Excitingly the shop is now doubling in size to make way for even more British talent, and a particularly super collaboration with Cockpit Arts which allows new designers to showcase all their pretty things. Every three months, three new designers get a space in the shop, selling all manner of lovely things at prices that don’t always make me wince.
Take for instance Terri Leahy – the fabulous brain behind Ditto the hamster (he’s £18) and the rest of the Best in Show range. They’re described as ‘luxury toys’, but I’d quite like them lined up on my sofa for guests to cuddle while they sip tea.
Her work celebrates the Festival of Britain with some cats in gorgeous 1950s fabrics for £25, and she tells me she has some big plans for some sophisticated-looking owls just around the corner.
The highlight of the shop for me right now is Jen Rowland. A fellow outdoorsy-type, she has taken a childhood of National Trust visits with her Mum and a household littered with books about plants, and moulded these memories into her oh-so-stylish range of botanical-themed creations. She’s cemented each one in the here and now by applying a gorgeous date stamp to mark the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain.
My favourite is this lampshade. They range from £62-95, but if you can’t stretch to that she does jotters that are equally pretty for £4.75. Her designs give all of the fun of flowers, but leave the usual dollop of twee out of the picture. It’s also the closest to a pretty garden I’m ever going to get.
Want to check out the new Southbank shop? It's on Festival Terrace in London's Waterloo, leading up to the Hungerford Bridge. Nice views around there.
This was a post by our trainee Domestic Slut Laura Vickers. We want to play with her cuddly toys while she's making us tea.
One of my favourite shops in London. I have spent many an hour perusing their wares, so I am pleased to hear they extending.
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