Pigeons and Jelly : A happy combination

Thornback & Peel don't shy away from much. Combining the often-hated urban pigeon for example, with much-loved childhood jelly , they put together unusual designs for the home and garden that raise eyebrows and  liven-up a living-space. Who would think of a cabbage as a suitable napkin design? Or cuddling up to fusha pink beetles on the sofa? The appeal of these great creations lie in the whacky choice of motif portrayed in an out-of-context colour. I love it!

Growing it slow

Now that the weather in Paris is finally reaching gorgeous summer temperatures, it's time to take a look at the great outdoors! Few of us in the city are lucky enough to have gardens, but if you look up, there are a fair few terraces and balconies with great views and endless possibilities for decoration. I recently came across the French group Slow Garden , who are essentailly "exterior designers" specialising in creating fabulous patios and outdoor spaces. Below are a few examples of their work, but for more info see their site. I like their use of rich, sunny colours and the attention to original detail that gives each space a quirky, individual feel. Just wish I had a large enough space myselft o experiment with!

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.

Bringing those air plants home to roost!

As a follow up to my post about Mudpuppy's lovely ceramic air plant pods - here is a glass alternative, made by Roost and sold by Pigeon Toe Ceramics in Portland (see blog post "Bowled Over" for more about their beautiful products). Blown from almost entirely recycled glass, this

"hanging terrarium" is designed for the interior and can be used for air or soil-based plants. If, like me, you're a frustrated non-garden owner then it might be the way to bring a litlte more green into your life!

Air plant pods - or "how to hang your plants upside down".

The Poppy Club find this month has to be these fab airplant pods by Mudpuppy, which recently featured on the front page of Etsy. I love their simplicity, the ingenious upside-down hanging and just their overall look. Would look great in a conservatory (if I had one!) but I'm going to try one in a little arched niche in my bedroom to see how that fairs - I just hope there's enough light!

They are designed specifically for air plants which can't survive in standing water. See Mudpuppy on Supermarket too for more gorgeous designs.