Shop If You Can

Thank you all so much for your kind messages yesterday. It wasn’t meant to be a complaint but it clearly struck a chord with many of us didn’t it. I did that run – 20 minutes continuous and while I’m not going to say it made me feel better, a good sleep did, as well as an imagined sit in that window seat. So now shopping. It’s a tricky one this isn’t it. On the one hand it can feel wrong to shop when so many of us have hardly worked for four months (freelancers) or have had to work under such difficult circumstances. Or been furloughed and having to get by on less money. But, at the same time, as the world begins to open up again, we are beginning to hear a wave of stories about businesses closing and making staff redundant. So while many of us can’t shop and some of us feel we shouldn’t I thought I would focus today on shopping from some of the brands who have taken our Design for Diversity Pledge (and there will be updates on that next week) and then you can decide if you want to shop and where you might want to shop.

So worrabout this gorgeous sunshine lamp to start with from Pooky Lights (who were one of the first companies to sign up). You can choose any shade you want. There’s a gorgeous yellow marbled one but I might also go with pink.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before we look at lighting we must first paint the walls. The gorgeous pale sea pink by Sanderson is a great warm neutral that will look great with the yellow lamp in front of it (If I was a photoshopping genius I would create this room for you but I’m not so I can’t). And you can do the floor in this tuscan pink – see below for how it might look with a rug on it.

Sanderson, along with the other six brands in the Walker Greenbank Group were all early signers to the pledge, so that includes Zoffany, Clarke & Clarke, Morris & Co, Scion, Harlequin and Anthology.

So we’ve done the walls. Shall we hang a picture? This is from Oneoffto25 owned by Jaz Edwards, aka @jazzierere, who was another of the first to sign up hoping that, as a black-owned business it would give her a way to find more black artists to represent.

She has a fantastic collection and, as the name implies, she collaborates with a small group of both newly discovered, and established artists to sell limited editions and affordable prints. Do have a browse she has some really interesting pictures that you won’t have seen elsewhere and if you read this post from last week you’ll know why I like that.

Time to throw a rug on the floor? I’m not sure I would dare paint the floorboards pink but actually if the walls are pale pink then a deeper shade of the same might look amazing. And then you can try a fairly neutral rug like this which is currently on sale at Heals.

Time to knock all that pink back a bit with a tough looking sofa so let’s go with this black leather chesterfield from Rockett St George, who have recently started to sell their own range of sofas and who were, as well, founding signatories.

Now we’re literally sitting pretty we might need a table to rest a glass or something delicious – either hot in a mug or chilled in a glass according to the time of day so how about these tables from Perch & Parrow who signed up last week.

Finishing touches with a couple of cushions and let’s fetch those from another early signatory Audenza who have just taken receipt of these gorgeous maximalist cushions which will contrast nicely with the leather sofa and work beautifully with the pale pink walls.

Right now you’re all set up and comfy you can start browsing those online stores for things you want to buy.