Month: April 2010

ENJOYING THE OUTSIDE in All Weathers

britta Lloyd Loom of Spaldidng , 1 Comment

All Weather Lloyd Loom

For many years Lloyd Loom of Spalding were asked whether their classic Lloyd Loom furniture could be used outdoors and left in rain and even snow.

So four years ago they launched their All Weather Lloyd Loom collection woven from Rehau Cord.  The furniture is fully UV resistant, weather proof and can be used inside or outdoors.  This has proved to be a good move especially as they have “copied” a number of the customer’s favourites from their original range.

“We believe that our manufacturing process is unique to Lloyd loom of Spalding. Our chair frames are produced from high quality aluminium or galvanised steel. The Lloyd Loom look is achieved by weaving together strands of synthetic material to emulate the twisted paper of our traditional material . Each vertical strand in the warp, also contains a stainless steel wire just like the traditional Lloyd Loom material” explains Julie Davenport, Managing Director of Lloyd Loom of Spalding.

www.lloydloom.com              

01775 724 358

Parisian Chic

Camila General , , , 0 Comment

They are the Parisian market-women who come from the country into the city during the early hours of the day to sell their wares. The breathtaking colours and patterns of their bodices and skirts decorated the streets of Paris. It was these images which artist Johann Joachim Kaendler admired in 1753 and created the famous figurine series ‘Cris de Paris’, based on the engravings by the Comte de Caylus.

Today, the splendid colours and patterns of Johann Joachim Kaendler’s designs adorn this set. It is the wonderful combination of traditional Meissen porcelain with a modern and exciting twist, and perfect for your café au lait and a small croissant. They are skilfully hand painted at the Meissen factory.

The large cup with motifs by Johann Joachim Kaendler, together with an elaborately painted plate retails at €299.00.

www.meissen.com

Sock it to Him

britta News , , 0 Comment

 

Father’s Day is upon us again.  And yes, giving socks is not a new idea, but we bet he has never seen anything like these. He will feel right up-to-date and able to compete with Jon Snow in the fashion stakes.

 “Life is too short for matching socks” These fun mismatched socks are made from recycled cotton. Easy to wash and hard wearing.  And no more worrying about missing socks in the wash. They retail at £14.00 per pair from www.thetravellingsouk.com

Since Georgiana Pike set up The Travelling Souk in 2003 the company has raised more than £300,000.00 for many charities. At the events 10% goes to the hostesses’ assigned charity and from the website, set up in 2008, 2.6% of each purchase goes to charity.

The Heart of the Matter

britta News , , , 0 Comment

Dinesen is launching a new exclusive plank – unusually wide and long oak planks which they have named Dinesen HeartOak. These solid planks with widths of up to 0.5 meters and lengths up to 6 meters are made of wood which comes from the middle of the oak tree, and they tell a very special story.

 When oak trees through many hundreds of years live through dry summers, hard winters, storm and wind, it will leave traces. Some of these can be seen in the growth rings and the size of the knots, but others appear only when the tree is sawn-up and thus revealing its inner secrets.

”One can almost read the entire history of the tree from its middle” says Thomas Dinesen, who is 4th generation in the family business and a qualified forester. ”Dinesen HeartOak has everything the heart desires in terms of vitality and strength from the oak. We carefully prepare the sawn-up tree so the planks retain an unspoiled and strong expression” he continues.

 During the cutting and the following drying process, the wood has to release the inner tensions which are the reactions to nature’s long impressions. The cracks which are the result of this are kept in Dinesen HeartOak, and the cracks are beautifully emphasised and locked by elegant dovetail joints of oak.

 ”With HeartOak we use as much of the wood as possible for our floorboards. Anything else would be disrespectful to the huge oak trees which are normally between 150 and 200 years old. At the same time by retaining the cracks, the planks get a unique look, and this gives the architects a whole new range of possibilities.

Before the oak tree ends up as floorboards, it is air-dried for 9 months and then subsequently kiln dried. Then, the planks are cut, planed and very carefully controlled to make sure that the quality is just right. Every single plank is carried from hand to hand through quality control where it is decided what will happen with each of the plank’s knots and cracks so it comes to be as beautiful as possible.

 Dinesen HeartOak in London and Milan

HeartOak has been shown great interest from both private clients and architects, and Dinesen has just completed their first project with these exclusive planks. The Gallery Mess Café in London chose to lay Dinesen HeartOak in their Private Function Room on the 1st floor as well as Dinesen Oak on the ground floor. The café is located in central London right next to The Saatchi Gallery, which opened in the Autumn 2008 with 5,000 m2 Dinesen Douglas floors.

”We are delighted that Gallery Mess Café became our first project with Dinesen HeartOak. We have a fantastic working relationship with The Saatchi Gallery, and now we can show our clients our oak planks and the brand new HeartOak just next door” says Thomas Dinesen.

HeartOak has also just been shown at Wallpaper* Handmade in Milan – a special exhibition where Wallpaper in connection with the furniture fair Salone Internazionale del Mobile presented the best of handmade design.

Dinesen is Denmark’s leading manufacturer of exclusive plank floors. The company produces floors for homes, castles, museums and churches in both Denmark and abroad. Quality is the be all and end all for Dinesen, and each floor is custom-made in close consultation with the clients who include a number of international designers and architects. Dinesen was founded in 1898 and has in the past ten years experienced a massive growth and development. Dinesen is Founding Patron of The Saatchi Gallery.

 www.dinesen.com

Not so Easy Rider!

britta Rococo Chocolates , , , , , , 0 Comment

 

 Starting on 17th May, James Booth (L) of Rococo Chocolates embarks on an ambitious journey from John O’Groats to Lands End (874 miles) in the firm’s Piaggio APE 50cc three wheeler. The latter has never done more than 20 miles in a week before, being used for occasional Rococo deliveries and chocolate fairs. But it is all for a really good cause – or three to be more precise for which James hopes to raise £50,000.
 
The three charities that will benefit are:
Treloar’s, which provides education and much more for disabled children.
Sense, the leading national charity for deafblind people and
WaterAid which is an international non-governmental organisation improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the 3rd World.
 
James was inspired by Stuart Boreham, who did the trip on a lawnmower with a top speed of 7mph in 1996! Stuart will be the support team and tow the APE to John o’Groats .

The long trip to Lands End will probably take 5-6 days, the aim is to do 150-200 miles a day.
 
As well as individual sponsorships, which can be donated to by going to any one of the following 3 ‘justgiving’ pages,

James also hopes to attract corporate sponsorship by renting out the advertising boards on the top of the APE.
 

TRELOARS             

http://www.justgiving.com/james-mad-APE-run-for-Treloars

WATERAID

http://www.justgiving.com/james-Mad-APE-run-for-Wateraid

 SENSE

http://www.justgiving.com/james-APE-run-JohnOGroats-LandsEnd

The route will take in Fort William, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Taunton, and rather too many points in between!

 James can be contacted at Rococo on his direct line 020 8655 7815

Dare to be Different

britta General 1 Comment

Montana offers functional and emotional modules and passes the baton on to the consumer enabling each individual to create his or her own interior design. Play with colours and modules. The choice and the end result is entirely your.

The flexible storage system Montana was created in 1982 by Peter J. Lassen. The modular system consists of 42 basic units in 4 depths and 46 colours. There are more than 5 billion different possible combinations, and Montana may be used in every room of the home: living room, dining room, bedroom, children’s room, hall, and home office.

New components, finishes and functions are constantly added to the design and it is possible to change the existing compositions whenever one feels like it or new needs arise.

Montana is available in the UK through their brand agent Icons of Denmark

www.iconsofdenmark.dk

Silent Gliss Metropole – more choice

britta Silent Gliss 1 Comment

After years of continued success, Silent Gliss are pleased to present the latest additions

to the Metropole Decorative Curtain Pole range. Since its launch, Metropole has challenged the assumption that curtain tracks cannot be decorative. By combining the appearance of a decorative curtain pole with the superior functionality of its curtain tracks, Silent Gliss have allowed windows to have a designer appearance complete with a smooth gliding operation.

To ensure the continued support for the already well established range of designer curtain tracks there have been major changes to the Metropole offer.

 New Metropole 6160 – Corded 50mm System

Silent Gliss is delighted to introduce Metropole System 6160 – a 50mm corded pole system.Following on from the successful introduction of the 50mm hand operated pole, this newcord operated option gives customers even more choice when it comes to how they want to handle their curtains.

It is available in the same 7 finishes as the hand operated option, (black, silver, white, steel grey, diva gold,oak and mahogany). It is compatible with the modern Strata finials or the traditional, real wood ball end and spears..

New Finials  Crystal Cylinder

In order to meet customer demand for contemporary coloured glass we have extended the Crystal range to include a cylinder design. Available for both 23mm and 30mm hand operated poles, in the same green, brown and black tinted glass.

Vega Midials and Holdbacks

The modern geometric shapes of Vega have been extended to include Midials and holdbacks.

Pole Finishes

In order to constantly offer choice for all our customers we have replaced two of the pole finishes with new colours. Wenge and textured bronze have been discontinued and replaced with Cream a warm but subtle cream finish pole which is easy to coordinate with a range of interior colours and fabrics. It is available on 30mm poles only, hand and cord operated.

Bronze

This new classical dark bronze is an excellent traditional choice when a darker colour pole isrequired. Available on 30m poles only, hand and cord operated.

 www.silentgliss.co.uk

Icon’s of Denmark brings the New Citrus Wishbone Chair to the UK

britta General 0 Comment

Carl Hansen & Son introduced their famous Wegner icon, the Wishbone Chair, in new

Citrus Colours in Milan 2010 last week.  Now Icons of Denmark is bringing the four new shades of Citrus to the UK.

The new colours work well together and look equally stunning on their own.  They bring a ray of sunshine into any interior. Citrus can also be combined with other Wishbone Chairs in other wood types or with other designs, so you can create your own interpretation of Wegner’s contemporary classis.  The Wishbone is a light, sculptural dining chair whose steam-bent back allows a variety of comfortable sitting positions. Its materials and craftsmanship provide generations of lasting value and comfort.

          

The chairs retail at £510.00

The Wishbone Chair was designed by Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen in 1949, and has been in uninterrupted production since1950.

www.iconsofdenmark.dk

Unknown Wegner Chair Makes its Debut

britta General 0 Comment

A previously unknown jewel from the treasure chest of design left behind by Hans J. Wegner is now available from Icons of Denmark.                                                                      

A clay model, along with a few photos of an early prototype found in the archives of the Hans J. Wegner Studio, were the first signs of the chair that Wegner designed back in 1960. And these were enough to inspire Carl Hansen & Son to put the chair into production for the very first time.

 

Carl Hansen & Son, the world’s largest producer of Hans J. Wegner’s design icons, presented a world premiere at this year’s Milan fair: a previously unknown easy chair created by Wegner in 1960, but not put into production until now. The chair is known as CH468.

“CH468 is a natural addition to our collection of Wegner’s design furniture, and we are very proud to be able to present a genuine Wegner world premiere,” says Knud Erik Hansen, 3rd-generation owner of Carl Hansen & Son. “We later found some drawings, which along with one of the original prototypes made it possible to recreate this exceptional chair. When you experience its comfort and support, you understand why people often refer to Wegner as the master of the chair.”

The CH468 retails from £2895.00

It is available from www.iconsofdenmark.dk

Northern Lights – Toldbod 120 Pendant

britta Louis Poulsen 2 Comments

The Toldbod family idiom is simple, stylish yet always contemporary. Simplicity is one of the keys to Toldbod’s unique adaptability to any style and architecture. The Toldbod family comprises outdoor and indoor products. 

The Toldbod family has been extended with a brand new colour scheme. Toldbod 120 is a small pendant perfect for repetitive suspension in the home. The colour scheme is called northern lights.  Inspiration for the colours was found in the Scandinavian landscape. Attempts were made at visualising fields, shores, skies and flora in the beautiful and delicate shades, the strong and effective nuances, in clean and bold colours.

 

 

This light source is also ideal for the kitchen due to its brilliant colour-rendering properties. The incandescent lamp is being phased out, but the halogen lamp is equally good at showing the colours of nature perfectly – a key element in being able to see whether the food is fresh.

As a design element, the pendants have coloured cables in daring contrasts underpinning the colour combinations of nature – thus wafting in a breath of fresh air in interior design. 

Toldbod 120 is in aluminium and available Misty Blue, inspired by the budding dawn and combined with a mauve cable; Black Berries is black and inspired by the blackberry bush with berries and stalks or leaves, hence the green cable. Yellow Blossom draws inspiration from the beautiful yellow nuances of the dandelion and the combination with a white cable lends a particular freshness to the pendant. The clouds inspired Cloudy White, which gives a breath of fresh air to any interior design with its turquoise cable. All colours are in high-lustre varnish. We end the Scandinavian colour scheme with a more dramatic fixture, Grey Thunder, mat and rustic, inspired by a rape field during a thunderstorm, with the obvious yellow cable.

The pendants are also available with a white cable if you desire a more discrete solution.

Toldbod 120 is the perfect example of how small pendants can have a great impact in creating focal areas in the room, thus contributing to creating more individuality in the room.

The Tolbod 120 retail at £150.00

www.louispoulsen.com

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