in my dreams, i live here: londontown.
there’s no doubt about it, i love me a bit of london. my grandmother lucy was from leicester, england, and i think much of her has rubbed off on me. i love the charm, and the friendly faces, i love the pastel-colored row houses on notting hill’s cobblestone streets. the merry shops, and having high tea. i love the 60′s brit-pop and i love all the history. all of jolly old england fills me with glee. so this week, in my dreams, i live here — in london town. i think the house cat got to the pretty pink sofa, but it’s no less charming, right? a bit scruffy, just like london, but all the better for it.
my london townhome is bound to be a bit quirky, kitchen included. i think a bright pink wall will suit it splendidly, above via fashions designers at home.
the kitchen may well require a striped smeg refrigerator for a bit of modern pop, and perhaps a print of mary quant’s Quant by Quant book via amazon. of course there will be pretty vintage china, via nest pretty things. and how about a fab pink union jack gracing one of my kitchen walls (below).
i think i’ll have loads of fresh white paint and a smashing bit of modern pop adorning the dining room walls, and a pretty staircase too, via marie claire maison. and the living room will be an elegant and eclectic mix of old and new like this one from Eklund Stockholm New York.
the bedroom will be bright and cheerful, and i’ll stash my bicycle for flea market runs in there, just because it looks pretty cute, via stella nicolaisen. and a cozy throw or two will keep me warm on those winterly london nights, from ohleander.
i’m quite certain a black & white checkered bath is needed, via stadshem; along with these funky antique rose bath towels from cath kidston for a bit of feminine fun. and in honor of the queen (and me!) i’ll hang a Vintage london bus sign, from signarama.
i also plan on popping around town in some silver go-go boots, like linda rodin’s via refinery29. if you know where to find these, by the way, do tell! right then, pip, pip…cheerio.
• top photo by carolina romare.
fab friday.
all work and no play makes me a very dull girl. but i played a lot last week at alt summit, so i’m working caaa-crazy hours and still trying catch-up on this very long-anticipated fab friday! but, if you’re going to work at home, it might as well be stylish, right?
i’m thinking about an office makeover and loved some of these inspiring spaces. this vintage dresser diy’d with the word ‘papper’ in swedish, or paper — is a great idea, via elle interiör; simple bulldog clips make for an easy diy photoboard idea from the creative mama; i love everything about lotta jansdotter’s busy, but organized workspace; and Lotta Agaton´s office styling for Södra Interiör is clean and inspirational, too; to get the ball rolling on my office makeover, i picked up a couple of serena & lily’s rolling storage crates for arts & craft supplies. can’t wait to start the transformation!
the shutterbugs: brad knipstein.
i love the interiors portfolio photographer r. brad knipstein recently shared with me, including the home of the very talented stylist, Rosy Stazzeri-Fridman. brad’s been sharing a bunch of his interior shots with me, and i’m excited that he’ll be sharing more with us from time to time! in the meantime, here’s rosy’s beautiful home ‘en blanc’. so pretty, right? brad has a blurb book out, too — so if you love his work i think it’s very much worth checking out.
“it list” pia jane bijkerk.
the very lovely stylist, photographer and author, Pia Jane Bijkerk has been capturing my attention and imagination for years. her photographs of places like amsterdam and paris always make me long for travel, and drive me to create eclectic spaces that put me at ease, as much as they inspire. pia’s shared a few things she coveting with me, and now she’s got me wishing for them as well! i’m excited to bring you pia’s beautiful “it list”.
1. I’ve been coveting a cassandra ellis quilt for some years now. I love her choice of fabrics and her modern patterns, and I also love that she makes quilts from your own fabric collection. She runs courses on quilt making in the UK, and this October her first book, Quilt Love, will be published.
2. Armadillo & Co make the most beautiful woven rugs, each one is ethically produced and made by hand. The founders are Jodie Fried (from Bholu) and Sally Pottharst, who both have a lovely aesthetic. I love the entrance mats, bold striped runners, and I adore the flower mat, it would look so lovely on my cork kitchen floor.
3. I’ve been wanting to do a weaving course for ages – Harriet Goodall holds day workshops here in Australia, and I’m hoping to attend at least one this year. I’d love to learn about what materials I can use to make simple, loose baskets, and if I am daring enough, I’d love to try my hand at making a light shade for my office. (photograph of Harriet’s work by Chris Chen)
4. Speaking of workshops, I’ve also always wanted to do a ceramics course of sorts, creating free form vessels and small sculptures using modern and ancient techniques. I’d love to make things like bone china feathers, chimes, plant tags, bottles and tea cups. This collection by Una of House of Ceramics is so sublime. And I adore my friend Kylie Johnson’s work where she imprints her poetry into the clay – you may recognize some of her pieces in Anthropologie. And one of my long-time favorite ceramicists is Emmanuelle Wittmann (who I featured in my book, Paris: Made by Hand) – Emmanuelle holds workshops, so next time I’m in Paris I’ll have to make sure I attend!
5. I am right into paper art at the moment, and I am smitten with this petit paper & shell sculpture by Erika Ekrem of Odelae. How sweet is this? And so creative, very clever. I’m inspired.
6. Island retreating. Yes, I love a bit of jungle living, and one such place is Langkawi, just off the east coast of Malaysia. My partner and I have been traveling there once a year for the past few years, staying mostly at the Bon Ton which has two fabulous restaurants. I love to imagine myself living in such a place one day, surrounded by huge coconut palms, sipping iced tea in my jungle hut (dreams can come true, right?).
• photographs by Pia Jane Bijkerk.
connected goods – a giveaway.
today’s a good day. my lovely sponsors connected goods are hosting a reader giveaway, and wait for it…it’s a $200 shopping spree on any of their fair trade goods! you can purchase anything you like from their gorgeous collection — from jewelry and clothing, to home and garden goods and all kinds of accessories.
it’s connected goods’ goal to offer the opportunity for you to connect with various artisans throughout the world by way of their fine craftsmanship and unique stories. The fair trade system strengthens the skills of the producers to grow and become self sufficient in the international trading arena, and connected goods connects you more directly to producers in developing countries, reducing the middle men, and helping local artisans make livable wages, while you enjoy products that are backed by a unique story and history. so you can shop away on connected goods, whilst helping out some artisans in need!
to enter, simply:
• visit their facebook page and ‘like it’.
• comment below letting me know you did, and if you like, share with us what you might purchase with your $200 shopping spree. we’ll select a winner randomly from the comments section.
• as always, please leave a way to reach you via email, twitter or facebook, and we’ll announce a winner on facebook and twitter next week.
• please enter by wednesday, february 1, pacific standard time.
* giveaway sponsored by connected goods.
