Lovely Things

Grand Designs Live show 8-10th June 2007

Today sees the opening of the Grand Designs Live show at London's Excel centre, billing itself as the UK's top consumer show for design and innovation. The exhibitions within the show include: interiors, build, kitchens, bathrooms, gardens and shopping, and feature free seminars and advice such as overcoming planning problems, garden design, restoration and conservation, environmental sustainability, lighting and financing self-build projects. Tickets can still be purchased in advance for collection at the show (at a discount), or on the door, and the show runs until Sunday.

Pretty printed tea-towels

In my new flat I have a brand new kitchen, and so I don't want to spoil it with old tea-towels that, frankly, have seen better days. So I'm on a tea-towel mission at the moment and want something pretty but a bit different to the usual range of kitchen-themed motifs. The three towels above all have lovely subdued colouring and interesting patterns (and lots of green, which, as you know, is my colour of the moment), and look lovely and fresh for summer. Read on to find out more... 

Hanging lanterns & tealight holders

When the sun starts to shine, our thoughts turn to outdoor entertaining (even if it is still rather chilly of an evening). Hanging candles and tealights twinkling away give a magical quality to any garden party or BBQ, so here's a few you can pick up in High St stores...

First up is this very pretty Moroccan style hanging lantern from Monsoon. It has crackle glass and hand made brass detailing. It's £15, available only in green and takes a standard tealight candle.

Heal's 'Louis' range of outdoor furniture

Great legs! No, not you (though that's not to say you haven't), I'm talking about this gorgeous 'Louis' range of outdoor furniture from Heal's. In glavanised steel with a sexy zinc finish, these curvy beauties will give an elegant style to your alfresco arrangements whether you're having friends round for a drink or reading the Sunday papers with a cup of tea in your bathrobe. The table's £395 and the stools are £100 each. Who says outdoor furniture has to be boring?

Green and white cup and saucer from Mit Hus

Oh dear, I think I'm in love. I'm sure you're thinking that this is no bad thing, but the problem is, it's tableware I'm in love with, and I just don't know if I have the room for any more. The current object of my affection is this beautiful chartreuse green and white cup and saucer. I love cups with the decoration on the inside, and this subtle green crackle glaze is the perfect foil to the creamy matt white on the outside. It's just £4.50 from fab Scandanavian-stocked UK store Mit Hus.

Father's Day gifts for Garden Dad

Father's Day is just around the corner, this year falling on Sunday 17th June. Last year we featured Father's Day gifts for BBQ Dad, and this year I'm going with gifts for those dads who like to get out there into nature, get their hands dirty, chop stuff down, pull stuff up...yes I'm talking about Garden Dad...

Craigslist roundup: table, wicker chairs, vintage metal drawer unit

We've had eBay roundups on Lovely Things before, and when I was noodling around on Craigslist today, I saw a few items worth mentioning in the furniture listings. I actually rather want all these items myself, but as I've recently moved, I'm trying to shed furniture, instead of buying new pieces, so best I share these finds with you!

I'm a big fan of chunky rustic tables, and this French country-style wooden table is a great price at just £150. The honey colour and the big wide planks are very attractive, and it would make a lovely kitchen table if you have the room. Collect from Notting Hill, London.

Graham & Green lighting sale: green glass lamps

I'm finding that I've been very drawn to green lately. I'm not sure if it's because Spring is in the air, or just that it's such a great, versatile colour. So when I saw that Graham & Green have taken an extra 10% off their lighting sale items, it's these two green lamps I made a beeline for. They're both glass with a faux silk shade and the 'Globe' lamp in particular reminds me of some of Jeremy Pyles' wonderful glass pendant lamps we featured back in December (we featured 'Aurora', but take a look at 'Stamen' and you'll see what I mean). 'Bottle' on the left is priced at just £146, down from £208, and 'Globe' is £165, down from £235. Sale ends Sunday 3rd June at midnight.

Five wedding gifts for £30 and under

Ah yes, the wedding season is upon us. While many brides and grooms opt for a wedding registry or gift list, some rather you give them a gift chosen by you. It can be really tricky finding something appropriate, without breaking the bank, so here's a quick look at five great glassware and tableware gifts for £30 and under.