With sustainability and upcycling being the watchwords of the last few years, it was only a matter of time before the intrinsic beauty of vintage maps was realised. It started with a couple of independent designer/makers cutting butterfly and heart shapes out of old Ordnance Surveys and selling them on crafty websites, then they began to be used to cover notebooks and journals, and now suddenly everyone is making the most of their design potential.
But not only do they fit with the spirit of taking something o...
View more
Comment »
Posted by Pip McCormac
April 1st, 2012
A few years ago, Eastern delights were the height of interiors style. You couldn’t open a glossy magazine without seeing a stone Buddha peering up at you, a couple of ornately carved chests and a wilting orchid or two. It was a reaction to shabby chic, which had previously been so prevalent, in that it was sleek and exotic – two properties you can definitely not assign to the vintage-style chandeliers and dining chairs that had previously been so popular.
And now, following last year’s re-foray into s...
View more
Comment »
Posted by Pip McCormac
March 7th, 2012
So you’ve booked some time away, a spot of winter sun. You’ve stocked up on tanning lotion, taken your swimsuits out of storage, and bragged about it just enough to all your friends, but then comes the boring part – the packing. We may be used to seeing pictures of celebrities wheeling entire fleets of monogrammed designer luggage through customs, but that’s just not practical for the rest of us – the airline costs of the extra weight aside, you’d spend the whole flight worrying your expensive case was being ...View more
Comment »
Posted by Pip McCormac
January 30th, 2012
Lisa Levis, the designer formerly known as Lisa Stickley, has had quite a year. Famous for her girlie designs under her eponymous brand, and the homespun charm she injected into Debenhams with six seasonal collections, she is now no longer working at her own company (which will carry on as “Lisa Stickley” without her), has got married, changed her name, and is starting out again. Still a fountain of knowledge on how to turn the banal into the beautiful, we caught up with her to find out her top tips on what to do with those tin...View more
Comment »
Posted by Pip McCormac
December 23rd, 2011
We often forget just how stressful it can be to cook dinner for eight people. Until half an hour before they show up, when the main course is burnt, the starter is still frozen, the pudding is looking like it will have to be replaced by another round of cocktails and you’re wishing you had never suggested the evening in the first place. Fortunately, this year’s table settings are camp, crazy, over the top, and so fun they should help get you into the party spirit even if you’re still wrestling wit...View more
6 Comments »
Posted by Pip McCormac
November 20th, 2011
With the return of shabby chic, mis-matched glassware has become less the product of a few breakages over the years leaving you with an odd collection, and more a lifestyle statement. Yes, in the same way that old clashing teacups have been used as the stylist’s shorthand for a homely vibe for years, now drinking glasses have become decoration, too. Displayed proudly on open shelves, used to hold tealights, flowers, or simply the contents of a good bottle of wine, they have a rustic quality that invites guests to get comfy, ...View more
Comment »
Posted by Pip McCormac
November 14th, 2011
You’ll have seen the iconic works of the house of Fornasetti. That print of the coy face, or just the lips, or perhaps a hand, has been one of the most popular design motifs of recent years, having been big at Liberty in 2006 and then picked up everywhere else, most notably at Milk Boutique in East London. The brand has been producing work since the 1950s, but it’s only un...View more
1 Comment »
Posted by Pip McCormac
October 28th, 2011
When I moved into my home six years ago, I didn’t have a bed, or even a mattress to start off with. I slept on a pile of duvets on the floor for the first five months (surprisingly comfy), until I finally had enough cash to furnish the place. I used that time spent to decide what would look good, where, too. What I did buy straight away however, was a sofa. The Klippan, from Ikea, to be precise. Short and boxy, it was their cheapest one, and probably not the comfiest, but it at least allowed me to lie in front of the televis...View more
1 Comment »
Posted by Pip McCormac
October 24th, 2011
It’s a fashion cliché to call black the new black. In clothing terms, there is never any colour that is the new black because black never goes out of style. In interiors, however, noir comes and goes, never sticking around long enough to become a true homeware staple. This season it is creeping into high street ranges as they nod to the monochrome trend that was so big a few years ago, but without expecting anyone to turn their living room into a sixties-style black-and-white homage to Twiggy. Instead, with just a black...View more
2 Comments »
Posted by Pip McCormac
October 6th, 2011
Bedrooms are for more than just sleeping in. Aside from the obvious, they’re also a place of sanctuary, a room to hunker down in, hide from the world, and turn into a nest where nobody can reach you. A good bedroom needs to have the following: a bed, of course, and good lighting. ‘I like to have individual wall sconces on each side of the bed,’ says the interior designer Nina Campbell, who has clearly lived through the argument that happens when one half of the couple wants to go to sleep and the other st...View more
5 Comments »
Posted by Pip McCormac
October 1st, 2011
