On Pimlico Road, Antiques stores are joined by bespoke furniture makers, such as Soane and Linley, and dealers of midcentury treasures like Gordon Watson and Lamberty. And the street’s gravitas continues to grow, thanks to new additions, including Coote & Bernardi, Talisman, Luke Irwin and Plus One Gallery. So, with Pimlico Road this year being named the London Design Festival’s newest design district, Interior Design Magazine Wallpaper has done a detailed review of Pimlico Road’s businesses as part of their Street View series.
I had a great time earlier in the week at an event organised by London bathroom suppliers Fonte Dei Marmi and hosted at Swissbathroom manufacturer Laufen. Now if you know me you probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that I spent the day looking a toilets (and sinks and baths) and enjoyed every second of it. I found it fascinating to discover how much the design of the simple toilet could be improved by a tiny bit of thought. I’m not talking about space age technology, but simple things like shaping the pads that the seat rests on so that they lodge in side the rim & prevent the seat moving when you wriggle (don’t say that you don’t wriggle when sitting on the toilet – I know otherwise), or designing the seat & lid mounting so that they can be simply removed and replaced for cleaning. The sinks and baths have a ceramic hidden overflow integral to the waste so has no unsightly holes that become dirty and unhealthy, and it also makes plunging simpler and more effective. A cistern liner for your WC, a simple invention that eliminates condensation from the cistern but also reduces the noise when a cistern refills. Simple, clever, effective.
Anyway I had a great time, and would like to express my thanks again to Tony and Mike for inviting me, and to the Laufen team for laying on a great day, which had a twitter theme to it as all those present are active twitter users. So I thought that I would publish this blog on Follow Friday, and commend all those who attended as suitable follows:
Sometimes it’s hard to think about the changes we could make within a budget, especially as we are just beginning to recover from a recession. Considerations also have to be made when renting a property, depending on whether you can decorate or not. I have always enjoyed adding my touch to various projects such as buying old furniture and painting it, adding embellishments, and so on. It’s amazing how you can change the look of a room with just a couple of items.
I happen to love the ‘Country Living’ magazine look. You can get so many ideas by looking through various magazines and of course interior design websites. I love the floral look with a natural décor, with hints of pastels and nature scenes.
I am fortunate to live near the magical New Forest in Hampshire, and the beautiful Dorset coast, so I have plenty of inspiration. Visiting your favourite areas wherever you live, could provide you with ideas of how you would like to design a new look for your property. There are many ways that you can bring a touch of nature to your living space. If you don’t have a garden, there are so many wonderful house plants you could choose from. Orchids are a popular houseplant, loved for their elegance, mystery and exquisite detail. The colours and details are wonderful and are sure to catch the eye of any visitor. Pocket Gardens are also a great idea for those with limited space.
If you are interested in adding floral detail, then often this works best with neutral tones. Picking out particular colours can carry your required design throughout your home, or particular room. Floral updates can be added such as –
Orchid framed print
Cushions, bedding, curtains and other textiles
Wallpaper, wall stickers, wall stencils
Lighting such as lamps, lampshades and candles
Wall hangings, paintings, prints
Accessories
Kitchen Splashbacks
The floral look will combine well with a traditional, modern or contemporary look.
There is a huge variety of designs on the local high street and designer shops, for example Cath Kidston. Your local supermarket and department stores are also likely to have some accessories with a floral influence. Laura Ashley has always been associated with floral design, perhaps a feature wall with floral wallpaper could provide the style you are looking for. A favourite designer of mine is Victoria Wornum a silk artist, who has a wonderful collection of floral designs that are available as paintings, cushions and other textiles.
Wall stickers are growing in popularity, adding a design to your wall can make a huge difference. Wall Glamour and Deco Wall have collections with various styles and colours. If you would like to use a wall stencil Henny Donovan Motif Designs, have a lovely collection of floral motifs.
Adding new cupboard and draw handles would change the look of your bedroom, sitting room, and kitchen furniture. I love the range from My living Space and My Kitchen Store, who have lovely floral door knobs and handles, which have a contemporary feel.
Accessories such as choosing framed, mounted or canvas prints can brighten any wall. Lampshades such as the wonderfully detailed Tiffany lamps, have beautiful flower designs. Another favourite are beautifully scented candles and candle holders, which can help finish your look.
Portmeirion China ® – The Botanic Garden range has lovely designs for your china, cookware, textiles and accessories.
Another feature could be to add a floral glass splashback to your kitchen. Nita Joy Craft Design has been asked to design a bespoke floral splashback collection for the high quality kitchen fittings and accessories shop My Kitchen Store. We decided to also have this collection available as framed and canvas prints, so that customer could carry their chosen design into their sitting or dining rooms. Flowers available include Iris, anemone, bluebells, germini, orchid and so on.
The splashbacks are made from 6mm toughened glass conforming to the BS 63606 and PREN 12000 safety standards.
Red Poppy Splashback
We are excited about our new collection and looking forward to developing the range, we can also design a special splashback to your requirements, if you have specific flowers in mind, please contact us.
Be creative by adding your personal touch to your home, and be inspired by the beauty of nature.
You don’t need to add a lot, hints of floral accessories will provide a great design and relaxing setting.
A Guest blog by Anita Hunt, creative designer and owner of Nita Joy Craft Design, who specialises in floral photography, available as personalised cards and gifts.
You can follow her on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/NitaJoy
Her blog – http://www.handmadegreetingcards.info
Website- http://www.sendaflowercard.com
For more information on the floral glass splashbacks, please visit Nita Joy Craft Design’s website.
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