hemingway

wayne hemingway is a well known designer and commentator. particularly impressive are his wallpaper designs.

birds

it seems ironic that the week bird flu arrives in britain birds are declared the trendiest motif in pattern design. images of birds are already prolific in designer circles but now should make the transition to high street. expect to see lots more avian designs next season and into 2007.

romo fabrics

i recently attended the 'focus - london design week' show where all the big fabric companies launch their new collections. and for me the "best in show" was romo fabrics. i just loved everything they had on show. check them out here to see how great collections should be designed - stunning work!

tea towels

cool tea towels - just £8.00 for a set of 4 from sarah smith

patterned stuff

as you know i am all for companies putting patterns onto everything. it keeps us designers in business. so it was with great delight i noticed a couple of products lately that are now getting the print treatment : one was these birkenstock shoes i spotted on QVC, and the other craft knives from bloomsbury store.

textile company

a few designs by gill nono of 'nono fabrics' . check out the website for lots of interesting collections.

st judes

vintage in feel and beautifully simple these fabrics : dandelion one and dandelion two, are by angela lewin for st.judes a printed fabrics company.

angela's illustrations are nothing short of amazing. check out how talented she is by seeing her prints here on her gallery website.

classic english style

these fabulous prints are from vanessa arbuthnott - i love the simplicity of one colour prints. see the website for bags of english style.

orla kiely

i know this is my fith post on orla kiely already on my blog - but i just cant help myself. i really admire her bold graphic style. above are some of her patterns & below some of her products. i'll try not to become an orla kiely bore - but i am going to see her new shop on saturday so i may have to report on that ( if i can get any pics).

mug watch

all these mugs are by british designer emma bridgewater. i got my first pieces in the early nineties when spongeware was all the rage - whilst the trend faded away bridgewater remained and has become a classic british brand that never goes out of style.

topshop print

this interesting dress fabric is designed by celia birtwell for a new collection launching at topshop oxford circus later this month.

swatch

this pretty delicate pattern, in a fabric and also a wallpaper, is by rapture and wright.

clarissa hulse

clarissa hulse is the designer who single handedly made shadow prints ( or silhouettes ) fashionable. where she leads others follow. these are some of her latest drum shades.

check out all her fabulous creations here

shadow print

this is another example of a shadow print only this time more graphic in style. from john lewis.

kelly hyatt

i love this sophisticated design by kelly hyatt creative director of beaumonde. they produce some of the most stylish cards and gift wrap in the UK. their site is currently having a refit but when complete it will be well worth a look.

laura ashley

i cant tell you how much i love 'laura ashley'. just walking into one of their shops is so great - the tables piled high with beautiful goodies, fabric on the roll,wallpaper, clothes....... its like tiffany's nothing bad could ever happen in there. the images above are all wallpapers, the website doesnt do the products justice - the images are so small -visit a store if you can & drink it all in.

some of my laura ashley pieces

this is my hallway - i have the laura ashley 'erin' wallpaper in duck egg blue & silver.

sorry for the awful pic - its too dark

this sweet folk design is actually a perspex cd holder - i have four of these boxes which i use for keeping allsorts of things in not just cds.

paperchase

no inspiration visit to london is complete without a trip to the "paperchase" flagship store in tottenham court road. its a pattern designers dream - they even put patterns onto tables !
im especially smitten with this cotton 'eden' organiser by filofax £24.99. paperchase, tottenham court road, london. W1

retro wallpaper

this groovy retro wallpaper is from a really interesting company called : wallpaper from the 70's.the design is titled "dragon" & costs about 14 euros a roll. anyone who has seen the mighty boosh on their huge UK tour recently will recognise this paper from the stage set.

lauren child

if anyone asks me " who is the most influential illustrator at the moment ?" i would probably say lauren child. with books, a tv show, and now a card & stationary deal with roger la borde, lauren is certainly making waves. the way she uses interiors and patterns in her pictures is so brilliant.

check out the charlie & lola drawings here.

giftwrap archive

looking through my archive of wrapping paper i came across this floral selection......

habitat wallpaper

these two wallpapers are from the habitat VIP collection, available in their stores priced

at between £22-£25 a roll.

wallpaper

this has to be my favourite wallpaper at the moment : im predicting quite an interest in these sort of 'linked circle' designs in 2007. this paper called "utopia" is from harlequin.

orla kiely

another example of a linked circle design - this time wrapping paper from orla kiely.

ceramics

i love the spirograph look of this fresh modern pattern from portmeirion called 'crazy daisy'.
the company has definately made moves towards the more contemporary over the last couple of years working with designers such as ella doran and sophie conran.

book report

todays book is 'all wrapped up' by kevin akers. this great book has 255 pages of vintage wrapping paper.
ALL WRAPPED UP - kevin akers published by chronicle books

ISBN 0-8118-4373-4 £10.55 from amazon

the book is divided into themes, like these daisy pages from the floral section.

with easter just around the corner this pattern is especially interesting.

i love books with lots of pictures and this one is jam packed !

vintage roses

i bought these napkins on thursday - its great to see the vintage theme appearing everywhere
in stores now. these are from the shabby chic range by rex international ( available online from
dotcomgiftshop.com ) or see them as i did in 'age of elegance' stores.