Wild grasses

 I'm loving this wild grasses print in my Spoonflower shop. It comes in a number of colour palettes and this blue version has a calming effect that is great for using in the home.

It's the perfect print to use in the bedroom and this sheet set is a good way to start. It's made from a cotton sateen fabric that softens in the wash. It comes in a variety of sizes and includes a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and pillow cases.

The duvet cover is also made from a cotton sateen fabric and has a hidden zipper closure.

Accessorise your living space with this cosy throw blanket. It comes in two options, either in a minky fabric or in a performance velvet fabric. Each is double sided with white top stitching and measures 50 inches x 70 inches.

Another way to accessorise your living space is with these throw pillows which come in a variety of different fabrics from linen cotton canvas to performance velvet.

If you're feeling brave, why not use it as wallpaper on a statement wall, Surround yourself with nature.

There are a variety of wallpaper options, from peel and stick to a textured grasscloth or even a metallic silver option.

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Laundry room artwork

Why not decorate your laundry room with inspiring laundry artwork that brightens it and makes it into a pleasing space?! This artwork does just the job with its bright colour palette and stylised design. 

This laundry artwork includes a fabulous turquoise washing machine with matching turquoise and pink accessories.

It's been printed onto a thick watercolour paper and comes in a cellophane envelope, wrapped in pink tissue paper. The perfect housewarming gift or laundry-lover gift.

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Matisse-inspired artwork

 I thought I'd try my hand at a Matisse-inspired print and I'm really pleased with the outcome! I wanted to give the feel of cut paper shapes and kept it really loose in style. I've included leaf shapes as well as circles and created a layered effect on a teal background.

This print is now available in my Redbubble shop on a variety of different products. My favourite piece is this wood mounted artwork which comes in a choice of three sizes.

This wood print is easy to hang and appears to float in front of the wall. It is printed onto 1/4" thick birch plywood and has rounded corners. What I love about this piece is that the wood grain is visible through the print.

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Wild grasses home decor

 My wild grasses print looks fabulous on these home decor items and I'm so pleased with the outcome. Bees, butterflies and dragonflies buzz around the natural grasses on a soft teal ground.

The ready made curtain panel comes in a selection of lengths and you can choose between two thicknesses of canvas.

The cushion covers also come in a variety of sizes and fabric choices.

You can buy fabric by the yard and make your own creative project. I'm planning on buying this print on a satin fabric and creating some delicious clutch bags from it. Watch this space.

These napkins would look pretty on an al fresco dining table. You can also buy table runners and tablecloths in this print.

Why not create a statement wall with this wallpaper print? You could paint corresponding walls in a complimentary colour such as as the lighter teal of the butterflies.

This throw blanket comes in an ultra soft velvet or a minky fabric.

Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue is an exhibition currently on at the Fashion and Textile Museum that is celebrating the work of Designers Guild, a design company founded in 1970 and still going strong today. It was founded by Tricia Guild who draws on colour, pattern, texture and form to create a harmonious space and her signature style is instantly recognisable for its vibrant colour palettes and painterly style.

The first room of the exhibition showcases beautiful hand painted birds and florals. Along with these is a selection of paint and paper mediums that were used to create the birds. It's great to see how important these traditional methods were, and are, still important to the company.

A voice-over by Tricia Guild talks about how the introduction of digital printing has been really useful for the business as it means that you can capture the nuances of colour and texture of hand painted work on the fabric without losing its quality. This is unlike using screen printed techniques where a limit of 18 screens means that you can't often incorporate many tones of colours.

The painted bird sketches were used as inspiration for this final scenic mural in beautiful shades of blue and greens with a hint of pink bird here and there. The colours of the mural tie in with the blue of the sofa and the teals of the velvet cushions.

Tricia Guild's love of nature has always played a large part in the look of the company.

The enormous florals of the 'Le Poeme de Fleurs' collection show how a change in scale and colour can make a radical difference to the final effect. There's a hand painted feel to each flower yet a modernity in the colour palette. Mixed with a mustard yellow vase and vintage rattan chair, the look becomes eclectic and fresh.

Tricia's love of Italy has influenced her designs over the years and she used the luxurious silks from Venice, silk brocades, flocked silk and cut velvet to create a new contemporary elegance in a vibrant colour story. Acid greens sit against hot pinks and vivid turquoise.

She also travelled to India regularly where she came across a plethora of fabrics and got to meet the skilled workers who made them. In the fabrics above she has captured the vibrance of Indian summers as well as the colours of the women's saris. She also used Indian printing techniques, such as block printing, creating a cushion with a gold motif on a luscious turquoise silk. The wallpaper (above right) captures the texture of an aged blue painted Indian wall.

Her style varies quite a bit throughout her career and this can be seen in the two room sets above. They both use shades of green and pink yet the collection on the left (Ornamental Garden) is much more traditional in style than the modernistic theme on on the right.

Plain and semi-plain fabrics have always been an important part of Designers Guild as these fabrics provide relief from the heavily patterned fabrics within a collection. Above, bright woven silks on the left sit amongst sumptuous jacquard velvets on the right.

The creative process can take up to 18 months from start to finish and Tricia Guild works closely with her design team, starting with mood boards and colour chips (above left) to the finished product (above right). As you can see from both images, the integrity of the initial design has been achieved amazingly well in the finished product.

This exhibition is on until 14th June 2020.

100% Design

London Design Week is drawing to an end for another year and it's been great to dip into some of the shows that have been going on. On Friday I headed to Olympia to check out 100% Design and I found some inspirational designers that immediately made me want to redesign my home!

I love a grey sofa (and have one in my home) and loved this one by British Design Shop. It looks great set against an orange wall and if that's a bit bold, just accessorise with an orange velvet cushion.

The orange and grey theme was also used in this wonderful wool cushion cover. The dark wall behind gives it drama whilst the cream Mid Century Modern chair keeps it fresh.

These retro-inspired tables are by Curve Top Tables and they come in a series of vibrant colours and a variety of fluid shapes, perfect for curving around your sofa and adding flowing lines to your space.

Friends of Wilson is a company that produces hanging screens made form 100% wool felt and available in a range of rich colours. It combines abstract art, design and acoustics to give a practical solution to an open plan space.

For lighting, my favourite company was Showroom Finland a Helsinki-based business that creates stunning lamp shades out of plywood. No glue or screws are used and the lights are assembled using numerous plywood parts, bringing together traditional Finnish techniques with modern computer geometry.

On another stand, these light shades were being produced using a 3D printer.

There was also a good selection of jewel tones on show. I took a liking to these velvet-covered footstools in a fun combination of colours.

Or how about this fabulous teal armchair with a modern twist on the Mid Century style.

Mexican laquerware

Needless to say, when I was in Mexico I did a little bit of shopping! It was difficult not to when there were so many beautiful things around me. One of the items I bought was a lacquer tray. Mexican lacquerware is one of the country's oldest crafts and is created by artisans in Olinara, Guerrero. The technique follows traditional methods using vegetable colourants and paints. The lacquer is made with chia oil and the decoration is created by applying two coats of contrasting colours (in this case green and white), and then the top layer is scratched away to create an intricate design. I love the modern, fresh colour palette of this tray and it fits beautifully with my collection of vases in my living room.

Mexican adventure - Utilitario Mexicano

Lee took me to a fabulous shop called Utilitario Mexicano which is situated in the Juárez area, an area that was abandoned for a long time but has recently started to be rejuvenated. The shop sells everyday Mexican items (everything from enamel tin ware to straw hats and woven bags) but displays them in a pleasing manner, on peg boards around the walls and shelving in the middle of the white warehouse-like space.