Mel Smith Designs: furniture

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festive fair finds!

ahhhhh...today is the first saturday in about a month where i'm not either at a Christmas fair or planning for my next one! i'm still in bed and it's delightful (except for the fact i have a nasty cough and cold). i enjoyed all of my markets (for different reasons!) and wanted to share some of the work of the amazing designers i met whilst exhibiting across the last 3 weeks.

Made In Clerkenwell

i was located in the basement but i was surrounded by 10 other fantastic designer-makers with a great selection of goods.

i have a soft spot for ceramics and instantly fell in love with Sally McGill's new collection - bold blue and coral on white...right up my street!

another great selection of ceramics were on offer from my show neighbour Jane Sarre - i'm always a sucker for that olive colour, and putting it on beautiful vases...well, i'm not sure how i resisted!

and of course Katie Victoria was my very lovely and very Welsh neighbour for the show. gorgeously bright and bold knitted scarves, cushions and a rather lovely bobble hat i had my eye on all show!

East London Design Show

hosted for the second year at the Truman Brewery there were over 100 stands selling homewares, jewellery, prints, furniture and...ping pong games!

the stand to catch my eye the most was from the lovely Winter's Moon, a combination of mid-century finds and new retro inspired prints on an array of homewares - my ultimate weakness!

i caught up with Sophie Home who i first met at the Wimbledon Art & Design Fair earlier this year, once gain selling her yummy geo knits

winner of the Best Stand was Reclectic, a company that sources vintage furniture to hand paint with imagery inspired by that era. we happened to be opposite so could gaze at it all day!

The StockMKT

i'll be honest - this was by far my favourite market - the atmosphere was just amazing and the dj's and live Voodoo Love Orchestra were bloody fantastic! the first time it has been held at Spitalfields but it went down a treat.

now unfortunately i was so caught up in the dancing that i didn't actually take any photos! but probably a good thing otherwise i'll end up giving away some of the Christmas presents i have bought people!

from the design Library . . . Orla Kiely - Home

i'm pretty sure this book will have been on everyones Christmas / Birthday lists at some point but i'm going to post it anyway. Orla Kiely's 'Home'.

i was looking back at my 'my style - interiors' pinterest board from the Smart Creative Style course and thought i'd have another wee look through this book. there are quite a few photos from the book that link strongly with my board - lots of white backdrops and strong layered colours. the palette is pretty me too! the book starts with Orla's influences and her own products, and then each following chapter focuses on a different mid-century styled home from around Europe - including her own.

buy from Amazon UK for only £19.50 or Amazon US for $24.99

guest blog from decorque - post 2 . . . emerald green!

welcome to the first blog post of 2013 on mel smith designs! but i'm still in holiday mode so we have someone else providing the work (hehe!)... today the post is brought to you by decorque, their second guest blog post here...read on!

Hello again, we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with the fabulous Mel Smith Designs, and cannot believe this is our second post already.

One of the hottest topics last year in the design world was Emerald Green 17-5641 being chosen as Pantone’s colour of year 2013. So our post is on this “Lively. Radiant. Lush” colour which according to Pantone is a “colour of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony”.

In Ancient Rome it was the colour of Venus the goddess of love and beauty, and today it still has a special position in many cultures and religions. It is the Holy colour of Islam and is featured on the flags of many countries, as a symbol of unity and faith.

The gemstone Emerald has always been a favourite of ours due to its luxurious and sophisticated appearance. Its faint bluish tint compliments colours such as mustard, turquoise, cream and plenty of other green hues. Its intensity never fades as it has a quality of freshness that remains interesting to the eye.

Emerald appears in trends from interiors, to fashion and stationery. Visual inspiration and sources have allowed us to create this rich, opulent and varied mood board, showcasing the colours presence on bright cut glass, in fabrics and it’s use in patterns, such as our Tropically Toucan Art Print or Tropical Leaf placemats. Emerald can make a statement on its own as the main, or an accent colour, combined with lighter tones it defines and strengthens creating statement designs.

Where ever Emerald is used, it is clearly a powerful and universally appealing colour, its versatility translating into any market. So the question is, will you be including the “Harmonious Emerald" in your interiors or wardrobe this season?

Links:

Main site link: http://www.decorque.com/

Blog site link: http://blog.decorque.com

Twitter link: @decorque

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/Decorque

Pinterest link: http://pinterest.com/decorque/

Moodboard image references/links:

Emerald Green Cut Glass Jar via Pinterest

Emerald Accents via Pinterest

Pantone Swatch via The Design Tree

Trends We love: Emerald Green by Layla Grayce on The Backroom Blog

Tropical Forest Plastic Placemats by Decorque

Vintage Australian Stamp

Ting Seat Belt Cushion

Emerald Green Ikat fabric via Elle Décor

Teacup colour by Design Seeds

Donna Karen Atelier by Style Caster

Emerald tones by Of Beauty & Love

Emerald Green references via Design Magnifique

Tropically Toucan Art Print by Decorque

Feeling Green Colour Inspiration for Sitting Room via Signet Rings & Preppy Things

A Colour Story by Magnolia Rouge

Lives Less Ordinary Green Glass Decanters

christmas a-z . . . Z!

Z is for...ZIB TEXTILE
supercool leggings are on offer in this store - cute characters pretty florals or funky geos will give you amazing legs!

Z is for...ZINNIA DESIGNS TC
simple but fun designs fill this shop including lots of christmassy decorations and accessories...but i think the dog is my favourite :)

Z is for...ZOE MURPHY

and ending on my favourite find of the year. i first saw Zoe's work at tent. now i know furniture is not really a stocking-filler-type-gift but i had to share...but there are a few smaller gifts in her shop

and that's it...all done...phew! hope you enjoyed some of my finds and it inspired you to buy more handmade goods...have a merry christmas everyone!! x

christmas a-z . . . Y!

Y is for...YELLOW BUG BOUTIQUE
this shop is genius! lots of fun geeky goodies are available here - perfect for science nerds!

Y is for...YELLENA JAMES
each new print that i look at becomes my favourite - it is literally impossible to select a favourite form yellena's work - it is all just stunning. i think.

christmas a-z . . . W!

W is for...WEST VINTAGE TRADING CO
how cool is this lighting?! wish i had a funky studio to put it in! custom letters, handmade fixtures, and signs...all here

W is for...WHICH GOOSE
pretty pretty pretty things everywhere! 'flower crowns and wedding hair whimsy' is what this store holds...beautifully created hair accessories and the odd vintage piece too...

Tent 2012 visit!

another trade show as part of the London Design Festival and this time it was the rather trendy Tent at the Old Truman Brewery. i hadn't visited Tent before so wasn't sure what to expect but it was full of super modern

we saw a burst of colour amongst some furniture stands and finally reached Sian Elin's stand - such a delight! i love her hand drawn motifs, and her use of colour is just delicious:

Sian Elin at Tent and her Tent advert

we also popped along to the stand of Surfacephilia, aka Helen Stevens. stunning drawings, a whole selection of products bursting with feathers and birds from her Navajo collection:

Surfacephilia

my new favourite find was Zoe Murphy. she restores funky retro furniture products with her unique take of her home town, Margate. great prints and colours. that's all i ask for!:

and i got to see my other favourite design team (that i saw at Top Drawer on Monday) - Mini Moderns. in a nutshell - i just love everything they do...simple as that!

Tent had a very different vibe to Top Drawer, almost like gallery exhibition in the way it was spaced and laid out. there was a strong retro feel to a lot of the work there, both in style and in colour. which i LOVED.

would i like to exhibit there? yes, one day, but i think i'll stick to Top Drawer as my first show...i'm not 'cool' enough for Tent just yet ;)

from the Design Library today...LOTTA JANSDOTTER

today we have a double treat from Lotta Jansdotter! i thought these would be a good choice this week as a few on my fellow ABSPD classmates were discussing making their own products recently.

first up is Lotta Prints:

Lotta first shares with us some of her inspirations:

this book then covers all manner of printing techniques - lino-block printing, screen printing, rubber stamping, iron-on transfers, leaf printing, stencil art, potato printing - and all the materials that these techniques can be used on

every technique has a step-by-step guide, and even has tips on cleaning up and how to store certain paints, inks, and brushes etc

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...and then after you have created all these wonderful fabrics you can make them into gorgeous goodies with the help of Simple Sewing!

a lovely spiral bound book which means it stays open easy and you don't have to weigh it down with all many of cups or staplers or boxes or whatever you have to just be able to read it! it's fan-tastic!

templates are included for the products listed in the book n a nice little compartment at the front: