Ever since seeing this little bathroom designed by Natasha Quick, I can't stop thinking about antique glass. I think it is such an elegant way to put a mirror in a space where it needs one - whether to create the illusion of more space or simply to be able to see your reflection in - but without it being unnecessarily shiny and new. It's perfect for a downstairs loo (who does their makeup in here anyway?), and in this one it adds so much character. I've been looking into it and you can buy it cut-to-size from lots of places, including ukglasscentre.co.uk, so that is firmly on the list for my make-believe bathroom renovation.
As a shopping editor who spends all day browsing it takes quite a lot to get my heart pumping, but when The Parlour’s ‘Scroll Chair’ landed in my inbox, pump it did. Inspired by a 1930s design, the scroll arms are just the right side of playful for me and it’s compact enough to fit into my tiny flat. I’m lusting after the ‘Bluebell with Basil Piping’ style, but also dreaming of a custom version covered in Claremont’s leopard print.
In a one-bedroom flat there are only so many opportunities for zhuzhing things up, but I've recently seized on my bed as being in need of a decorative refresh. I know it's annoying to have multiple cushions on a bed that you then have to remove before you get in it, but I'm afraid I am becoming that person. Buying a bolster pillow has been quite transformative, enabling me to introduce a welcome hit of yellow into an otherwise blue and pink scheme. Mine was made up in Sanderson's ‘Anaar’ design, but I also adore the below cushion from Sister by Studio Ashby. I've also recently acquired one of Volga Linens' charming little linen boudoir pillows with my initial embroidered on it, and I'm really rather taken with how it all looks.
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I was a child that loved catalogues. I would circle things, tear bits out, make moodboards, wish lists and draw out room plans based on my findings. Not much has changed. The IKEA catalogue was a go-to and as a young teen I thought the storage solutions were so inventive and mind blowing. And I mean really, not much has changed.
In my new-ish flat, I'm not nailing my storage solutions, so I'm going back to basics and back to my original source of inspiration. I now know how to finesse and flourish beyond Ikea, but it's a ruddy good starting point for thinking out of the box when faced with limited space. On trying to find some of those clever room sets that once blew my tiny mind, I came across the IKEA catalogue archive - what a goldmine. I encourage you to dig around. Here are some pages from the 2008 catalogue that I thought still stood up - with a tweak or two.
I’ve just moved house and so naturally, I’m obsessing over pretty much everything while making a decision on practically nothing. One decision which was made swiftly was that our old bed and headboard were not going to cut it and a fresh start was needed. Ever one to flip flop on style, I became totally enamoured with a very much more modern bed from The Odd Company than we previously had and in the weeks leading up to completing on our house, was eagerly awaiting being able to put my order in for a pink linen covered base and accompanying ‘Bold Beauty’ headboard. Previously we had a classical headboard shape upholstered in Romo’s Kemble but I found myself craving the simple form of The Odd Company’s design, which looks and feels like a giant pillow. It’s a family run company based in Leeds and the quality is phenomenal. I’m truly obsessed and it’s made night feeds with our newborn baby almost enjoyable as I have a lovely soft headboard to lean against and the whole bed feels like a wonderful cloud. Turns out, interior designers and hotels have been gatekeeping The Odd Company from us as the delivery van was loaded with beds and mattresses going to notable names and projects – so now we all know where to look.
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I went to the new Oaxacan bar and kitchen Little Fires in Shoreditch recently. Not only is it a great place for Oaxacan dishes and interesting takes on the area’s local flavours (like the chimichurri martini and duck confit taco with mole sauce), it brought back the fondest memories of interior shopping around Oaxaca (and regretting not buying more ceramics, handwoven rugs and all of the homeware while I was there). My favourite purchase was a set of handmade red clay (barro rojo) mugs and saucers with painted daisies splashed across; they bring so much joy to my coffee each morning. I can’t find the same style online, but Etsy has a few alternatives.
It’s also inspired me to pay a visit to Milagros, one of our 50 best independent design shops in the UK. The Columbia Road-based store, which has been going strong for the past 30 years, is the address to know for delightfully colourful and creative Mexican goods – and it’s here I’m going to expand my Mexican homeware collection till my next trip back.
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I’m a very big tea drinker – we’re talking 15+ cups a day – but since writing this etiquette guide last month, I’ve been thinking about quality as well as quantity. Having been brought up on loose leaf tea, I know it tastes better, but in recent years I’ve let the convenience of the teabag win out. Foremost in my mind is investing in a good teapot. While I’m well aware that, strictly speaking, I should be looking at bone china with matching cups, I find myself drawn towards solid stoneware. I’ve long been a fan of Catherine and Matt West’s work, sold through their studio Pottery West – and I’m not alone, as every drop sells like hotcakes. This flecked stoneware teapot is made by hand in their Sheffield studio and each glaze is completely individual to the piece. At the moment, they’ve only got white available, which is very lovely, but I’m keeping my eyes peeled for the dark and moody nori colourway as soon as it comes back in stock.
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I've been in the market for some wall art to hang above my desk at home and in my room. I was inspired by the framed embroidery in the bedroom of Charlotte Boundy's Victorian terrace in London. It has led me down the particularly delightful rabbit hole of framed vintage embroidery from Georgian silk embroidered portraits seen on Vinterior to psychedelic compositions from the late 1960s and early 70s. I've also become curious about trying my hand with quite a few companies, such as The Fabled Thread, offering home embroidery kits, with which Charlotte herself created the quaint framed works in her bedroom.
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I was immediately struck by the fitted tiger carpet covering the floors of art collector Pauline Karpidas’ theatrical London house, the contents of which are being auctioned by Sotheby’s this month, and include works by Dalí and Picasso. I’m struggling to find a carpet or rug that looks exactly the same, but this one by Nordic Knots is a lovely alternative. If money were no object, other pieces I’d invest in to channel Karpidas’ eccentric, maximalist home include this House of Hackney leopard print sofa, and a delicate Magritte lithograph.
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I have always been drawn to works on paper, and few artists used the medium with more imagination than Goya. Taschen’s new volume gathers all 287 of his prints, from the biting Caprichos to the haunting Disasters of War. To turn its pages is to follow Goya as he probes folly, cruelty and beauty with an unflinching eye. The scholarship is impeccable, but what I love most is the immediacy of the images themselves. It feels like an essential book to live with, a timeless companion for anyone who cares about art and the power of the printed page.
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