The Caravan of Love: Hi Summer 2012 @ Next

If the Next Hi Summer 2012 press show didn't entice its visitors to go on a staycation this Summer, then I'm not sure what would!

The caravan of love was indeed the star of the show, fully decked out with the key home collection of the forthcoming season, Cream Tea gives more than a nostalgic nod to all things British - with strawberry prints taking over everything from deck chairs to picnic hampers. Union jack cake stands and felt-embroidered bunting are sure to play a part in the country's Jubilee street parties, whilst the red, white & blue theme carries over into the Olympics, with London applique cushions and red telephone box lanterns - this really is the time to celebrate being British!

"Oh I do like to be beside the seaside..."


The coastal theme couldn't have leant itself better to children's wear, with key outfits housed in Next's very own garden sheds (cleverly painted up to look like cute, Norfolk inspired beach huts.)

Bold, vegetal brights are even more dominant than they were for SS12, with rainbow chinos and colour block dresses being the staple to the Colour Pop trend throughout the whole of the kids collection. As for keeping totes looking cool on the beach, the shoe collection has to be one of the most exciting yet. With primary coloured patent wedges for older girls and neon coloured jellies for their younger sisters; boys can have a pair of espadrilles in whichever colour they prefer!

www.next.co.uk/press
http://web.mac.com/ryancsullivan/Photography_website/Home.html
http://ksht.co.uk/

Stitched Up Home

Hello blog... it's been a while!

Greek getaway - tick. New flat - check. After being slightly preoccupied over the last month - it's finally time to get back to blogging, and I couldn't think of a better way to kick start my October highlights than with folkloric upholstery and soft furnishings - which are most certainly on their way back. Think Bokja, Designer's Guild and Rochebois and ouila! Our homes needn't hibernate in the dreary colours of Autumn. Instead, save the plums, olive greens and mustards for your wardrobe and let your abode do the talking!

Seeing this heavily embroidered, Turkish inspired chair in River Island, has to be the last place that I would've expected to find such a beautiful piece of furniture. Alas! Despite us being on the cusp of bitterly cold days - this chair actually fitted in well with the Aztec prints and Moroccan colours in and amongst the fashion collection. Although the garments weren't as vivid and bold in colour, this chair speaks for itself and is sure to beat those Winter blues.

Moving away from talk of the impending snow and dark days, we have been busy prepping for our SS12 press launch at Next HQ and we too, seem to be embracing heavily embroidered surface design. If the cushion pictured is anything to go by, then I'm hopeful that Next Home will be full of cultural inspired treats, in time for the New Year!

Superiority Complex - Incidental Interiors by Tim Walker

Indulging in my daily dose of Twitter feeds yesterday morning, I was not expecting to see a tweet from Shannon Fitzgerald (@canadashanf) entitled - 'Your Daily Tim Walker Photo(s) - Interiors'. If only I'd discovered these months ago, every morning commute might have been as much of an inspiration as yesterday's was,

I forgot quite how much I missed trawling through Walker's fantastical, oversized books in the Art & Design university library, until I saw his latest interior shots...