July 2013

Rene Gruau is an illustrator of extraordinary skill, style and flair. A good friend introduced me to his work at an exhibition a while ago at Somerset House called Dior Illustrated: Rene Gruau and the Line of Beauty. Now I'd like to pass that gift on. Rene Gruau Diorissimo image from 1956 His father was an Italian count, but Gruau pursued his passion for art rather than follow in his father’s royal & military footsteps. His mother and father separated when he was only 3 years old and from that time on he took his French mother’s name and lived with her...
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Recently I realised that I have been slowly leaning more and more towards heavy pattern. I have been eyeing up dresses in rich florals, coveting fabric densely printed with leaves and gathering together highly decorated wallpapers on Pinterest. I don't know why this is catching my eye so much at the moment, but if you're considering taking the level of pattern in your home up a notch, here's some inspiration: Wallpaper from the Cole & Son Fornasetti range - love the gold keys and dense foliage here. There's something about the closeness of the lines on this pattern that makes it great. Love...
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I have had an interesting Pinterest experience recently. Something I repinned from another pinner (Mary Middleton Design) has "gone viral". I'm sure most people generally have a similar experience with Pinterest... Usually when I pin something it will get a couple of likes and a couple of repins. I use Pinterest mainly as a source of inspiration and a way to gather favourite websites together, so this is fine by me. Sometimes something will get 10+ repins and I'm always really pleased that something I like has connected with lots of other people too.   Then, all of a sudden, I realised I...
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