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Cambridge Snapshot

Hello,

I am aware that a lot of my posts, ok, all of my posts, are quite wordy so this is a post that will consist mainly of images.  I spent the weekend in Cambridge with one of my loveliest, closest friends and her lovely family (you know who you are, Charlotte - Andy, Peter and Rose ).  I don't get to go often enough and when I do I am always blown away by how gorgeous it is.  There is so much stunning architecture that I could have spent the whole time snapping away with my friend's superior camera, instead of eating ice cream at Benet's and having my "cackle" admired by a seven year old.

I settled for some quick snaps of glorious and intriguing doorways (I love doorways and gateways) and a few improbable creatures. As promised, I'll let the pictures do the talking.


Clare College



Gonville & Caius College


Great Court Trinity College


Great Court Trinity Over Gate



Trinity College


Doubly intriguing gateway...

Improbable Creatures in Cambridge:




Hope I've reminded you how lovely it is, or, if you've never been, I hope I've planted the idea of going.

Triciax


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Meet My Prettier Friend

Hello,

I feel today a bit like a rather plain girl who is introducing her boyfriend to her somewhat prettier friend.  I'm proud and pleased to introduce her but a little bit scared he might like her better.  From a list of twelve possible homework topics set by my blogging course I've chosen the one that suggests I talk about one of my favourite blogs in my field.  I was always intending to share this with you (honest), as it would have been mean not to, but maybe a bit further down the line.

The blogger and blog in question is Annabel Bird at  http://insideology.com/ A quick glance at the home page will show you how beautifully presented and well-organized her site is.  It manages to be decorative and packed with information without being at all cluttered or distracting.   

For me Annabel's blog is one of those that sets the bar on the standard of posts I'd like to achieve.  Her posts vary in length but not in quality.  She takes great photos but does not rely too heavily on them to make her blog interesting - she has so much more to say than, Isn't this lovely? 

When I'm asked what a blog is by people who don't read blogs (such as my mum and my sisters) I usually say that it is a bit like a magazine article but on the internet.    I realize that this is a very lazy definition that omits a crucial element of any good blog:  That is the notion of the personality, voice, opinions and world view of the blogger. On Insideology these things come through very clearly in each post.

It is at times uncanny how often her views echo my own.  Quite often she expresses beautifully things I've thought in a rather fuddled way - see her post http://insideology.com/2012/09/26/class-war-and-cushions-in-the-english-home/ for a perfect example.

She is generous in what she shares about herself, from her struggles with her KLC course to her guilt about loving old episodes of Poirot, and in the practical things she shares, such as a great piece of equipment or a good source.

She demonstrates her trust in her readers by showing them examples of her work that she doesn't think are perfect but knows will interest us.  Her reward is that we are interested and we trust her right back - a lesson for those of us who are still finding our blogging feet.

I love her incisive book reviews because she is not trying to show us how clever she is or even sell us the book, rather she is trying to help us establish whether this is a book for us.  That is what I mostly want to know from a book review.

Anyone who visits London really would do well to read her posts as the city figures very largely and she helps you to see it through her eyes.  Having read her post on Claridges I now feel I could go there without fretting that I do feel a bit like a country mouse in a palace.

Inspiring is a much overused word, I use it sparingly for fear of diluting its power.  Insideology truly does inspire me:  It makes me want to go places and do things.  It makes me feel less alone in many of my views and reminds me that what so often passes for the norm in the world of interior design is not, in fact, law.  What more can one ask from a blog?  Thanks Annabel!

Here are some images from Insideology:

See London from Annabel's perspective:


 http://insideology.com/2011/04/08/what-london-can-teach-us-about-modern-vintage-style/ 

One of the delights of Liberty store in London:
      

http://insideology.com/2012/05/01/ten-minutes-in-liberty-a-bit-more-about-abigail-ahern/

A London treat, Claridges:


 http://insideology.com/2012/02/13/gordon-ramsey-at-claridges/
 
A sample of course work Annabel shared on her blog:

 
http://insideology.com/2012/07/05/the-one-where-i-draw-some-shops/

Sharing her feelings (we've all been there):
  

http://insideology.com/2012/10/

If there is a blog that any of you really like I'd love to hear about it.
  
Triciax

  

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Buy Art Fair Manchester

Hello,

I couldn't be mistaken for an art expert but I took myself along to the Buy Art Fair last weekend, as I am always on the look out for interesting, attractive and appropriate things to adorn the walls of clients' homes.  By appropriate, I really mean that I'm hoping to hit upon artwork that will reflect some aspect of a client's personality or history; perhaps it is something rooted in their own culture, or ties in with their hobbies and interests, or maybe just illustrates their particular sense of humour.  That way, a piece ends up being more than just decorative and takes on a deeper meaning which will intensify the pleasure of owning and looking at the work.

I'm unlikely to help anyone buy a work of art that they can count on for their pension pot, but I aim to help them choose a piece that will give them great pleasure for a long time and may become a treasured family possession.

With all this at the forefront of my mind, these are the pieces that particulary stood out.  Perhaps you can conjure up an image of the kind of person who may find these appealing and in what setting.
  
The first works to catch my eye were these paintings by Laurence Amelie Schneider. According to her gallery entry, she paints what moves her, which seems to be fabulous flowers and frocks.  If I also say that she uses rather a lot of soft, if not totally pastel, colours then you might pigeonhole her work as being a bit sugary and suitable for little girls' bedrooms only.  Whilst many of her pieces would fit that bill, paintings of tutus being an obvious candidate, I do think her work would look stunning in many more grown-up settings.  I'm particularly drawn to her large canvases which I think would have a big impact without being overwhelming.  She works with acrylic paint on canvas, using a technique that she learnt from her father, Swiss abstract painter Gerard Schneider.  Wish my dad had taught me something as cool as that - how remiss!  

You can find her work through the friendly and helpful Lucy Berridge:
http://berridges.eu/about/
   
A shot of her work appears in the rather inspiring and much reviewed book, Creative Walls by Geraldine James. 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Walls-Display-Treasured-Collections/dp/1907563156
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/geraldine+james/creative+walls/8112044/

The photographer who created the beautiful pictures for that book, Andrew Wood,  was on the stand as I took this snap - I never said I was a photographer: 
 

The works seemed to be priced in the low £1,000s

From frocks to coats - well, a lot of my clients are women and they don't apologize for liking frocks and coats.  The Buy Art Fair tries to cater for all pockets, so if you can't stretch to an original painting, you might go for a screenprint like this one by Adam Hemuss, bearing the pleasing title, 24 Coats.  He was represented by Art Dog London:
http://www.artdoglondon.co.uk/about-2/
  .

 Priced at £200 unframed
 
These pencil drawings by Hondartza Fraga changed the mood quite drastically.  They look beautiful displayed like this,  unframed as a grouping.  Her work is definitely worth a closer look:
http://www.hondartzafraga.com/blog/drawing/
 

 
Couldn't see anything so vulgar as a price tag

A slightly sinister and somewhat mischievous note was struck by these works by Alison Erika Forde.  Would they give a child nightmares?  I can imagine Lemony Snickett fans being drawn to these works.
http://www.alisonerikaforde.com/

Fit the title to the image: Bearly There, Beauty Ritual, Bloody Stump.


Priced between £700 and £850

This is the artist's take on an Alaskan Shame Pole.  Apparently these are created and used to shame debtors who don't pay up.  The person who is owed the money puts such a pole outside the house of the debtor.  Better pay that paper bill....
 



These two images by Yu-Chen Wang, who was born in Taiwan but lives in the UK, combine the botanical with the mechanical.  An unusual pairing that is surprising and interesting.
  http://www.yuchenwang.com/

Yu-Chen is connected to the Chinese Arts Centre in the Northern Quarter:
http://www.chinese-arts-centre.org/
  




Priced roughly around the £1,000 mark framed.

So much of the success of a piece of artwork in the home depends on choosing the right piece for the right spot.  What looks ghastly in one place can look stunning in another.  Many galleries and artists will bring work to your home for you to see in-situ.  You shouldn't be afraid to ask for this service, as it is the most likely way to lead to a happy outcome for all concerned.

Triciax

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Add an Autumnal Glow with Zara Home

Hello,


It's been a beautiful sunny day in Manchester and I dragged my partner out from behind his desk for an hour just so we didn't let it pass by completely uncelebrated.  Still, there is no escaping the fact that Autumn is in the air.  I do love Autumn.  I much prefer winter clothes to summer ones - mainly due to not having to expose pale skin or grapple with fake tan.  At home I love lighting candles in the evening (or the afternoon on dark, damp days) and making things glisten and glow.  

While I was in London on Tuesday I took the opportunity to pop into Zara Home.  I love their homewares and can't for the life of me think why they don't have them in more Zara branches:  Manchester would be the perfect place for them - Zara please hear my plea!  Anyway, I spotted some lovely accessories that are pretty affordable and would look super in candlelight - not my only selection criteria but a good start.

These glasses, with their substantial gold rims and nice shapes, are pretty and useful:



Only spotted these two on the website. Priced at £5 and £7 each: 
http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269530/1108052/Cube%2BTumbler
http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269531/1108059/Cube%2BWine%2BGlass 

The glasses would work well with these glamorous trays, both with foxed mirrored bases and pierced filigree silver sides.  I love both these shapes but I think the octagonal one just has the edge:



  http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269538/1021616/Sandy%2BTray


http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269538/1021659/Libia%2BTray
    
Mercury-style glassware really comes into its own in the winter.  It's been fashionable for some time now and most people have some pieces in their home, even if it's only a tealight holder.  I think it is timeless, as a bit of glamour and glow never goes out of fashion.  These canisters are in a richer, warmer tone to the usual silver of mercury glass but would work beautifully with your existing pieces:


http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269522/1086035/Leod%2BJar

This openwork box is made of resin and looks like it is covered in lots of tiny beads.  I think it would go really nicely on a coffee table or on a hall console as a place to put your bundle of keys:


 http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269541/1021352/Nirea%2BBox

If you are keen on timeless pieces - I like to make sure I spend most of my money on them for obvious reasons - then mother of pearl is a great choice.  Is it my imagination or do mother of pearl photoframes flatter the image?  I also love this box - think I have a thing about boxes.  


http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269541/1021359/Tono%2BBox

http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269540/1021208/Marla%2BFrame

http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269540/1021210/Agave%2BFrame


http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomegb/en/zarahomegb/269540/1021206/Caroline%2BFrame
   
I hope there are some things there that you might like for yourself or to give as a gift to some lucky person.  I'm off to light some candles and enjoy the glow.


Triciax

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Book Recommendation: London Style Guide

Hello,

Hope you all enjoyed the bank holiday weekend and didn't allow the rain to get in the way of a good time.  I was lucky enough to be invited to a rather fabulous birthday-cum-garden party that could have been a mud bath but ended up being bathed in sunshine.  This summer has left me so weary of being anxious that the weather should be fine for special events, that I find myself just wishing Autumn would arrive and put an end to any overly-optimistic expectations.

To the matter in hand.  Despite being very much a city girl, I always used to find London quite overwhelming and exhausting.  It was only when I started to heed the advice of people who knew better and treat the city as a collection of villages that I really was able to get to grips with the place.  If you want to explore London an area at a time (the only way to cope with it, in my view) then this is the perfect book to help you do just that.

The author, Saska Graville, is a Londoner who knows her city really well and sincerely and generously wants to share the places she loves with others.  Not only that, but she also gets other Londoners to share their favourite places.

Each chapter of the book covers a different area of the city and opens with a simple map of the area being covered.  The subtitle of the guide is Eat, Sleep, Shop.  It is telling that, whilst these headings are well covered throughout the book, not every chapter covers all three of those topics.  She hasn't tried to shoehorn in a hotel in every area just for the sake of the structure of the book.  Clearly, if she doesn't love a place, it doesn't make it as an entry - very reassuring.

Each chapter ends with an interview with a Londoner in which they are asked very specific questions about the places they love and use and are inspired by.  Each interview contains around 10 questions and the interviewer approaches the subject from different angles with the result that even those  who may have been tempted to mention places that made them look cool or sophisticated  have given some revealing and informative answers.

Having said that, the Londoners in question are mostly pretty cool people anyway.  Many of them own very trendy small businesses focusing on fashion, interiors or food.  There are a couple of well known interior designers (Kit Kemp, Abigail Ahern) and a property developer who was involved in the restoration of St Pancras, Harry Handelsman. 

I know quite a few of the places that are featured and many others have been on my list of places to go for some time.  The lovely photos make me want to go to so many places that I might need to consider relocating.   

The guide packs a lot into quite a compact book.  Just about small and light enough to carry around:



Each chapter opens with an introduction to the area and a simple map:




There are dozens of very individual and independent shops.  These two are in Islington:




I definitely need to pop into this pub in Kensal Rise for a drink and a gawp at the decor:


 

40 Winks B&B in Shoreditch has long been on my hit list.  Need to book well in advance though:


 

The interviews with Londoners offer lots more insight:




This is such an interesting, varied and accessible guide that I think it will prove indispensable, once purchased, for Londoners and visitors alike.

If you like to buy online you can pick it up very reasonably at Amazon and Waterstones:   

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/saska+graville/london+style+guide/8935988/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/London-Style-Guide-Sleep-Shop/dp/1742668909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346173665&sr=1-1

Take a chance and buy yourself a copy.  If you don't love it, you will know someone who will.

Triciax

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Don't Hide it Away

Hello,

Hope you're all enjoying the warm glow cast by the sunshine and the success of the Olympics.  There is such a holiday mood in the air that it seems noone should be working at all at the moment.  If you are working, I hope it is as rewarding as the job I was doing this week.  I spent a very happy afternoon overseeing the implementation of a scheme for a playroom-cum-music room.  It is so lovely to see imagined rooms made real.  One detail of the scheme triggered the subject of this post, which is that of displaying musical instruments.

Most musical instruments are so attractive that it seems a shame to hide them away.  I took this snap just after we'd hung the vintage articulated wall light (to light up the sheet music for the pianist) and the three beautiful violins:


  

I seem to have quite a few clients with musical talent and often get to use guitars, especially in the bedrooms of young people.  I was particularly pleased with how well this guitar went with the other elements - can't claim to have chosen the desk etc. with the guitar in mind, any guitar would've worked, but it does coordinate uncannily well:



The guitar in this image packs a great punch in this young boy's room.  I also like it because, as in the images above, it really injects something of the personality of the user into the room.   The image below is taken from:
http://www.housetohome.co.uk/childrens-room/picture/modern-boys-bedroom  A good site for getting ideas and a taste of a variety of interiors magazines.



The display and positioning of this cello is really rather clever:  The box base is very simple but looks secure and though this is quite a large instrument. by positioning it next to the window it doesn't feel like it impinges too much on the room.  The chair and the music stand are also lovely pieces - music stands so often are rather beautiful.

This image was taken from http://www.houzz.com/      A site that covers such a variety of styles it is bound to offer something of interest but should be used with care for that reason too. Definitely worth a look though. 


   
One of the trickiest instruments to accommodate is the drum kit.  I'm just grappling with one at the moment.  In the absence of a free spacious corner in a room, I think the set up below is worth considering:  Have the drums (or percussion instruments) next to the wall and have the drummer sit facing the wall.  This means that you don't have to leave room for the drummer to get in behind the kit and you could also keep and use the stool in another part of the room  when it is not in use.  I would seriously consider adding a wall mirror here so the drummer can see the room rather than just the wall. A device often employed for piano players in bars.

The image below was taken from  http://remodelista.com/  An excellent source for interiors inspiration.  The designer is Annabelle Selldorf:
http://remodelista.com/posts/childrens-rooms-sophisticated-boys-rooms



  

Finally, if you or your child get fed up with a rather attractive drum kit you may like to put it to good use.  This is such a simple and clever idea by designer Rebekah Zaveloff:
http://www.houzz.com/%2BRebekah-%2B-Zaveloff-%2Bdrum


   
As for pianos, well that is a whole other chapter.  I think I'll leave those for another post.


Triciax   
   



  

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Art for All Including the Small

Hello,

As the long school holidays are now well underway and the rain is still falling at regular intervals, I thought I'd proffer a suggestion for a day out with the kids indoors.  When I was a schoolgirl I'd occasionally spend the lunch break (we called it the "dinner time" then, but I digress) wandering around Whitworth Art Gallery which was on the same road as my school.  I would happily have spent a lot more time there but I never felt very welcome or comfortable and seemed to be viewed with suspicion.  What a shame and what a far cry from how galleries view visits by children now.

This week, at the instigation of a switched-on client, I visited Salts Mill (Saltaire) in Shipley, Yorkshire.  It's a very large and rather attractive mill (not at all dark, satanic or forbidding) and it houses art galleries, focusing on David Hockney, shops and cafes.

My visit rather reminded me of the ad campaign run by the V&A a few years ago:  Great Cafe with Museum Attached.  I went on a Tuesday and the main gallery was closed so I spent most of the time in the diner and the shops.  It was not a great hardship.  

We started off with lunch in The Diner.  This is not a place to visit if you're feeling a bit delicate or hungover:  It is noisy and full of life and colour.  You'll see in the photo that primary colours, beloved of children, are used in the chairs, light fittings and in the artwork on the walls.  Even the lovely fresh flowers on every table were in varying colours.  The background noise is that echo and clatter associated with a big canteen but the food and table service are not at all canteen-like.  Everything we ate (burger, fries, salad nicoise - not saying who had what) was really tasty and nicely presented and the service was friendly and efficient.

The book shop next to The Diner is one that couldn't fail to appeal to you if you enjoy my art and interior design.  They had lots of my favourite interiors books and a few I'd never seen that looked interesting - it was a struggle to restrict myself to one reasonably justifiable purchase.  The books in the other sections seemed to have been chosen not just for their content, which was interesting and varied, but for the beauty of their covers.  The poetry section was particularly gorgeous and I would have loved to have bought whole collections of titles, so stunning would they have looked on a bookshelf.  I was worryingly drawn to a book of poems about murder but I managed to restrain myself.

Perhaps of most use for your interiors is the section of the shop that sells good quality prints of some of Hockney's work.  The client I mentioned allowed her art-loving 11 year old to choose a poster for his room and he chose a piece that was as perfect for the room as anything I would have selected. 

There is another huge area on the floor below this book shop which has art exhibited on the walls and books and art supplies for sale.  There seemed to be quite a few interesting shops but there is a limit to how many shops I can drag my man around before he starts looking distressed.

The very lively, colourful and excellent diner:

 

Great bookshop:

 

Gallery-cum-Shop:



Love this palette table:

   
My best effort at an external image of the mill:



Titus Salt, the man who built the mill:

  
 I do hope you can get there, with or without children, but best go Wednesday to Sunday so you don't miss the main event.

http://www.saltsmill.org.uk/

Triciax   

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A Favourite Online Store

Hello,

Lately, I seem to have come across a lot of people who have not yet discovered Rockett St George home accessories.  What a great shame!  It is an excellent online store all round (they have won awards to prove it) but their home accessories (art, and home decor etc.) are what I really love them for.  You rarely see such a collection of well-chosen, interesting and thoroughly usable items in one place.  I should point out that they have not bribed me to say this.

If you have a browse through their site you are bound to find things that appeal to you.  There are so many things I like that it would be a bit of a bore to list them.  I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite items.

I love this cushion from La Cerise sur le Gateau for its prettiness with the slightly subversive cigarette thrown in - I did use this in grey in a teenage girl's room but there was a bit of discussion about the perils of smoking.  Quite right too!    




http://www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk/girl-in-a-pretty-dress-cushion---alice-vintage-white-50x50cm-3306-p.asp

They do them in grey at Selfridges:
http://www.selfridges.com/en/Home-Tech/Categories/Home-accessories/Cushions/Alice-cushion-cover_275-3002098-CO72ALICEGRIS/

And the La Cerise sur Le Gateau site is also worth a look:
http://www.lacerisesurlegateau-eshop.com/

I'd been seeing sconces similar to the one below around for years and had always loved them but they were terribly expensive.  These look great, reflecting the candlelight beautifully, and are nice quality at a really good price.  I've only used them with one client so far, flanking an overmantel mirror,  but I  know I'll have to resist the temptation to keep suggesting them for different spots.  My clever client added her own candles and gave it a slightly different look - might get a snap of that at some point.


http://www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk/shell-candle-wall-sconce-623-p.asp
 
I love the colours in this rug and the burst of energy it lends to the room in the image.  It could also work well in a darker, moodier room that needed a lift.  It just takes a brave client and the right spot...

   
http://www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk/nomadic-100-wool-rug-6584-p.asp


They are a great source for punchy, quirky wall art.   Especially as their prints, already reasonably priced, are just the right size for Ikea frames which means the cost of the piece doesn't escalate when you start looking into framing them.  These are a couple of examples that I have used to pretty good effect (affect?, never quite sure):


They make me smile whenever I see them:
http://www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk/orwell--goode-dandy-deer-print-5237-p.asp


I love the butterly print we put over the bed, particulary as its shape works so beautifully with the wall lights.

I hope I've at least made you think about checking out their site.  They could have just the thing you need to freshen things up at home.

Must dash now to prepare for my fabulous sister's fabulous wedding tomorrow.

Triciax     

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Book Recommendation: Domino, The Book of Decorating

Hello,

Here's a post on a book I think some of you may find really useful if you haven't already discovered it.  I was given this as a gift from a clever friend the year before last and I still enjoy dipping into it for inspiration.

If you never opened this book and just had it adorning your shelf or coffee table, it would be worth the money you paid for it.  The prettiness of the cover ( it is a de Gournay wallpaper pattern after all,) the colour, size and shape and the lovely feel and weight of it in your hands are all factors that conspire to delight in the way only a real book can.

The whole tone of the book is one of encouragement.  It has been put together by the editors of the, now sadly defunct, online magazine, Domino.  Their ethos was based on a desire, as they put it, "to demystify and democratise decorating" - people after my own heart.  They know their stuff and they really want to share it with you - like those great girlfriends who help you find the outfit that really suits you and makes you feel good about yourself.

Those who get good at putting rooms together, either professionally for others or just in their own homes, do so, in part, because they have expended a good deal of time and effort looking at different spaces and weighing up why they work.  Domino offers something of a shortcut to all that.

It is so full of tips and tricks that there are bound to be at least a few concrete ideas that will work in your home.  The authors are refreshingly realistic about the kind of flats and houses that most of us inhabit, as well as being very aware that their readers will be on varying budgets.

It is perhaps not a book for you if your taste is very traditional and conservative, but if you, like me, want to achieve a look that is full of personality and at least a dash of originality, then I don't think it can fail to please.  It definitely favours a more feminine look but the ideas can easily be adapted to suit a more masculine style.  I should also mention that it is very American but there is so much cross-over in what is available in the UK that it hardly matters; the point of the book is to take inspiration and ideas from it rather than trying to find the exact pieces featured.

The photos are excellent (I have to suppress feelings of envy when I compare them to most of mine) and there are tons of detail shots.

It is available online at both Amazon and Waterstones:

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/deborah+needleman/domino3a+the+book+of+decorating/6561651/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Domino-Decorating-Room---Room-Creating/dp/1416575464/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341777080&sr=1-1


I LOVE THE COVER:  



WELL ILLUSTRATED TIPS AND TRICKS:




KEY INGREDIENTS OF A ROOM SCHEME LAID OUT:


  

LOVELY PHOTO OF THE ROOM AS IT TURNED OUT:


 

Hope you decide to go for it.  If you don't love it, we all have at least one friend who would be delighted to receive it as a gift.


Triciax

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A Touch of Copper

Hello,

Back from a most wonderful, relaxing and inspiring holiday in Italy.  I'll be referring to it in a few posts but promise not to bore you to death with acres of holiday snaps.

The wifi we were hoping for turned out to be a dongle, which was not much use with my ipad, so I rather feel like I'm starting from scratch on learning how to post.  Never mind, I'm sure it will soon become second nature.

Never having been to Rome, we decided to take advantage of landing at Rome airport to at least get a glimpse of some of the most famous sites.  When I should have been marvelling at the wonders of the Coloseum, I couldn't help noticing how the addition of a simple band of copper to the planters on the pavement nearby really lifted them out of the ordinary.  (Isn't there some scathing comment, I think by Henry James, about tourists going to marvelous places and recounting tales of an interesting dog they saw there? - Springs to mind, not sure why...)

Anyway, I'm afraid I didn't take a photo of the planters, or of the fabulous copper doorway I passed later that day, but it did get me thinking about copper and how beautiful it is.  Fortunately, by the time I got to Pompeii and Sorrento I had my wits about me and took some snaps of a couple of lovely examples of copper.  The images are below, as is the one and only image I will inflict on you of me on my holidays.  (The eagle-eyed among you may spot the lovely copper-coloured corsage detail on my handbag:


Super stylish street lights in Pompeii with copper in the upper section: 
A beautiful copper hotel sign in Sorrento:





I used quite a few warm copper details in this rather smart sitting room.  I placed two complementary copper coloured ironwork mirrors, one vintage, the other more recent, over the consoles flanking the window and kept it contemporary with the Habitat Ribbon table lamps in copper. 

http://www.habitat.co.uk/table-lights/lighting/fcp-category/list?resetFilters=true#productsPerPage=56





We also added the Fantome Ghost clock by Innermost in bronze... (I love this clock in all its incarnations.  I used to stock it in my shop and I have the smaller faceted version on my mantelpiece at home.  I think it really sums up the mixing of the old with the new.)


http://www.awhiteroom.com/innermost/innermost-small-fantome-ghost-clock.asp
... and some original metallic artwork by Laura Richardson (Nee Barker) who is one of the artists I'm hoping to feature in a future post.

http://www.craftanddesign.com/studios/laurabarker

I can't focus on copper without mentioning the Tom Dixon Copper Light.  I put one of these in the bedroom of a sixth former two or three years ago and feel it was a good choice as it still seems so right now that he is a young man at university.  It was quite expensive for a young person's room but I mitigated it slightly by teaming it with a pair of copper lamps from Ikea.

http://www.tomdixon.net/products/uk/copper-shade


There is more to say on copper  but I'll have to leave it there for today.  Triciax

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A Dash of Colour in the Garden

Hello,

Trying to get to grips with the practical, technical side of posting on my blog, so I thought I'd share with you some pleasing images of colour in the garden.  As you will see from the photos, I am not a gardener (sadly, you may also detect that I am not a photographer either).  As I can't always rely on plants to provide the colour, I quite like injecting it by other means.

Green garden waterpump

Orange garden table and chairs

Multicoloured garden chairs

Green vertical slat garden chairs in a line

As you can see, the Belgians are not so predictable in their colour choices as you may expect.  All these garden items are just as I bought them in Belgium (in their juice, as we say).  These pieces are sold and enjoying new lives in wet British gardens but similar things are not so hard to find.

If you prefer to have more muted garden furniture, you still may be up  for something slightly unexpected and fun.  Check out the lovely garden covers at www.thecamouflagecompany.com   I am definitely going to let my barbecue overwinter in one of their covers.  Just wish I had a rotary washing line so I could get the English Rose cover.

Rotary line cover from Camouflage Company

Garden covers bbq

I'm off on holiday to Italy in a couple of days.  I'm hoping I'll find some inspiring things to post about but it will also depend on whether I can get to grips with posting on my ipad - don't hold your breath.

Hope the sun shines on you while I'm away.

Triciax

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My First Blog

Hello,

My name is Tricia Cunningham and this is my first blog.  I'll be learning about blogging as I go along, so stick around, if only to see if I improve.

My blogs will be aimed at anyone with an interest in interiors.  I'm hoping to engage, inspire and encourage - might as well aim high.

Just so you know where I'm coming from, I'm going to use this first blog to give you some relevant background information on me and my business.  Don't worry, future blogs will not be all about me!

I spent most of my spare time in the nineties looking round antiques shops and markets and doing courses in furniture restoration and painting, and upholstery.  I discovered that I lacked any special talent in those areas but I did have something of an eye for picking out lovely antiques that would work well in people's homes.  With the rashness of youth, I gave up a job I loved and became an antique dealer.

I came up with a name that I thought was fun and slightly intriguing:  Kitty Fisher's Finds.  It stems from the nursery rhyme, Lucy Lockett lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it, not a penny in her pocket, but a ribbon round it.  I thought, I go out and find things and it has a bit of a ring to it - it made perfect sense to me anyway.

I sourced all my stock in France and Belgium as I love French styles and got into some of the Italian styles beloved of the French.  For the first five years, I did my selling at antiques fairs and in antiques centres in the North of England.

In 2003 I opened my little shop in Didsbury, Manchester from where I branched out into interior design.  In 2006 I moved to a rather bigger shop in Altrincham, Cheshire.  I loved having the shops but after four years there I decided I really wanted to be able to spend more of my time on my interior design projects.   I moved to my current showroom which is only open on request and is a lot easier to keep on top of.

So now you are up to speed.  Here are some images of the two shops to give you a flavour of what they were like.

Bye for now,

Triciax
Altrincham Shop FrontAltrincham Shop Interior Armoire in Window

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