Saturday reading

Saturdays are the best day of the week. I want to curl up with Bazaar Style [by Selina Lake] in this window seat.

Scandi style flooring

Blonde wood is definitely back in fashion. I dream of my new open plan lounge with Douglas Fir floors from Dinesen sweeping between lounge and kitchen diner. The wood planks are pale and wide and are made to especially to order. Even the big retailers and Saatchi gallery are using the stuff. The grain is super visible which is another reason to love it. Then I can pretend I am in my forest house in Sweden living my 'hygge' lifestyle rather than dodging the traffic in urban West London.

Squint

Shabby chic style isn't always the easiest to live with [boys don't always love it], but it's time has surely come [minimalism is on it's death knell] and the reused, patchwork style of designers Squint is right for our new love affair with homespun, recycled style. Take a wander down to Squint's store on Shoreditch High Street one Sunday after a morning at Columbia Road flower market just around the corner. It opens at 1pm, so enough time for a brew before.

Ilse Crawford is my design hero

Ilse Crawford is my design hero. She has created so many inspirational schemes for commercial and residential projects. Today's pick is a simple kitchen she designed for a Notting Hill showflat for one of the UK's biggest housing associations. I love it's simplicity. It's something that we could easily recreate at home. It's so beautiful - [I think I'm obsessed by kitchen design...]

Cath Kidson summer inspiration

Summer's here [supposedly] in London, although I can barely see it today through the thick grey cloud. I think I'll cheer myself into summer with some Cath Kidson boat cushions. They make me think of the beach and are perfect as bedroom cushions on a wicker chair or bed, until Oct when they can be stowed away for London winter. Although I will probably make new winter inspired covers to put over them. I think the Circus Elephant Cushion for my nephew is cute too, and is currently in the sale on the Cath Kidson website for £12 down from £18, bargain.

Bathroom inspiration

It's good to be back after sunning myself in Turkey for two whole weeks [I made sure I had heaps of interiors reading entertainment]. And since then I took myself off to those clever people at KLC design school to learn the latest on kitchen and bathroom design. Designing kitchens and bathrooms can be scary - all that water and electricity! The challenge is make fantastic looking schemes that also function for you, or your client. Two bathroom schemes that currently love are by Wily Gufron and Kim Stapleton. They both achieve the expensive hotel, high-end look that is becoming easier to replicate at home. In particular, I love the blocky, bold architectural style of Wily Gufron's design [though I'm not sure how comfy the oblong bath would be!] Kim Stapleton's design is more organic and oriental in it's approach, and just imagine how lovely that outside stone bath would be on a summer's day! All I need now is a new house and a new bathroom to design.

Fab Totes for London sales shopping

It's London sales shopping time so it makes sense for a girl to have a squillion cool totes to fill with trinckets*. These are my faves: 1. Clarissa bag £10 from Kitty and Polly. 2.Responsibility Tree bag £15.95, The Design Museum. 3.Saturday Morning Screenprint shopper tote bag - orange £15 from our beloved Etsy. 4. Letter N Tote bag £17 from Loyalty & Blood.

Inn the Park - Peyton and Byrne

As the London sun is shining, I'm taking my flip flops down to Inn the Park, Peyton and Byrne's eco-friendly restaurant by day, and destination restaurant by night. It's my top place for wkend brunch because it feels so relaxing in this Austrian larch building in the heart of St James's Park. [The wood is untreated so it will weather over time].

I went with the girls on a humid Sunday and we 'self-served' ourselves lattes and Millionnaire's shortbreads and ate them on the grass topped roof terrace, with it's cute green metal patterned tables. The dining room is a more formal option, separated by the kitchen by chunky white marble booths and black leather banquettes. British design hero of the moment Tom Dixon designed the 60's inspired mirrored lights [pressumably to give the caff a 'destination restaurant' glamour for evenings]. This place with it's chairs made of tubular steel and leather pads shows that park grub has moved up in the world of London town.

Manhattan Chest of Drawers

Interiors lust of the day - Manhattan Chest of Drawers from Graham & Green for £795 [start saving]. Please, please, please, please can I have this for my new house?! The multifaceted mirrors are so 1930's glam.

Emma Bridgewater - Chiswick

I took a lazy sunny Sunday stroll to Chiswick on Sunday and Emma Bridgewater's shop on Devonshire Road really caught the mood. There is something so British summer about her range of designs. It makes you want to set out stall and have a summer fete. While some of her designs are a little safe to say the least, there are some key pieces that I've got in my summer tote - red Melamine Beaker, £2.50, Long Spoons, £6, Polka Dot four cup teapot, £49.95 and Union Jack mug, £15.95.

Beach hut style

If I have to sit in the office all Monday, at least I can dream of the beach, or better still my fantasy beach room. Living Etc website has a nice article on beach house style and I love this featured kitchen, in pale hues, nautical style lamps and Alvar Aalto chairs. London is sweltering tonight but this room scheme is super cool.

Russell Pinch - Pendal 2-seat sofa

Everywhere I look in London I see Russell Pinch's Pendal 2-seat sofa - at 100% Design last year, and now in the window at Liberty's as part of Elle Decoration's May window collaboation. People were asked to say what their home means to them and this is reflected in the window styling. The window designs are mix of modern and vintage pieces, which Elle Deco always pulls off with aplomb. The Pendal sofa's cute, feminine florals are offset by mismatched cushions and more modern pieces to give it an edge. It's a compact size, so good as secondary seating or in awkward spaces like bay windows. I love it's homely feel. Sofa available from Russell Pinch, [design hero] £1730.

Cha Cha Moon, W2

I met Knowlesy last night for west London noodles. While the noodles were average the interiors at the new Cha Cha Moon were amazing. The designers said they wanted to create a 'rich space with very simple materials'. And that's what we get. As diners you are hugged by 6cm diameter bamboo rods that undulate the length of the restaurant roof, creating a warm environment. Diners sit on separate benches, positioned close together - communal dining but in smaller groups. Milled bamboo tables continue the oriental theme, along with mirrored surfaces that add a welcome touch of glamour. We sat on black metal benches which look great - but were less than comfy after two hours.

At one end was the open plan kitchen and at the other, a sleek well-maned bar serving welcome ginger, carrot, rose water and apple juices. With benches, bamboo ceiling rods and stripey lino flooring all running the length of the room, the interior seems to stretch on forever. The real surprise were the toilets - fabric textured doors and walls, infinity sink and cute neon signs designed by North. An unexpected flash of glamour in what is essentially a fast noodle joint. The food ain't much to shout about but I've been talking about the interiors all day.

Off the Wall vases

Today's Trincket* love goes to these Off the Wall bone china vases by British designer Andrew Tanner. They come in three motifs: orchid, paisley and rajapur and are 28.5cm in size, available from my fav east end design shop Lifestyle Bazaar. Designs are inspired by Cole & Son wallcoverings. Something cool to put our summer flowers in.

The Albion at the Boundary

The Albion at the Boundary in Shoreditch used to be an old Victorian lighting factory. Now it's my favorite breakfast place in London. Designed by Terence Conran and his team, you expect it to be a looker and it is. If I owned a caff, this is how I would design it: natural light, open kitchen, bevelled tiles, pendulous factory lights, and modern British retro styling everywhere. My Deco site has a brilliant piece about how to recreate the look with key pieces from the high street, click here to see it. The styling is not wholly original with it's modern retro slant [think Canteen], but it's execution is flawless: Golden Syrup cutlery containers and knitted tea cosies on Brown Betty teapots are nostalgic and at the same time knowingly chic. Elements of the interior made me smile - the stools at the bar are made of tractor seats! And once I'd eaten my eggs I really didn't want to leave. The interior is split into shop [as you enter] and 'caff' with open kitchen at the rear. In the shop, the floor to ceiling shelves are piled high with veg, breads, cupcakes, cordials and golden syrup to take home in your Albion jute bag - exactly the cute, traditional welcome I was looking for.

Dwell Studio

Only time for a quick one today, la la la. I wanted to show Dwell Studio's Chinoiserie pillows, they are so cute they need to be shown off, tweet tweet.

Isak

When it comes to interior design, children often get a bad deal. I rarely see inspiring interiors for kids, and schemes are often for the short-term, and not for kids to grow into. Isak have designed some amazing kids products that look super stylish, but I think adults will love them too. The designs have a gentle, retro feel and are characterised by a bold illustration that is a mix of Scandinavean and British. I love their Isak Penguin wallpaper, and the way they style this in a children's room. I have two nephews that would love this design. And their aunty is secretely coverting it too.

Timourous Beasties

Scottish collective Timorous Beasties come up with some crazy, wonderful designs. It's hard to believe that you would want giant insects all over your household fabrics and wallcoverings, but their beautiful animal, bird and insect designs disprove that. Their latest project A Bird in the Hand is Victorian inspired prints shown here on upholstered chairs. The designs are on show in Sheffield.