Homewares aren't what I first think of when I think ASOS as they're much better known for their celeb-inspired clothes, but the online-only store currently carries a lovely range of flocked home accessories. Being from ASOS, they're also pretty inexpensive, so a great way to try out the current enthusiasm for all things flocked without breaking your budget. The set of four coasters is just £5, the candlestick and cushion are both £10 each and the photo frame is £12.
Judging from the number of visits we still get to my post back in June about the 'Trellic' bed linen from Heal's, there are lots of you out there looking for interesting bedding that isn't too girly. In a very similar style is this 'Castaway' bedding from George at Asda. It's a great price with a double duvet set, including a cover and two pillow cases, at just £10, and only £12 for the king size set. The supermarkets have really been raising their game as far as clothes are concerned and I'm hoping that homewares will follow suit. Do you have any great supermarket bargains in your home? Share your fabulous finds in the comments below...
I've been browsing the John Lewis site, looking at their lovely new season's soft furnishings. There are some really gorgeous cushions that have caught my eye, so here's a little round-up of some of the best...
This 'Tessica' floral cushion in chocolate brown is a great example of the trend for 'statement' cushions this season. It's 40 x 40 cms, the cover's a high-percentage wool mix and the 3D roses are felt, so soft enough to lie back on comfortably. It's £30 and also comes in red and a soft aqua blue.
Click the link below for more fabulous cushions...
How gorgeously kitsch is this cushion? It depicts little boys and girls decorating a Christmas tree and is really very sweet. Made from a 1950s inspired vintage-style cotton fabric it comes with a 40 x 40cm cushion pad included and the start price is £9.50. Be quick, the auction only has one more day to run.
Unfortunately, like the websites for their fashion stores, Zara Home doesn't show full details of their products, any individual product images or any sort of online shopping. So, we'll have to make do with their gorgeously-styled room shots. It looks like Autumn/Winter from Zara Home sees some differently styled lines. One, a more modern, slightly retro theme, and the other, a real feeling of decadence and crumbling opulence, with luxurious fabrics, mirrored furniture, lots of gold tones, embroidery and the flocked fabric style that I also saw a lot of at the Autumn Top Drawer show (seriously, everyone seems to be doing it). Here's a few favourite shots of the decadent style (click on the link to view)...
Now that the weather's getting colder, thoughts turn to snuggling up, and what better to cuddle up in than sumptuous bedding and blankets in warm Autumn colours. I'm a huge fan of brown, so naturally this chocolate quilted satin throw caught my eye. It will fit a double or a kingsize bed and costs £59. Also in brown tones with splashes of cream and bronze is this lovely satin stripe duvet cover set. For £39.95 you get the double duvet cover and two matching pillow cases. You'll have to be quick as there's only one left of these chunky knit throws in grey, on sale at £19.95 - great for curling up on the sofa with a hot chocolate. All items available from Dwell.
Animal print's never been my thing, but here at Lovely Towers, we're not ones to judge! So, if you like a bit of the luxury leopard look, Debenhams has some huge reductions on their leopard and plain faux fur throws and cushions by J Jasper Conran with the throw at just £39, down from £130 and cushions for just over a tenner.
Now's the time to stock up on bedding classics with the department store sales winding down. These sateen striped sheets and pillow cases are 100% cotton with a threadcount of 220, and have been reduced by 70% in the Debenhams sale to just £5.40 for a pair of pillowcases, up to £10.50 for a superking sheet. White and cream are always a good choice to co-ordinate with your coloured bedding, but they also have pale pink, aqua and lilac.
If you permanenetly share your bed with someone, a male someone, chances are you have to go with plain bedlinen in order not to injure his sense of masculinity. If you have a rather feminine taste, he's probably already made his feelings clear on being floralled to death (yes I've had those conversations too).
For something a bit more interesting than block colour, try this striped Trellic bedlinen from Heal's. It's in a great non-gender-specific colour combination of neutrals, duck egg blue and muted mauve, and it's also on sale at £6.95 for pillowcases and the duvet covers are £36 for the double and £44 for the king size.
When the weather starts to warm up, the last thing you want is a heavy duvet to sleep under and usually make do with just a sheet. The problem I have is that during the night, I end up getting cold when the air cools, but the duvet is still too hot.
Enter the quilt. I've always been a fan of the taffeta bedspread. Not only do they usually come in gorgeous jewel colours, but they're very lightweight and perfect for summer. You can pay a lot for a quilt in satin or silk, but with a taffeta mix, bargains can be found like this ruby-coloured double bedspread from Argos at just £39.99 including two pillow shams.
