All in Furniture
Poodle & Blonde is a favourite luxury interior brand of mine which I’ve fallen head over heals in love with. Launched in 2018, headed up by creatives Whinnie Williams and Kierra Campbell, (who first met on Instagram!) their homewear brand is built on and inspired by times-gone-by, nostalgia, vintage, sometimes with a pet motif and oftentimes with a heap of of whimsy, kitsch and fun.
It’s funny how inspiration really can come from anywhere. It’s not like I’ve been able to visit grand houses, museums or art galleries of late, like you, I’ve been making my own fun.
For a while now, I’ve wanted to create my own magazine pages, curating what I believe to be an important mix of items, and showing how my love for the fashion, colours and shapes that I’m drawn to has a direct influence on my home interior choices. And I think what we see on the catwalk, guides a lot of us when it come to interior design.
Our physical environments have a huge impact on our mental health and wellbeing – which is why it’s so important, now more than ever, to cultivate home environments that support us to feel happy, comfortable and secure.
Velvet is my personal fabric of choice, and it’s currently everywhere. Donning cushions, curtains, upholstery, stationary, handbags and even jewellery, the fabric that was once the preference of grandmas UK wide, has now become a designers go-to texture.
So, ‘Do You Like Good Music’? I have a print in my bedroom with these opening lyrics from the track Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Conley, and it got me thinking about the importance of music and how what we listen to influences our design aesthetic.
I think you know that you’re destined to be a stylist when you enjoy the faffing part of taking the photo as much as the actual photo. Well, its way more than just ‘faffing’ isn’t it? Its researching, planning, sketching and listing the images you want by the end of ‘the shoot’.
The prospect of refurbishing this chair has been looming over me for so long. When furlough came along via lockdown, I promised myself that I’d use the time to finally tackle it and start ordering the paint and fabric samples that I’ve been threatening to do for years.
‘Damn Cool’ will be a features board where you can check out the extra cool pieces that really jump out at me, the ones that I feel the need that you MUST see, and if nothing else, to impart what’s in my brain and give the magazine features editor within me an excuse to play!
With a background and upbringing in fashion and design, my interiors and styling methods are inevitably influenced by the fashion industry, particularly in terms of colour palettes and texture. I often resonate with the photography used in the fashion adverts within the front few pages of magazines, for the stunning use of colour and pattern in the clothing, and environment they’re shot in.
What is ‘good taste’ and who decides it? Generally speaking, magazines, influencers and the media inform us what’s on the catwalk, therefore what’s in, or coming to the shops so we’re fairly dictated to by trends whether we know it or not, quite simply because that’s what’s currently available to buy.
What is more satisfying than curling up in a sumptuous armchair with a hot drink and good book at the weekend, or at the end of a long day? We all have our favourite spots for these deserving moments don’t we? and the best chairs are those that hug us back and feel great to touch, as well as fabulous to look at.
Old, new, repurposed, cheap, expensive, passed down… I'm drawn to all types of furniture and I collect pieces based on values like practicality, nostalgia, value for money, soul and of course… love. As we’re rightly experiencing an increased awareness for sustainability and taking responsibility for shopping more sensibly, we’re starting to think about how we can be more considered with our buying patterns, and how we procure furniture and accessories for our home.
I've always swooned over beautiful round dining tables with interesting leg detail, made out of chunky solid wood with an intense graphic pattern on the surface, I didn't however, like the price of them!
