky, retro home accessories you'll love Hunky Dory Home. How cute is this Whale Love cushion?

Whale Love Cushion, £22
Image: Hunky Dory Home

There are far too many gorgeous and colourful things to mention, but here are a few of my favourites...

Urban Fox Mug, £12.50
Image: Hunky Dory Home

Mother Superior Lampshade, £34
Image: Hunky Dory Home

Birdy Teapot, £30
Image: Hunky Dory Home

This tea towel even comes with a recipe for drop scones!

Drop Scones Not Bombs Tea Towel, £10
Image: Hunky Dory Home

Cute retro finds from Hunky Dory Home

New mug joy; Habitat closing down sale

These two mugs are providing me with much teatime joy at the moment. I bought them in the closing down sale at Habitat on Regent Street. The one on the left, Camille, is my favourite. I can't resist pink and grey together.

It's a shame that Habitat is leaving Regent Street, although it does make sense for them to concentrate on the Tottenham Court Road store instead. After all, nobody goes to Regent Street to buy furniture. 

The fabulous art deco building, a former cinema, is being taken over by Burberry.

All the stock is reduced by about 30-50% so there are some great bargains to be found - get down there quick though.

I just about managed to stop myself from buying the rest of the Camille dinner set (no space in my kitchen). Having said that, the sale is on for another three weeks, and I might not be so restrained next time I walk past... 

Image: Habitat

New mug joy; Habitat closing down sale

Design Classic: Tolix A Chair

Hello, and thanks for reading! As this is the first post on this blog, I thought it only fitting to start by writing about something that will stand the test of time.

Image: Tolix

Regardez the Model A chair by Tolix. Designed in 1934 by Xavier Pauchard, this chair really is an icon of industrial design.

The Tolix A Chair was originally manufactured for offices, factories, hospitals, parks and, of course, bistros. This chair is synonymous with French café culture and, in fact, for many years breweries would supply them to bars and brasseries in exchange for selling their beer.  

Image: Tolix

Now the chair comes in a great range of shapes, colours and finishes. I think I’d go for the classic galvanised metal version, and place them around the dining table with patterned seat pads in different colours. They work in pretty much any style of room (or garden) and are stackable and rust-proof too.

Image: Cucumbersome

Even Anna Wintour chooses to put her chic derrière on one.

Image: Style Chronicle

Image: Style Chronicle

You can buy them from all sorts of places, including Pedlars, The French House and Graham & Green.

Design Classic: Tolix A Chair