retro ceramics

something i spotted on ~0~ follows on nicely from yesterdays sixties style post. lena shared a couple of japanese sites, one of which is flaska online. the impressive thing about this site is that they've photographed the details of the pattern up close, something you dont always see and yet its the very bit we need. that makes this site a really useful resource.

sixties style

i bought a new book this weekend that has offered up lots of inspiration. sixties style by judith miller is packed with great photographs of home accessories, fashions, and collectables. theres very little text, just page after page of photographs (my kind of book). even if you are not a fan of this era there is still a lot you can draw from the motifs used and be inspired to use them in new ways, bringing them bang up to date. published by dorling kindersly ( a publisher renowned for quality) the book is on sale in the uk for just £7.99. ISBN 1-4053-0628-9.

illustration

i found these illustrations whilst searching for lotta kuhlhorn the other day. agent form have lots of illustrators on their site besides lotta , and below are few that caught my eye. kristian russell
kristian russell
cecilia carlstedt

unknown canvases

i had these files saved now for a year in a file named 'hornsea', but i cant remember where they came from. ive googled the name to try and find out but of course all you get is hornsea pottery. they are cool painted canvases of geometric patterns - but unfortunately i cant credit their creator. if you recognise them please drop me a line. i'd love to know if they're still working and see what they've produced lately.

swedish patterns

i bought a great sheet of wrapping paper on saturday from beau-monde and decided to look into the work of its creator lotta kuhlhorn. and sure enough i found these other fantastic designs

on lotta's website.

lotta wrap

this is the lotta kuhlhorn paper i bought this weekend. pop art flowers in flouro punk style colours.

best in show

this really is my last 'pulse' post - one stand that i really liked ( i would've given it best in show )

was that of lovely lovely. they had neon bright lace doilies and cool souvenir tea towels, and they also do a great range of tableware - and the mugs put me in mind of fire king.

textile museum

a selection of interesting archive treasures held at the museum of domestic design & architecture.

saturday = shopping

as usual ive been checking out the shops today and here are a few of the patterns seen : first up two fashion prints from white stuff.and below a cute floral print on a wash bag in debenhams
a pink beach bag print from new look
and flowers in the window of marks & spencer

also seen........

also seen today dotted designs in paperchase & laura ashley
nice japanese style patterns on packaging in boots, and pop florals on glasses in robert dyas.

ruth adler

when it comes to designing with circles ruth adler is an expert. canadian artist ruth produces lush prints on paper and canvas as well as lampshades.

notebooks etc

i recently needed a travel journal - and for me there was only one place to look - sukie.

formed by a husband & wife team of graphic designers their books are the epitomy of cool.

they've also built up their ranges over the last few years and added tea towels and cushions.

this is the book i chose - love those skyscrapers

stationary patterns

patterned folders from stationary store see jane work, i especially love the rubberbands design at the top of the post - its such a good idea. then below a selection of other goodies...



and new in - jonathan adler notebooks - one of our key designers.

country ceramics

one last final pulse exhibitor to post today - gabriela miller's colourful ceramics fitted right into the current uk trend for vintage & country styles, as well as some bright fun designs.

scandinavian style prints

these stunning prints are by brighton based designer jane foster. inspired by 1960's scandinavian style jane produces limited edition prints, as well as bags, purses, and cushion covers. check out her store on ebay where you'll also find she sells vintage fabrics and retro design pieces.

pulse day 3

jane robinson specialises in producing luxury cushions and uses some of the best contemporary fabrics around including those by print & pattern faves romo and florence broadhurst.

card print

an image from the pulse brochure by iona design

pulse links

i just wanted to share a few links with you of other pulse exhibitors. if you have a few moments spare to browse then these are well worth looking at : a really cute stand by as twee as can be and there were gorgeous silk patterned lampshades by mother & daughter team miss print.

ceramics

i must apologise if any of the picture quality from pulse is low but getting picture at trade fairs can be tricky as designers are naturally protective over their work.

(and quite rightly so, literature is expensive to print and they dont want to go giving away to people who arent buyers). hence these pictures dont do the work of bryony burn justice - they were so nice in the flesh. as seen on the artforum stand.

bag prints

australian company uchi had lots of nice prints on wash bags and luggage

pulse report day 2

more great patterns today from the pulse show in london. i love these brilliant floral cards by the strawberry card company. just my cup of tea !

decor8

big thanks to holly from decor8 who has made me her 'blog of the week'. a big welcome to anyone who is new to print & pattern. feel free to say hello and comment. and if you're stuck for inspiration check the archives which are packed with lots of great patterns.

plates

super sweet plates from rice denmark. they have a huge stand at pulse that looks like a sunlit filled house.

oil cloth

stylish oilcloths from scandi-chic

cards

more great cards from pulse with these eyecatching cards from nella.

textiles

sophisticated floral fabrics by designer camilla meijer

pulse reports

heres the first of my as 'seen at pulse' postings. really cute prints by michelle mason.

michelle was in the launchpad section of the show which promoted new designers.

pulse report : cards

nice cards from visual philosphy - formed by graphic designers from oxford who wanted to break out from the restrictions of doing corporate design and have a little fun.

talking tables

i loved the packaging and graphics on these party picnicwares from talking tables.

digital designs

all these designs are from fabric 24 and are specially created for digital printing onto textiles. this kind of printing means no limit to the number of colours you can use as it cancels the need for screens or rollers. i just thought some of the patterns were quite cool.

new store

not so many posts today as usual as ive been out and about again attending the pulse trade fair. this is london's best show for cards and home accessories. i havent had time yet to sort all my brochures but ive seen loads of great things which i can hopefully report this week. after the show i went over to see the brand new habitat shop on regent street. this is the first store tom dixon has designed for habitat, and as if that wasnt good enough there is a huge zara home opening up next door. this officially makes it a new destination for design fans.

paper bag

this has to be the best paper bag ive seen for ages, from topshop. it has a striking pink & black floral design on ivory, with solid pink side panels.

labels

a swing tag label and spare button envelope used on a linen range of clothing. i liked the linear style of the flowers mixed with the itallic font.

prints

silver and green japanese floral print in topshop.

interesting motifs on a skirt in topshop.

saturday = shopping

today ive been to marylebone high street, one of london's great streets for pattern fans. starting with a branch of cath kidston, even if you're familiar with her products its well worth a visit to see the cute styling in the store.
st christopher's place links marylebone to oxford street and selfridges and is the home of the marimekko shop - this is the best way to walk to the high street ensuring you see all the good stuff along the way.
a nice pattern seen in the window of the white company another beautiful store in the street.
a couple of other highlights are the conran shop, skandium, cologne & cotton, and bridgewater.

saturday equals shopping

a few prints seen around town today - above an interesting flower from monsoon, and all those below are from the amazing lower ground floor of topshop. if you're in london this is a must see.

fab designer

im sorry this post is so huge. i wanted to review the brilliant patterns of jackie shapiro and there were so many great designs that i didnt know where to stop. bright colours and funky geometrics are her trademark on everything from picnicware to dressing gowns. im sure most of you are familiar with her work but if you fancy a refresher see jackie's own company french bull, and also see tepper jackson for bags etc.

note books

a selection of notebooks and stationary by chronicle books. they seem to work with all the cool designers : lotta jansdotter, angela adams, denyse schmidt.

cool geos

brilliant crewel work designs by katherine shaughnessy. katherine has not only attempted to make crewel cool but shes done it with some great geometric ideas. check out the crewel kits at wool & hoop or find out about the designer here. i must confess i dont yet have katherine's book "the new crewel" although it is on my wishlist.

linear floral

a smart contemporary floral design by george at asda. this is the first season of homewares at asda where the george design team have taken the helm, and now theyre more stylish than ever. take a new look at asda if you can , this floral design is also available as bedlinen, bathlinen, and bathroom ceramics.

clover prints

sweet prints as seen on lucid online

wallpapers etc

a selection of designs available at B&Q

cards

cute modern floral cards by freckleface designs.

fabric cards

these fabric postcards are by kelly hyatt for beaumonde. or see them in scribbler stores.

cards/wrap

more fantastic designs from beaumonde.

kids bedlinen

more great bedlinen for kids - this time spotted on design public. designed by rosemary hallgarten of nursery works, these are another great example of not going for the obvious when it comes to childrens motifs and colours.

alexander girard

these are all delightful patterns from american textile designer alexander girard (1907-1995). some have a real folky feel but with daringly vibrant colours for the time. others are cool and sophisticated geometrics. born in new york, raised in italy, and trained in london, girard's textile career took off in the 1950's and his designs are still in production to this day.

united colours

new bedlinen and beach towel prints from italian giants benetton.

melamine