A bit of a departure today, as I’m screwing up my courage, taking the plunge and using a couple of my own photographs – my first amateur “styling” attempts. It’s the end of summer, that “new term, new beginnings” feeling is in the air, and we’re approaching our first birthday. Or at least the anniversary of colourful beautiful things being up and running, although we didn’t launch fully until early this year. It’s been an exhilarating and thought-provoking year, and I still get bubbles of excitement and joy in my chest when I find new work that I want to feature. The abundance of extraordinarily talented artists, designers and makers both in the UK and around the world is quite overwhelming at times, but it feels an absolute privilege to be able to write about them and share their work with you.
I’ve also realised, though, that I’d like the website to showcase more than just colourful beautiful things in isolation – extraordinary though they are (and don’t worry, there’ll still be lots of them). I’ve had the niggling feeling for a while now that I’d like to include more interiors; that is, after all, how we live our lives – in rooms and outdoor areas – and how these spaces look and feel is so important to our wellbeing and happiness. I also plan to include more of the things that are a big part of my life – food, travel, photography, flowers and nature; again, all part of the original concept for colourful beautiful things, but which have fallen by the wayside.
This month’s Editor’s Letter in Elle Decoration talks about the maxim “do more of what makes you happy” and this really struck a chord. So I’ve decided to spend the next few months experimenting with broadening our content whilst staying true to our mission of showcasing wonderful design, colour, pattern and craftsmanship that we hope will inspire, excite and uplift you. I’d love to hear what you think as we set off on the next stage of our adventure!
The postcard above, an illustration by Berit Mogensen Lopez, was a free gift from Stilleben, a fabulous design shop in Copenhagen that we visited recently. The delicate porcelain nightlight holder is one of a set (all with different coloured interiors) from Devon-based The Forest & Co who sell beautiful, handmade things to treasure; they were a birthday present from a dear friend Jo (who is also an amazing careers coach – read about her here if you’re struggling with your direction in life and work!). The flowers are from our garden; we have several English rose bushes which are just coming into bloom again, and the Japanese anemones are a sure sign that autumn is upon us.
The top photograph features a couple of purchases also from our recent Copenhagen trip – the copper cup is by Ferm Living, and the turquoise lidded “Secrets box” by Design House Stockholm. You can buy them in the UK from Made in Design and Really Well Made respectively. The small green ceramic pot I bought many years ago but sadly don’t know the name of the maker, and the grey glass vase is another past purchase from BoConcept.
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