• Decorating and interiors

    The joy of a beautiful desk space

    by  • Friday, August 10, 2012 • Decorating and interiors, News • 8 Comments

    After a two week break I’m feeling quite rejuvenated, sunny and actually a little excited to be back at my desk at Ideal Home HQ. On my return our new September issue had just arrived and if you haven’t yet bagged yourself a copy, it is packed full of stylish storage solutions and ideas to help organise your life (it’s in the shops now, hint hint!). One quick flick through and I felt overcome with calm and order. A little something to share are these two home office shoots our stylish stylists did. The first is from our Cash Clever feature on how to create a work area for less than £215…

    Chair, £39, Ikea + Picture frames, £65.96, Ikea + 5 magazine files, £45, The Holding Company + Lamp, £60, John Lewis + Two jars, £4, Sabichi = £213.96. Bargain!

    You may have also spotted this fab industrial style home office from our ‘Class of 2012′ decorating feature. I love the metal school-style cabinet from The Old Cinema and the lovely Conran desk for Marks & Spencer and there’s a place for everything with wall mounted storage ideas galore! No excuse for a messy desk. - Alice 
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    Wise words from Clerk Ink Well

    by  • Friday, April 27, 2012 • Craft, Decorating and interiors, Lovely websites, Stylish shopping • 3 Comments

    For all you letterpress lovers out there, here’s a little Friday afternoon treat. Clerk Ink Well (based in, yep, you guessed it – Clerkenwell. Clever!) are Huw Griffith and Tessa Nicholson and they have a lovely 19th century Wharfedale letterpress. Huw is arty and Tessa likes words and so together they have come up with a few posters with fun slogans…

    Clerk Ink Well, letterpress, letterpress poster, stationery, interiors, poster, ideal home, homeshoppingspy, alice humphrys

    Clerk Ink Well, Eat Your Greens, stationery, letterpress, letterpress print, poster, ideal home, homeshoppingspy, alice humphrys

    Each print is hand-cranked through their letterpress and look at their lovely fruit wood printing blocks…such joy…

    Clerk Ink Well, stationery, letterpress, letterpress print, poster, ideal home, homeshoppingspy, alice humphrys

    Tee hee! I like this one…

    Clerk Ink Well, Eat Your Greens, stationery, letterpress, letterpress print, poster, ideal home, homeshoppingspy, alice humphrys

    Clerk Ink Well, Eat Your Greens, stationery, letterpress, letterpress print, poster, ideal home, homeshoppingspy, alice humphrys

    They use the finest handmade paper and hand mixed vegetable based inks. Prices start from £45 (unframed) and are available to buy from the Clerk Ink Well website. Bon weekend all et bon nuit (je suis suffering somewhat from post-editorial awards fatigue). Sigh. - Alice

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    Hot Shop: Cachette. A homeshoppingspy exclusive!

    by  • Monday, January 16, 2012 • Craft, Decorating and interiors, Lovely websites, News, Stylish shopping • 2 Comments

    If you have made the wise choice of checking homeshoppingspy today, then have we got a treat for you! You will only hear it here first, so listen up! Cachette is a new Anglo-French online store that launches this week (in both the UK and France) but until then we are giving you lucky people EXCLUSIVE access with a SECRET code letting you onto their site TODAY where you can buy before the rest of the public get there!  Scroll down for a few of my favourites and for the precious code…


    Cachette, homeware, online, Anglo-French, Artisan, designers, new shop, ideal home, homeshoppingspy, alice humphrys

    1. Storm plate, £24.09; 2. Wooden spoons, £9.55; 3. Stoneware jug, £19; 4. Blue tray, £24.50; 5. Blackboard, £31.56; 6. Wooden labels, £10.80 7. Bamboo basket, £24.09.

    Founders, Delphine (French) and Stephen (English) are a couple who decided to leave their life in London and move to the south of France to set up a new home and a new business (c’est bon!). They wanted to put together a collection of simple, eclectic and functional products for the home, handpicking items from different European artisans and unknown designers. You’ll find stationary, bathroom accessories, gourmet food, kitchenware and toys. Nothing on their site is mass-produced, it’s all uber tasteful and the code you’ve all been waiting for is ‘HOME’. Click here and type it in (must use caps lock) If you enter the code again at the checkout you can get 10% off too. Happy shopping! - Alice

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