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On My Radar: What’s New in Interiors

Time for the monthly round-up of things from my inbox and we’re starting off with brand new company Colour Squatters, a new textile company founded by interior designer (and former journalist) Jill Macnair and textile designer Pablo di Francesco who met while training at the gym and starting chatting and, well, one thing led to another and here we are.

tablecloth from colour squatters
tablecloth from colour squatters

The tablecloths, of which there are several designs, are their first collaboration and were born from the idea of promoting inclusivity – after all where do people meet more than round a dining table? The other focus is one of sustainability – packaging is recyclable and pieces are created in small runs to avoid waste. The fabric is GOTS certified which means it’s organic, non-toxic and made in an ethical environment (and really when you put it like that it should be impossible to buy anything else – at least the last two) while the inks are water-based and the machine used for printing them has an Eco passport certificate for its sustainability.

organic and sustainably made tablecloths from colour squatters
organic and sustainably made tablecloths from colour squatters

So no, at £260 they aren’t cheap, but then they are pieces for life and won’t harm the planet. I don’t use a tablecloth but am thinking they would also double up as fabulous bedspreads and throws. Colour Squatters will be launching two cushions in October in collaboration with Another Country.

magic beans blanket from printsisters archive
magic beans blanket from printsisters archive

Staying with textiles and I have written about Print Sisters Archive before; they create prints from a collection of archive designs and, well, to take this to its logical conclusion – they are sisters too. Anyway, before this gets silly, they have branched out into soft furnishings with a collection of cushions and blankets. I have the Magic Beans Print (which the 20yo is constantly trying to smuggle back to his university room) and now there is a blanket – seen above draped over my sofa. This design was created in the 1940s and until the end of the month you can buy it with 15 per cent off the pre-order price of £199 using the code MATH15.

new wallpaper collection from liberty in situ at St Barnabas House
new wallpaper collection from liberty in situ at St Barnabas House

Some of you may remember I wrote about wallpaper returning to Liberty last April and last week I was invited to see it in situ – the first press event for about 16 months which felt scary and joyful at the same time. Now, while I know you may have looked at the pictures back then and these are, of course, more pictures, I have also tried to show you the wallpaper and fabrics in situ as it helps you get a better idea of how they might look in your own homes. So the press images are one thing but above and below you can see how it has been used at The House of St Barnabas .

This is a Georgian building that has always been used for charitable purposes and is now a private members’ club that works to provide training and employment for homeless people. You don’t have to be proposed to join (unlike many clubs) and you can find out more about it here. It’s also an incredible building in the heart of Soho (with a garden) and what a wonderful place to have meetings. Failing that just look how the woodwork has been chosen to complement the wallpaper (especially that emerald green above) and that should persuade you of the joy of moving away from a default white – unless there is a very good reason for it of course!

new wallpaper collection from liberty in situ at St Barnabas House
new wallpaper collection from liberty in situ at St Barnabas House

Staying with paint and this month I wanted to flag up the Rustoleum collection about which I have been hearing great things when it comes to their colours. I included their Steamed Milk in a round-up of the best warm whites and now I am suggesting this Cafe Luxe as the clay colour we might be looking for.

Rustoleum have taken a different route when it comes to paint charts. There aren’t any. They feel that the computer generated chips are no more accurate than what you might see on your computer when you look at the site and the handpainted ones are incredibly expensive to produce. Instead, for 99p they will sent you a letterbox-friendly (packaging can be recycled) sample that you can try for yourself on your own walls. There is enough in the pouch for a 30cm x 30cm sample. And this also a good idea as many testers cost more and come in larger pots which can mean lots more waste if you rule it out after a couple of brush strokes.

Once again, it’s about your personal choice and balance. Rustoleum make no great claims to being environmentally friendly paint (apart from the industry-standard low VOC) but by choosing their samples you may end up with less waste overall. The choice is yours, I’m just trying to give you more knowledge so you can decide what works best for you.

cafe luxe by rustoeleum
cafe luxe by rustoleum

So above is what you see on their website but below is a picture of the same colour in situ by Samantha of @making_walford_magical which she sent me yesterday – before she had even washed her brushes –  so there is no furniture. But you can see how well the colour works over the whole space – walls, wood and ceiling. She also said it was lovely paint to use.

cafe luxe by rustoleum in the home of @making_walford_magical
cafe luxe by rustoleum in the home of @making_walford_magical

As a point of contrast, I have in front of me the colour card for the lovely organic Edward Bulmer paint and while writing this decided to look for a similar clay colour. I alighted on Flaxen Grey pictured below – so colour card or sample, you do need to see it without a screen one way or another (name that tune). And remember we were talking about using this shade, which is, as the name suggests, a little grey, in partnership with a deep orange or burgundy for an intense burst of decoration.

flaxen grey by edward bulmer
flaxen grey by edward bulmer

Now, a spot of furniture to sit among all this decor? Some of you may remember I have featured the work of Poh Maluna Upholstery on these pages before (amazing headboards) and now, in another collaboration, they have teamed up with Hannah Pemberton of @wandalust_ to create bespoke benches featuring a selection of gorgeous fabrics with screamingly fashionable bobbin legs. Pictured below is a classic plain version but there are also patterned fabrics and a choice of leg colour. At the moment you will have to inquire either via Instagram messages or, for those of you who don’t use that platform, you can contact Hannah via her Wanda website.

benches made to order by pohmaluna and wandalust
benches made to order by pohmaluna and wandalust

The benches come in three sizes – 90cm, 115 and 130cm long with legs in a variety of shades including cream, navy, wedgwood blue, ochre and terracotta. Prices start at £477 and there are dozens of fabrics to choose from.

bobbin bench by wandalust and pohmaluna
bobbin bench by wandalust and pohmaluna

Finally The Haines Collection, another company I have written about before, which collects leftover fabric from companies and interior designers to save it from landfill and waste, has teamed up with Levis, which has just opened a shop dedicated to selling seconds or new items made from leftovers and offcuts. In the perfect partnership, the two have come together for a special collaboration lasting until 16 August where you can visit the store (Great Marlborough Street next to Liberty) and buy a jacket which you can then have customised with leftover fabric donated to The Haines Collection from designers including Lucy Tiffney (who has decorated the window of the store) Molly Mahon and Fanny Shorter. Here I am below in my jacket with the collar in Ottoline Devries stripes.

It’s a wonderful idea to highlight the issue of waste fabric. The store has also been decorated with reclaimed materials and the leftover wood has been made into boxes which you can buy which contain a repair kit for your existing jeans.

levis and the haines collection collaboration
levis and the haines collection collaboration

I hope you have found something that resonates in this round up. I’ll see you on Friday for the last post before my regular series of August postcards featuring some of the highlights of the year so far.

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

4 Comments

    1. I’m a huge fan of Edward Bulmer paints. I’ve used drab, cuisse de nymphe, trumpington and sang de boeuf and I absolutely love them. The paints are a joy to use and the team there are great to talk to – very helpful and knowledgeable.

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