Homeware Trend SS15: Pastel Colour Blocking

I contributed this post to Write On Trend website. Take a look at their site for even more trend research and inspiration….

An exciting new print and design trend for Spring Summer 2015 is Pastel Colour Blocking.  This has become a popular trend for home decor as well as stationary and paper goods, in the home office and in the comforts of your most cherished living space.

In past seasons colour blocking in bold brights has been popular within the fashion market. Next spring we will see this look evolve. It will develop with a more sophisticated colour palette and move more into the Home arena away from fashion. It is a fun yet refined trend which can be adapted for hard goods and furniture as well as home furnishing print looks.

Soft pastel colours are the main element of this palette, but also key is the soft steel grey which anchors the pastels and prevents them from becoming too sweet and young. Light teal also adds an unusual highlight.

An important influence is the Danish brand HAY – both the styling and products from their 2013 catalogue. Danish brands such as HAY and Ferm Living are becoming incredibly popular, especially in the UK due to their clean simple style, and innovative colour combinations.

Two images above are HAY.

References of mood board: (In rows from left to right)

1. Tangram buffet – Design by At-once for l’Edito
2. Mr Printables
3. Pinterest -Unknown
4. Krystie Becker on Flickr
5. French by Design
6. Idlewife
7. Claudia Vivero
8. Pinterest -Unknown
9. ANDREAS ENGESVIK
10. Cindy {K} on Flickr_Vintage
11. La Redoute
12. Katja Windau
13. Pinterest -Unknown
14. We are silly rabbit
15. HAY
16. André Britz
17. Carl Fleiner_Flos
18. AlinaandT on Etsy
19. A Beautiful Mess

Kids Woodland Party

Need inspiration for a kids party? This lovely woodland theme is unisex, rustic, but still fresh and modern. It think it would suit any age from 1 – 6 years old. With some tweaking I even think it could be a great look for a grown up event.

Kids will love the animal details and the nature inspired snacks –

A  great budget idea that sits well with the theme is to buy small cardboard seed pots and use for portions of popcorn. Adding a ‘dipped’ effect with white acrylic paint is easy, and you cold even get the kids involved.

Felt garlands made with felt shapes and regular string are simple to make, budget friendly and look great. Another super easy idea to add a splash of colour is tying strips of fabric to a length of string – as with the orange garland below.

Making tissue paper pompoms has to be the easiest way to wow people in a blank space when you are decorating for a party. They are so simple to make, I’ll let Martha show you how here. Adults and kids alike love them!

Photos copyright 2014 Sian Tomlinson.

Moodboards created by me from found imagery – I do not take credit for the individual photos on the 2 boards.

Inspire: colours and textures in everyday life.

These are some pictures that I took on my phone yesterday as I went about my morning. Strange how patterns form in unlikely places – The tiles in my friends kitchen are the same sea greens as in Tooting Bec underground station, and the natural flecks in the handmade ceramics resemble the vinyl flooring on the Tube. There are so many great colours and textures to see all around you once you turn on your awareness and start looking.

All photos copyright Sian Tomlinson 2014

Trend SS14: Kids Interiors – Bunnies

I contributed this post to Write On Trend website. Take a look at their site for even more trend research and inspiration….

Animals are always a favourite theme for kids’ rooms. Next Spring and Summer will see the bunny taking centre stage. The motif was made popular by the brand Anorak which features a graphic silhouette bunny print (Red bunny cushion on moodboard). Firstly a print trend, the bunny will be seen in both graphic stylized forms, and as well as more realistic rabbit illustrations (though still In just one or two colours). The trend also carries over into hard goods – here the shape of the bunny inspires a stool with ears, or a silhouette bookend.

This is a theme for babies and younger children. It is a unisex trend and so a great idea for a new baby present or a nursery theme. To keep the theme gender-neutral use natural wood with white ceramics, and prints in pale greys and white, or taupe, orangey peach and lavender blue.

References for moodboard: (In rows from left to right) 1.  OYOY, 2.  Sian Keegan, 3.  Uncovet.com, 4. Fab, 5. Land of Nod, 6. Nomad in Paris, 7. Buisjesenbeugels.nl, 8. Unknown (Pinterest), 9. Unknown (Pinterest), 10. Land of Nod, 11. Anorak, 12. Handmade by Moi, 13. Unknown (Pinterest), 14. Annika, 15. Artgoodies.etsy.com, 16. Land of Nod, 17. Ideasmag.co.za

Dublin Cafe: Brother Hubbard

The guys that started Brother Hubbard apparently learnt their craft working the cafe scene in Melbourne, and if you are familiar with this coffee loving city you will understand why this is a huge deal. From this information alone I was excited to visit this relatively new cafe whilst in Dublin. It is situated on Capel st which seems like an up and coming area to someone who is not that familiar with the city. A 10/15 walk from Grafton St it is easy to get to from the city centre.

A lot of the food has some middle-eastern influence, and in my experience this is always a good thing. An example is their Middle Eastern breakfast which includes hummus, sumac and feta and well as fresh veggies. It all feels lovingly made and satisfying nutritious. There is a focus on fresh interesting ingredients and there is a twist on the usual breakfast and sandwich options. I had the award winning hot pulled pork sandwich which was brought to another level when combined with the special ‘middle eastern slaw’. All in all it was delicious, although the portion was enormous. Make sure you go with a good appetite, as I guarantee you will also want to sample something sweet from the counter. On my second visit I had a coffee and walnut scroll and even this felt indulgent but not too guilt-inducing as you could tell it had been baked on the premises with decent ingredients, and was as far from ‘junk’ food as you could get.

The coffee is excellent and the waiter remembered our coffee orders for the second round, including the fact that my friend like hers extra hot. The interior of the cafe is a simple small space with a laid back feel. Dark grey walls actually made the place seemed friendlier and cosier than if they were a stark white, and handmade little touches like re-purposed old tins to hold sugar and cutlery give the space character. The tables are small, and so not really suitable for groups or families – it is better for a quick catch over a flat white with a friend. Although there is a small covered courtyard with bigger tables so you could fit in a larger group if you wanted to sit out here. I actually did so on my second visit and although it was the middle of January, thanks to the space heaters it was surprisingly pleasant out there.

On the exterior of the café it says ‘The café you have been looking for…’, and you know what? It really is.

P.S If you want a proper brunch style breakfast, be sure to arrive before 11.30. Both times I visited I just missed the breakfast menu!

Design Dublin

There are some great design stores in Dublin, Ireland, with a focus on fantastic Irish designers and makers. Below is a guide to a handful of the best in the city centre. Now a creative hub in it’s own right, Dublin is flourishing due to a wealth of traditional craft and modern innovative design talent.

Designist – 68 South Great Georges St, Dublin 2.

Designist sells interesting and quirky objects and homeware.  Mostly these are not handmade or Irish designed, but it is a great place to go for an unusual and useful gift. It particularly has a lot of innovative modern items for the kitchen, as well as small humorous products like a silicon guitar spatula!

Irish Design Shop – 41 Drury St, Dublin 2, Ireland

The Irish Design Shop was my favourite of all of the Design stores in Dublin that I visited. It’s interior is simply designed with plywood shelves and display boxes, in fact I would take ideas from the store design into my own home. The goods displayed are also all Irish designed and made, and are of a high quality. Items range from hand-crafted wooden chopping boards to screen printed textiles ( More on some of the designers featured in an up-coming blog post). Incidentally they also have a beautiful website.

Industry – Next to the Irish Design Shop on Drury St.

I went to Industry after reading about it in an Irish Interiors magazine. It is a big inviting store with a well curated range of homeware from table top to textiles. It doesn’t quite have the wow factor that I was expecting but it would be a great place to go if you lived in Dublin and wanted to buy something for your home which was ‘of the moment’, such as the Falcon enamel tableware that they had on display on a central table. I believe they also produce some of their own products and one which caught my eye was a screen printed soft laundry basket for a very reasonable €18.

Article – Powerscourt Townhouse, South William st, Dublin

An inspiring store in a beautiful building, Article houses a range of homeware products. Not all of these are Irish made but the selection has been carefully edited and is generally of a high quality. There is a mix of price points so you can pop in to buy a cool card or small gift, or splurge on a new designer piece for your home.

The Design House – 43 Dawson Street, Dublin

The quality of items on offer in The Design House is quite varied but a highlight was jewellery by Aiden Smyth. His finely crafted pieces are modern yet tactile with interesting techniques used.

National Gallery Shop – Merrion Square W, Dublin 2

Theres a good chance you will be visiting the National Gallery, but the shop housed inside is also worth a visit in it’s own right. It stocks the work of local craftspeople and designers as well as a wider range of stationary and gift items. It also has a varied range of art and design books – It its particularly well stocked with art books aimed at children.

The Winding Stair – 40 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1

The Winding Stair bookshop is famous in Dublin and is an institution sitting just on the North side of the Ha’penny bridge. Its range of books is irresistible, they are beautiful inside and out. There is focus on fantastic literature and philosophy, and you can see that the people who work there really appreciate the value of a quality book.

I would like to say a particular thank you to Fiona Reilly, a Dublin born artist for providing insider information and pointing me in the right direction of these great stores.

Coming up next week: A Dublin Cafe review, and a Spotlight on Irish Makers/Designers.

Avoca: Mill Visit

While staying with family in Ireland over the Christmas holidays, I took the opportunity to visit the Avoca mill in the Wicklow mountains.

Avoca has made its name with it’s beautiful woven wool products. The items stand out from the crowd due to their vibrant colours, especially the dynamic colour combinations used in the wonderful blankets.

As you enter the mill there is a room displaying some product and a film showing the story of the Avoca brand – watch the video here.

You then arrive at what I think is the really interesting part of a visit to Avoca. Here you actually get to explore the mill where all of the Avoca blankets are made. I was surprised at the level of access that visitors have, you really are walking around the mill as the products are being crafted. It was so interesting to see different machines such as hand and machine looms being used. One disappointment for me was that the yarns used are from all over the world, and not made from Irish wool. I suppose that this does not affect the quality of the product, but it would be nice to have a completely Irish product being made in this traditional mill.

I love the combination below of the dark grey walls with the vibrant blanket.

I do not envy the person who has to thread up this machine!!!

Yarns organised by colour. Music to my eyes.

I kept getting quite excited seeing all the coloured yarns and fabrics lying around, especially this tub of bright pink spools…

Look at these colours!

My picks from the Avoca website. Ironically not that colourful!:

India: The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is famous the world over, but people will tell you, in equal measure, that is is a must-see sight, or over-rated. I think you should decide for yourself. For what it’s worth I was unsure if it was going to be worth the detour, but I am so glad we made the effort and went to see it.

When I walked through the main gate and saw the Taj in its entirety for the first time I was actually slightly overcome with unexpected emotion. There is no denying the monument’s beauty or its presence. I was vaguely aware of the story behind the sight, but didn’t realise that it was solely and romantically a monument to Love.

It is awe inspiring when viewed purely as an example of craftsmanship and architecture, but when you gaze at it with the knowledge that a King built it to honour his dead Queen, it is so powerful in its romance. I think it is more romantic because he didn’t build it in courtship to impress someone, or as a display of wealth. The one he loved had sadly passed away during childbirth, and he just wanted to show the world how much he loved her.

My favourite view of the Taj was from a slight distance where it still looks slightly like a painting, or a dream. However when a closer look is taken the craftsmanship that can be seen is magnificent.

There are myths that the workers had their hands cut off on completion of the project so that no building more beautiful could ever be built. Luckily our guide, Ishram, said that there is absolutely no historical evidence to support this story. It took 20,000 workers and 22 years to be completed. I would definitely recommend a guide if you visit so that you can understand the context and learn about the construction without having to have your head down in a guidebook, and can instead concentrate on admiring the building’s beauty. Our guide also pointed out the site on the opposite bank of the river where the King had planned to build his own mausoleum, which was to be a black version of the Taj Mahal to mirror that of his wife’s structure. This project never got realised because the King was put in jail by his son (some say for spending too much on these projects). So now his body rests next to that of his wife, in a chamber underneath the Taj Mahal, out of public view.

The prettiest details on the building are the intricately executed stone inlay sections on almost every surface. Precious and semi-precious stones have been used so that when the sun hits the building at different angles, parts of the building sparkle and glitter. It is truly magical.

Romance in every sense of the world.

(Photos copyright Sian Tomlinson 2013)

India: Chowpatty Beach

Sunset at Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai.

Families, friends and courting couples gather on the sand to eat kulfi and watch the perfectly pink sun set.

Photo Copyright Sian Tomlinson 2013

New Years and Tropical Dreams

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope that you all have a fantastic 2014. In the words of Neil Gaman –

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself”

In the midst of winter (in the Northern Hemisphere) it is time for a little tropical dreaming…….

The south of India is a tropical paradise. Watching the sun set through the palm trees in Varkala, Kerala, was a form of mediation that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Palm trees are everywhere and the motif is one that will influence my print design work for the S/S 15 season.

Photos Copyright Sian Tomlinson 2013