Lovely Things

Heal's up to 70% off bank holiday warehouse sale

Brace yourselves people! Heal's is having a bank holiday weekend, up to 70% off, warehouse sale. It starts at 9am on Saturday 25th and finishes at 4pm on Monday 27th August at the Heal's distribution centre in Edmonton, London (N9, near the A406 and the Brent Cross Ikea). Discounted items include this nickel and acrylic Malabar lamp reduced from £100 to just £30, and the Louis black lacquer console table by John Reeves (we featured the outdoor range in June), half price at just £248. 

Wallace Sacks sale: lovely silk lampshades

We've hit the season of summer sales and there are some great homeware and interiors bargains to be had. Everyone I know seems to be looking for new lighting at the moment (including me), so I've been perusing the lighting clearance at Wallace Sacks. These pretty silk shades are available in soft green with a fuchsia leaf print, and brown with a gold print and can be hung from a pendant fitting or fixed to a lamp base. They're just £35 each.

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?

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.

Daily Telegraph House & Garden Fair 2007

Coming up at the end of June is this year's Daily Telegraph House & Garden Fair. Attractions include the 'Clouds of Scent' concept garden by designer Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, featuring a series of giant floating shapes hanging from the ceiling, workshops on interior colour schemes, lighting and gardens run by the KLC School of Design, plus a spotlight on contemporary young British designers and their work as part of the ISOS Collection. I'm impressed by the promo motif design they've gone with this year - half flower, half lamp ('Supernova' by Ferruccio Laviani for Foscarini). Gorgeous! See the show at London Olympia from 27th - 30th June and book tickets through the site.

Zara Home Spring/Summer 2007

Our posts on Zara Home are some of the most popular of this blog, and the one showing images from the Zara Home catalogue for Autumn/Winter is still going strong. But as we've been enjoying quite a bit of sunshine lately, it's about time we take a look at the Spring/Summer 2007 pictures.

This season is all about white, though still retaining the shabby chic/crumbling opulence influence that we saw last season. Some of the images look a little more 'Winter white' than summery, but the overall effect is very glamorous and looks like it would keep you very cool on a hot summer's day.

There were so many lovely pages in the catalogue that I had real trouble choosing just a few to show you, so click on the link below to feast your eyes on quite a handful of drool-eliciting rooms...

Penguin print from Box Art

Everyone seems to be going a bit penguin crazy since the hype about Happy Feet got started. If you'd like a slightly more elegant take on the trend have a look at this lovely 'Wallpaper Penguins' duotone print from Box Art (sixth down the page). The print is canvas-mounted and is sealed with a protective varnish that is actually wipe-clean - perfect if you have little ones wanting to relive the movie through art. Available in three sizes sarting at 6 x 6 inches for £15, up to double that for £35 from Velvet Boutique.