Product Spotlight: Pantone Mugs

It has been literally 10 days since I blogged. BAD me- but things are moving forward at a crazy pace with my ecommerce start-up and so I don’t feel TOO guilty. (BTW you can check out our sign-up page at llustre.com) In fact I was taking a break from working in the sunshine to have a cup of tea and felt inspired to write a little about my favourite kind of mug – Pantone mugs to be precise. I am always a fan of anything that brings lots of vibrant colour and these babies sure do that. They are designed by Whitbread and Wilkinson and whilst not being big enough to hold the vast quantities of tea I love to drink, they make up for it with cool factor. Better still they are on sale at Heal’s so what more excuse do you need to buy one in every colour?

Pantone Mugs in Rainbow Colours

 

 

Apologies for the absence..

Sorry blog world, I haven’t forgotten you, but I became the future Mrs of my lovely man at the weekend and have got rather distracted in the excitement of it all! Fresh blog post on its way tonight, I promise!

Designer Spotlight – Beautiful Bespoke by Zoe Murphy

Tags

20th Century Furniture, Colourful, cushions, design, footstool, Silk, UK designer, Upcycling

Not got much time today sadly, but when I discovered the delectable work of this Margate based designer I had to pause and blog. Zoe has apparently made quiet a name for herself since she graduated in 2008, and her website lists Libertys as one of her customers. Looking at her designs, it’s obvious why! Zoe takes the upcycling trend I wrote about in an earlier blog post to another level with her carefully considered, rainbow-colourful, fun reinterpretations of 20th century furniture and eye-catching soft furnishings made from recycled wedding dresses! (Yup, wedding dresses, how cool is that!)

Here are a few quick screengrabs from the “Margate Collection” on her website, but be sure to go check it out yourself – you won’t be disappointed!

Zoe Murphy - 20th Century Upcycled Furniture

Zoe Murphy - Recycled wedding dress cushions

Zoe Murphy - Recycled wedding dress footstool

Retail Therapy – The Southbank Centre Shop

Tags

design shops, gifts, london retailers, southbank centre

So the Southbank Centre is one of London’s great treasures; it is the single largest art-centre in the world and offers major support to creative talent of all disciplines. On top of that, it has the vast free for all Royal Festival Hall, with its great cafe, fast open wifi and lunchtime recitals and performances. I have spent many an afternoon sat on the RFH terrace overlooking the river, people watching and sipping on coffee, or exploring the fantastic farmer’s market out front. There is one more reason that I love the Southbank Centre though – and that is its fantastic shop.

The Shop at The Southbank Centre (Image Credit: http://www.tiredoflondontiredoflife.com)

The shop at the Southbank Centre is a homewares collector’s dream, stuffed full of interesting, kitschy and downright cool bits for your home, not to mention a great collection of design focused books and some great gifts and jewellery. The shop is proud to support London talent and features collections from a number of great designer-makers as well as lots of information about the designers themselves. Whenever I wander into this store I find myself losing an hour of my day as everything deserves closer examination!

“But what if I’m not in London?” I hear you cry —  have no fear, because you can check out some of the amazing pieces that the shop sells online here

I have selected a few of my favourites, but be sure to check the full range out if these don’t appeal!

First up on my list of must-haves are these super cool bookends based on the iconic London landmark that is Battersea Power Station. Not only can you show your love for London, but what a cool colour right? Although if it’s not for you they also come in black, grey etc etc (Oh and they are a steal at £20)

Battersea Power Station Bookends

Next on my list is this rather nifty cushion which is bang up to date with its grey and mustard colour scheme and has a really interesting print – available here for £40

Southbank Centre Festival Cushion from Mini Moderns

Finally, somewhat less bargainous at £85, but lovely nonetheless is this glass sushi plate by Sue King Designs. Made from fused glass, which allows for the interesting combination of colours and textures, it would be a real talking point at a dinner party!

Fused Glass Sushi Plate by Sue King

What lovely hands you have Mr Clock

Time, the cradle of hope…. Wisdom walks before it, opportunity with it, and repentance behind it:  he that has made it his friend will have little to fear from his enemies

~Charles Caleb Colton

OK, mandatory quote out the way (although I have to say I DO particularly like this one – too many people view time as the enemy!) onto my topic of the day…clocks. All that matters it that they tell the time right? Perhaps, but given the humble clock is an object that we often look at countless times a day, there is a very good reason that why the clock in your kitchen shouldn’t always look like this:

Bog-standard plastic clock - just not very inspiring is it!

I have just started looking for a clock for my own kitchen, and it wasn’t until now that I realised that there are SO many amazing clock designs out there. It has made me realise that a clock can become as much a feature of your home as a painting or a sculpture would. A few of my favourites from around the web below:

This one sold by Rockett St George is quirky AND useful allowing you to show the time around the world. We also love that it uses reclaimed slate – so its a little bit environmentally friendly as well!

London Paris New York Reclaimed Slate Clock from "London Kills Me" at Rockett St George

This next one is ideal if you have delicate feminine look in mind – the intricate “doily” lacework would also look stunning against a dark background:

Doily Clock from Red Revival

This over-sized alarm clock would make a great feature on a shelf surrounded by other normal sized objects – I would love to use it in amongst an all white decoration scheme.

Over-sized ceramic alarm clock from West Elm

My favourite so far is this gorgeous reproduction hotel clock from Sweetpea and Willow which evokes a little bit of old romantic France

Reproduction Hotel Clock from Sweetpea and Willow

With so many to choose from, I have a mind to create a whole wall display of different shapes and sizes of clock – buying one a year and building out a treasured collection that tells a story as well as the time. Does anyone else have some clocks to recommend?

Probably Should Start with Hello

Well…all bloggers want to eventually look back to their humble beginnings (and hope that they cannot believe how far they have come), so I’m going to stick with tradition and have a first post for posterity! I am Vivienne, 27, living in South East London and a proud owner of my very own first home – a terraced house that I want to slowly make my own.

I recently left work to start my own business selling homewares online but things didn’t go quite to plan yet…. So in the mean time that is what this blog is about – showing you some of the amazing homewares and designs out there that can help you to make your home truly individual!

Hopefully people will like some of the homewares and interiors I showcase, and I’ll make some good design-obsessed friends along the way! Thanks for reading!

Vivienne