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.

Sealed with a kiss

I first saw this Bocca sofa back in my advertising days in the reception of a well known media owner. I loved it then and love it now, so when I came across it on www.gufram.it I was delighted. And not only that I also fell in love with some of their other pieces.  Now just need the opportunity, the guts and budget to get it out there.  

Bocca Sofa by Studio 65 - £5,366

Summertime Sofa by Valerio Berruti

Bellaforza Table by Denis Santachiara

Industrial lighting

If you are rocking the industrial trend, you can't go too wrong with these fab table lights from London designers Greg Avis and James Borley at the-electrical-shop.co.uk. Flexes come in different shades of flouro orange, yellow, sage green, rose pink and elephant grey and at £49 they are an absolute bargain - so why not splash out on a special filament bulb to complete the look.

Cage - Rose pink

Rose pink and sage green

25W globe filament bulb

My warehouse home

Another of my favourite blogs here - mywarehousehome.com.  All you need to know about styling your fabulous warehouse loft apartment, but if you don't have one of those there is still loads of advice and inspiration for adding industrial, vintage and reclaimed style to your home. Take a look.

Beachball lights

Yes, you read that right.  Lights that are inspired by the classic beachball from TOBYhouse - in fact they are real beachballs rendered rock hard (and safe!) on the inside. What fun. Perfect for a splash of colour in the kitchen, or to brighten up your children's bedroom or play area. They are available in 3 different sizes 30cm, 40cm and 50cm prices start at £350.

Designer walls at affordable prices

Now I've always had a soft spot for some gorgeous designer wallpaper so I was delighted to read on www.madaboutthehouse.com of the New Wave collection from one of my favourites Graham & Brown. Check out the links for the full scoop, but topline they are a super affordable line of high end wallpapers available at £26 a roll.  Amazing. Take a look for yourself.

New Wave collection for Graham & Brown

New Wave Collective Paradisi I by Emma J Shipley

New Wave Collective Urban Tree by Louise Tiler

The mini kitchen. Genius.

How cool is this - a fantastic mini kitchen from Miniki.  How I wish I'd known about this when I did my kitchen in my miniscule bachelorette flat back in the day.  Take a look at this article from thedesignsheppard.com for loads more info and pics.

3 modules, 14 colours endless possibilities...

Stylish workstations for kids

Some great and affordable ideas here from www.remodelista.com for kids work stations. As a space saving and tidiness freak, these appeal on many levels...  Check out the link for more ideas, but these ones are my favourites.

The plywood wall-mounted Workstation from Finnish architect Takkunen's collection, Luona In

Wall-mounted desk spotted on House to Home

Plywood wall-mounted desk by Dutch architects Atelier van Wengerden

Embossed wallpaper - it's back!

If you've had your fill with the trompe l'oeil wallpaper trend, then here's the next big thing. Textured wallpaper. Yes, it's official, because the fabulously cool Rockett St George interiors site is stocking them.  Check out these beauties from Anaglypta - at only £21 per roll, the key here is to paint your embossed walls in beautiful bold shades of Farrow & Ball (navy is the new black don't you know?)

Anaglypta wallpaper Alfred - white

Anaglypta wallpaper Charles - white

Anaglypta wallpaper Deco Paradise - white

Him and her hat lights

These pendants are a bit of fun if you fancy lightening the mood.  The elegant feminine affair is designed by Mars Hwasung Yoo from Eno Studio and comes with a range of different colour flexes to choose from for maximum statement effect.  

349 Euros from Eno Studio

And this Jeeves Bowler Hat Pendant light from Rockett St George is great fun.  Designed by Jake Phipps Jeeves (honest) I love the felt finish with gold metal lining. There is also a Wooster version apparently (although at time of writing it was not showing up on the site). 

Jeeves Bowler hat Pendant light - £180 from Rockett St George

Here's the top hat Wooster version