December Newsletter

Welcome to the December Newsletter from Poised to Move.  As Christmas is only weeks away I've concentrated on highlighting some of my favourite sites and companies where you can pick up unique and gorgeous gifts for the home.  So with no apologies for my self indulgence this month I hope the following suggestions will give you inspiration for those difficult to please people, you're sure to find something and I bet there'll be loads of things you'll want to treat yourself to as well.

Jonny's Sister

www.jonnyssister.co.uk

We all like to receive personalised gifts and Jonny's Sister has all sorts of gifts in the form of letters of the alphabet.  My favourites have to be these huge letter cushions and there are small and medium versions too and they come in a choice of fabrics.

And for a stocking filler how about these letter soaps.   Buy some to spell out the name of a loved one and then wrap them with love.

Rockett St George

www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk

 The problem I have with Rockett St George is what to highlight on their site, there are so many lovely things to buy for others or as a treat for yourself.   These wall stickers spice up any room and do check out their site for loads more designs.

   

I also love these graceful shelves from Susan Bradley, she does coffee tables too.

    

Funky storage solutions include these magnet hands, ribbon coat hook and this Gherkin book end, there are other London landmark bookends too.

     

Suck UK

www.suck.uk.com

A great site for really quirky and unique gifts guaranteed to score a hit with everyone.  How about this colour changing umbrella?

Or the 'Who tall are you?' mirror

For the traveller in your life .... TimeFlies Clocks

Not a new idea, but I'm still utterly charmed by these Sun Jars

Stuff Your Doodle

www.stuffyourdoodle.com

The clever people at Stuff Your Doodle take a child's drawing and turn it into a cuddly stuffed figure.

  

        

Bags of Love

www.bagsoflove.co.uk

More personalised gifts.  I admit there's a really fine line between unique and tacky with this sort of thing and it's unfortunate that most photo-montage gifts tip that balance, but if you're careful about your image selection you could end up creating a family heirloom.

At Bags of Love your images can be put onto blankets, bean bag chairs, duvets and cushions to name just a few.  I do like the idea of this photo-montage deck chair and you could create your own version of that famous Louis Vuiton Graffiti tote from a few years ago.

Magazine Subscriptions

http://www.magazinesubscription.co.uk/category/Home-Magazines/1.html

A welcome gift that lasts all year I'm always happy to receive a subscription to an interiors magazine.   As you know there's a huge choice of titles out there and to help make choosing a little easier click on the link above and it will take you to the Home and Garden category on www.magazinesubscription.co.uk.  

Hmmmmmmm...... so which one to choose?

W2 Products

www.w2products.com

If you've got an artist in the family they're bound to appreciate one of these gifts celebrating classic Pantone colours.  Choose from satchels, book bags, mugs, purses and card holders.  And there's even cool bottles for the baby and something for Kitty and Fido.

 

 

Christmas by Colour

www.christmasbycolour.co.uk

More Pantone stuff.......

Last year Colour by Christmas asked designers and image makers to identify a colour that signifies Christmas.  You can get packs of greetings cards that include Quality Street purple, Buck's Fizz orange, Sprout and After Eight greens and Bank Balance Red to name just a few of the amusing colour options.

Well that's just a taster of what's out there in the world of home and design-based gifts and I hope you've found some inspiration here.

I wish you and yours a fabulous Christmas and I hope the New Year brings you everything you wish for yourself - and much, much more!

Jane 

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November Newsletter

The fireworks are over and it feels like winter's on the way and thoughts turn to snuggling by a log fire with a plate of comfort food.  With a cosy home in mind this month's newsletter concentrates on 'heirloom culture' and using what we already have in new and creative ways. 

Perhaps the greenest use of furniture and interiors is to use antiques and salvaged or re-purposed objects wherever possible and a highlight of the past month was a visit to Drummonds in Hindhead, a huge architectural reclamation and salvage yard and well known supplier of beautiful antique style baths.   So in stark contrast to last month’s newsletter, where I reported on all things new, let's look at designers and companies who lead the way in re-cycling and re-purposing. 

http://www.drummonds-arch.co.uk/

Drummonds is a total treasure trove of reclaimed architectural gems with pieces ranging in size from staircases to door knobs.  Around every corner of their 70,000 square feet warehouse there’s another exciting discovery to be made.  So what, among the thousands of pieces, caught my eye?

These dramatic windows frames, both wooden and stone.

  

And here are just a few of the hundreds of doors

And how dramatic are these staircases?

        

And there's a great selection of iron gates and railings

  

 So in support of re-cycling and re-purposing check out these websites that celebrate our "Heirloom Culture".

Salvo

http://www.salvo.co.uk/

Salvo is a great umbrella site that lists reclamation and salvage yards from all over the country. It's a great place to start your search if you're restoring, renovating or refurbishing a period or listed building.  The site also gives details of the annual Salvo fair which is a great hunting ground when you're looking for something original.

 Antiques By Design

www.antiquesbydesign.co.uk

Antiques by Design is a favourite of mine for its inspired use of antiques.  Take a look at this range of lamps with bases made from old sporting equipment and household implements.

 

  

     

Greenhaus

Another company doing great things in re-purposing old furniture and equipment is Greenhaus.

 www.thegreenhaus.co.uk

How ingenious is this bath-sofa?

 And how about this shopping trolley chair and table made from the drum of an old washing machine?

    

Stuart Haygarth

Stuart Haygarth is a lighting designer with a unique take on re-purposing found objects.  I urge you to visit www.stuarthaygarth.com to see his fantastic work and to whet your appetite here is his Tide Chandelier made using plastic collected from the Kent coast.  I also love his Spectacle Chandelier made from, yes you guessed it, old spectacles and sunglasses and the beautiful Optical Chandelier is made from old prescription lenses.

The French House

www.thefrenchhouse.co.uk

With showrooms in London and York the French House imports french antiques of all shapes and sizes and mostly in their 'natural state'.   The stock is constantly changing and they'll upholster any piece of furniture in fabric of your choice.  Join their mailing list to keep up to date with what's new on the showfloor.

 

These chairs would look superb upholstered in a fun and funky fabric and for inspiration on what you can do with chairs like these visit www.JimmieMartin.co.uk

Jimmie Martin

Claiming to offer the baroque and roll of furniture, Jimmie Martin use traditionally shaped frames but bring them bang up to date with weird and wonderful upholstery.

Callooh Callay

The trend for re-purposing isn't restricted to the home and leading the way in commercial decor must be the bathrooms of the Shoreditch bar Callooh Callay.  Designed by the hot design duo Dtwo Design they've lined the walls with old cassettes bought from ebay and it’s a decorative idea that’s been copied a few times since Callooh Callay’s opening.

I hope you've enjoyed this small taster of the wealth of re-cycled and re-purposed objects that are out there and that we should all be making an effort to seek out.  

Have a great November and I'll be back in early December with suggestions for different (yet stylish!) Christmas gifts.

Keep warm! All the best, Jane

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