he said... i like it allot

Check out this very nice wall mounted espresso maker, I have not seen anything like it before, I love the way the various components have been taken out and separated from the main body of the unit. Simply beautiful.

Seppl by Arvid Hausser.

Kind of reminds me of these porcelain speakers by Joey Roth, also very very nice.

she said...wish I was brave enough...Catalina Estrada Wallpaper

I recently stumbled across this amazing wallpaper collection by Catalina Estrada and wanted to share it with you.

I have never been a fan of using wallpaper, its not that I don't think there are some amazing prints out there it is more down to the fact that I have never been brave enough to commit to one. With wall paper you really have to love it and I am bit too fickle to commit. However discovering these stunning photos of Catatlina's new collection makes me wish a was a little more brash and braver with some of my interior choices.

just a little bit in love with everything in the photo. Vintage tiles, distressed doors, some vintage crochet, amazing mix of prints and colours. Its like they read my mind.

If your like me and you love the style and designs but not brave enough to have on your wall check out her website for other products including bedspreads, dresses, umbrellas and notebooks.

she said...its all about spring.

This weekends clear blue skies and the fact that I didn't have to leave the house armed with hat, gloves, scarf and coat made me very happy indeed and filled me with the joys of spring. 'Goodbye winter' i said 'and hello pastel colour things, fresh flowers on demand, good use of my sunglasses and BBQs....'

However in typical British Weather style it didn't last long and the view from my window is now a grey one. So whilst the weather makes up its mind here are some accessories for the home to remind us that Spring IS on the way,  even if the forecast says something different. 

1. My Favourite Spot in Spring Cushion, £45, Belle & Boo.
2. Red and Fig Pinny, £26, Lisa Stickley.
3. Folkware Platter - small, £55, Pedlars.
4. Vihkiruusu coffee cup, €12.50, Marimekko. Love these!
5. Cushion, £55, Helen Steel.
6. Musical Bouquet Print by Madamesange, £58, available at Elphick's. I love this one so much I have it. 

he said... bikes as art?

The forecast for London this weekend was blue skies and sunshine, my kind of cycling weather!

So I decided to get the good weather bike out of winter storage and give it a much needed dust down.

after a few minutes of buffing I stepped back to admire my work...

How can something this beautiful be kept in a cupboard!!!

This got me thinking. I remember a going to a design show a couple of years back seeing a pretty cool solution for storing and displaying  your bike on the wall. So I had a little search to see what I could find.

This was it, its called the cycloc by design student Andrew Lang, and now its in production and available to buy for around £60. Its a pretty good idea, but its a bit cold and hard -  not very homey, there is no way 'she' would allow such a thing. I then came across a similar solution called bike shelf which may be a bit more appealing.

This is called 'bikeshelf' and is available from Knife & Saw for around £200. obviously quite allot more expensive than the cycloc, but far more homey! And if there its going to be a decision between the 2, I know which one 'she' would choose. Overall though, i'm not totally sold on sports equipment as art. I think the bike will just have to spend the next few years in the cupboard until I can fund the construction of my Mancave!

he said... i've only gone and bloody done it!

So after my last post about silly tools I got totally sucked in to the world of boutique axes, yes there is such a thing!
Anyway, to cut a long story short I just couldn't resist the beauty of these finely crafted tools and I just wanted to share with you all what arrived today.

It's made by Gränsfors Bruks of Sweden, and of you look closely at the head it's even been stamped by the person who made the axe. Mine has been stamped A.S. - Anders Strömsted.

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with my axe, but in the meantime it looks pretty damn good laying by the fireplace.

she said...new discovery...h&m homeware

Todays glourious sunshine has made we want to give the house a bit of a spring like make over. Changing items such as bedspreads, tea towels or tablecloths are a great way of revamping a corner of your home without putting in too much effort and if you buy cheap and cheerful it won't make your bank statement freak out either. 

So I was pretty happy this week to have discovered h&m homeware. Its not revolutionary but for floral loving me it spring collection is lovely and it certainly is of the cheep and cheery category. 

Not sure how its passed me by but now I know its there they should expect an order from me, just as soon as I can convince 'he' that we NEED more floral accessories around the house. I might be some time...

Meanwhile here are some bits from their spring collection that I have my eye on.

Cotton tablecloth £19.99 available in blue and pink

Cotton baskets, £7.99 for pack of Two.

Duvet cover set, £19.99, also available in green.

she said...pancake day...buttermilk style

I love pancake day, a day where it is perfectly acceptable to eat a sweet treat for dinner, no questions asked. How can anyone not embrace this tradition?

Pancake day has been and gone but I wanted to share the great success story that took place in the homey household. Sadly 'he' was away so had to miss out but my good friend Joel was about to celebrate with me. As luck has it Joel is a food Geek and knows how to make a meal out of Pancake Day. Not impressed with the traditional European style pancakes Joel suggested Buttermilk ones and this may have been one of his best ideas yet. Below are some photos of the event and Joel's recipe, I hope he doesn't mind me sharing....

(keep scrolling to the bottom of the post for the recipe) 

Ingredients at the ready ready...might have over done it with topping choices. 

a glass of wine, essential cooking companion

a happy cook and Joel's super lovely maple syrup dispenser. yes he bought it with him...and took it home (sad face) 

Your mixture should look something like this...

...is it ready yet!

now they are ready....

and they taste as good as they look.

And here is how it's done...


Ingredients (makes about 4/5)


the wets...
350ml buttermilk 
1 egg
50g of melted butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence 


the drys...
165g plain flour (no need to be sifted, hurrah) 
40g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon barcarbonte of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


1.Put the wet and dry ingredients into separate bowls. The wets need a slightly bigger bowl. 
2.Whisk each one lightly. 
3.Add roughly half of the dry mix into the wet and whisk smooth, not too long. Add the remainder of the dry mix and whisk together. Make sure all of the flour is mixed in but don't whilsk too much, you don't need it to be super smooth. Too much whisking can make the pancakes tough in texture. 
4.If you have any will power let the batter rest for a few minutes, this will make for airier pancakes.
5.Get a good size frying pan and melt some butter in it. Make sure the pan is nice and hot before you begin.
6. Get a ladle or a big spoon and add a big dollop or your mixture to the pan, we didn't follow an exact science but 2-3 min on each size should be enough. And sorry to disappoint you but there is no need to flip these pancakes in the air just use a spatular to turn them over.


Yum.


Happy pancake making. Here is to next year!

she said...dishoom...wrap it up ill take it

Do you ever get that feeling when you visit a bar, restaurant or shop that interiors are so stylish you wish you could just put every detail in your bag and take it home? Well thats exactly how I felt this week when I meet a friend for breakfast at Dishoom in Leicester Square.

The restaurant is a mix of art deco, vintage India but modern enough to not feel too stuffy or shabby. The hundred of prints clustered around made me feel joy and jealously all at once and if I could have packed up the tiled floor piece by piece I would have done. My absolute favourite pieces were the jar lamps hanging at all different levels and the giant vintage clock. 

We meet for breakfast but didn't leave until gone lunch, I could have stayed all day.

Oh yes and not forgetting the food, absolutely delicious!

she said...happy sunday evening

Happy Sunday to you all. With a super busy week ahead 'he' and I are savouring the final hours of the weekend with homemade brownies. Yum.

he said...tool me up

Recently I have been more and more drawn to tools, not necessarily useful or practical tools, in fact there are probably much more practical and cheaper options available, but for some reason these tools have been calling to me.

This is a classic example, why would I want to trim my hedge with a pair of topiary shears when I have a full on electric hedge trimmer in my man cupboard? There is just something about them which makes me want to pick them up and use them. - Available from www.burgonandball.com 

Now everybody knows the most important tool you need living in central London is an axe, a great big bloody beautiful axe.

Just look at it - Beautiful!

Look! You can even get a tan leather sling to carry it down to the woods! I want this so bad.

- Available from www.bestmadeco.com

These are slightly more useful, especially now I have started a cabinet making course which I will be writing about in the near future.

These are Japanese saws, the teeth are set so that they cut on the pull rather than the push which means the blade is in tension when the saw is cutting. This way the blade can be much thinner than a traditional saw so its lighter and more accurate. Plus they look cool, like all Japanese tools.

Look at these Japanese chisels. They look cool. - Available from www.garrettwade.com.

she said...falcon bake sets for everyone

So here is a top secret (not so secret anymore) that I want to share with you.

Falcon Blue and White Enamel Baking dishes are hugely popular. Kitsch restaurants are using them, every high end home ware shop stocks them, I hear Urabn Outfitters are using them to display socks and they are also in my kitchen.

Falcon Bake and Pie Sets.

I love them, you can use them for just about anything, put them under the grill, in the oven, they look great on the dinning table and the more they age the better they look. Whats not to like? Well the cost. Priced between £44.99 - £54.99 for the Pie Set and up to £64.99 for the Bake Set, 5 trays in each set.

However this does not need to be the case. I made a discovery and purchased my Falcon trays at the Pound store! (for those north Londoner amongst you, the one in Angel next to Waitrose) They are exactly the same, they are made by the same company Falcon, the only difference is that they are priced between £1.50 and £6 a product, plus you can mix and match as you please. Now what's not to like? I have three so far and its a growing collection.

Falcon Dishes for everyone (well for anyone who wants them) God bless the pound shop.

she said...valentines day prints

it may be a little late to rush out and wrap one of these up but here are some of my favourite love themed prints. I have the Bear print by Claire Hartigan, it was a perfect wedding gift from my sister and it looks beautiful in our home.

mengsel design, £40

Karin Akesson, £25

Roddy and Ginger, £25

Delphine Lebourgeois, £75

Hazel Nicholls, £40

mengsel design, £28

Claire Hartigan, £18

Lisa Jones, £40

This one below I thought would be a great combined family Valentines gift. If I had a baby, i'd get one. I would get one for my sister who does have babies, 2 extra cute ones, but I have given her so much art she no longer has any wall space left.

Conilab, $35

Every year the amazing Rob Ryan does a Valentines print and this year as predicted doesn't disappoint.

Rob Ryan, £120