// Sake Cups

Inspired by the above styling shot, I bought these handmade sake cups at the weekend which my friend Katie Earl fabulously shot for me. They are from Nom Living on Columbia Road and I plan to use them as salt and pepper pots for the dining table. I'm currently on the hunt for a nice dining set and am loving the 'natural rustic' trend that is happening in ceramic ware at the moment. I also bought some teeny black bone spoons to go in them. 

Cute.

http://www.nomliving.com/products/sake-cup-snow-white

// Story Deli

On Saturday my friend and I headed to Story Deli, a cute little place in Shoreditch that I'd recently read about that serves top notch local organic food. It didn't disappoint with its unusual array of pizzas and rustic interior. If you ever find yourself around Redchurch Street then definitely pop in. It feels a bit more like an artists studio than a restaurant due to its thrown together romantic styling. With hanging mobiles, framed artistic collages, white painted walls and floorboards, old battered tables and cute cardboard imitation stools, it had a homely and effortless charm that's hard to resist.

Find them at 3 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch. 

// Moshi Moshi

Love my new Moshi Moshi POP handset designed by David Turpin. His modern interpretation of the old 1950' Bakelite style telephone turns my mobile into an instant office phone. They are currently available from The Conran Shop and as well as black, come in all the colours of the rainbow.

// Pallet Bed

Cheap and cheerful...

via Pintrest

// Go Black

At the beginning of Autumn/Winter '11, I decided that I was going to invest in black. Black shoes, black boots, black bags, black coats, black everything. The same goes for interiors. Black is most definitely my colour for 2012. 

As Abigail Ahern kicks off her year long campaign daring everyone to go dark, I think we will see a boom in the use of dark, sludgy hues throughout interiors be it both commercial and residential. White has most definitely been the dominant colour for those striving for the more minimalist, fresher interior. Don't get me wrong, I still love white with its crispness, its simple elegance, but now I think I'll just start adding a touch of black too. 

A black wall creates a solid background in a room, a dark sea of contrast for everything to bounce off. White frames pop off it, light floors instantly become brighter and coloured furniture adds a funky twist. It's warming, it lights fantastically and all in all, its just ruddy gorgeous to look at. For maximum impact layer black on top of black, matt on top of gloss and texture on top of more texture. 

Black is back. 

// Talking Heads

A definite on my want list are these fantastic tapestry heads that I stumbled upon at Maison d'Objet in Paris a couple of years ago. As you may have noticed, animal heads seem to be everywhere at the mo and are a must have accessory for any trend setting interior. These are definitely at the higher end of the price range, but not surprisingly this seems to make me want one even more! 

They are the creation of Frederique Morrel a man and wife artistic duo (Aaron Levin & Frederique Morrel) who met in the 80's. Frederique was inspired by the intricate needlepoint of her grandmothers, so much so that she began to imitate her work. After meeting Aaron, the pair pooled creativity and now produce a variety of life sized animal and human tapestries amongst other things. Inspired by such things as Adam and Eve, The Garden of Eden and Noahs Ark, each piece depicts a variety of biblical scenes, traditional patterns and when purchased comes with its own re-birth certificate. When asked about the philosophy behind their pieces they say that they 'question the dynamics between man vs woman, of craft vs industry, of art vs decoration, of man vs animal, of beauty vs ugly, luxury vs cheap'.  

To see more... www.frederiquemorrel.com

{Venus de Milo}