Design Porn: Edwyn Collins for Elli Popp

I've featured wallpaper by Edwyn Collins and wallpaper by Elli Popp. But their ceramics range is just as gorgeous as the paper, and I spent a long time staring at barn owl plates in the snazzy Liberty Dining Room.

Collins started painting and drawing birds after a stroke in 2005 when he was only able to use his left hand. The range is a really interesting chart of his rehabilitation, as well as being beautiful in its own right.

Who's a pretty birdy?

These mugs are beautiful. You can buy them from Liberty or from Elli Popp's online shop.

Prices start at £12.95 for a mug and go right up to £125 for six barn owl dinner plates.

Vintage Corkscrew

I can't afford vintage wine. To be honest, I'm not even very good at telling why good wine is good. Sure, I can understand the difference between a bottle that's a fiver, and one that's £20. But that's when I get lost (or, drunk).

But now we're working with Naked Wines you get access to all sorts of tasty grapes so I thought you should have something fabulous to open your bottles with. (Just use the box in the side bar to the right and sign up for our newsletter, they'll email you a £40 voucher for a case of wine). Even if you're not buying vintage, you can still open your bottles with a vintage-style corkscrew.

This is a really beautiful piece of kitchenware. Old-fashioned, yet somehow still modern. The gunmetal colour is interesting. It just looks a whole lot prettier than that one you pick up for £3 at the supermarket checkout. This one is £29.50 from Liberty, but I bet it doesn't break after opening three bottles.

The Liberty London Sale

Ooooh, what goodies are being sold for cheaps in Liberty at the moment? Here are my favourite bargains.


Festival wellies can be a bit annoying. Actually, that's true of anything that can be said of anything under the label 'festival fashion'. These Liberty print wellies are cool, and they're now just £29. Shouldn't be too hard to find some puddles to jump in.


The Spode range at Liberty is really popular, but this gorgeous polka dot casserole dish is now just £15 down from £30.


Keep getting lost in London? You need this cute embossed London A-Z. It's £12.00.


Like this enamel bird cup? It's £6.65.

Emma Bridgewater Paint Splatters

Emma Bridgewater and Cath Kidston have a lot in common. Both shops are instantly recognisable. Whether it's polka dots or floral chintz, they're aren't many interiors brands that are as iconic. But Emma Bridgewater always has the edge for me. Sometimes it's too twee (I don't care for Royal memorabilia), but I do really like the paint splatter range exclusive to Liberty.


Each piece is decorated by hand, so all the splatters are unique (and fun to produce, I'd imagine). This four cup teapot is £57 and it's one of the only pieces of the collection still in stock on the website, and I'm guessing that there aren't many left at all.

I really like that it's unique, but you can still tell it's an Emma Bridgewater piece. That's the sign of an iconic British design, isn't it?

Liberty Storage Boxes

When I was a kid, I remember my mum having metal tins of 'stuff'. This stuff was mostly old coins (not from any particular country, I was fascinated by the pesetas with their little holes), little spools of thread, buttons. Nothing anyone needs. All that stuff that no one knows where to put anywhere.

Then I found these tins at Liberty by Froy & Dind, and they're perfect for putting all my pointless stuff in.


I love the little turtles on this tin. None of my Mum's tins had turtles on. They have little headscarves! The rectangle tins range from £11.50 to £16.95. Small price to pay for turtles.


The small oval boxes are £5.95 each. I'll keep buttons in this, even though I can't really sew buttons on to things and forget to do it.


And this butterfly tin? It can keep my secret things in. Secret plans and schemes, love letters, chocolate bars. Get your mits off my secret things.

Tea Towel Tuesday: Liberty Building

I don't think I'll ever get bored of looking at the Liberty building. Walking up to it is almost as exciting as going inside it. It's just beautiful. Granted, it's mock Tudor and not nearly as old as they'd have those tourists believe. But as long as it's that pretty, I don't care. And the stuff inside is always fun as well. Even if I can't really afford any of it.

But sometimes, they're not as expensive as you'd think. This Liberty tea towel actually comes in a pack of two (I wish the other one showed the back of the building, but alas, they're both the same) and you'll pay £13 for the set. I rather like these. I wish all buildings in London were this pretty.

Shoe Porn: Manolo Blahnik for Liberty

Designer collaborations usually leave me feeling pretty cold. I just can't get excited about Lanvin for H&M. But I can't help but get a little bit excited about Manolo Blahnik for Liberty. Two amazing design brands under the prettiest roof in London.



These black and white courts are only available in the Liberty shop on Regent Street, but they're totally exclusive, and totally wonderful. Totally out of my price range at £400 though. Dammit.


These blue pumps are just as gorgeous, but a tad more affordable at £290. They're probably the most expensive flats I'll show you, but my goodness I'm going to be lusting after them for the rest of the day.

Looking for something pretty, but a little more affordable? What about this shoe address book? It's £30.


Or little lavander bags for just £10.95. There's something special about having the fabric items. Liberty do such lovely fabrics.

Can I have everything please?

Design Porn: Liberty Suitcase

These floral suitcases from Liberty are so pretty. They're only miniature, which means that they're perfect for weekends away. And the Domestic Sluts are big fans of their little weekend breaks. Miss Cay is off the Amsterdam this weekend, and I'm sure she'd love one of these.

These are the kind of cases you'd take on the Orient Express.


Or at least let someone carry for you.

And they look much more expensive than their £60, don't they? Liberty has started to surprise me recently. Everything is still super pretty, but more stuff is creeping into the 'buy me presents' price range that I'm such a huge fan of. So please do.

Wallpaper Wednesday (ahem): Meg Mathews at Liberty

OK, it's not Wednesday. But we decided to nap through lunch yesterday and forgot to tell you about pretty wallpaper. Our nap was rather fun, so you'll have to forgive us. And instead tell us what you think of this Meg Mathews skull wallpaper over at Liberty.

I like it. Usually, black and skulls aren't features that I look for in my interiors. Certainly not on my wallpaper. But it works. They're not obviously skulls, so instead you get quite a quirky pattern. And y'know what? I'm really pleased that the wallpaper in Liberty isn't just an extension of their floral fabric range. That's pretty, but I'm not really a floral wall kinda girl.

So this black skull wallpaper gets a surprising thumbs up from me. Even if it is £87 a metre.

Design Porn: Liberty for Target Bicycle

I'm really, very simply, swooning over this Liberty print bicycle. It's £225 and I don't think I've seen anything quite so pretty for a very long time. Well done, Liberty, well done.

Give me Liberty, or give me MAC!

Two of my favourite brands in the world - Liberty and MAC cosmetics - have got their stylish heads together and created an amazing must-have make-up range. It truly is a prettiful print-fest, full of delicious eye-candy that's almost too good to use!


My favourite is probably the Summer Rose (soft violet pink with pearl) Beauty Powder (£19.50) that would take pride of place in my make-up bag.


Mind you, this 'Perennial High Style' Lipglass is all sorts of adorable...

And if I were a lipstick-wearing gal, there's no doubt I'd be coveting the 'Ever Hip' lippy...


This one's a keeper, for sure: a lovely Nail Lacquer with a cute bird motif! (£8)

Give Me Liberty of London by MAC launches next month (available online although ironically, not from Liberty itself as there's no MAC counter!) - and there's even something for the non-beauty junkies: this rather lovely flower-print scarf (soft wool/viscose blend, measuring 27" x 82") :

Now, who was it who once said, 'Give me liberty, or give me death?' They must have had a sneak preview of this pretty product, for I predict a sell-out. In stores from April.

Design Porn: Lou Rota

I love customised vintage furniture. There's something lovely about turning something old and battered into something modern and fresh, without losing any of the original design. And Lou Rota does this very well indeed. Here are some of my favourites:


I wouldn't normally suggest bugs on dinner plates, but somehow this works.



This chair would look great in your kitchen.

I'm already a big fan of Lou Rota (since discovering her ooooh ten minutes ago) and can't wait to see what else she comes up with. I'm even more excited to find that you can buy her stuff in Liberty. And in a rather wonderful little shop called Caravan, which I can't wait to check out.

The prettiest birdhouse ever

Yes this wonderful piece of birdy design is £225 from Liberty but it's oh so pretty. I want one. Actually, I want three please.