Flannel, Foxglove and One Fancy Fox

You know how it goes: you start off reading something online and end up caught in an interweb that steals hours from your life, hours which you will never get back. Sometimes though, you can turn this to your advantage, especially if you are an artist in search of inspiration - or more prosaically - if you have a blog to feed.

I started off this Brett Ryder journey by logging into my inbox, looking at a newsletter from the Balance Festival, and from there randomly clicked on one of their sponsors - Arctic Power Berries - that took me right to one of their own sponsors - Fenwick - and there this illustration from The Summer Season campaign caught my eye. A blog article was born.

The Summer Season campaign by Brett Ryder for Fenwick

The artwork looks a little frivolous, thank goodness, for frivolity is what is needed right now after the last few months my family and I have been through. So a little sunshine and a smattering of quirky characters and floral embellishments will do us fine. Besides, an ode to Summer will always get our votes, especially after a rather long Winter packed with bitterly cold days and nights spent in a Medieval house with no central heating and a leaking roof terrace!

More surrealism with a softer side is to be had when you browse Brett Ryder's agency portfolio. Here are a few notable pieces:

 'Can you build softer skills?' article for Construction Manager magazine, artwork by Brett Ryder

'I couldn't get anywhere' article for Brummell magazine, ibid.

Health Affairs, MERS in the Middle East, ibid.

Action for Happiness for The Telegraph, ibid.

'Rites: A Childhood in Guatemala', by Victor Perera for Beat #6, published by Heart, ibid.

Nongfu Spring mineral water bottle label - 'Summer', artwork by Brett Ryder

Wahey, if that bottled water taste as magical as its label, we are in for a treat!

Make sure to check out Brett's website portfolio.

Say it with Flowers

When words fail to express how much I miss you, and fail to lend me the strength to hold my own onto that ship...

While your being gone has cast our lives into disarray like a tempest unforeseen, bashing us castaways against the harshness of our depleted surroundings, wreak havoc our lives, split open our hearts...

Despite your not being afar for I can feel you around, softly brushing past, hesitant tip-toe, lingering into regretful embrace, gliding up and down the Stairway to Heaven in nocturnal errance...

If only you whisked me along.

Bloomers Flowers & Decor

How I care to imagine living a day without you and still carry it through, whether my life will be whole again despite the hole that you left...

How what mattered yesterday has come to pass and lies at our feet in its irrelevant, insignificant splendour...

And whether I seek to explain to the rest of you here - or not,

I shall never cease to love you.

When words lack a word and words fail your hurt, elude or go astray, laced into the atemporality of the present hurt...

You have to forget the words and forgive them too.

And let flowers do the talking for you.

© Nathalie Hachet Kuntz, 11-Apr-2018

Basket Case

Wicker, Seagrass, Sweet Grass, Bamboo, Sisal, Rattan, Raffia, Jute, Palm, Cork & Co. - any fibre and material that is golden blonde and organic lends itself beautifully to Summer, bringing a sunny coastal note while mellowing a home or dress code. Without further ado, check out Mirabelle's capsule selection for self and the home!

Pandora Gold Metallic Flecked Cork Covered Wedges by Jimmy Choo

Swarovski Crystal Embroidered Satin Adriana Espadrilles, by Oscar de la Renta

Large Natural Heart Raffia Zip Pouch in Lilac, by Aerin Lauder

Pom Pom Beach Bag in Ocean, by Mar Y Sol, via The Little Market

Coastal Inspiration by Maisons du Monde

White Island Tendances Déco, via Maisons du Monde

Mandala Woven Bamboo Box, via Maisons du Monde

Light Taupe Dancer Trivet, by All Across Africa

Oscar de la Renta Home Collection (pict source)

Coastal Inspiration by Maisons du Monde

Small Hope Bowl and other baskets by All Across Africa, via The Little Market

Sampano Storage Basket (detail), via Urbanara

Tiny Whimsical Basket in Gold, by All Across Africa, via The Little Market

Reina Peacock Chair, via Anthropologie

How Unopiù Ushers Italian Riviera Into the Home

If there is ONE catalogue release that fills me with both excitement and anticipation, Unopiu's catalogue is it. Year upon year it comes up with a feast for the eyes, as much in terms of innovative product design and quality of materials, as in the photographic style and select photoshoot locations of geographical and architectural interest (Italian lakeside, Tuscany and seaside as appetizers, anyone?). We are talking the stuff of glossies, so if you happen to be an Architectural Digest aficionado, Unopiù is of that sleek calibre.

Therefore no dreaded dingy studio with zero art direction and snapshots on the cheap here! Everything is carefully thought out in its minute detail, and to the highest spec, from the products to the catalogue layout and quality of the paper itself. Talk about immersive experience, you got it right here at Unopiù!

Of course the catalogue's aim is not to detract, distract or deflect from the product ranges themselves. This is a retail company after all. The marketing material enhances what is to be expected when you shop from a place like Unopiù. Expect no-negotiable quality: weatherproof garden furniture, sturdy pergolas, homeware pieces that are made to stand out, and ingenious carports and greenhouses that become one with their surroundings.

All is delivered in style and originality and Unopiù shows us how it's done. I might be French and credit a little patriotic excellence in arts and design to my country where credit's due, there is however nothing like Italian design to tone that French chauvinism right down! Design italiano e bellissimo!

Source: All photography by Unopiù.

Slate & Peppermint

As I was stood there on my local beach the other day with Tickle, two words popped into my mind: Slate & Peppermint. Slate like the colour of the sky and the sea in this incredible reflective display as the back-end of Summer comes crashing down into Autumn. Peppermint as the vegetation, parched and burnished after a hot unrelenting few weeks, is awaiting the long overdue salvation of the rain. I'll see you on the other side of the rainbow!

Source: Photography Mirabelle Design Inspiration.

Sweet Paul - a Pretty Lovely Mag!

There has been a quiet revolution out there in the lifestyle press, led by a 50-year-old Norwegian-born gentleman named Paul 'Sweet Paul' Lowe who lives and works in New York City as a food and craft stylist, and looks like a bearded teddy bear 'chasing the sweet things in life' - and yes this might as well include honey and hives of habitation...

Welcome to the world of Sweet Paul, a digital and print magazine that is creatively revisiting lifestyle, and where - refreshingly - normality is the new luxury. There is an honest, authentic love for the home in Sweet Paul's approach that has been honed and crafted over the last six years, with a consistent attention to detail and an eye for beauty in the everyday. There is a thoughtful art direction to the modern home with enough nostalgia and countrified hands-on approach in the homemade and handmade that makes us want to cosy up on our sofa with the mag like a family member to soak up some inspiration, before cracking on with the new projects!

DIY Rubber Stamp

Sweet Paul's honesty verges on humility in its approach to recipes, entertaining, DIY, kids or pets that truly makes this magazine an inclusive family-focused, family-friendly publication that involves everyone in. It celebrates the lifestyle without the drama, the lifestyle that lives in or near the city or further afield, and yet the city's noise is pared down of its hustle and bustle.

Glitter Acorns

Angel Chocolate Easter Eggs

Family gatherings and other joyful celebrations of life are given centrestage. Everyone is truly invited here, in a rare balancing act! There is no poncey editorial tone, no political message, no megalomaniac overpaid chefs dishing out impossible recipes, no pretentious interior designers talking down to us readers; no intimidating displays of lavishness or brash. Everything is at its place. Everything is paced, measured, tasteful and tasty! Sweet Paul gently nudges us to bring in elegance into the every day, in a sweet and pretty lovely way! Sweetness has never tasted so good!

Lunch Bowl with Cauliflower, Avocado and Eggs

Sources: The publishing adventure of Sweet Paul quarterly magazine kicked off in Spring 2010. If you are a late starter, Sweet Paul's got it all covered for you! Thus do rest assured that you won't be missing out as all of Sweet Paul's back copies are still available to purchase here. And why look back when you can look forward? Purchase an annual print subscription of Sweet Paul magazine (4 issues) via this link or a digital PDF subscription via Gumroad. Meanwhile (1) Sweet Paul's latest edition, Issue 25/ Summer 2016 is available to read online, via Issuu, the digital magazine platform. (2) DIY Rubber Stamp by Sweet Paul. (3-4) There is Sweet Paul inspiration for every season and holiday under the sun: (3) Glitter Acorns for Christmas and (4) Angel Chocolate Easter Eggs. (5) A quick bite with some bite: Lunch Bowl with Cauliflower, Avocado and Eggs by Sweet Paul. (6) The print version of the latest magazine issue may be purchased here for a cool $18.00 and the PDF version via Gumroad for a sweet $2.99. It's your call, folks! And for that extra generous dollop of sweetness, you have 280+ pages of it in a book, as Sweet Paul Eat and Make: Charming Recipes and Kitchen Crafts You Will Love! We just can't get enough!