Book Review - New Decor by Elizabeth Wilhide

For so long we lived with neutral shades where minimalism ruled, as if we were afraid of making a personal statement by adding colour to our pale interiors. This trend has now shifted and the use of colour, pattern and accessories to decorate our homes is back with a vengeance! Although putting together a bold interior can prove daunting, there are plenty of homes magazines and books offering advice and inspiration.

Elizabeth Wilhide aims to ease the concerns for those of us who want to bring together colour and pattern in our homes. New Decor is a book that helps explain the new styles, encouraging the reader to mix old and new, 'the new decor isn't about recreating the past or side-stepping the present'. This could mean 'a baroque chair made of Perspex, a toile de Jouy wallpaper featuring gritty urban scenes' or perhaps 'a contemporary chair upholstered in a traditional print'. Willhide takes the reader through the stages of decorating a room using this idea of new decor.

Willhide deftly guides us through choosing colour palettes and using these in creating feature,striped or spotty walls, with excellent instructions on how to recreate some fabulous designs. Wilhide also helps the reader to use coloured lighting to 'create evocative shifts of mood and atmosphere'. Moving on from colour we are taken to the 'print room' and shown ways to use pattern in our homes. No longer is bold patterned wallpaper reserved for grand settings, but can add a dramatic effect to a feature wall or be used to decorate an entire room. Vintage prints which used to adorn homes many years ago have been reproduced just as fashion designers crossover in to the world of interiors. Contemporary wallpaper sees an increase in the scale and size of the repeat, with traditional producers reproducing archive patterns in bolder scales and new designers creating even bolder collections.

Having been taught to use colour and wallpaper Wilhide advises the reader on how to choose and use fabric in the home. Due to new materials and new print technologies textile design has never been so popular, ever more so with the trend to make things by hand. Textiles allow us to update a room and add depth by mixing textures in our choice of soft furnishings. In New Decor the author guides us through choosing fabric for cushions, curtains and looks at transferring these patterns to floors as well.

Now with the canvas almost complete, Wilhide offers style advice for choosing 'objects of desire'. Obviously finishing touches are as much about personal taste as choosing the initial colour palette. These finer details may take many years to create as we collect items to compliment our interiors.

The final section of New Decor helps the reader understand and plan the practicalities of decorating and designing their home. Willhide teaches us how to strip wallpaper, prepare walls for painting, choose the right fabric for the right job, dress windows, make square cushions, sand floors and create a lighting scheme, to name just a few things covered in this useful final chapter.

New Decor is an incredibly informative book, guiding the reader through many aspects of interior design, offering clever ideas and practical help. I think New Decor is a fantastic book to have to hand when considering updating any home, as Elizabeth Wilhide not only takes away the fear of mixing old and new but openly encourages it.

New Decor by Elizabeth Wilhide ISBN 978-1-84400-492-8 Publisher - Quadrille

(This post was first published on UK Handmade)

Fabric Friday - Lisa Stickley

There used to be an advert for Cadburys Crunchie's with that motto 'Thank Crunchie it's Friday', well for me it's thank fabric it's Friday!!  Yes it is Friday again and that means it's Fabric Friday.  Today I am featuring a talented English designer, who's work I have loved for a while; it's Lisa Stickley.  Aswell as designing gorgeous fabrics Lisa designs homewares and bags, incorporating her fabric.

Lisa Stickley says that her interest in design probably started with Lego, yet as a child she was always making and creating wonderful things. Her mother made some of her clothes as a child but her Aunt was the real inspiration in learning to sew and knit.  By the time Lisa was a teenager she had acquired a hand-turning sewing machine, which led to more creativity with textiles.  This interest in design and passion for textiles led Lisa to study printed textile design, graduating from both Central St. Martins College of Art & Design and  The Royal College of Art.

Next came an internship in New York with textile designer Jack Lenor Larson.  Being in New York meant Lisa could visit many flea markets and led to developing her own style, which certainly is quintessentially english.  In 2003 the Lisa Stickley brand was established and has now grown extensively.  Lisa Stickley London has a store in London, mail order catologue, website and various items are stocked within major stores in the UK and internationally, including Selfridges, Fenwicks and Liberty.

Lisa Stickley London range offers three main catergories, including delectable homewares, 1950's and 1960's inspired fine bone china and cotton coated bags and purses in beautiful prints.  However the brand has recently taken a new direction under the collection title of Lisa Stickley England, by producing bespoke furniture pieces. 

Aswell as successfully expanding her own brand Lisa Stickley has collaborated or consulted with many companies including Burberry, Green & Blacks, Paul Smith and has a new collection launching with Debenhams, under their 'Designers at Debenhams' logo.

This summer a new book has been published by Quadrille Publishing, written by Lisa Stickley so that she can share some simple yet gorgeous patterns for making your own homewares and bags.  I was very fortuante to review 'Made at Home' and it really is a fantastic book.  Here is my review :

  I love sewing books and adore fabric so was thrilled to learn that Lisa Stickley had written a book about both. With a rising trend towards people sewing items for their homes Made at Home is ideal, even if you have never sewn before in your life.

In the front pages of the book Lisa explains different sewing terms, stitches and the importance of choosing the right fabric, just as you would choose ingredients for a recipe. This is a great guide for beginners and even accomplished seamstresses.

The projects in Made at Home are clearly set out by the room you would chose to use them, with ideas for cushions, napkins, table runners, teacosies and many more. All the projects are shown as a finished item in Lisa Stickleys gorgeous fabrics.

Throughout Made at Home you feel like Lisas fabulous personality shines through with each description or illustration. And the illustrations are wonderful!

Made at Home is a wonderfully simple book with comprehensive instructions that a beginner would not find daunting and a more advanced sewer or fabric lover will love.

In my opinion Lisa Stickleys designs are beautifully understated yet are a great focal point when used to adorn various rooms in your home.  Her fabulous illustrations are incorporated with her designs and some of the florals make me question if they are screen or digitally printed.  I can only hope for many more wonderful designs to leave the Landor Road studio over the coming seasons as Lisa Stickley is a truly inspiring British designer.