Handmade and Handcrafted - It's "Made a Mano"

Remember my on-going search for kitchen tiles? Well the latest addition to my list of hot favourites is the fabulous handmade tile company Made A Mano. Producing pieces that are both hand-drawn and hand-printed, the company couldn't be better named and the range of tiles on offer is at once elegant and original.Definately my November heart-throb!

They have a number of stores in Denmark and Italy and a stockists elsewhere across Europe.

Never felt so good!

So, the Poppy Club Club has been up and running for several months now - enough time to observe that there is one material increasingly used in all areas of interior design : felt. From tea-cosies to fake plants - passing through wall dividers, cushions and carpets - designers love the stuff and are hugely inventive in its use.
Made from matting and compressing woollen fibres, felt has traditionally been used in Central Asia in the making of tents, slippers and rugs but today it can be found in almost any place in almost any form! Below is a selection of a few pieces that celebrate the versatility and beauty of this fine man-made fabric :

Featured a few months back on the The Poppy Club, (see blog post of May : "Stars of the Silver Screen")Selina Rose has to be my heroine when it comes to felt. Cutting away delicate patterns that let the light through, her cushions, wall panels, throws and rugs are all refined and elegant - exquisite to look at and sure to be the focal point of any room. Divine.

In Finland,  Sirkka Kannusmaki makes a whole range of plants and flowers totally out of felt. They are great for those of us with decidely un-green fingers or for those with allergies. I actually think they are a lovely item in their own right and love the craftsmanship involved in their creation.

Mixko is a design studio set up by Alex Garnett and Nahoko Koyama

who design a variety of accessories and homewares including these gorgeous felt lampshades which come in a whole host of tantalising colours!

In Canada, Felt Studio describes itself as a "laboratory" led by Kathryn Walter, who works exclusively in felt, producing both large-scale artworks as well as smaller functional pieces such as this "Pearl" lampshade.

And above an Etsy find by atelierpompadour in Italy. Several cute designs for cushions can be found here including the "Swallows on a line" and "Rush Hour" pieces  featured above.

This one's also an Etsy find, this time from Regansbrain in Minneapolis, USA. There are heaps of fun combinations on offer and all are made to order. The felt used is in fact "eco-fi" made from 100% re-cycled plastic bottles and is appliqued onto a background fabric. I love the use of a garish backdrop against a monotone felt silhouette!

Devoted to "sustainable living", branch sell several felt items manufactured to a high degree from factory excess wool. I have a soft spot for the "Rosebud" bowl above...

Karen Hilton Designs in England, use felt to celebrate "Britannia", producing cushions that sport some of the best known emblems of "Britishness" : the Queen's Head, the Crown and the Union Jack. Favouring a Pop-Art type style that relies heavily on sihouette and striking colours, she also tips her hat at the USA, paying tribute to that emblem of all emblems, the Stars and Stripes.




And to finish, Canada's Argyle St,  who are amongst the master tea-cosy makers of the bloggosphere.

Crazy Paving

During my stay in the med, I cam across a few little benches carved into the cliff face and decorated with bits of broken tile. I thought they were so pretty I'd take a few snaps. In fact, the tiling everywhere in Sorrento was gorgeous - the final tile is part of one of the old floors in a 19th villa.

Mediterranean interior

I've just got back from a quick break in Italy (courtesy of my dear ole Pa - thanks Dad!) and just had to share a few piccies of this absolutely gorgeous hotel in Sorrento - the Minervetta. Really beautiful use of sea blue tiles and a quirky collection of modern art and photography. The coast is just paradise outside and with an interior like this you're really in heaven!

Stars of the silver screen

To celebrate the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, I thought it was time to devote some space to "screens". Used to divide up rooms or give a decorative focal point, there is a wealth of folding partitions out there made from all manner of materials be it cloth, wood, felt or metal. I had a look around and below is a pick of a few of my finds:

The French site Little Circus sell this lovely carboard screen made by the Italian designer Enzo Mari. Great for children's rooms it's perhaps the most original piece I came across:

In the US, stacksandstacks sell literally HEAPS of folding screens - it's really the place to go if you want a large choice - my favourite is this lightweight, reversible canvas screen that has an old-world elegance to it:

In the UK, Selina Rose produces fabulous felt panels in greys, pinks and browns which are modern and unusual, making for simple contemporary elegance :

I came across the Guigon Olson Studios on Etsy. They make this sheet steel divider that can be customized in terms of colour and size, the hand-cut pattern making for interesting play between light and shadow.




A big "Thank You" to Design Sponge for this tip about Kif and Katast who produce these beautiful screens that can be either free-standing or mounted as panels. Using Ginko trees and Orchids as inspiration, the designs are sophisticated and fresh, reminding me of the Indian screens of James Plumb (see The Poppy Club blog post of March 14th : There's Life in the Old Dog Yet ).



I love this gently undulating "Swell" poplar screen that I found at madeindesign. It's designed by LN Boul of Marseille and produced by the Belgian VANGE group and I think the appeal lies in the very natural look and soft curves. Very contemporary and probably better suited to tall, open spaces.

I just had to mention this little number by Daniel Milchtein Peltsverger which can be found at various vendors including freshome,  because it is so brilliantly original and ingenious. I'm always a fan of anything that helps to save space which is what is so clever about the Biombo chair - it doubles up as a wall panel / partition. I can't vouch for the comfort or robustness of it, but the concept is really quite cunning!

And to finish with a classic, this smoothly moulded plywood screen designed by the great American team Charles and Ray Eames in 1946 and now sold via hivemodern amongst others. It's classy, elegant and functional - the basis of its designers' great reputation.

Looking forward to seeing what the big screen in Cannes has to offer over the next few days!

A bookworm's dream - an armchair and library in one!

My flat is too small for storing anything much, so ingenious, elegant storage solutions are always welcome. The Italian company Nobody&Co have come up with the brilliant idea of storing books in the armchair itself - so lazy readers don't even need to get up to reach for the next volume!
There is even a "pouf" version for more exotic tastes. Cunning, eh?