Oh look at this. And on a Saturday morning too. I don’t know about you but despite the fact that there is a large and luxurious free-standing bath in my house I never ever take a bath. But I probably think about it quite often. A bath is, these days, for most of us a…
Last week I wrote about Outdoor Rooms and right on cue the heavens opened. This week I am going to beat the weather at its own game and bring the outdoors in. As I sit here typing looking at my very soggy hammock through the drizzle, I thought if only we had an indoor hammock……
In May 1964, Habitat opened its doors for the first time. A press release was sent out saying that of the 2,000 items available in store there was one pervasive theme: good practical design. Elizabeth Good, a journalist on The Sunday Times, wrote of the new shop: “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Habitat,…
There were so many wonderful things to see at Clerkenwell that I can’t possibly talk about them all, but in addition to the candy coloured salvaged lights I wrote about the other day, another of my highlights was the stand at Another Country. They make my perfect furniture: influenced by the Scandinavian, the Japanese and…
Well it wouldn’t be Mad About The House if there was a little weekly dose of brass and, as I did a talk at the May Design series at the weekend in which we spoke about which interiors trends are here to stay and which are fads, I feel qualified to tell you that metallics…
So outdoor rugs. I have just always loved them. I think it’s the idea of having a proper outdoor sitting room – as in living in a climate that’s so gorgeous all the time that you can afford to have proper comfortable furniture outside. Because it won’t be constantly rained on. Basically I would like…
Finally, dare we to hope that summer is on its way? Apparently we can’t officially call it summer yet as the bluebells are still out and they are the quintessential spring flower. But, technicalities aside, the sun is out, I can smell the neighbouring barbecues as I type and I have (steady) put my sandals…
Inspired by the clean straight lines of the modernist period, A Desk is the latest piece from the studio of Alex Swain, whose earlier creation, A Stool, has been featured on these pages before and hailed as a contemporary classic by The Guardian. Both pieces owe their existence to the classic entrepreneurial spirit that I…
When it comes to the details, the subject of this month’s Objects of Designs, you should never overlook the handles. A very wise man once told me (and sadly I am not wise enough to remember his name) that you can get away with lower quality on the larger items if you pay close attention…
There’s your reminder. The clocks go back tonight, just in case you hadn’t quite clicked. This very fine example is by Newgate and is called, not entirely unsurprisingly, Tock. I rather like it. It manages to be both retro and modern at the same time. Now there’s no excuse for forgetting. Aram £57 Last year the…