What's New 2012- 2013

Some familiar and some new - showing at Decorex.

Clarke and Clarke. 6 designs including a plain. Colourways from mauves and teal through to sky blues with some neutral mineral shades.

This purple and lime green interior design scheme works well.  A colourway that has been around for sometime but still looks remarkably fresh.

100% cotton prints with some viscose linen in the range.

Ochre Lighting . Not so much a lightfitting as a "light installation".

Weighing in at a  hefty 42 kg, this work of art houses no less than 112 LED lamps and is 2.58 metres long.

They do smaller versions and will custom make at your request, but this one is pretty impressive.

We first previewed these taps by THG last year on this website. Still worth another mention.

More bathroom fixtures by THG. Lovely

Linwood Fabrics are also showing at Decorex.

Looks like fun! Of course their traditional velvets and fantastic weight upholstery plains are excellent too.

Pebble coffee table by Ochre. Yes, they do a range of furniture as well as fantastic lighting.

Byrony Alexander poles.

MissPrint wallpaper.

If interested in any of the above, do email me for best price.

Under My Feet

Jab rugs, Jab carpets- you name it, they will make it. Just love, love their designs, colours and textures.

Harvey Maria- excellent company with great innovative hard flooring designs.
Leather look anyone? I really like this!

Follow me on Pinterest to see what else I like. http://pinterest.com/allyinteriors/

Wallpapers

I do blog a lot of wallpapers, these are some more from not widely available suppliers.
Expect to pay around £100 a roll, and as always with anything you see on my site, do ask me for a price.

Monochrome

Black, white and shades of grey are as popular now as they ever have been.

This geometric wallpaper is by Cole and Son. Released late in 2011, it is sure to be popular.

3- dimensional effects have been around for a while, and you would have to be brave to use on all walls, but as a feature wallpaper this is sure to create a high level of interest.

Romo Fabrics Marenka range is not new.

I used the cushion fabric here for curtains and pelmet in an Art Deco style diningroom back late 2008.

 It is still a great range, and the style shot shows it is possible to successfully team patterns to great effect

"Amaya" is a fabulous new collection by Linwood Fabrics.

 The range comprises a mix of curtain and upholstery weight fabrics.


Stunning and luxurious are the words that spring to mind.

Carlucci di Chivasso have introduced a wild range for 2012.

"Exposure" teams animal prints with skull motifs and some really innovative designs.

As usual with Carlucci, the byword is "sumptuous".

Bold, dramatic- elegant and utterly workable.

Byron & Byron "polmets" are elegant and decorative.

Perfect for a minimalist window treatment without being plain.

Inspiration

 These fun chairs are by Cult Furniture . Use in an all white family dining kitchen, either with a white table or an old heavy pine one.
 Great statement.

 A white background with a splash of colour. This image via Harlequin Fabrics offers a clean minimalist look with some style. Mismatched chairs, a hint of lemon and grey- with the main accent being the lemon. I don't know about you, but the random dark cushion looks out of place. A simple lemon and grey stripe would have worked better.
 Remember if using a white background curtain fabric  use a white lining material, not cream or off white.

Another pale scheme, this time white and powder blue.

This spectacular light is from Ochre 
Very simple, but very stunning.

Solid cast bronze stems holding 46 LED bulbs. It measures 1-55 cm

 Why can't a radiator be a work of art?

 This Cordivari  radiator can be screenprinted to almost any design and suitable for all areas from livingrooms to bathrooms.

 Sanderson wallpaper have some great designs.
 The "feature" wall has had its day, so be prepared to buy more than 3 rolls when decorating.

Another great light, this time from Baga.

Nickel finish with newspaper print shades and crystals.

Priced around £2500.00,it is certainly a unique piece.

 Roche Bobois have been around for 40 years and still going strong.

This fantastic combination shown is certainly versatile. Bright Moroccan jewel colours that are interchangeable and as unique as you want. You can use your own fabric, but they do have a very good selection.

The dark rug defines the seating area almost as much as the almost closed square of the furniture.

 This decorative indian rug is from a massive selection from RugMerchant  Although this is machine made, rather than hand knotted, these traditional designs never disappear. You just have to think "New York loft apartment" and see lots of these scattered through the rooms.

Finishing here with a traditional couch upholstered in a Linwood fabric. The country cottage look will never leave us.

Well upholstered with the pattern on the cushions following repeat on main frame. When you are having something reupholstered, do be specific about how the pattern will work. ie: stripes look awful on buttonback pieces.


If you would like further information or prices for any of the above items, feel free to contact me.

Voyage Fabrics

The new Voyage Country is imaginative, well produced and very workable. A mix of prints, checks, stripes and weaves- the collection is produced on 2 background shades, white and natural linen.

All are perfect for curtains, and some are suitable for upholstery. Strathmore, shown as the large check cushion, is 100% cotton and not only great for upholstery use, but machine washable.

The colours are fresh and clean, and certainly versatile. Although predominately neutral there are some reds and purples in there too.

Neutral background colours they may well be, but a closer look reveals all matter of quirky fauna and flora.

There are the River Fish shown here, squirrels and welly boots, ducks, chickens and nuts.

The designs are also small enough in pattern repeat in most cases to be used as cushions, small blinds and as an interesting pelmet for plain curtains.



All of the fabrics drape well, with the collection comprising from a mix of cottons, linen and viscose. I am a local stockist so do e-mail with your enquiry. And do have a look at Voyage own website to view the full collection online.

A few Glamorous Finds

I see lots of interesting design products, so it takes something before I go wow.

 This fridge is just one of many available by Italian company Coolors. The refrigerators themselves are made by Whirlpool then screenprinted.

Apart from the built in models, the freestanding ones are screenprinted on the sides too.

 Their website has many more options including tulips, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

This delicate and smooth Ammonite washbasin is actually made from concrete by High Tech Design Products AG.

I think it looks effortlessly beautiful and I really hope to see more uses for moulded concrete.

On this blog somewhere is a moulded concrete sofa prototype which breaks the traditional stereotype of this workhorse of building material being used for something more decorative indoors.

Concrete is also more and more being used to manufacture worksurfaces in the kitchen. Exciting!

THG Niagara bath mixer tap is pretty stylish at around £542.00.

Available in chrome, nickel, gold and silver it also has matching bidet and basin spouts.

Yes, this a cooker hood. One of a range from Elica .

 Just perfect for that kitchen island with an open griddle.

 Made from glass and steel it is 47cm wide and takes 4 internal bulbs so doubles as efficient lighting too.

This company also do a matching air purifier, unusual idea which shows how forward thinking they are.

Hard Flooring

When you mention hard flooring most people would think real wood, laminate, sheet vinyl.

Harvey Maria have an amazing range of vinyl floor tiles in the usual woods and stone but also some exceptionally quirky designs- like this water effect. Hard wearing, easy to lay and extremely practical for all areas. The tiles allow you also to create your own designs mixing stripes and woods to great effect.

Other designs include grass, cork, feathers and bubbles!

Amtico is a pretty well known name both for residential and commercial installations. There is a fantastic range to choose from, with feature strips allowing you to be thoroughly creative too. Perfect for heavy used areas, you can achieve the wood look without worrying too much about maintenance. It is a very durable product in direct sunlight too

The leader of the pack in terms of durability has got to be good old linoleum. This product has been in continuous production for over 100 years at the factory in Kirkcaldy. I was lucky enough to visit there many years ago and it is an incredible site. The flooring is made up of overwhelmingly natural materials such as linseed oil, pine rosin, wood flour... The interesting thing about it is that it actually becomes more resilient the longer it is down as it dries out. But it is incredibly supple to install. It is the flooring of choice for school kitchens, and because it is not a print, the design goes right through the product, even slight burns can be smoothed out.

Karndean is another household name, very similar to Amtico in design and installation- often unfairly dubbed "the poor man's Amtico".



With all of these tile products it is essential to ensure that your subfloor is free of damp otherwise the tiles will lift, or cause the damp to escape and rise up the walls. Priming the subfloor is essential. Whether that be by laying ply or a latex screed. As always, if there is underfloor heating installed read the tog rating of each product and use a reputable floorlayer. Not all carpet fitters can lay hard floors. I have a strong flooring background going back to 1990 with a major south east flooring company. Ask advice from someone who knows! 

Attention to Detail

I think I do have a bit of a passion for lightfittings, and maybe for something just a bit different. I really like this one by Laura Kirar.It's called Leaves and Seeds and available through Arteriors.

Thibault Wallcoverings have always been a favourite supplier. A little while ago they began their distribution through Anna French, which has helped to keep their profile alive in the UK. Their designs range from the traditional Damask,through to the vibrant traditional prints with beads and crystals and on to to this texture range. They are an American company, so the wallpapers are usually wider width and sold in the double roll size for the UK market. As with all natural grasscloth papers, there is no seamless join. So what you see, is what you get.

With so many kitchens using a variety of materials, tile on floors, wood on units, corian for work surfaces- it's hard to know what to use for a kitchen island. What about glass? And a real designer piece! Of course, glass can be moulded into any shape, coloured in a variety of ways and is very tough. This is by Thinkglass.com

And at the bottom of this article we have shower drains. I have seen so many amazing ones recently. Round and square designer stainless steel drains that come in a variety of intricate designs, elegant wood shower drains, and this fabulous discreet linear shower drain which should be available through all good bathroom suppliers.

And had to include these taps by Thgusa.com! Wow!

Black and White

Often you will hear a photographer say that a photograph has to be in black and white because colour will confuse the detail. Buildings and face portraits are 2 of the areas that look great without too much colour. But you really need colour for a sunset or landscape. Get the picture?

The Timney Fowler New York is a perfect example of a fabulous Black and White print. And what an iconic skyline this is! Maybe a little busy for full length curtains but gorgeous as a roman blind.

The Florence Broadhurst Horses Stampede wallpaper dates back to the 1960's and is matt black on a silver scrim base. Not for the faint hearted decorator this paper,but oh so beautiful! Perfect for a feature wall, downstairs cloakroom or even a diningroom above the dado rail. Teamed with black velvet curtains I can really see this working together.

Rutherford Whitewashed Furniture

Lovely Whitewashed Drinks Trolley, 2 woven baskets and 3 shelves for bottles. A gorgeous accessory for any kitchen or conservatory. Can image taking this outside during a barbecue. The great thing with whitewashed is that it complements any colour wood kitchen and sits discreetly against the white walls. £310.00
100cm long x 36 cm deep and 80cm high.

And what about this divine co-ordinated console table? 120cm long and 40cm deep and the fabulous price of £275.00

Prices include delivery UK Mainland, for all other areas contact us.

Options

Drinks Trolley £310.00 Console Table £275.00