close

Latest additions to Design Storey

Good morning all. Dropping in with the newest additions to Design Storey shop this week including a one legged stool and a mango wood accent chair.

White bobble urchin jug/vase, Rockett St George

While some of us might feel (ok me) that you can have such a thing as too much colour I think you can never have too much texture, especially in a room where the colour palette might consist of only a few shades. This little jug will look so pretty filled with a bunch (I use the word advisedly it’s not for bouquets this one) of wild or kitchen garden flowers or just used for water with a sprig of mint. Utterly versatile and very pretty.

Adrian iron side table, Perch & Parrow

For those who feel that bedrooms can be a little soft with all that upholstery and bedding it can help to bring a bit of tension to the scheme and this iron cabinet will cut through all that. Of course it will work in a home office but next to a floral duvet cover it will look fantastic. Plus the top has a lip to stop the water sliding off the edge and there’s masses of storage for all those unsightly boxes of tissues and extra chargers and general “stuff” that seems to accumulate. Buy a pair and watch them move happily around the house for years to come. You can probably even paint them if you fancied a change.

Floral patterned earthenware serving plate, H&M

We all know that the most humble of gifts can be elevated by beautiful wrapping and the same principle applies to food. Both Nigella and Jamie are experts at presenting a simple pasta dish on a great plate and making the whole thing look incredible and more appetising. Take that and add to it the High Street’s current fashion for collaborating with high end designers and you have this India Mahdavi (designer of the famed Sketch restaurant among others) x H&M floral platter. Think tomato salad and a sprinkle of salt and olive oil.

Kalaspel chair, Made

I suspect this will be a bit marmite but with one eye to the future, I’m thinking this is one of those pieces that will look great in about 10 years time. Buy one – not the set that won’t work- and stick it in a corner to be pulled out when an extra seat at the table is needed. It will give the impression it was picked up on your travels round the world (rather than round the internet and it’s made from mango wood which is sustainable. Also, you don’t want a set as I’m not entirely sure it’s the most comfortable thing you will ever sit on but it would also make a great bedside table (says someone currently typing cross-legged from a covid bed) as well as an extra little table. It’s more versatile than you might think.  

Plate pendant ceiling light, house of at H&M

The fashion for the naked bulb is now over but the principle remains – this time in a more elevated and refined manner. It’s no longer the raw industrial look (that has remained in the neighbourhood pizza restaurant where it’s very welcome) but a more sophisticated and elegant style achieved with a pearlized bulb. This makes it very easy to convert your own naked bulbs at home or, if you need a new one, then the houseof concession at H&M continues to delight with lots of simple and grown-up lights for every room in the house. 

The one-legged stool, Wearth London

I have said, many times, how a stool is one of the most useful pieces of furniture you can buy  – seating, side table, plant stand – for any room in the house – bedroom, sitting room or bathroom – and this, which is made in Berkshire, from sustainably sourced ash, is a brilliant example. The top is flat – to allow it to function as both seat and table, and the hand-dyed leg is optional but a great way to tie in a neutral piece to your current décor.

Colour Analysis 1 Art  Print, Rockett St George

I rarely recommend art to other people as it’s so deeply personal and pictures resonate with us on so many different levels that I feel it’s wrong to pronounce on something that might be felt so deeply by one and regarded as the height of bad taste by another. However, when I saw this it reminded me so much of the design for Design Storey that I felt I had to include it. Might even have to buy it. On a more serious note, it’s a great colour palette and that stripe of black is what brings it all together and stops it from being too sickly and soft. And that, people, is why every room needs a drop of black in it.

Rander ceramic stool, Oka 

You will never go wrong with a black and white stripe – it loves to add playfulness to a minimal scheme and slices through a floral one with delight stopping it from becoming too overwhelming and fussy. This ceramic table is hand-painted (which softens the stripes a little) and has a glazed finish so it can be used in the garden. Use it as extra seating,  or for drinks, or even as a footrest. Totally classic, totally versatile.

Marrakech towel, Fired Earth at Marks & Spencer

Continuing the trend for high street and high end collaborating we have the somewhat unlikely partnership of tile company Fired Earth working with M&S on a collection of soft furnishings. This patterned towel is, for me, the highlight among a sea of cushions and throws that are all very pretty but not necessarily ground-breaking. I’m a fan of a patterned towel though a) because it hides the dirt well and I’m not suggesting you use dirty towels but when you get the smudge of mascara on it on the first day out of the cupboard that doesn’t really justify washing the whole thing and b) because bathrooms are often low on pattern and texture and a towel like this can really bring it. 

Tarma armchair sheki olive, Oka

When it comes to the big pieces of furniture, we don’t use pattern nearly enough. The tendency is to buy plain and add cushions, but I think if you love a pattern you love a pattern and you are unlikely to go off it. Instead, it can become a starting point for a scheme. Buy this chair (or a pair) and team it with a plain pink or green sofa. Or cover another chair in pink and green stripes to coordinate without matching. Add plain cushions to knock it back a bit. This is pink and green, which is my sort of colours, but there is a blue and cream one too so all bases are covered. 

Tags : design storey latestDesign Storey new arrivalsdesign storey products
Maria Masri

The author Maria Masri

2 Comments

  1. I have a big, patterned easy chair, and it’s the first thing guests head for. I would definitely buy this one, but immediately ditch the fringe. Too frou frou for me. Cheers from Canada!

  2. Jut clicked on three links on the bedding page – none of the three I clicked on worked.

Comments are closed.