Easter Chic(k)

Well hello! 
It's been a while since my last post, I've been a little preoccupied with Piccadelhi and getting my new products made and photographed.  I've also been gearing up for a few Spring markets  - but more about that later.
It's certainly not for lack of inspiration that I have been quiet, I have a bit of a backlog of new creative discoveries to share with you.
So, as my favourite time of year, Easter, fast approaches it seems an appropriate time to feature the most recent of these, Bliss Home.

By no means a new kid on the block, Bliss Home has been designing homewares for over thirty years and has collaborated with some famous names during this time - Sebastian Conran, Nigella Lawson and, latterly, Orla Kiely.  But it is the 'Bliss In The Woods' range that caught my eye.

As the name suggests, it is inspired by the British woodland and the creatures that inhabit it.  The collection of kitchenware is perfect for creating a relaxed but stylish Easter table.

Acorn salt and pepper pots, £32.50

Milk jug and sugar bowl, £27.50

Bird teapot, £32.50

For more of these beautiful ceramics and details of other collaborations, see the website. 

Bliss Home

Home Again!

Last January I wrote about my inaugural visit to Home London, the first trade show of the year.  This time round it was bigger and better: Home was once again co-located with Top Drawer (for stationery and gift-led products) but there was a new addition in the form of Craft - a showcase for one hundred of the finest designer makers across a broad range of disciplines.  

I visited on Sunday, the opening day, and there was a distinctly warm and friendly buzz about the place.  With a lot of the major buyers visiting on  a week day it was a relaxed atmosphere and there was time to chat.  I managed to catch up with last year's Confessions of A Design Geek bursary winner, Jessica Hogarth, who this year was located in Top Drawer having taken the decision to concentrate more on the stationery side of her business. The Mini Moderns guys were as convivial as usual, their new Hinterland collection looked great and was generating a lot of interest.  I also took the opportunity to say hello to Emma from the Gary Birks studio, whose new mugs inspired my last post.  I may have got more than a little excited about their new 'Wave' design…but more on that another time.

There was a lot to take in, but I've selected a few exhibitors whose stands really attracted my attention...

Never has a whole brand made me want to throw out everything I own and start again, but Danish label Bloomingville has done just that.  They are by no means a new company, having been founded in 2000 by Betina Stampe, but the aesthetic is clean, fresh and very 'now'.  From kitchen to garden, living room to home office, they've got it covered.  Dreamy summer pastels? Check.  Acid brights? Yup.  Scandi monochrome? Naturally.  Hot  metallics? You betcha. 

I want it all.  And I'm putting it all in my cabin between a forest and a lake somewhere in rural Sweden.

Pastels and geometrics

Monochrome, Scandinavian style

I need this lamp in my life!

Images from bloomingville.com

See website for stockists.

I was delighted to discover the hand painted enamelware of Jasmine White. Brainchild of Supriya Broadbent, this Anglo-Asian venture utilises the skills of artisans in India which have been passed down through generations.  The pretty floral design is typical of the Kashmiri region and would happily sit alongside retro or modern pieces.  I particularly love the little tea caddies, which could also be used to keep spices in - lined up on a shelf they'd look very chic.

In addition to the enamelware, Jasmine White has also recently launched an original design entitled 'Indian Street' which features on a range of textile products.

Hand-painted tea caddy, £7.50

Indian Street cushion, £45.

Images from jasminewhitelondon.com

I have been a fan of Sue's work for a while now so it was delightful to talk to her in person at Home.  She started her career at Wedgwood but now runs her own successful studio where she makes each prototype herself before sending it off to a factory in Stoke to be produced in limited runs.  

Sue's stand was easily my favourite of the whole show, the simplicity of it allowing her elegantly rustic products to take centre stage: 

Sue's simply designed stand really caught my eye.

Image from suepryke.com

Once again the quality of exhibitors was extremely high.  Next year the show is re-locating to Olympia due to the development of the Earl's Court site but it will still be the 'definitive trade event for homewares and interiors accessories'. 

home-london.net

A Right Mug

I've often been asked if I collect anything (usually around Christmas or my birthday) and the answer is always a resounding 'No!'.  I don't like clutter and pointless ornaments send shivers down my spine.  I live by the old adage that if something is neither useful or beautiful it has no place in the home (insert witty comment about husbands here).
But, it seems that subconsciously, I do collect something.  I hadn't really thought about it before but on stumbling upon these beauties by Gary Birks (below) I realised I have a thing about mugs.  And what's more, it occurred to me that  I have certain mugs for certain drinks. 

New collection from Gary Birks

For example, if I have tea in the morning (English Breakfast, natch) it has to be out of a chunky earthenware mug, one of the cheap and cheerful ones that we have picked up from gigs over the years, or my special Arsenal mug which I've had since I was little.  
Elevenses comes from my Emma Bridgewater Polka Dot mug for which I subscribed to Country Living magazine, just to get it free.  Of an afternoon I like Darjeeling out of my new Mini Moderns 'Darjeeling' mug which has replaced my Cow Parade one as the bone china mug of choice.  If I have tea in the evening it has to be from one of my Denby Jet collection. 

Is that weird?  Perhaps, but in case there are any other mug fetishists out there I've rounded up a few others that I'd like to add to my 'collection' for when those mentioned above are in the dishwasher or - say it quietly - they go to the great kitchen cupboard in the sky... 

Drip Tease Mug in gold, £9.80 - Reiko Kaneko

Bucket Mug, £10 - Keith Brymer Jones

Mali ceramic mug, £12.95 - Nkuku

Celadon Grey tea mug, £12.00 - Nom Living

Everyone should have a favourite mug.  I just happen to have lots.


Links:

Reiko Kaneko      

Keith Brymer Jones

Nkuku

Nom Living

Introducing... Jo Davies

Stoke On Trent may be known as the Potteries but Stoke Newington, in North London, is emerging as the home of the potters.

I have mentioned before on this blog the endearing work of N16-based Takae Mizutani and Sons and now I have discovered another talented ceramicist in the area: Jo Davies.

Jo Davies

A graduate of Bath School of Art and latterly the Royal College of Art, Jo has carved out a successful career as a ceramicist over the last ten years, winning several awards in the process.  She has held residencies in Wales and Norway and exhibited all over the world, but I caught up with her at the recent Tent London show in East London, not far from her Chocolate Factory studio.

I was initially drawn to the simplicity of her work but, on closer inspection, there's a lot more to it.

Jo describes her ceramics as 'a bringing together of contrasts' and it's easy to see what she means: pieces are soft and yet sharp, sturdy yet delicate, abstract but with a certain tangibility. 

By using a combination of wheel-thrown and hand building techniques, Jo creates pieces which are incredibly tactile. Her cups, each one unique with throwing lines that are made to 'fit the fingers', are particularly irresistible.  There are elements of androgyny too - feminine sensuality is combined with strong masculinity.  

If it was a person I think Jo's work would be Angelina Jolie: sophisticated with a cheeky humour and a glint of wickedness, perhaps not unlike Jo herself?

'Choker' vases, £65.

Cups, available in three sizes, from £10.

'Zsa Zsa' vase, from £190.

Jo takes commissions and also offers tuition at her studio. For more information visit http://www.jo-davies.com 

All images courtesy of Jo Davies Ceramics.

Home Sweet Home.

Last weekend at Earls Court proved there really is no place like Home. My first visit to this trade-only event was a little bit daunting, not least because I'm new on the scene and haven't quite mastered the art of staying cool while surrounded by so many talented designers, but also because the sheer volume of stands and products to see literally took my breath away.  

Being a trade event the show (held in conjunction with Top Drawer, the definitive show for the gift, lifestyle and fashion accessories industry) had a distinctly different buzz to any other I've visited. This is where buyers, designers and journalists gather to determine what trends and products we'll all be adorning our homes with over the coming seasons.

For me, though, it was an opportunity to fuel my creative aspirations.  Like the proverbial kid in a sweetshop I wandered up and down each aisle, marvelling at each stand. Some products I liked, others not so much but each one filled me with inspiration.  

Among some of the bigger names in design such as Royal Doulton, Seletti and Jonathan Adler this year Home was also host to the Confessions of A Design Geek bursary nominees so, what better way to start my 'best of' round-up than with the winner, illustrator and surface pattern designer, Jessica Hogarth.  

"Life By The Sea' print by Jessica Hogarth,
now £42 from Notonthehighst.

Yorkshire-based Jessica graduated from Leeds College of Art in 2010 and started Jessica Hogarth Designs in 2011.
Her bold, playful illustrations are largely inspired by daily life and the Yorkshire coast, although Jessica also takes regular sketching trips around the UK and Paris.

As well as producing designs for her own label, Jessica has collaborated with Korean marketing and branding agency, Lab C and American quilting company, P&B Textiles. Her prints are stocked by The Futon Company and she also sells through Not On The High Street.

Throughout the show I noticed that there seemed to be two main themes: childhood/nostalgia and nature.  One design duo that I feel combines the two are Maria Livings and Marie Rodgers of Lush Designs.
I first spotted their lampshades in Stoke Newington's interiors boutique, Hamiltons, and was delighted to get to see more of their work (and have a bit of a natter!) at the show.

'Fox & Cubs' silk scarf, £115 from Lush Designs

The quirky, hand-drawn designs feature many woodland animals as well as mermaids and the popular cheeky monkey. The pair produce the lampshades themselves at their studio in Deptford and also have a shop in Greenwich.  I can also reveal that they will be opening a pop-up shop on Columbia Road, East London next month.

Next up is the whimsical world of Mellor Ware.  Illustrator Lianne Mellor has designed a range of chinaware which depicts a world of playful creatures engaging in a range of very British pastimes such as afternoon tea and garden parties.  Her simple watercolours are narrative, telling stories of  what she imagines the wildlife gets up to when no one is watching.

'Animal Tea Party' cup & saucer by Mellor Ware,
£24.95 from Liberty

All chinaware is produced by Lianne at her studio in Sheffield and are sold through Liberty and Etsy.

Finally, on a more grown-up note, let me introduce you to British-Japanese ceramics designer, Reiko Kaneko. 
Reiko established her design studio in London's East End after graduating from Central St Martins in 2007 but has since relocated to Stoke-on-Trent in order to integrate the design and production process more closely.  

'Drip Tease' mug in gold, £14 from Reiko Kaneko

Reiko's aim is to prove that chinaware need no longer be the reserve of the twee and can be stylish and sophisticated and I think she succeeds brilliantly. Her work combines the simplicity of Japanese design with a little bit of British wit bringing ceramics bang up to date.  
The 'Drip Tease' mug was a close second for my favourite find of the show (the first being the 'Tea For One' table on the Lust List). Actually, the two compliment each other perfectly - now I'll have to buy both!

I could write about a lot of other designers at the show whose work I admire but I'd probably be here all night and Mr VKH has opened the wine, so here's a little 'best of the rest':

Studio Seed:
Luxury stationery and prints from Tamsin Seed.

Victoria Eggs:
Kitchenware and gifts from this award-winning designer, inspired by and made in good old Blighty.

étoile home:
Soft furnishings and homewares from photographer and stylist, Shani Beadle.


I can definitely say that Home is where my heart is!
Kx