Lovely Things

Spring/Summer 2008 at Zara Home

Spring has arrived at Zara Home and we're seeing a Moroccan theme for many of the looks in the Spring/Summer 2008 catalogue.

For summer there's lots of colour and pattern, but with a cool rather than cosy feel. Like previous collections, there's strong white furniture groupings alongside the colour splashes, and again, a lovely opulent edge, despite the High St price tags. There's lots here with the slight vintage-ness that Zara Home does so well, but keep your eyes peeled for more modern items, with a touch of retro style.

Visit Lovely Things again next week to check out our picks from the spring collection and the fresh green-themed Zara Home outdoor dining looks. Click below now to view more colourful Moroccan S/S 2008 looks from the catalogue...

Christian Lacroix for La Redoute

Designer collaborations with High St brands are everywhere these days in fashion, so it's not surprising to see more crossover of this type in home furnishings as well. The Christian Lacroix pour La Redoute collection has just launched and includes a range of homeware items such as tables, bedding and rugs.

Most items are designed around a bright print theme, though, despite being a major print fan, I rather like this simple 'Gloriette' perspex and steel table in orange (£165). It reminds me of the lovely little Eames side table, with its wire frame base.

More unusual are items like the 'Noctopatte' table (below, £255) with its nine (count 'em!) mismatched legs.

Click through below to see more of the Lacroix collection...

Gorgeous autumn-coloured bedding on sale at Argos

The recent rain's been making me think about cooler nights and autumn colours and now is a great time to take advantage of the sales to stock up on bedding for the coming season. Argos isn't the first place I think of for bedding, but they currently have a range of sale duvet sets and bedspreads in great autumnal colours at bargain prices. Click below for the details...

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... 

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...

John Lewis Paisley Duvet Cover

At this time of year we tend to think of chocolate brown and jewel tones: deep ruby red, dark sapphire blue and the like. But sometimes all that intense colour can feel a bit oppressive in the bedroom. If you prefer something cooler-coloured to relax in, this paisley duvet cover in aqua and green tones is really subtle, despite being very detailed in pattern. Prices start at £35 for a single, up to £65 for a super king, and pillowcases are available separately for £9. John Lewis is also offering free pre-Christmas delivery if you order by 3pm today.

Related: Faux Fur Bedding & Throws | Whimsical Pillowcases from Kate Storer | Amenity Nature Inspired Bedding

Faux Fur Bedding & Throws

Fur really is luxurious, especially for winter. While I wouldn't feel comfortable with real fur in my home, faux fur can give you the same decadent feeling, without harming any little beasties. Here's a round-up of some of the fake fur options for throws and blankets currently on offer to have you snuggling up over the winter months...

First up is Heal's who has a couple of options. There's this lovely silver, almost shimmering, rippled faux fur throw and cushion set (shown) starting at £100...

Gift Guide: £20 and under

Ah Christmas shopping. It can be tricky finding an interesting gift without having to spend a lot of money, or a lot of time trawling websites and shops. And if you have a lot of people to buy for, the whole thing can really take it out of you. To give you a hand is our gift guide to lovely things for home and living, for £20 or less...

Whimsical Pillowcases from Kate Storer

  As much as I hate the expression 'stocking filler', these pillowcases would make fabulous small gifts for friends or family. Designed by Kate Storer, the whimsical designs are sure to bring a smile at bedtime - I mean, who can resist teeny tiny sheep?! Each style is £15 for one pillowcase and £25 for two.

Amenity Nature Inspired Bedding

"As beautiful as it often is, sleeping outdoors can also be quite a pain", says Design Public. Now you can bring nature to your bedroom in the form of these gorgeous duvet covers, pillows and other items from Amenity. In colour combinations including chocolate, cream, lavender, copper, grey and a surprising splash of peacock blue these silhouetted designs are perfect for snuggling under if you're looking for unusual bedding. Shown above is 'Bloom' with a cocoa background and silver pattern, and 'Drift' duvet cover in peacock. Loveliness doesn't come cheap however as prices for a queen duvet cover start at $299 for the almond colour which is on sale, and go up to $465 for a king size cover in the other colours. Unfortunately they currently ship only within the US, but I'm sure those of us in the UK can work around that, can't we?