giftwrap archive

a design by hanna werning for beaumonde. i bought this sheet in scribbler on wardour street because its a great combination of 3 hot trends : japanese,teal, and birds.

fresh print

this is a fabric scarf that ive had in my files for a long time - so long that i forget where i bought it from. i just thought i'd post it as the colour scheme is so fresh.

printed skirt

i bought this skirt by great plains in anticipation of the summer. i love the flat graphic print especially the rose below. apologies for the creases - i just took it out the bag and snapped it. you can view a smarter version and alternative colourway here.

bag print

this spirograph type print is from a mesh tote bag by billy bag.

retro bag

this orange and brown gift bag from john lewis looks very 1970's - i posted the blue version back in march - but i like the pattern so much that i bought another colour.

wallpaper

absolute aero degrees are graphic designers with a nice line in wallpaper. in 2004 their swallows design caused quite a stir- and now theyve launched a range of childrens wallpaper called 'playtime'. designs include the inspired 'town' wallpaper shown below, and the cute chicken & egg design.

key designers 1

i thought i'd take a look at influential designers who are shaping pattern trends today. starting with the talented angela adams. this is just a tiny snapshot of her wide ranging portfolio, which includes rugs, stationary, tiles, tableware, bags, and much more.these cute stationary packs from chronicle are a great way to enjoy angela's prints at home, and at £6.95 wont break the bank either. from selfridges, london.

wallpaper

wallpaper by fromental featuring chinese sparrows and spikey flowers.

click the image to enlarge and see the true quality of these designs

swatch

influential pattern from the queen of the wrap dress diane von furstenberg.

tea towels

lovely bright tea towels from cool stockholm store lagerhaus.

be inspired by......

.....lattice and grill type designs

mibo

3 super chic designs for drum lampshades by mibo. simple but highly effective.

cards & wrap

beautiful wrapping paper and cards from earthworks. really fresh and modern with great use of colour.

zpm

ZPM do some lovely wash bags - ideal for getaways & holidays - but they also offer good browsing for pattern fans.

urban patterns

a collection of patterns gathered over time from the fantastic urban outfitters.

mug watch

beautiful japanese print mugs - just £9.99 for the set from studio.

mug store snaps

a few more mug designs spotted in 'wikinsons' and 'woolworths'.

vintage wallpaper

vintage wallpaper from ew moore

vintage motif

vintage cream jug

cath kidston

these two prints are the endpapers from cath kidston's book "in print" and i imagine they are vintage fabrics from her own personal collection.

greengate

beautiful new designs from danish company greengate . see them exhibiting in london next month at pulse.

tea towels

i thought these tea towels from jam tart were quite cute - a good contrast of flat geometric ground with hand drawn style illustration.

london shop window

i went into town shopping yesterday, and remembered to take my camera this time. here are a few of the patterns i saw as i wandered around. i was so impressed with the prints by happie go luckie - the linked circles designs were fantastic.

orla kiely store

this is orla kiely's new store in monmouth street. i went there a couple of saturdays ago but didnt take a camera. so i went back yesterday. cool graphics on the windows and walls set off the bags nicely.

orla kiely prints

and a visit to the store gives me the perfect excuse to show some of orla's prints........

giftwrap archive

a selection of radiating designs.

filofax

nobody needs a plain and boring cover to their filofax, not when they have these cute printed designs available.

rug design review

today ive been looking for inspiration and visual stimulation from rugs - and boy have i found it. i didnt realise how many great patterns i would find. kicking off with the designer versions - it seems anyone whos anyone has designed a rug. these are some of my faves. marni
marni kim parker
paul smith
paul smith
kim parker and matthew williamson
nina campbell and lulu guinness
allegra hicks and dianne von furstenburg

william yeoward

rug design review 2

next up are a few from the more mid price bracket. habitat

art meets matter

present time

rug design review 3

nice girly flowery designs from made to measure

made to measure

rug design review 4

next up its gorgeous style from brilliant contemporary rug company loophouse

rug design review 5

finally japanese rugs on the high street from matalan matalan

vintage style

if like me you like a vintage look- then plumo have a few nice bits , especially those cath kidston style ice lolly makers and the illustrated tea towels.

ceramics

fresh from the ICFF milan are these cool ceramics from italian company moroso, some of which are designed by the wonderful tord boontje. i love the beautiful whimsical patterns.

marimekko source

sheerhome is a good source for marimekko designs - especially if you cant sew or are too busy. they have a wide range of ready made marimekko cushions and wallhangings.

prestigious textiles

im really impressed with the work of prestigious textiles - they are bringing out some great collections. and just now they are going through a re-design of their branding which should make them even more appealing. definately one to watch.

kuboaa

i picked up a leaflet from 'kuboaa' at 100% design last year - anyone interested in contemporary wallpapers should take a look at their website. i like the use of colour and the linea style thats been used on the floral & leafy designs.

black & white

black & white designs have never been cooler than they are now. if you're busy designing and stuck for colour inspiration why not go for monochrome. it looks smart, crisp, and contemporary. i've even found that you can re-visit older designs and re-colour them into black & white they look bang up to date again.

pencil case

i bought this pencil case last year - but the pattern still looks cutting edge today. from ordning and reda, a great shop for smart desk stationary.

book report

from the bookshelf today is a book that no pattern designer should be without - '1000 patterns' by drusilla cole. it takes you through countries and years in chronological order. the illustrations arent huge but the compact nature of this book is part of its charm - it takes very little effort to carry it round or keep it handy.

the book has 16 pages of brilliant japanese designs

1000 patterns by drusilla cole - published by chronicle books ISBN 0-8118-3979-6

florence broadhurst

can you believe all these prints were designed years ago ? they all look so modern. in fact all of florence broadhurst's work was designed between 1959 and her death in 1977. they are released as and when signature prints feel the colours and prints become fashionable. the japanese floral print at the top of this post has become something of a classic over the last couple of years. available from borderline fabrics in the uk.

denyse schmidt

this is the fabulous denyse schmidt stationary set i bought in selfridges - i doubt i will use it because i love the prints so much - i just want to keep them all together.

petra boase

petra boase is one of those designers where you just think they must have so much fun. her work looks carefree as if she can do whatever she likes (something i envy as i often have to follow a tight brief).

petra is also author of lots of crafts books, and has appeared on tv. petra boase tea towels

flocked photo album. check out petra's cute website here.

mug watch

cool japanese print mugs from john lewis.

giftwrap archive

one from neisha crosland

scrapbooks

a few more of my scrapbooks - only this time covered in designers guild wrapping paper.

red swatches

red is a hot colour for 06/07 - with this in mind i ordered a few samples from designers guild to put onto moodboards. it turned out the envelope was red too with a striking red and white baroque motif - i actually prefer this to any of the samples.

bird illustration

as we all know birds are the flavour of the season so i wanted to get inspired by this illustration from lucy vigrass. it has brilliant use of colour by making it so unatural from what you'd expect. it shows me my birds can be any colour i want.

inspired by.......

.....vintage ceramics

this 1965 'sunflower' design by hornsea pottery looks so contemporary it couldve been designed yesterday. it puts me in mind of orla kiely's graphic flowers.

this design 'chequers' is by terence conran for midwinter in the 1950's. still looking good 50 years on.
this is another design that inspires me by looking so modern - 'festival' by jessie tait for midwinter.
spikey motifs and floral designs are in trend just now.

this is one of a few good books i have on vintage ceramics, its a great book for designers especially if you are designing tableware - with lots and lots of pictures its a resource that can offer plenty of ideas

'midwinter pottery' by steven jenkins - published by richard dennis

online store

we all love and admire the work of atelier lzc - but i thought