she said... a little Friday something... french it up

If you are wanting to adding a little French chic to your kitchen but without having to cook a Tarte Tartin or Coq au vin then check out these lovely tea towels from Darling Clemintine.

she said... more enamel please

OK so I am becoming a little obsessed with Falcon products. I realised the obsession had gone too far when this weekend I almost purchase a Falcon vase, cup, casserole dish, colander, milk pan and various utensils. If I had not been stopped by friend my kitchen would now look like a camp site.

Trying to convince myself I don't need any more Falcon products I have realised that it might not be the blue and white items that are ruling the obsession by the material. And so... I have now replaced one obsession with another and here some items that make me act all irrational.. I need it, I want it, I must have it in my life immediately...

These 4 items above are from Nkuku who have absolutely love range of products, thinking all these enamel things could double up as picnic ware.

I saw this pink enamel pan in Labour and Wait in Shordeditch about 3 weeks ago. My logic and self set rule allows me to make unnecessary purchases if I am still thinking about the said item a month after seeing it... little pink pan you will soon be mine. (Please note: this rule only counts for small things, its not the same as if I see a house that I like, almost the meaning of the word necessary is very fluid. I felt the need to clear that up.)

pink pan, £20, Labour and Wait

Japanese enamel teapot, £55, Labour and Wait.

he said... on the rocks

Personally I prefer to drink my scotch neat, but this Matterhorn inspired glass looks pretty fun. From tale-design.

he said... great video about a watchmaker

The Watchmaker from Dustin Cohen on Vimeo.

This is a great video about a watchmaker in Brooklyn who takes old and vintage swiss movements and puts them into his own cases. He sells his watches at the Brooklyn Flea and from his site Brooklyn Watches. Pretty nice I think.

he said... shape of the summer

Now, I don't usually like making predictions on what's going to be the next big thing, but there is something about the design of these sunglasses from a brand called Super that tells me that they, or at least their shape, is going to be a hit this summer.

They are kind of like an updated retrofied aviator, which in my book makes them pretty darn cool.

he said... hmmm leather AND watches

Now for the man who has everything - I have just seen these leather watch rolls. I guess they is is quite similar to the tool roll  I use to carry and store my chisels in, but much more expensive and with a much more valuable contents!

Watch Roll from HODINKEE $250. - Perhaps I'll make my own.

she said... a little Friday something... house rules

I am not much of a fan of the 'House Rules to live by' type prints, they are all a bit soppy and unrealistic for my liking. For example rules like...'If you break it, you fix it' or 'forgive each other', 'Always try your best' or 'Always be kind' (ok these are nice sentiments but I don't want them written on my wall.) 

In our house we are not always nice to each other, we shift blame, we love each other but can often be mean and I am not even sorry about this situation, it's how we role, so I tend to ignore 'Rules to live by'. However I recently discovered this print (below) the other day and think it may be the Best Rules print I have seen. And as house rules go, its right on.

Wesley Bird, Little Spoon, Society 6

And whilst I am are being honest about the rules I like to live by and the type of advice I like to receive I wanted to share as this amazing print for the Good Fucking Design Advice. Good points well made.

she said... things for a biscuit lover

WARNING: this post may make you want to eat a cookie.

After a few weeks of absolute gluttony I am trying to be good and have banned biscuits from the house. I'm one of those people who can't just eat One, or Two, I have to eat the entire pack. However this outright ban inevitably means that I can't think of anything else but biscuits, sweet treats and cookies. 

So with Cookies on the brain here are a few things that might feed the obsession without actually eating...

Love, love, love this cookie jar from Anthropologie.  

Muuto Bulky Cookie Jar

cookie loves milk print by Jessica Fink via Society 6

hot tub cookie i phone cover, Teo Zirinis

Sarah Kerry, Jam cream Sandwich Cushion, £75

love these message in a cookie cutters, how very practical.

and as a massive Caramel fan I was very excited to discover these by Gillian Kyle. 

Also by Gillian Kyle, Tea Cake Tote bag, absolutely love this. In fact everything in her collection in worth checking out.

Not sure writing this post has helped suppress the need for a sweet treat...Oh well.

she said... teddy bear toast

Surely the only way to start your day...

via minieco.co.uk

he said... pop it like it's hot

We had some pretty nice weather towards the end of last week, hopefully its a sign of things to come! While I was out an about I noticed a group of cyclists in the park who looked like they were cracking open some beers using their saddles! I went over to have a closer look and one of the guys told me he picked up a little gizmo whilst he was in Canada over the summer called the road popper. It's a cool little tool that clamps to the rails under your saddle that turns it into a bottle opener - perfect for cracking open an al-fresco beer whilst relaxing in the park.

Comes in silver or gold!

All they needed was one of these and they would have have the perfect mobile bar set up - bring on the summer!!!

she said... a little Friday something

Guys aren't the only one who can like tools. These Orla Kiely gardening tools will make gardening a little more stylish.

he said... where am i going to keep all this stuff?

As my recent obsession with tools continues, I now need somewhere to keep and safely store all of my new purchases.
I was looking around on couple of hardware websites and came across these nice traditional looking canvas tool bags from Klein tools. I think they are pretty nice and they come in a few different sizes.

she said... loving...Kay Vincent

A while ago I stumbled across the beautiful work of Kay Vincent at an Art Fair in Stoke Newington, I have since bought Three of her amazing prints and she has recently added quite a few things to her collection so I wanted to share them with you.

Kay loves turning blank pieces of paper into stories. She produces hand silkscreen prints inspired by childhood memories, favourite toys and every day observations. Although her prints have a child-like theme to them they fit perfectly in any room in a family home. Of the Three prints I have bought (all been gifts for little ones) only One of them made into the child's bedroom, the prints I bought for my nephew and niece were nabbed by my sister for other communal areas of the house, sorry guys... i did try.

 

Egg and Solider print, the story behind this print is below...

Dolls House Print, available in green.

Rock Out Print, available in the other colours.

Dandy Lion print

Wise owl print

Each print has a story and encourages the viewer to use their imagination and remind them to not take life to seriously. For the Egg and Solider print (above) the story goes that the egg stole the moustache of the solider to his left, that is why the solider looks so embarrassed, as would you if your facial hair got stolen by a boiled egg. 


In addition to her prints Kay also produces a range of other stationary and home wares, I particaulary love the egg and solider mug, that little egg man is super cute.

Kay's work can be found at her etsy shop named Ketchup On Everything

she said... man type cushions

Some people may call it a stereotype but find me a man who not only thinks cushions aren't pointless but actually likes them. We girls love a cushion, any excuse, couple of the sofa, one on the arm chair, 2 or 3 maybe on the bed, how can one not love a cushion, they are practical and so many lovely designs to choose from.

Not sure why the humble cushion causes such a divide between he and she's when it comes to interior design choices but all may not be lost...In hope that 'he' might learn to embrace the cushion here is a round up of lovely cushions that 'he' might not only be convinced to tolerate but maybe even like.

Forest cushion by Bjorn Lei. 

Black and Cream Spectacles, Maria Hatling, Gally Bobbin, £55 (this is my favourite.)

London Underground Cushion, TFL Museum Shop, £39.99, there are various TFL designs to choose from.

Leanne Lucas, Folksy, £18.95

Seven Gage designs on notonthehighstreet.com £50

Deer Cushion, Dorothy and Thedore £88.

Log pile cushion, Roddy and Ginger, £28

K Studio, Design Public, $116

Erin Flett, Etsy, £19.71

This was a very dangerous blog to write, do you have any idea how many amazing cushions I have stumbled upon?...must...not...purchase...

she said... a little friday something

        A very good point made but the guys from a two pipe problem...

she said... home away from homey ...Oak House No 1

'He' turned 30 on Tuesday and as a birthday surprise I planned a little trip away to the Cotswolds. Whenever booking a trip away I spend endless hours on the net trawling through the hotel options, confusing myself with too much choice and making the entire process much more painful then it needs to. However the hours of searching really did pay off this time.

I found the guest house 'Oak House No 1' via i-escape, it looked cosy, friendly and completely unique, all the things I look for when choosing a hotel.  As soon as you walk through the door the lavish decor and interiors blows you away. To give an idea, there are huge pieces of contemporary art work placed next to a row of wellies, with so much gorgeous stuff to look at we were not sure what to do first... 

...actually we did know what to do first which was to eat the amazing cakes waiting for us. A hotel that has afternoon tea and cake on arrival as standard is my kind of place.

Fruit cake, followed by scones, followed by a walnut coffee cake. yum. 

We booked the Cavalier room (as you would expect for a place like this each of the 3 rooms is completely different) which came with a four poster bed, a TV in the bath tub and had more pieces of art to look at then the V&A.

The detailing on the four poster bed.

Even with all its eggstrvangace the bedroom still had a warm and cosy feel. I can't stay that all the pieces of art and furniture were too my taste but if I wanted a hotel room to be filled with the same things I have in my own bedroom well I might as well stay at home.

Breakfast was another eggstavangent affair which was served in the dinning room. Like the bedroom it was another feast of art work, antique and contemporary furniture and so many details I almost forgot about my food (almost....) There was so much art across the guest house I felt like a tour should be given on the side of my 4 course breakfast, yes thats right 4 courses. 

A lavish chandelier hung over a very grand and beautifully set dinning table surround by a mix of chairs, each one more fabulous then the next.  I love the used of mix/match chairs but have only seen it used its for rooms with a shabby chic or minimalist look but having seen how its been done at the Oak House it shows as long as you pick the right chairs for the setting it can work with any style.

Just one of the many clocks dotted around, I am thinking I need to add
a clock like this to my wish list, man that list is getting long (and expensive).

My absolute favourite item in the house was a silver tray with deer heads either side, there were several dotted around with various purposes. In a recent blog post (Monday served up on a tray) I was eyeing up several trays but now none of the seem right, I need this one. Kash's recent birthday gifts of several bottles of scotch would look perfect on one of these.

On paper The Oak House interiors may sound a little overpowering and stuffy but in reality it felt very beautiful, relaxed and colourful.  Even though it housed some very grand and eccentric items that most people wouldn't dear put in their homes it still felt completely homey and genuine. The owners Gary and Nicky have spent many years collecting each detail and although it has probably been a very long process it has totally paid off. Staying at this guest house has reminded me that making a home beautiful it has to a process that needs to be given time, lots of it, so I need to have patience. 

I wish we could have stayed more then one night but I am sure we go back again soon, if only to find out how I can get my hands on one of those trays!

Other non interior related details: The owners are super lovely and very helpful planning your trip around the cotswolds. The guest house is in Tetbury, a gorgeous little town with lots of antique shops and plenty of restaurant options.