How much turquoise is too much?

I have to admit to being a big lover of teal, turquoise, bluey-green - whatever you want to call it, the colour makes me smile. And Pantone agree, because their Colour of the Year for 2010 is 15-5519, otherwise known as Turquoise. Apparently it's believed in some cultures to be the colour of compassion, healing, faith and truth!

  Yesterday my new turquoise armchairs arrived for my living room, and one day when the room stays tidy long enough I'll take some photos and post them here. But for now I'm still trying to find some accessories to tie the whole room together. Here are my favourite turquoise finds....

Reproduction TRIM phone, £47.50 from Pedlars

Daphne teal lamp table by Johnny Egg, £350 from Heals

You can't go wrong with classic designs and these two are great examples.
The Panton Flowerpot light, above, was originally designed in the late sixties but the look is timeless. From £198 at Nest.
And, whilst not totally turquoise, the accents of colour in the ball clock by Vitra below would be perfect in a turquoise themed room. £182, also at Nest.

I have three kids, two of whom are very energetic 5 year old twin boys so this rubber vase is a great idea to avoid breakages. Made by MENU of Denmark. 29 euros at Finnish Design Shop.

I love anything with an architectural theme and this cushion is definately on my shopping list.
trellick Tower cushion, designed by People Will Always Need Plates, £30 from London Cushion Company.

This cute vintage, bakelite radio wuld look great on my shelves. Find it at Ebay.

I came across these magazine files while browsing Etsy a few weeks ago and I love their simplicity. They are painted on one side and left natural on the other.$38 from Paper Doll Wood Shop

The problem is knowing where to draw the line! Can you have too much turquoise?

New fabrics at Bemz

Bemz have added some zingy spring colours to their fabric range, as well as some new Marimekko fabrics. For those of you who haven't come across Bemz yet, it's a great online store selling fabric covers for Ikea sofas and dining chairs. So, rather than being limited to buying replacement slip covers from Ikea you can choose from over 100 colours and patterns at Bemz, and even better - they make covers for discontinued models. Many of the fabrics are available to buy by the metre so that you can make co-ordinating accessories (unless you are as challenged by sewing machines as I am!)

 

Bemz also have three new fabrics by Lisa Bengtsson, which I adore. The footstool above is upholstered in her Baronessa Pink fabric and the sofa is shown in her Sir Harald Multi fabric. Very eyecatching with a vintage feel.

Anglepoise

Most design students will have 'fond' memories of all-nighters spent hunched over their drawing board listening to late night phone-in shows on the radio and those late nights may well have been illuminated by an Anglepoise light. Anglepoise are 75 years old and back in 2008 they created the Anglepoise Play range of lights to add a modern twist to the design classic.

 This is the Anglepoise Fifty, cast from a single peice of polycarbonate, the famous hinged arm is frozen at fifty degrees. At £39.95 it's a very reasonably priced, and quirky, lamp.

And I love the humour of the Anglepoise Giant 1227. This photo shows perfectly how your sense of scale is distorted by the oversized design - very Alice in Wonderland. The lamp can reach a height of 2.7m so probably not suitable for a small room! It comes on casters though, so can be moved around easily. Available for between £1,500 and £2,000 it's not cheap but would certainly be a talking point.

But if you still prefer the classic designs, Pedlars have a selection of reconditioned 1950's Anglepoise desk and wall lights available on their website.

POST UPDATE
Thanks to Paperclip for pointing out an error with my photo of the Anglepoise Giant 1227 above, which is actually not the Giant 1227, but a giant version of the Roche Bobois lamp by Luxo of Norway. Apologies .....below is the actual Anglepoise Giant.

For the girls

As promised, here are some gorgeous, contemporary wallpapers for girls rooms.

These fantactic papers are by Ferm Living, a Scandinavian design company producing wallpapers, cushions, home accessories and wall stickers.

And this wall panel will bring a smile to your little one's face. The ladybirds remind me of the bugs in the 'James and the Giant Peach' movie. Designed by Vicky Scott, the paper can be ordered to fit any wall size. Find it at Bloom Papers.

If you can't get your children to stop drawing on the walls, try focussing the creativity. This Tick Tock wallpaper is meant to be coloured in. Anyone my age will no doubt recognise a few of the clocks from their childhood! Designed by Absolute Zero degrees, it's available at Mini Moderns.

Not really a wallpaper, but I couldn't resist showing you this beautiful wall decal from Dutch company Zuuz. I have been trying to find a place for a set in my home for months - no luck yet. I may have to redecorate a room just to justify buying them! And the best thing with wall decals is they can be removed easily if you ever want to change the look.

All about the boys

If, like me, you have children who desperately want to decorate their rooms with Disney wallpaper or Ben 10 borders, take a look at these contemporary, and much more aesthetically pleasing, alternatives.

Paper Boy wallpapers specialise in wallcoverings for little boys who love all things scary and slightly macabre! This Animal Magic wallpaper has a skeleton super-imposed onto the silhouette of every day pets - it can't be seen in the dark though, so hopefully won't give nightmares! Paper Boy also do a great dinosaur wallpaper for little paleontologists.

Lizzie Allen's hand screen-printed wallpapers are a whimsical take on London life. This design was inspired by A A Milne's poem 'Changing Guard' and reminds me of Ludwig Bemelman's illustrations for the Madeline books I used to love.

This slightly menacing Shark Attack wallpaper by Rasch Textil, designed by Charles Graser Daughters,  is only for the brave-hearted! The metallic sharks glow when illuminated which is sure to be hit with boys. Buy it at Color 24.

Well - that's a few ideas for boys rooms. Let me know what you think.
Tomorrow I'll post some fantastic papers for girls rooms.

Button up

If you're after some unusual jewellery then these button bracelets by Zoe Bonbon might be the solution. Handmde in France, Zoe uses an old technique of screenprinting designs onto mother of pearl buttons to create these fun bracelets. They are available from Ella Georgia Jewellery, priced £46 for the four button bracelets, and £26 for the three button version,  which would make a perfect child's present.

And these cheery pieces of jewellery would be enough to brighten the gloomiest day the British weather could throw at you. Each piece is handmade by The Blue Pebble and can be bought at Not on the High Street. They look good enough to eat!

Barrel necklace - £10 , Button stack necklace - £15.50 , Allsorts button bracelet - £9.50

Lollipop Designs

Take a look at some of the fantastic stationery available from Lollipop Designs. Designed by Rachel Le Mesurier, the cards have a really retro feel and are produced with the environment in mind. I bought some birthday invites and thank you cards last year and can vouch that they are as gorgeous in real life as the photos suggest.

And if  you're feeling creative, Lollipop also does a fantastic range of printed cards that come with a rubber stamp and ink so that you can personalise them yourself.

Picnic Teas

At last - the sun is out, the eggy smell from volcanic ash has gone (!) and we can get out and enjoy the garden again. We are big fans of picnic teas. The kids love them because they can eat outside, with their fingers, and I love them because the crumbs stay outside. And these melamine plates are perfect for adding a bit of style.
Melamine was all the rage in the 50's and 60's and has seen a revival of popularity over the past few years, meaning there's a great choice of tableware available.

These sea-themed melamine plates from Pedlars are just the thing for outdoor eating, and they're dishwasher safe so no washing-up after.

And if the kids need persuading that greens are good for them, these Superhero plates from French Bull might help. Very retro! You can find some French Bull products at Funky Moose.

And I came across these Jane Jenni plates at Hunky Dory Homes. Just pick the plate to match your personality.

 

I came across the perfect one for my daughter at the Jane Jenni website...

Now all I have to do is pray the sun will last till teatime - this is Scotland after all!!

My Kingdom for a Cushion

I'm on the hunt for cushions for my living room so for inspiration I've been browsing at Etsy. Here's a few of my favourite finds..

Helena Carrington creates image inspired by her travels and digitally prints them onto cotton satin fabric. Gorgeous and perfect for adding a splash of colour to a room. There are other cushions available at her website and on her etsy shop.

I love Feed the Dog's cushions. Each one is made by hand by the designer, in Sydney Australia and is either a one off or part of a limited run. I've been putting off buying one until I can trust my kids not to ruin it. They're almost house-trained now so I'll start saving!

 

A few years ago I bought a few Skinny Laminx teatowels and I've visited her etsy shop often since. An illustrator from Cape Town, she has taken inspiration from historical references to create these simple, yet very effective designs. 

Decisions, decisions!