Mary-Ann Watt features her unique paintings on desirable homeware and gifts

British artist Mary-Ann Watt has launched an online shop selling a selection of homeware and gifts featuring her unique paintings of realistic flowers.  By concentrating on presenting close-ups of a single flower or a bud about to blossom or a flowering branch, her paintings are intimate yet bold, giving her range of products a contemporary style.

Explained Mary-Ann, "Long before I started my business I was always looking for homewares that would complement the soft greys and greens of my home but I could never find anything.  And I knew from speaking to friends that I was not alone.  So using my paintings as a starting point I decided to create my own range which would be stylish, very high quality, but above all, really beautiful - things tht people would want to have in their homes.  I am incredibly proud of the results."


Having studied art
at school,  Mary-Ann focused on building a home and a family in her 20s and 30s and it was only until in her late 30s that Mary-Ann started dabbling again, painting large, contemporary bold an colourful pictures she could hang at home.

Fine bone china mugs, hand decorated and fired in Stoke on Trent, feature images of beautiful pom pom flowers

by Mary-Ann Watt. 

Cotton cushion individually hand-painted with pink blossoms by Mary-Ann Watt.

It was an obvious leap she made from her paintings to a range of homeware including placemats and aprons, cushion covers, trays, fine bone china mugs and jugs as well as greeting cards and postcards. If you like her art, framed prints and original paintings are also sold in her website.

Mary-Ann has now enlisted her marketing consultant husband to look after the sales and marketing side of the business so she can concentrate on the creative aspects.  Now business is flourishing and she has plans to extend her range of products.  She said the majority of her suppliers are small UK businesses as the personal relationships an the high quality of their work are both key to maintaining the signature look and feel of the artist.

Soothing greenery trend in the home. New survey reveals Britons' sleep habits.

The urban jungle interiors trend is slated to stay even when walks and picnics in the park will be replaced by evenings of watching your favorite movies and series as nights start to draw in early during the autumn and winter months.

Thus soothing greenery motifs in interiors – in the form of live plants, fancy foliage in prints for cushions,  carpets, wallpaper and wall murals with a plant motif, are all suitable elements  to take on to optically enlarge a space or add visual impact.

The sets presented in the pictures above show Pixers®'s Vinyl Wall Murals - matte, durable and ecological material and framed posters, semi-matte finished, thick paper in solid but light frames.
Photos from Pixers®

The choice of plants that we can grow at home is huge, according to green interiors specialists Ola and Weronika from Projekt Rośliny (eng. Project Plants).  And against popular beliefs, some plants for suitable for the bedroom.

"All palms, sanseveiria (aka Mother-in-law’s Tougue), as well as peace lily and ferns are recommended for the bedroom. These are plants that actually release a lot of oxygen into the air, but we always emphasize that any plant is good to enrich the interior with a little bit of nature, and above all they add warmth and uniqueness into our home spaces. "- state Ola and Veronica.

New sleep survey reveals what Britons really get up to behind the bedroom door

A new survey held earlier this year, based on hundreds of responses, has taken a peek behind the bedroom door of UK people to reveal what us Brits really get up to when the lights go out.

The State of the Nation’s Sleep 2018 survey was commissioned by the sleep brand Sid to understand the bedroom habits and sleeping patterns of the United Kingdom.

The survey examined both the generation gap - comparing responses from Baby Boomers (those born before 1964), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Millennials (those born after 1981) - and regional differences in what happens when the lights go out. 

Sifting through the hundreds of responses to the study, the leading mattress company identified a number of key trends and several slumber-themed surprises:

-The people of Scotland take the title of the UK’s most amorous

- Millennials are bedroom multitaskers, seeing more action than the preceding generations but also more likely to send work emails from their bed

- The most popular bedroom activity is… watching TV!

The UK’s most loved-up region is Scotland, with 44% of respondents saying that ‘getting amorous’ is one of the main activities in the bedroom. This compares to a national average of 25%, and is four-times higher than the South West, where only 11% of people say lovemaking is a major factor in their bedroom. 

We are said to be a nation of pet lovers, and nowhere do people love their furry friends more than the North West. 25% of respondents said they went to sleep with a pet in their bedroom (nationally: 7%).

Also we’re finding it harder and harder to switch off from work, as10% of us say that checking emails is now a ‘major bedroom activity’. Millennials particularly feel the pressure, with nearly double the national average regularly checking in (18% of Millennials). The hardest working region? The East, with 33% of respondents saying they regularly check emails in bed. 

The survey was carried out by sleepwithsid.com

SUPER TEXTURE – the new story from TOM DIXON, launching in Paris Maison et Objet fair

Continuing the exploration into the construction of cloth, British interior products and lighting brand  – TOM DIXON – is launching a range of new cushions under the banner of SUPER TEXTURE showcasing tactile materials, fabrics and techniques that dive deep into the weave, the knits and the knots.

Participating  for the first time in the prestigious Maison& Objet home and interiors trade fair in Paris (19–23 January 2018), TOM DIXON’s new cushions take you on adventures that begin in print, in embroidery and in the hand tufting and looping of wool with young emerging talent.  The new ranges are called ABSTRACT, PAINT and GEO.  

ABSTRACT is the name given to a pair of cushions made using techniques from the rug and carpet industries. Thick, woolly, harder wearing and generally more substantial than most cushions, these are hand tufted in Varanasi, Northern India by extraordinarily skilled craftsmen.

Urban perspective sketches and Hippy Wall hangings of the seventies were the initial inspiration for the variety of textures and blocks of saturated colours that come through in ABSTRACT.

Details of a cityscape watercolour from textile artist Josephine Ortega were blown up in scale and separated on graph paper to create a grid a technique familiar in tapestry pattern, but supersized for this project.

The loops, tufts and the variety of pile heights accentuate the hand-crafted nature of these cushions impossible to create by machine. Made from 100% New Zealand wool, backed with natural linen and generously filled with Danish duck feathers outstanding materiality and a human touch.

PAINT is a set of cushions with a subtle painterly print of abstracted urban landscapes rendered onto super soft canvas.

Tom Dixon commissioned young upcoming British talent Josephine Ortega to create a set of abstracted architectural watercolours based on scenes of British urbanism.

Pigment of pinks and indigo were then ink jet-printed onto a textured canvas of off-white linen to form stackable landscapes. Woven from natural linen mixed with lightweight viscose for a soft and natural feel, PAINT is digitally printed, sewn, stuffed and finished in Britain.

GEO cushions are embroidered by hand and machine on a base of natural linen and cotton mix, then filled with Danish duck feathers; lightweight collection with superior comfort. 

Embroidered graphic illustrations inspired by the natural geologies of rock formations and layered sediment, GEO is restrained yet expressive pattern making across two cushions and a double-sided throw. Celebrating the decorative qualities of natural phenomenon in bold embroidered strokes,

GEO is the no-fuss monochromatic that packs a graphic punch, say Tom Dixon.

TOM DIXON add colour and extra texture to the existing SOFT and BOUCLE ranges.  These are also showcased at the Paris Maison et Objet show.

Two new colours Wine and Khaki join the SOFT range this season. This series of cushions and pouches fashioned from Dutch woven fabric is composed of South-African Angora goat hair historically said to be as valuable as gold itself.

Combined with European craftsmanship and a generous filling of Danish duck feathers this range offers superior pile height, durability, and the ultimate indulgence in comfort and texture.

Khaki and Electric Blue are the latest to the BOUCLE colour palette. The blue is more electric, intense and vibrant. The military inspired khaki has the odd characteristic of acting either as a neutral or a highlight. Uncompromising in quality, it is composed of hand-spun and hand-woven yarn, in the exotic remote mountainous region of Rajasthan with wool sourced from New Zealand.

Tom Dixon to launch new SUPER TEXTURE textiles and accessories January 2018

Come January 2018, British interior design label Tom Dixon will launch its first ever collection of textiles named SUPER TEXTURE, as well as its most recent innovation in MATERIALISM room scents,  all to be officially showcased at the prestigious Maison & Objet Paris trade fair, , January 19-23 2018.

Continuing the exploration into the construction of cloth, SUPER TEXTURE dives deep into the weave, the knits and the knots, adding colour and extra texture to the SOFT and BOUCLE ranges.

Burgeoning adventures begin in print, in embroidery and in the hand tufting and looping of wool with young emerging talent to produce new families: ABSTRACT, PAINT and GEO. Three new colours are added to the existing range – Khaki, Wine and Electric Blue for a reinvigorated exercise in colour stacking.

Heat-affected CORK, and marble studded TERRAZZO provide stimulus for two new and diverse scents this season – Dark smoky wood juxtaposed with fresh zesty fig.   Brutalist and Primitive, these vessels offer a new sensory experience to the Materialism collection.

Also to be introduced is PLANT, a double headed vase designed for floral ecosystems, and a miniature edition of the SPIN table candelabra. Both exploit the process of making, "from the generous possibilities of molten glass to the heavy-weight iron materiality of British engineering."

Tom Dixon's new collections will show for the first time at Maison & Objet Paris, January 19-23 2018 and will land in stores worldwide from 19 January 2018.

DesignJunction2017 opens for business at Granary Square, London

DesignJunction2017 - the event for interiors and product designs for the international creative community is back in King's Cross for a second year.  Greeting visitors is Gateways, depicting a series of dramatic and colourful archways.  The installation is a collaboration by Turkishceramics and designer Adam Nathaniel Furman, celebrating Turkey's rich history with ceramics with the Central St Martin's college in the background.

Will Sorrell, event director, said it is an exciting time for the area, which is fast establishing as a London destination for cutting-edge design and creativity, with the Gasholders apartments opening their doors in a few weeks, and a series of pioneering retail projects moving in to King's Boulevard; and dramatic progress to Heatherwick's Coal Drops Yard which will open in October 2018.

The VIP and Press room at this year's DesignJunction, running 21 - 24 September at Granary Square, King's Cross, London, is a showcase of bold graphic patterns and the sophistication of luxe materials.  

Providing a unique sense of style for a relaxing space, The Lounge is decorated mainly by British interiors brand Kirkby Design and British design force Eley Kishimoto whose passion for pattern are played out over walls, featuring wallpapers and cushions, furniture, furnishing fabrics and cushions from the EK for KD collection.

Pendant lighting from Tala featuring Porcelain and Voronoi filament bulbs is a dramatic collection that takes influences from patterns and forms found in the natural world.






























Meanwhile French car maker Renault - DesignJunction's headline partner this year, takes to the occasion to unveil its new automobile TreZor - a 100% electric concept car which had never been seen before in the UK.

TreZor was awarded the most beautiful concept car of the year by the Festival Automobile Jury.

Renault's exterior design studio chief Francois Leboine was on hand to introduce the full wonder of this amazing futuristic car.

Search for more highlights using #wheredesignmeets.

Photos © Lucia Carpio 2017 

Fresh talent alongside global brands on show at 100% Design in London

The unique quality of the 100% Design show, which returns during London Design Festival for its 23rd edition at Kensington Olympia, 20-23 September, lies in  its cross-sector appeal to design professionals, with five distinct sections: Interiors, Workplace, Kitchens & Bathrooms, Design & Build and Emerging Brands.

The show is instrumental in fostering relationships between some of the world’s biggest architects, designers, specifiers, retailers and developers.

Italian lighting company Studio Italia Design will launch three new collections at this year's 100% Desing show - Sugegasa, Nautilus and Random which features an unconventional design of modular, melted-blown pendants that mimic the shape and form of soap bubbles.   Information and photo from 100% Design.

With over 600 exhibitors launching hundreds of new products, last year’s event was attended by more than 27,000 visitors with delegate spending power unmatched in the UK, reaching a combined £3.9 billion.

Interiors is the longest running section at 100% Design, presenting prestigious international brands with products ranging from furniture and lighting to fabrics and accessories.

Mid-century and art deco-inspired designs are prominent in this section this year, with brands such as Mambo Unlimited, Due and Mullan Lighting, who will launch a new range of lights for hotels at the show.

Upholstery, furniture and lighting brand Bow and Arrow will launch Olinda, a new collection of armchairs, sofas and furniture. Contract furniture supplier Andy Thornton Ltd will launch new workstations, hospitality furniture and decorative lighting, while there are new furniture and lighting products from UK studio Woodlikes.

A dedicated platform for the freshest new ideas, Emerging Brands reflects 100% Design’s original ethos of launching new talent, having been the launchpad for stalwarts such as Ella Doran, Tom Dixon and Barber Osgerby.

One of the emerging brands to show at 100% Design is Edinburgh-based designer Mairi Helena who specialises in high-end luxury home accessories for interiors and fashion whose novel designs are created using influences from her photographic portfolio of Scotland.   Photo and information from 100% Design

Joining the section this year is Odddot, who will launch new furniture and lighting products at 100% Design. They are joined by London florist and plant shop Grace & Thorn Ltd who also feature for the first time.

TMI Laura Itkonen will launch several new wall art products, while British lifestyle brand Elizabeth James returns to launch new coasters and placemats to mark the company’s second appearance at 100% Design.

Other exhibitors in Emerging Brands include mirror manufacturer Alguacil & Perkoff Ltd, furniture designers Thirty Line Design, lighting company Mash.T Design Studio, upholstery brand Citradi and interior print designer Mairi Helena.

100% Design’s Workplace section is the only one of its kind in the UK, according to organisers. With a marketplace growing globally, the section spotlights the innovative work being done by companies around the world to improve both productivity and the experience of the workplace itself. The range of commercial design on show includes desking, seating, electronic innovations, acoustic panels, storage systems, lighting and flooring.

Office furniture is responding to demands of more sociable and collaborative work environments, evident in the showcases of British brand Protocol and French furniture company Alki. The introduction of soft shapes and vibrant colours reflects the increasingly acknowledged link between comfort and productivity.

Also furniture giant Kinnarps will be on trend and will launch three new chairs by their brands Materia, Skandiform and NC. All of them are designed by Karim Rashid and new to the UK.

Never-seen-before rugs of the Beni Quarain tribe, now at Bazaar Velvet

Still on the subject of sheep, recently while doing some research into wool for the purpose of rugs, I’ve come across a selection of Benniz Berber hand-knotted rugs now just arrived at Bazaar Velvet.

They have been selected personally by Christopher Mould, the owner of Bazaar Velvet on his trip to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco earlier this year.

It is thought that the Beni Quarain tribe have been making Berbers almost since the time they settled in the Middle Atlas of Morocco over twelve hundred years ago.

They were, and to some extent still are, Nomadic people, roaming the mountains with their tents and flocks of sheep.  The Beni Quarain tribe handmade the rugs from lush wool trimmed from the sheep they raise.  These were originally used as blankets to protect them against the freezing conditions of the Atlas Mountains.   Therefore unlike most Moroccan rugs one can find in the market square (Jemaa el Fna) of Marrakech, Beni Quarain rugs are not colourful, yet their geometric patterns on harmonious shades lend them a contemporary air. 

Beniz rugs are created from the wool of an ancient breed of small sheep. This is then carded, spun and dyed in small pots. This contributes to the colour varieties, the individuality and charm of each piece. Their patterns are simple, often composed of converging lines of unmatched irregularity. They are constructed using the technique of hand knotting and their pile is left long and loose. This is what gives the rugs their shaggy appearance, which is undoubtedly one of their greatest attractions, making them gorgeously soft underfoot and no doubt giving any room an air of comfort. A particular feature of the Beni Quaran Berber is the way it’s finished. The ends are flat and free of pile. The loose strands are then twisted together to create a fabulous rope like fringe which really sets off the rug.

While in recent years Beni Quarain rugs have been featured in design magazines for tastefully designed homes, the Benniz Berbers at Bazaar Velvet are rich in character and heritage, made in the traditional way by traditional people with modern interiors in mind.

Lorna Syson's new plant/storage pots & make up bags soon available online

British designer Lorna Syson has a knack of translating her experience of the British countryside into memorable designs to be enjoyed in the comfort of one' home.  

She brings the British Songbirds indoors depicting them on cushions, lampshade wallpapers, fabrics and wallflowers.  These have won fans all over.  Most recently Lorna's bird cushions were featured this week at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show - in the City Twitters Garden . You may have spotted them on BBC2's coverage on Monday 29th June co-presented by Rachel De Thame.

Award winning British designer Lorna Syson set up her home wear brand in 2009 with help from the Princes Trust Business development loan. Since then the brand has grown from strength to strength and Lorna’s products are now found in respectable interior shops and boutiques across the globe.

Among Lorna's latest designs are the new plant/storage pots & make up bags which will be available online in July. 

These were tested at the Cockpit Arts Summer Open studios back in May and after making a few tweaks, which include water proof linings, the new and improved versions are ready to be launched in a couple of weeks on Lorna Syson's website, so keep your eyes peeled.

Heal’s unveils first own-brand fabric collection since 1970s, and coordinating home accessories range.

Zandra Rhodes' Top Brass 2 design features her signature pink colourway for Heal's
newly launched own-label fabric collection. 

This design above is by British designer Zandra Rhodes.  Entitled Top Brass 2, it was originally designed in 1963 for the British furniture and home furnishing store Heal's and was created while Rhodes was still studying at The Royal College of Art London.  The medal motif was inspired by a David Hockney painting and the bold colour palette is representative of the Pop Art period.  Rhodes is one of the designers whose designs are featured in Heal's newly launched own-brand fabric collection.

Cressida Bell’s decorative Trees is richly detailed and heavily influenced by the 1930s and 1940s trends.

While Heal's stocks a number of top designer brands, including the likes of Missoni, Marimekko, Osborne and Little and Ralph Lauren,  now, for the first time since the 1970s, Heal’s has launched its own fabric range, championing design talents both from the UK and the European continent.

Pia Benham, Heal’s Head of Fabric & Design comments: “As part of the relaunch of Heal’s historic fabric department, we wanted to extend our current fabric offering. We hope the new collection will help further strengthen our fabric department’s position as the destination for unique and exciting designs, a place that can inspire our customers and enable them to make their homes a beautiful place to live in. We also wanted to inject fun and excitement into our Heal’s fabric design once again, by working with established as well as emerging designers – in the same way we did in the 1950s and 1960s.”

Lady Jane by Petra Börner is designed to resemble a scattered bouquet of rough cuts from the garden. The idea was derived from horticultural images taken from vintage books. 

Tea Time design by the late Diana Bloomfield reflects the 1950s period in which it was first designed. 

Cloud by Emily Patrick, based on one of the designer’s own paintings, a sky study, features her strong brushwork creating a tranquil painted effect

In addition to fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, the line-up includes textile artist Cressida Bell, figurative painter Emily Patrick, textile expert Paul Vogel, silk weaver Ottilie Stevenson, from the archive of the late Diana Bloomfield (with the help of her daughter Julia and her graddaughter-in-law Linda), as well as French illustrator Malika Favre, Swedish textiles designer Petra Borner, and Danish designers Hvass & Hannibal.

Hvass & Hannibal’s Herbarium uses the forest as its main theme for a distinctively Scandinavian feel.

Malika Favre’s exotic Peacock Flower is a bold, geometric interpretation of a floral theme. 

While the designers ingeniously use colour and patterns to highlight their individual style, some have been inspired by Heal’s heritage for this exclusive collection, others have taken ideas from vintage sources, drawing inspiration from fabric archives, or take inspiration from decorative arts, nature and even jewellery.   Geometrics and nature are popular themes. 

To design this Zig Zag pattern, Ottilie Stevenson looked to Art Deco jewellery  in particular the shapes and lines created by the gold chain links of 1940s necklaces. 

A design from Paul Vogel’s Stripe series, inspired by Heal’s own archives but uses Spring 2014’s colour trends to give it a modern twist. 

Some of the designs are in 100% cotton hopsack, such as those by  Zandra Rhodes’ Top Brass 2, Hvass & Hannibal’s Herbarium, and Malika Favre’s Peacock flower, others are in a cotton/linen/nylon mix.

Many people probably do not know that Heal’s has been going for more than two centuries.  Presently with six stores in the chain selling a wide range of furniture, lighting, interior furnishing, homewares and garden products, Heal’s started out as a feather-dressing business.   Its flagship has been at the Tottenham Court Road location in London since the mid 1800’s , and today it also sells its products on-line.
To coincide with the launch of their own-brand fabric collection, Heal’s has introduced a coordinating home accessory line, Heal’s 1810, to complement the new offering.  Named after the year in which the company was established, Heal’s 1810 includes kitchen textiles, trays, cushions and stationery, all of which feature selected patterns from the new fabric range.
Pia Benham adds, “It’s been a wonderful journey working with all the designers on our new fabrics, and we loved their designs so much that we decided to go further with some of the patterns and apply them to home accessories. As such, we have produced a whole new collection around those patterns, and that’s exactly how Heal’s 1810 came about.
“We wanted to give our customers different options to incorporate those patterns into their design schemes, whether it be using our new fabrics for soft furnishings and light upholstery, or introducing Heal’s 1810 accessories to their homes for a simple style update.”