We LOVE the penguin books! Not only are they great reads but they look very cool too. What more can you want?
If, like ours, the covers are beginning to fall off and the books look a bit tired, then why not turn them on their heads and use for something totally new?
Try it as wall paper?
Statement wall art?
Creative Walls
This wound up under our Xmas tree this year and its been a feast for the eyes. Creative Walls is a book for those who want inspiration - and boy will you get it.
A great coffee table book in any case!
Colour
Jessica Colaluca has a love... if not passion... for colour. Journaling scenes and inspirations from around the world to form eye catching and sensual pallettes, she has recorded a wardrobe of pallettes on her website Design Seeds. It is possible to spend hours browsing this site, soaking in the visual display and thinking up ideas.
Miss Maurrice's kitchen is along these lines (see bellow), she's now planning her living room... what will she pick?
Out on the streets
If your home is looking totally decorated and there's nothing that can be done in your office, then take to the streets?
Street Art Utopia http://www.streetartutopia.com/ has some of the best pics straight out of the world's concrete jungles.
William Morris
William Morris prints are breath taking. Arguably he was the single most influential designer of the nineteenth century; nearly 150 years old his prints are still coveted today.
Morris was a political theorist, translator, scholar, publisher, environmental campaigner, writer and designer. William founded his company Morris & Co. in 1861 along with a group of friends all who were architectures and designers.
With prints like these it's hard not to be inspired....
The Selby
Fashion photographer Tom Selby has shot major ad campaigns for Nike, collabroated with Louis Vuitton and Henesey, worked for vogue and snapped the likes of Dolly Parton and Tom Wolfe. His interior blog gives an "insiders view of creative individuals in their personal spaces" with stunning photography and film
http://www.theselby.com/
Lighting Up
If you're needing a bit of light in your life as the dark days of January begin, then take a look at the Navy Tripod Lamp. It'll life any room as its retro, stylish, practical and best of all affordable. Made.com's unqiue business model ensures that there are no middlemen to bump the overall retail price up, so your stylish lamp goes straight from designer and manufacturer right to your door.
http://www.made.com/lighting/navy-tripod-floor-lamp-black
A New Year AND a New Magazine! We present 91 Magazine
It's been collated by a group of ladies who range from bloggers and journalists to stylists and photographers including those from Etsy - an online interior website with a twis, recently launched in the U.S - it's one of the USA's digital start-ups to be watched according to business insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/etsy-business-2010-8)
http://issuu.com/91magazine/docs/91magazine_issue1?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222
Eclectic sensibilities...
If you haven’t been there then you’re missing out… the latest interior trend is all about keeping things arty, crafty and eclectic, which Anthropolgie pretty much sums up.
Anthropologie, an American shop recently expanded into the UK, is designed to inspire you to collect and love the smaller things in life that you may pick up on your travels… What’s more there is no need to splash the cash with this whole look…
It has seen huge growth and differentiates its brand by offering a one-of-a-kind compelling shopping experience targeted only at women. Customers are encouraged to explore and connect with the detailed products and the brand. So it’s not so much about the quality of products but much more about the experience and connection…
In any case the resulting look can be tailored to nearly any room and can look pretty cool!
A desire to inspire?
There's one blog that we cant get enough of. And that blog is decor8. Written by American freelance editor, journalist and interior design consultant, Holly Becker, who updates decor8 each day to 48,000 daily readers (we're seriously impressed!). So with one million page views per month, be prepared to see, feel and love interiors from around the world
Christmas decorations
Fancy a night in? And fancy doing something to make home that much more festive without blowing the budget? Making Christmas decorations can be a really fun experience (if done with flatmates, friends and a bottle of wine) or just as therapeutic wind down. But in any case, get inspiration from these….
A Christmas Wreath
We’ve never made one, but these wreaths look stunning and are so simple to make. Purchase a willow wreath for £6 (amazon is pretty reliable) and pop in your favourite flowers along one side tying on with a small amount of wire. Tie a bow in the middle of the flowers before painting and sticking house numbers on the others. If the house numbers are a bit too much why not put flowers on one side and a big bow woven around and looped through the wood on the other? Or just go all out and cover the whole thing!
As a tip we’d suggest maybe slipping in between the willow stems pieces if green foam soaked in water in which to stick the flowers in. Its keeps them fresher.
We’d also suggest picking up farrow and ball paint pots, they last forever and have a chic range of colours to pick from.
Firefly Christmas lights
Oh how we covet these and if you don’t have a Christmas tree these lights are a lovely way to light up a room (at Christmas or anytime of the year). Take some simple white lights and tie cut squares of fabric along the wires. If using tulle for the ivory effect, tie it to the wire with pieces of lace.
Festive flowers
Use cranberries to create a fresh yet festive flower frog. Cranberries are a staple for holidays, yet few us know them outside of their jelly state. Fill a vase with the hard berries and place a flower arrangement in there. They'll keep for a week if submerged with water
Add some sparkle with glitter candles
So easy to do, according to Martha Stewart. Spray some simple candles with a spray adhesive (found in craft shops). Spoon over glitter and let them dry over night. Gorgeous all year round
Festive flowers
Use cranberries to create a fresh yet festive flower frog. Cranberries are a staple for holidays, yet few us know them outside of their jelly state. Fill a vase with the hard berries and place a flower arrangement in there. They'll keep for a week if submerged with water
Add some sparkle with glitter candles
So easy to do, according to Martha Stewart. Spray some simple candles with a spray adhesive (found in craft shops). Spoon over glitter and let them dry over night. Gorgeous all year round
