NEW DESIGNERS - natalie turner

natalie turner recently graduated from a surface pattern degree course at staffordshire university. earlier this month natalie exhibited in london at 'new designers' and sent me these pics from the show. her final project has a british seaside theme with ice creams, a donkey, and my fave the trendy caravan motif. you can contact natalie via her staffs uni page here.

FABRICS - cloud9

cloud9 fabrics are an independent fabric company in the US specializing in 100% certified organic cottons. here on P+P we will recognise one of the companies founders michelle engel bencsko of cicada studio. cloud9 aim is to bring affordable, contemporary patterns using eco-responsible farming, printing and finishing methods to the quilt and craft markets. their debut collection, my happy garden is due out this autumn both in the US and internationally.

ILLUSTRATION - anna platts

anna platts is a freelance illustrator, designer and artist based in brighton. as you can see from the images anna has an eye for florals and has an interesting online folio here.

TEA TOWEL - stuart gardiner

designer stuart gardiner has created a unique tea towel design featuring a yearly guide to 74 british seasonal fruits & vegetables, all printed in six colours on a unbleached organic cotton tea towel made in the UK. available online here.

RETRO - bygraziela

there has been a real blog and web buzz around 'bygraziela' lately. much excitment has surrounded the re-release of the beautiful seventies designs so i thought i would do a pictorial design review and highlight where you buy graziela from in the UK. originaly popular in germany in the 1970's the prints were designed by graziela preiser, and now working with her daughter nina they are being re-launched. the first print available was '1,2,3 and others are set to follow. a collaboration with german designer thorsten van elten has also led to a ceramic collection. you can buy graziela bedlinen online in the UK at 'hunky dory home' and at not on the high street. the full collection including posters and mugs can be ordered UK and internationally from the bygraziela shop.

FABRICS - new kokka designs

these brand new designs from japanese fabric company 'kokka' have just arrived at fabric rehab. there is a gorgeous new floral, folky red riding hood, and cute strawberries. available online here.

CARDS - numbers

ive recently been thinking about 'numbers' as a design motif - so i thought i'd post some examples here. all these cards are available in paperchase at tottenham court road, london.

ILLUSTRATION - clare tupper

these lovely illustrations taken from cards were sent to me by designer clare tupper. lovely use of hand drawn flowers and script. from the 'daisy patch' range. clare can be contacted at ourhouse@madasafish.com.

GIFT BAGS - sukie/chronicle

i finally got my hands on the sukie gift bag set from chronicle books. the cute set consists of twelve bags featuring six designs in three bag sizes, plus sticker sheets to label your bags. an absolute must for sukie fans its available here on amazon uk or amazon usa.

MISC SNAPS - notebooks

i thought i'd post up some miscellaneous stationery snaps i took last week. some were unlabelled but others were by caroline gardner and designers guild.

PAPERCHASE - baby range

really cute new baby characters from paperchase, which uses an interesting colour palette for babies. this new design hitting the shops now comes in cards, giftwrap, and baby stationery.

MUGS - petra boase

i was in winchester last week for the opening of a new cath kidston store (see the next post) and whilst i was there i went into the excellent shop the hambledon and spotted these new petra boase mugs.

CATH KIDSTON - new store

a brand new cath kidston store opened in winchester last week. this beautifully decorated store is spread over two large floors and besides the usual brilliant cath kidston collections their is a strong emphasis on original vintage pieces. under the label 'cath kidston vintage' you can rummage through some lovely fabric pieces. here are few snaps of my visit..

CARDS - soul uk

bright, fresh, and fun designs are the signature style of card publisher soul uk. soul are based in oxfordshire, and besides their colourful cards & wrap they also produce stationery and lifestyle ranges. you may remember we have previously admired vikki aust's work, who is an in house designer at soul. here are some snaps i gathered from shops such as g store and paperchase, with many of the designs here credited to designer emma davis. look out for them in stores or visit the soul uk website to enquire about stocking these fab ranges.

some of vikki aust's awesome designs that we've admired before on p+p

PAPERCHASE - pet champz

pet champz is a brand new kids range at paperchase. a couple of weeks ago i was lucky enough to attend their autumn/christmas preview show where i got these great pics of just some of the products in the range. pet champz follows on from the successful pet chopz design and sees the pets now dressed as super heroes. UK readers can shop paperchase online here or in stores, and US readers can see them in branches of borders books.

STUDENT AWARD - graham & brown

last month P+P reported on melissa selmin's graduate show - and we all spotted her great talent and potential. seems we were right as last week mel won the "graham & brown award" at the 'new designers' show. wallpaper manufacturers graham & brown were so impressed with mel's designs that they will commercially print two of her designs immediately. well done melissa, details of the award can be seen here.

WALLPAPER - harlequin

talking of the 'new designers' exhibition last years winning wallpaper has just been released. 'brighton' by kate laskey was produced by harlequin and forms part of their 'identity' collection. featuring hand drawn interpretations of regency townhouses you can see more on what inspired kate's designs here. also in the identity collection is 'illuminate' which uses strong graphic images of retro lampshades, and 'acacia' depicting silhouettes of trees.

ETSY SHOP - hang tight studio

heather dutton, the designer behind the maine based hang tight studio has opened an etsy shop selling notebooks, gift tags, and wall art. heather has put her artwork onto pine blocks, slightly distressed the edges and finished with a light coating of satin finish lacquer for protection. the blocks are ready to hang immediately with a saw tooth hanger on the back. you can visit the hang tight studio shop here.

TABLEWARE - millamella

ive really fallen in love with these melamine plates by millamella that i came across whilst browsing on etsy. you will have probably spotted their scandinavian look straight away, so its no surprise to see that millamella is a norwegian designer, now living in california. her etsy shop is brand new so please do check it out here.

TOTE BAGS - common totes

'common totes' is a new tote bag crowdsourced site calling for design entries. anyone across the globe with a creative streak can submit designs for tote bags, for the sites community to vote on. the best designs get manufactured into actual tote bags for sale and each winning design will be awarded a prize of US$300! they have just printed the first two designs on tote bags (one of which is above) and they're now for sale online. visit common totes to browse the current entries, and maybe add your own.

ILLUSTRATION - jess mikhail

jess mikhail is a freelance children's book illustrator who likes to add patterns and collage into her character's clothing or into the interiors of her pages. you can check out jess's online folio here.

DESIGNER - ami suma

originally from tokyo ami suma moved to the USA as a teenager. ami works in fashion trends publishing but also creates the most amazing wall murals for children's rooms, galleries etc. see here for some great examples of her projects.

WALL ART - wish you were here

after the success of their range of patternscape prints and products earlier this year, 'wish you were here' thought it was about time to launch a fresh new range of art prints to "get everybody's walls ready for summer". see their whole collection here.

DESIGNER - miss chandni

lovely floral designs and cute birds by uk designer 'miss chandni'. chandni creates prints and patterns for use on greeting cards, fabrics, canvas prints and is now in the process of trying to find a design job and also promote her work.

STORE SNAPS - selfridges

some more of my selfridges snaps taken last week. including lovely packaging on orla kiely chocolates.

selfridges have lots of scandinavian designs in the basement, my faves being sanna annukka for marimekko on tea towels and tins. plus marimekko mugs by maija louekari’s.

cath kidston's 'stanley' lunchbox and floral print accessories.

STORE SNAPS - british motifs

i saw lots of british themed designs out shopping last week, and snapped some for print & pattern. starting with selfridges who had lots of patriotic cushions and of course the ubiquitous 'keep calm' poster which was also spotted in 'topshop'.

british themed designs as snapped in london's topshop at oxford circus.

FABRICS - brita sweden

lovely fabrics from brita sweden. brita are a family business that have been in textile production for generations. they design and produce organic fabric, cushions, beddings,bags, wool and plastic rugs, tray tables, aprons, and other interior accessories.

CUSHIONS - thomas paul

sneak previews of new 'pillow' designs from thomas paul.

DESIGNER - lotta odelius

i was in the kitchen department in selfridges last week and spotted some beautiful chopping boards from swedish company sagaform. the were by designer lotta odelius and featured stylised apples, lemons, and oranges. they also had these great floral glasses in the picnic display at selfridges. me being me i had to make a note of lotta's name and look her up online when i got home. so here are some more pics of lotta's work found on her website and blog and at sagaform and further down snaps taken in selfridges.

TEXTILES - saffron craig

australian designer saffron craig’s new contemporary fabric designs are inspired by the natural world, from "the whimsy and subtlety of the dandelion print to the whirling gingko blossoms and the cute, quizzical owls in trees". saffron begins with a hand drawn motif, before working her design into a finished product on the computer. new ranges 'the fields' feature five designs - a large scale print of parrots in a forest, dandelions in pink and yellow, dandelion circles and squiggly flowers, and owls, featuring gingko blossom, trees minion, owls in trees, and a large scale print of owls nesting, are out now. see here for details or go straight to the shop.

WALL ART - yumi yumi

new prints by aline of the yumi yumi studio. two are tree inspired and two are tea inspired.

CHARACTER DESIGN - sari hod

these interesting characters known as 'yo dolls' were illustrated and made by sari hod from i have a print.

DESIGNER - applesass studio

applesass studio is the creation of designer tanya swanson. tanya had worked as a designer and art director, where clients included target and walmart, before taking the plunge and going freelance with applesass. creative services include trend and market research, illustration product, surface design, and graphics. "add a little sass to your product" by clicking here.

DESIGNERS - edholm & ullenius

in a follow up to last weeks ikea reports ive been doing some background research on the designers behind the prints. two names kept cropping up - s edholm & l ullenius. sissi edholm & lisa ullenius have a great portfolio site here. you'll recognise the ikea aprons we all admired last week, and the tripp tins and lovely bird fabrics.

TEXTILES - fiona howard

fiona howard is another designer associated with ikea. fiona designed the beautiful floral card set i posted last week. these new pictures from fiona show her own textile range which will be on sale next month at her 'Pop up Shop' from 6th to 17th august on brighton beach in the fishing quarter gallery. fiona will be sharing her shop with kate jenkins of cardigan ltd. see here for more of fiona range and further info about the 'shop on the shore' event.

TEA TOWELS - to dry for

to dry for is your one stop shop for the best in designer tea towels. brands stocked include pintuck, mr.ps, solitaire, and unity peg. to dry for also commission exclusive designs such as this one (above & below) by uk illustrator stuart kolakovic. also shown below is a sun design from pintuck and floral/bird tea towel by lush. see here for more fabulous designs.

ILLUSTRATION - stuart kolakovic

if you admired his tea towel design at 'to dry for' then you might like to see more on illustrator stuart kolakovic. stuart is based in the UK in the west midlands and is represented by the heart agency. you can visit his website here, or follow his interesting blog, and even get hold of your own piece of art in stuart's etsy shop here.

VINTAGE - mini moderns

mini moderns have put together a collection of cushions using vintage 'found' fabrics. all made in the UK, these are just some of their limited edition designs. see mini moderns for more info.

EVENT - london lane fete

"soak up the fun of the village fete in urban london" - homeware, fashion, refreshments, handmade cakes, brick a brack, and games will be on show at the london lane fete this weekend. 11th of July. 12-6pm in the yard behind 17 london lane. one of the designers orgnising the event is anya jane who has more info here.

IKEA FINALE- aprons

its the final day of my ikea photo report (although i still have the student show to post next week). these gorgeous geometric folk type patterns were spotted on aprons in the household department. the patterns are bright and fun but still maintain their scandinavian cool. dont forget, if you have seen something this week that you wanted to buy, that the new ikea catalogue comes out in august - so it could be that some of these designs may soon disappear.

IKEA - cushions

more stylish geometrics - this time on cushions. rectangular in shape 'lusy blom' is just £3.59 for the cover and pad. also by the same designer, cilla ramnek, is the cute 'lusy knapp' set of two cushions featuring hand drawn images of buttons.

IKEA - cushions pt 2

various cushions and upholstery prints spotted last week in ikea.

IKEA - bedding

finally from ikea a quick look around the bedlinen section. i especially loved their take on the stem print featuring ever decreasing shapes inside the leaves.

IKEA SNAPS - tripp tins 1

for todays ikea snaps im in the kitchen department, where i couldnt resist these 'tripp' tins which were designed by anna efverlund. i love the bright colours and retro geo pattern, and they sit nicely next to orla kiely's patterns. just £1.99 for a set of three.

IKEA - tripp tins 2

this second set of ikea 'tripp' tins use the same colours as the previous set but features a different pattern (this time designed by s edholm/l ullenius). £4.88 for the set of 3.

IKEA - glassware

interesting and unusual designs on summer glassware at ikea.

IKEA - napkins

paper napkins, designed to co-ordinate with glasses and cutlery, as spotted in ikea last week.

IKEA - tableware

there didnt seem to be as much patterned tableware as i would've expected in ikea. most of the designs were just plain colours. but here are my best finds...

IKEA - textiles pt.1 : birds

today's ikea snaps are all from their fabulous textiles department. somehow ikea manage to bring bold scandinavian style to the masses, and at really low prices. for example the beautiful bird designs shown here (designed by s edholm/l ullenius) are just £3.91 and £1.99 a metre. scroll down for lots more textile snaps, and if you cant make it to ikea then you can still get hold of their fabrics here on etsy.

IKEA - textiles pt 2 : organic

i love the grey and yellow combination on this floral from the patricia collection by linda svensson. followed by tree like designs from cilla ramnek, and the organic black & white shapes of the collection by sven fristedt.

IKEA - textiles pt 3 : leaves

leafy designs of all types, as spotted in ikea last week.

IKEA - textiles pt 4 : brights

examples of ikea's very bold fabric prints.

IKEA - textiles pt 5 : geos

finally some snaps from the petronella collection of retro styled geometrics by linda svensson.

IKEA TRIP - fiona howard cards

more snaps from last weeks ikea visit today. starting with these gorgeous floral cards by fiona howard (who we've featured here before). fiona also designed the amazing sanderson wallpaper we all fell in love with recently. her art cards for ikea are sold in a pack of 5 and are single postcards ready for framing. im off the the paperchase press show today to see the launch of their new autumn and christmas products so my trusty camera will be back in action again today. see you tomorrow for a few more great ikea pics.

IKEA - wall art

also in the ikea art dept : above is an example of fiona howard's cards in a frame in one of the stores roomsets, and below more snaps of the various art cards. i especially thought the kitchen set by korpi and gordon was so cute. interestingly the figure cards are by P+P favourite lotta glave.

IKEA - children

ikea always have a bright and fun collection of patterns for children. my particular favourites were these animal characters designed by eva lundgreen.