Keep Calm and Carry on Tea Towel 26 May 2007
As I have this picture in my hall (as do many others!) I was interested to see that Pedlars have turned it into a tea towel too.
Carry on troops!
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Jonathan Adler 14 May 2007
Any man who can have this on his website* is OK by me:
“We believe that when it comes to decorating, the wife is always right.
Unless the husband is gay. “
I think I might have to buy his book, ‘My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living’.
*His online store delivers internationally too, not that I am encouraging you or anything.
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The Delight of Etsy 16 April 2007
Etsy is addictive. It’s crack for crafters, it should be made illegal. There is such a wide variety of things on there: paintings, paper goods, prints, bags, purses, jewellery, clothes, toys, photographs… I almost click with dread when I go on Etsy, I just know I’ll end up buying something cute.
Well, I have bought a few things for me and the flat recently and wanted to recommend the lovely sellers who’ve brightened my day and my home.
Support artists, shop Etsy.
Updated 27 April to add:
Art and Ghosts - a photoartist friend of mine who is criminally talented
Magazine Roundup 14 April 2007
It’s the time of the month to buy magazines. ‘Living Etc‘, ‘Elle Decoration‘ and my guilty secret magazine ‘Real Simple‘ are all on the shelves.
Living Etc. is good this month as it is ‘The White Issue’ - do I ever love white. Apparently different shades and textures of white are OK in your home, wall to wall brilliant white is not. I’ve always loved white homes, however impractical they might seem. In fact they are highly practical, you can see all the dirt and one can easily keep a can of white paint handy for occasional touch ups. We are doing our entire place in Dulux Trade matt white eggshell at the moment to get rid of our crazy inherited colour scheme. We look at this purely as ‘undercoat’. When we can finally decorate - in October now, gah - our walls will be perfectly prepared. I’m looking at ‘Swedish White‘ (Dulux Heritage range) and ‘Cornforth White‘ (Farrow and Ball) for our lounge, both soft grey whites. In the hall - as it is tiny - we plan on ‘Ultimate White’ from the Dulux Light and Space range, a super reflective white designed to increase the feeling of space. The lounge will also have two feature walls in vintage 60s/70s wallpaper.
Would you believe it, Elle Decoration has a lounge special this month; wall to wall sofas! Great timing ED. Well, as I have neither £2000 or a 3 metre long space I am safe from their temptations but some of the smaller ones from Dwell and Habitat are good. Talking of sofas I am still drawn to vintage ones from eBay etc (look under Antiques>Sofas>20th Century). Some sellers even do delivery, *sigh* However, I am sure M is not as keen as I am on a Danish / Eames /Hansen delight. I am sure it would look awesome in the lounge but I guess M is thinking “Would it sag / smell / have fleas?” Vintage furniture lovers had a treat this week on ‘Grand Designs‘ with all the 1930s stuff the featured couple bought. Buying old and reupholstering / refinishing is the smart way to go kids*.
Real Simple has great tips as usual. I now know I can use baby oil to clean my stainless steel taps and cook the perfect dish containing leeks.
*That said I’m now looking at importing my perfect sofa from America, whoops. Watch this space for the continuing sofa saga.
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That bobble feet look 26 March 2007
Were watching a fascinating documentary series on BBC Four this week called ‘All Mod Cons.’ It’s being shown as part of ‘1997 week’.
The programme makers describe the series best:
“All Mod Cons illuminates our changing attitudes to domesticity, home ownership, gender roles and children by looking at the ways in which we have chosen to decorate and redecorate our homes over the past fifty years. Interviews and the witty use of archive combine for an intimate and affectionate social history of British homes.”
Bubb and I are hooked and have been sighing wistfully over the gorgeous open plan homes with their sleek G-Plan sideboards. We have also had quite as few laughs at the RP accents at the BBC in the 1950s, and how it was absolutely de rigueur to wear a tie whilst cracking on with the DIY. I am also surprised the anyone visiting a 1950s home escaped without being slathered in contact adhesive and having a piece of Formica attached to their person - it was everywhere!
The show references the themes of Britain’s recovery from post-war austerity and the major impact made on our homes by the 1951 ‘The Festival of Britain‘. Digging around this morning I’ve found some great sites on the subject, particularly the Mullen Archive. It features scans of all the major newspaper and magazine articles at the time of the exhibition. The Museum of London also has a great mini-site on the festival featuring stories from people who actually attended.
Although the post-war modernising of London’s Victorian terraces was not always a success (those hideous 1960s gas fires for example. One of which I am looking at right now in our lounge), you can see why it was done - the spirit of contemporary living had arrived!
Image: Architonic Source Library
