Think pink

I’m not hugely into girly pink. So when Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes round every October, I usually try to donate in ways other than buying the deluge of pink items the shops come up with to raise funds.

However, this October, I might make a tiny exception for this pink bobble knit cushion from Sainsbury’s, £12. I love a cosy, chunky knit, and the little bobbles look a bit like cherries.

The cushion, plus a whole range of other limited edition pink/heart-themed homes bits and bobs, is on sale from today until 29th October in Sainsbury’s stores and online at http://www.sainsburys.co.uk. Ten per cent of all sales will go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer http://www.breakthrough.org.uk

NEWSFLASH! 25% off at Habitat today

As a big fan of Habitat (www.habitat.co.uk), I was very excited to hear they’re having a flash discount day today (26th Sept) – 25% off everything in-store and online until midnight with code EM25. There’s also free postage for anyone spending over £50 on home accessories (smaller non-furniture items).

It’s the perfect excuse to treat yourself to something you might not have dared splash out on at full price.

My top tips? The Oken folding table in gorgeous sunny yellow (was £35 – now £26.25 with discount); a funky retro set of three Freda tea towels (was £12 – now £9); an on-trend grey geometric Seam vase (was £12.50 – now £9.38); the friendly Errol owl cushion (was £35 – now a more reasonable £26.25); one of the sweet dip-dye Marne jugs (the small yellow version was £5 – now £3.75); or the stylish Alto red steel 32L bin (was £28 –  now £21).

Happy shopping!

From Catwalk to Cushion!

HIGH CHURCH ON THE CATWALK: Dolce & Gabbana
HIGH CHURCH CUSHIONS: Angel sisters £17 Very.co.uk. Oxford damask £19.50 M&S. Peacock £20 Littlewoods.com

What’s in vogue interiors-wise is often what’s also in Vogue clothes-wise.

Each season, buyers from high street stores scour the fashion shows in London, Paris, New York and Milan for hot new trends they can translate into stylish homeware ranges . The best thing about this? While updating your wardrobe with a new coat or handbag can be expensive; you can bring your home bang up-to-date for just a few quid with a couple of well-placed cushions.  

So which designs are hot this Autumn/Winter? I’ve done the hard work for you – here’s my guide to the coolest cushions going and the catwalk looks that inspired them. What’s more, most cost under £15 each, and none cost over £35. Bargain!

TARTANS ON THE CATWALK L-R: Celine; Vivienne Westwood; Emilia Wickstead
TARTAN CUSHIONS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): Blue check £12 Sainsbury’s. Green check £12 Sainsbury’s. Lamego tartan £11.98 B&Q. Green woven Archie £16 Next. Check £7 Asda. Tweed woven £12.99 Dunelm Mill.

COSY WOOL ON THE CATWALK: Alexander Wang
COSY WOOL CUSHIONS: Recycled wool £19.50 http://www.greenandpresent.co.uk. Eliot knit in steel £20 John Lewis

PRETTY IN PINK ON THE CATWALK:  Pretty much every designer going!
PINK CUSHIONS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): Bella quilted £10 B&Q. Pink cotton square £5.95 Debenhams. Pink heart button £10 Sainsbury’s. Pink Mongolian fur £35 BHS

LEOPARD PRINT ON THE CATWALK: Tom Ford; Moschino Cheap & Chic; Burberry Prorsum
LEOPARD PRINT CUSHIONS: Chenille £15 M&S. Animal print £4 Asda

PATCHWORK ON THE CATWALK: Junya Watanbe
PATCHWORK CUSHIONS: Stars and stripes £15 John Lewis. Colours Divino patchwork £9.98 B&Q

FUR EFFECT ON THE CATWALK: Roberto Cavalli
FURRY CUSHIONS: Grey luxury faux fur £7.99 dunelm mill. Grouse slate faux fur £12.99 Dunelm Mill. Textured silver £7 Asda

RED ALERT ON THE CATWALK (L-R): Dolce & Gabbana; JW Anderson
RED CUSHIONS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): Felt floral £12 Sainsbury’s. Knitted £18 Sainsbury’s. Jumbo courduroy £15 Very.co.uk. Pinch felt cushion £25 Next

TWEED IS GOOD ON THE CATWALK; Dolce & Gabbana
TWEED CUSHIONS: Grey tweed mustard piped £12.99 Dunelm Mill. Grey herringbone £20 House of Fraser.

BRIGHT BLOOMS ON THE CATWALK (L-R): Rodarte; Oscar de la Renta
BRIGHT BLOOM CUSHIONS: Autumn floral £9.99 Dunelm Mill. Blaise poppy £9.99 Dunelm Mill. Linea by Collier Campbell rose £30 House of Fraser.

DOGTOOTH CHECK ON THE CATWALK: Tommy Hilfiger
DOGTOOTH CHECK CUSHIONS: Dogtooth check kidney pillow £24 http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/nonatextiles. Majestic dogtooth cushion £20 http://www.furnish.co.uk. Dogtooth cushion £11 Very.co.uk

FAIRISLE KNITS ON THE CATWALK: Kenzo
FAIRISLE CUSHIONS: Snowflake £12 Very.co.uk. Heritage Fair Isle £12 M&S

VELVET ON THE CATWALK (L-R):  Marios Schwab; Christopher Kane
VELVET CUSHIONS: VIP lounge £19 Very.co.uk. Florence kingfisher £19 Very.co.uk

One room, two new looks!

While I regularly write about homes for various magazines and love trying out new looks in my own home, I don’t usually get to actually style rooms professionally… until now.

I recently completed my first ever styling challenge for Closer magazine (www.closeronline.co.uk). The brief? To style one plain room in two completely different ways in one afternoon, using only bargainous high street accessories.

it was a lot of work, but a lot of fun, and the results were published in last week’s issue. Now it’s no longer on sale, I thought I’d share the pictures with you, along with the details of where you can buy everything in each shot.

Which is your favourite? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

THE ORIGINAL, PLAIN ROOM…

TRANSFORMATION ONE: BRIGHT BLOOMS…
Fun florals mixed with eye-popping shades = a happy home!

Where to buy everything:
Watercolour floral triptych canvas £39.99, Chrome Curva lamp £29.99, both Argos (www.argos.co.uk). Floripop prints £16.54 each Visual Philosophy (etsy.com/uk/shop/visualphilosophy). Rug £49.99 Dunelm Mill (dunelm-mill.com). Blue pod pouffe £75 Next (www.next.co.uk). Kilo white side table £25, Oken yellow side table £35 both Habitat (www.habitat.co.uk). Sapporo round side table £49 M&S (www.marksandspencer.com). ON TABLES: Lamp £29 Wilkinsons (www.wilko.com). Photo frame £19, Trinket box £25, pink flower candle £8 all Matthew Williamson at Debenhams (www.debenhams.com). Tealights £1.50 each Cargo (www.cargohomeshop.com). Matilda yellow bowl £12, Hugo blue vase £15 both Habitat. Green tumbler £1 Wilko. Hamilton teapot £22.50 M&S. Tin mug £7.50 Jasmine White (www.jasminewhitelondon.com). ON CHAIRS & SOFA: Chenille throw £20, Green, Red, Yellow and Purple cushions £8 each, all BHS (www.bhs.co.uk). Embroidered floral cushion £19.50, Saffy embroidered cushion £25 both M&S. FIREPLACE: Tea glasses £17.95 for six The Handpicked Collection (www.handpickedcollection.com). Floral jug £15 BHS. Pom poms from £3.10 each The North Pom (www.thenorthpom.co.uk). Russian Doll cushion £12 M&S. Satin cushion £22 Debenhams. Purple cushion £8 BHS.

 

TRANSFORMATION TWO: WOODLAND RETREAT…
Snuggle up in style with foxes, fur, chunky knits and cosy colours

 

Where to buy everything:

Autumn Path canvas £29.99 Art.co.uk. Fox and Stag prints £29.95 each RawXclusive (www.rawxclusive.com). Tripod lamp £29.99, Bookcase £14.99, Coffee table £14.99, Side table £9.99, Curtains from £21.99 all Argos. Natural pouffe £57 Isme (www.isme.co.uk). Pod pouffe from £75, Jute rug from £35 both Next. ON BOOKCASE: Candelabra £20 Sainsbury’s. Fox sculpture £18 Littlewoods. Dominoes £18 Next. ON SOFA: Cream check throw £18 Sainsbury’s (www.sainsburys.co.uk). Darcy fur throw £59 Isme. Bird & leaf cushions £12 Isme. Tweed cushion £12.99 Dunelm Mill. Acorn cushion £12 M&S. Fox face cushion £17.99 The Oak Room. Check cushion £10 Sainsburys. Knit cushion £25 Debenhams. ON CHAIR: Knit throw £30 Matalan (www.matalan.co.uk). Fur cushion £19.50 M&S. Fox cushion £15 Littlewoods (www.littlewoods.com). Check throw £15 Sainsbury’s. ON COFFEE TABLE: Mug £9 RawXclusive. Bowl £8.39 Nisbets. ON SIDE TABLE: Book-shaped boxes £18 for three Next. Owl £6 Wilko. FIREPLACE: Photoframe and Owl candle both Debenhams. Candlestick £10, Vase £12, “&” ornament £8 all Wilko. Star £3.95 Dotcomgiftshop.com. Lantern £28 Cargo. Lamp £28 Next. Basket £8.80 Wilko. Fair Isle cushion £12, Zig zag throw £35 both M&S. Brown throw £12 Very.co.uk. Knit cushion £12 Matalan.

[ Photographs by the talented, patient (and very lovely) Liz Gregg http://www.lizgregg.com ]

WIN and transform your drawers!

Regular readers might remember I wrote about Trinca-Ferro recently (www.trinca-ferro.com), a fab little company selling all kinds of beautiful yet bargainous drawer and door knobs in every colour under the sun, for around £2 – £3 each.

Well, now you can win some of their lovely wares!

One lucky reader will get to choose eight knobs (all from the same design or eight different designs, it’s up to you) from the Trinca-Ferro website – enough to jazz up a chest of drawers. And that’s not all. One runner-up will also get to choose two knobs – enough to do up a cupboard or a bedside table.

Entering is simple. Just email me at thetreasurehunteruk@gmail.com with the answer to the question below…

What is a Trinca-Ferro?
a) a bobble hat
b) a bird
c) a dance move invented by Miley Cyrus

…along with a line about which is your favourite knob design on the Trinca-Ferro website and why. Oh, and don’t forget to include the address to send your prize if you’re lucky enough to win. The winner will be chosen at random on 2nd October from all the correct entries received.

GOOD LUCK!

PS: Can’t wait for the closing date? Get 20% off across the Trinca-Ferro website http://www.trinca-ferro.com until 3rd October 2013 by entering code CLOSER20 at the online checkout. My top tips? The retro acrylic button knobs, below, available in a rainbow of colours. Happy shopping!

 

 

Tray chic

Not only has online store Howkapow (www.howkapow.com) got a great name, but they’ve also got great taste. They specialise in colourful, fun, quirky, well-designed products – I covet much everything they sell…

The best things in the shop though, in my opinion, are the new trays, £18-£35. Forget boring brown wooden versions, these are bright and cheerful with such pretty patterns you could almost hang them on the wall as art when you’re not using them.

Other goodies worth checking out include their cute fox and cat cushions, £28 each; blowball brooches, £15; retro ‘Bonjour’ print, £35; the sweet acorn-shaped salt’n’pepper set, £25; and the funky Kaleidoscope tablemats, £35 for four.

PS: LIVE OUTSIDE THE UK? Have no fear – Howkapow reassure me they ship internationally! See their site for details.

Parrot fashion

White porcelain or ceramic animal and bird figurines have been popping up in Elle Deco and Living Etc for a while now. They add a kind of kitsch cool to any room or colour scheme.

However, they also usually have a ridiculously high designer price tag attached. Until now…

Three forward-thinking stores have all come up with purse-friendly porcelain parrots. The one on the top left is from Homebase (www.homebase.co.uk) and is a bargainous £9.99; while the one on the top right is £16.95 from hip homestore Ribgy and Mac (and officially, it’s a Cockatoo) http://www.rigbyandmac.com. The unglazed porcelain parrot below is £12.50 (was £25) from An Angel At My Table http://www.anangelatmytable.com

I think any of them would look a very pretty Polly indeed perched on a bookshelf or mantlepiece!

Gorgeous geometrics

This AMAZING – and very on-trend – geometric wallpaper is supposedly meant for children’ rooms, but I think it’s far too cool for that. Obviously if you papered your whole bedroom with it, it might give you headaches, but used sparingly – on a chimneybreast or in an alcove, or as a statement wall in a hallway or dining room – it would be a real showstopper.

If you’re crafty, you could even use it to paper the panels of a door or a chest of drawers; to cover books with; or as (albeit very expensive) wrapping paper.

It’s called Kaleidoscope, and it’s part of the new ‘All About Me’ range of wallpapers from Harlequin (www.harlequin.uk.com). It comes in four brilliant bright colourways – my favourite is the one at the start of this post – and costs a reasonable £30 a roll from Wallpaper Direct http://www.wallpaperdirect.com

Also worth taking a look is the ‘Boutique Boulevard’ design from the same collection. In either a primary or a fab neon colourway, it’s far too fab to be wasted on the kids…!