blue, cobalt blue, Haystacks, Renoir, Starry Night, The Umbrellas, Thenard, Van Gogh, Vermeer

‘Cobalt – a divine colour…for putting space around things’ Van Gogh

15th July

  The metal cobalt has been used for centuries as an ingredient in glass making. It can be found in the luminous bright colours of medieval stained glass windows, as well as in the blue and white pottery of China produced during the Tang dynasty. Then, in the nineteenth century, the pigment cobalt blue was produced...

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House & Garden: The Perfect Setting

26th June

Dining al fresco has to be one of the most welcome and refreshing aspects of summer days, and the brilliant House & Garden celebrate these days in their fabulous upcoming summer editions. We were thrilled to be selected to join their summer focus of ‘The Perfect Setting‘ to celebrate the stylish addition blue & white...

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Classic Blue, Colour of the Year, David Hockney, Lady in Blue, Leo Putz, Mandala, Nick Smith, Pantone Institute, Placemats, Starry Night, Van Gogh, Vincent Van Gogh

Classic Blue: Looking back at the Colour of the Year and taking steps forward into the New Year…

30th December

As we head towards the end of this year, a time that has been full of so much change and uncertainty, we take a final, celebratory look at the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2020.     Classic Blue, the ‘Colour of the Year’  for the Pantone Institute was a colour they selected to...

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The Textured World of Ingres

2nd August

  The textures and details of our homes remain such a key part of our lives.  It’s what often draws us towards one another as we recognise a shared love of a certain style be it classical or rustic, and each create our own nurturing space.   Textures can offer comfort and reassurance whilst objects...

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Buddhism, calm, Carl Jung, Circle, Connection, Geometric, Hindu, Mandala, Map, Sanskrit, Square, Symbolism, Universe

The Calming Map of a Mandala…

8th May

This spring, we launched a new table mat and coaster collection inspired by the beauty of the mandala, a symbol of calmness and unity that seems so particularly relevant during these changing times.   In this month’s Journal entry, we explore some of the mandala’s history and how artists and creators have been inspired by...

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BrilliantLittleBrands

1st April

In these challenging times, an exciting venture was launched to turn your purchases into support for our community. We joined up with BrilliantLittleBrands a curated collection of fabulous small businesses, with the commitment to make a 10% donation when customers provided a charity code at the checkout.  In this way, since April 2020 we have...

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Arts & Crafts, Burne-Jones, Industrial Revolution, Jane Burden, John Ruskin, Rossetti, William Morris

William Morris

24th September

As many young students return back to Oxford for the start of their new academic year – or arrive for the first time – we take a look at one artist who also took the same path… William Morris (1834-1896) is widely known as a multi talented figure who was not only a British textile...

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Ballpoint pen, Biro, Bleu-Topique, blue, drawings, Faces, Johan van Mullem, Musee D'Art Classique de Mougins, Portraits, Rembrandt

Interview: Johan van Mullem

25th May

We had the pleasure to interview Belgian artist, Johan Van Mullem during his recent exhibition REVERENCE in London, following his successful exhibition Bleu-Topique at the Musee d’Art Classique de Mougins in France. Driven by emotion and human gesture, Johan van Mullem’s art captures traces of ethereal portraits which radiate through earthly tones. Every face is...

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