Bert & May

Now I love a good tile and Bert & May is an absolute treasure trove of loveliness, if antique reclaimed artisan tiles are your thing.  If you are looking for something unique and authentic then there are literally thousands of reclaimed tiles to chose from in this warehouse shop in a quiet road in Hackney. They do salvaged flooring too so this really is the place to track down something unique - and if you can't find what you are looking for they can create faithful reproductions on a made to order basis.

Raciones - mixed antique tile

Reclaimed floorboards, min order 5m2

Random mirror

I can't resist a bit of contemporary mixed with period detailing, so have a look at this wonderful mirror from Julian Chichester. Called the Random Mirror it mixes square and rectangular antique effect panels with eglomise for some period drama.  It comes in two sizes 700x1000cm or 800x1600cm.  Starting at £1,397 it's not on the cheap side though...

The great outdoors

There's another post I liked from madaboutthehouse.com - all about outdoor rugs.  I love the idea of creating your own sitting room outside.  Take a look at cuckooland.com for see some of their really reasonable range which are all £49.95.  But while I was there, I was also taken by their hammock and hanging chair range - always quite difficult to find I think, but there are some surprisingly great options here. Below are my favourites...

Bali Outdoor rug - £49.95

Salsa marine hammock - £36.95

Double hanging Cacoon - £325

Globo hanging chair & stand - £665

Picture frame desk

I liked these space saving ideas on www.apartmenttherapy.com particularly this picture frame desk below. How ingenious is that?! Will put you back a bit price-wise though...

$2199 at Ivy Design

Balloon lights

Following on from the beachball lights post how about these beauties from John Moncrieff on notonthehighstreet.com? These balloon lights are available in eight glossy colours: red, green, orange, blue, turquoise, grey, yellow and opal and they come in small, medium or large. What's more there's a wall mounted version too. They are a little pricey though, starting at £140 for the small wall-mounted version, but bite the bullet and they are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. 

Magnetic wallpaper

Oh I love a bit of wallpaper and this magnetic range available at Sisters Guild is great looking and multifunctional too. Another fabulous find from www.madaboutthehouse.com. This would be a wonderful option for a child's bedroom and you can choose from owl, giraffe, rabbit, zebra, cockatiel and bear (wise old owl is my favourite).  These clever people also do a magnetic chalkboard version. Starts from £41.50 per roll.

Vintage lettering

I'm not quite sure where I stand on letters.  I think names and random words spelt are a bit of an easy option and fairly over done.  And then I see some gorgeous vintage lettering and I waver slightly - could be quite fun for a teenager room?  But on balance it's not for me. But if this is your thing here's the best range I've come across at The Vintage Wall.  Prices seem to start from £5 but they do vary per letter.  They do numbers too.  

More beautiful tiles

I can't resist beautiful tiles.  So thank you decorenvy.co.uk (another favourite blog of mine) for bringing these to my attention. Take a look at the link above for all the pictures and links, but these are my favourites.  Particularly Hally's cafe in Parson's Green. These ones work beautifully against the aged wooden table and mirror.

Hally’s Café in Parsons Green via Inspirationist

Marrakech Design via Remodelista

Walker Zanger

Cats beware

If your cats are anything like mine they are always mooching about on the shelves where they shouldn't be, so with these fine looking bookends they may well just think twice. Sold by DesignAtelierArticle on etsy.com they are hand made, laser cut for precision and a snip at £33.51. I want a couple.

Tribal outdoors

With my thoughts turning to outdoors and long lazy summer entertaining these chair and table sets from made.com have caught my eye.  They're the new Mali collection - with tribal inspired pattern and vivid colours they will bring a pop of colour and design to your garden. Although truth be told I quite fancy the monochrome.  At £149 for 2 chairs and a table they're a bargain too - and they even stack easily for autumn/winter storage. I like a bit of practicality with my design.