HOT SHOP: CACHETTE. A homeshoppingspy EXCLUSIVE!

If you have made the wise choice of checking homeshoppingspy today, then have we got a treat for you! You will only hear it here first, so listen up! Cachette is a new Anglo-French online store that launches this week (in both the UK and France) but until then we are giving you lucky people EXCLUSIVE access with a SECRET code letting you onto their site TODAY where you can buy before the rest of the public get there!  Scroll down for a few of my favourites and for the precious code…

1. Storm plate, £24.09; 2. Wooden spoons, £9.55; 3. Stoneware jug, £19; 4. Blue tray, £24.50; 5. Blackboard, £31.56; 6. Wooden labels, £10.80 7. Bamboo basket, £24.09.

Founders, Delphine (French) and Stephen (English) are a couple who decided to leave their life in London and move to the south of France to set up a new home and a new business (très bon!). They wanted to put together a collection of simple, eclectic and functional products for the home, handpicking items from different European artisans and unknown designers. You’ll find stationary, bathroom accessories, gourmet food, kitchenware and toys. Nothing on their site is mass-produced, it’s all uber tasteful and the code you’ve all been waiting for is ‘HOME’. Click here and type it in (must use caps lock) If you enter the code again at the checkout you can get 10% off too. Happy shopping! - Alice

HOT SHOP: On-line vintage emporiums

Oooh don’t you just love a good car boot sale? My local in Chiswick is always a treat and one of the best in the South East, they say! It’s always full of mid-century buys but it’s only on once a month. To get my fix the rest of the time, I also enjoy a browse online and there are two sites where I can easily while away the hours. First up is Winter’s Moon. Founder, Julia, has a background in textiles and loves colour and pattern. She has a beady eye for second-hand pieces and has also designed her own furniture and textiles range. She styles and photographs everything in her warehouse in Chichester, and very nicely too…

The collection is constantly changing but you’re always likely to find a mix of vintage, recycled and handmade. I love the quirky statement chairs, 50′s kitchenalia and lamp shades made from retro fabrics. I’ve got my eye on her yellow, bespoke formica-top table.

Another dreamy site is The OK Corral. Brainchild of the arty Joy Joliffe and partner (who also run the fabulous Random Retail - scrummy screen printed textiles). Both jumble sale fanatics, they decided to set up an online shop when they ran out of space for all their wondrous finds…

They only stock the very best and their turnover of product is speedy, so keep dropping by. You will also find jelly moulds, enamelware, postcards and toast racks. Their prices are very competitive too with most items under a tenner! How old school is that red picnic tray with foldaway legs!? I’m hankering after the sunny yellow flask, perfect for a brew of Lady Grey…on a summer’s day. - Alice

TESCO DIRECT: SS12 PREVIEW

Now then, I thought you might like to know, Tesco Direct are introducing some rather covetable homewares next season. Available from February onwards, here’s a little preview of their best pieces (in my humble opinion) and I have to admit, at first glance I thought this mid-century-esque sideboard was a ‘stylist’s own’ situation, but oh no…

Retro Oak veneered sideboard, £229; Cream barrel vase, £5.

..it’s theirs! I love the handles and at only £229 it gives Ercol a run for their money. Perhaps less about quality craftsmanship but a great ‘get the look for less’ option! Elsewhere, you’ll find cute ceramic tea light holders in the form of rather podgy, but friendly owls. I do appreciate the rustic shelving and apple green bakers twine too…

F&F Home ceramic owl tealight holder, £6 each.

Other home accessories include these gorgeously glossy picture frames in teal and plummy shades, statement ikat cushions, bottle vases and chunky woven throws…

From top: 5x7cm gloss frames, £7 each; teal ikat cushion, £10; bottle vase, £4; teal check throw, £15.

And if you’re looking for something a little fresh and more Spring-like this armchair in a citrus retro print is quite the number. It’s looks very at home on the white wooden floorboards with natural linen blinds…

Exeter Accent chair, £250.

But, I’ve got my eye on this stunning silver anglepoise style lamp for only £18!

And if you’re a fan of  Dutch clock brand, Karlsson, and looking to add a pop of colour you’ll also find the multi spider clock in their range. BOOM!

This is supermarket-chic at it’s best. Looking for more decorating ideas and stylish buys but feeling the post-Christmas pinch? The new February issue of Ideal Home is packed full of budget ideas for the home so make sure you bag yourself a copy. Out now! - Alice

SS12 PREVIEW: Orla Kiely for Wild & Wolf

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It’s the second day back in the office for Ideal Home and after trawling through hundreds of emails (whilst trying to resist the urge to gorge on any left over Christmas choccies) I stumbled across a little cheery news. The Queen of Prints, aka, Orla Kiely, has created a lovely garden accessories range for Wild & Wolf - perfect for Spring 2012. There are enamel pots in varying sizes, a trowel and fork with wooden handles (note the Orla Kiely logo embossed in the wood, nice touch) and a gorgeous flask all in her 70′s inspired petal print in orange, olive and blue. A little something for the birthday wish list, me thinks. Available on line soon. - Alice

1. Enamel plant pots, from £12.95; 2. Flask, £19.95; 3. Gardening tools, £19.95 each.

Home for Christmas

Christmas has been a bit too much fun for homeshoppingspy! I’m looking forward to returning to regular blogging next week. Meanwhile, here’s a few things I’ve enjoyed from a Christmas in South Devon:

1. A blustery walk along the coast to Blackpool Sands for pasties and chips on the beach!

2. I received this lovely Winter bike Christmas card, available from Etsy.

(clockwise from left) 3. Nigella Lawson’s Christmas Cup cocktail as seen in Stylist. Cherry brandy, sparkling wine and ginger ale (tastes like liquid cherry drops – amazing and very festive!). 4. Chocolate mince pies. I made these for a Christmas party and they went down a storm, visit BBC Food for the recipe. 5. Pretty crackers from Toast to complete our table setting on Christmas day. 6. To add a little sparkle we used these charming nativity scene tea light decorations from Dee Puddy. I hope you all have a fun New Year’s Eve. I’ll see you on the other side. - Alice

MUST HAVE: Organise your life with a stylish 2012 calendar

2012. The year of The London Olympics and another extended bank holiday, with thanks to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. So, make sure you’ve got yourself a lovely calendar/wall chart/year planner to set you on your way. Lately, I’ve become a little obsessed with this lovely food blog Simply Breakfast by photographer Jen Causey. Everyday, she photographs her wholesome brekky propped with an extensive range of covetable kitchenalia. You may wonder why I’m suddenly wittering on about a food blog. Well, she has decided to design a 2012 calendar complete with a lovely breakfast idea for each month and recipes:

For another idea, over at Lisa Stickley London HQ, they’ve come up with a cute illustrated calendar with a phrase to sum up each month.

For the Rifle Paper fans out there, these botanical illustrations are very pretty and oh so country. Available from the lovely Lynne at Papermash:

And how nice is this typographic wall chart from German designers Snug Design?

Now for those who aren’t anticipating a busy year (each day = 1cm) but are planning on doing a lot of measuring (doubles up as a tape measure); this is a quirky idea from Present and Correct and great stocking filler:

Lastly, Lollipop kindly sent me this wall planner that I wanted to share with you. Plan is to hang it from a bulldog clip in an alcove above my desk at home. Love the colours. Thank you Lollipop!  - Alice

PREVIEW: H&M SS 2012 TEA TOWELS

Let us take a momentary pause from all things wintry to admire the new H&M SS 2012 tea towel designs. Who would have thought these 50 x 70cm pieces of cloth could bring such joy? As a homes journalist I have accumulated quite a substantial heap; I might have to start framing them on the wall…

     1. Lemonade. 2. Sel Aux Herbes, denim. 3. Cutlery. 4. Tea time. 5. Sel Aux Herbes, natural. 6. Coffee pots.

From a mere £3.99 a piece, they’re without a doubt the nicest and most affordable I’ve seen on the high street. Available on line and in store soon. Which one’s your favourite? - Alice 

HOT SHOP: The official launch of Sparrow & Co.

I’m sure you remember Ellie mention Sparrow & Co. earlier on this year. Well, things have been very busy in the Sparrow household of late and Samuel Sparrow (great name!) has been creatively slaving away and his lovely on-line shop is now officially open. Once an interior designer for Habitat and Ikea, Sam now runs his own little homeware business with his wife, Laura, from their home in Glasgow. The photography and styling is beautiful and all done by the man himself:

1. Cableknit throw, £150; 2. Campfire candles, £20; 3. Ikat cushion covers in mustard and slate grey, £35.

Inspired by traditional crafting techniques, the collection includes handmade pieces designed by Sam and made by artisans around the world from bonnie Scotland to Morocco. Sam tells me the candles have a unique fragrance of leather bound books and gentleman’s cologne (hmmm..!) and the packaging, designed by illustrator Debbie Powell, makes me very happy indeed. You may recognise her designs from the M&S savoury snacks packaging!

4. Welsh tapestry cushion, £50; 5. Tin lantern, £15; 6. Spool candlestick, from £45; 7. Sheepskin rug, £75.

If you are a fan of Toast, love texture and warming autumnal colours – the site is well worth a visit. Look out for some of his designs in Urban Outfitters too. Sam plans to introduce two seasonal ranges a year and hopes to launch a Sparrow & Co. dining range (handmade in England). Can’t wait to ogle over that! Personally, I will be re-visiting on a regular basis. This man knows a thing or two about tasteful design. – Alice

On the 1st day of Christmas…

Ok, it’s almost countdown to Christmas time! Alas, I always feel a little disheartened when I see the shops stocked with tacky, commercial Advent calendars with synthetic pressed chocolates, that taste like plastic. Who buys those?

So, i’ve scoured around to seek out a few creative alternatives that I like and wanted to share with you. And they’re calorie free. Justification #327 for eating lots on Christmas day.

First up: The eco-friendly stationary people, Lollipop Designs. Create your own poster with this graphic Advent calendar and sticker sheet, a different sticker for each day. Why not?

And I love this idea from The Spotted Sparrow at notonthehighstreet.com. 24 pre-dated blank library cards that you can customise with a suggested festive activity for each day (eat a mince pie, adopt a reindeer, practice Auld Lang Syne, take your hands OUT of the Quality Street tin…). They sit in cute brown paper pockets and come with bakers twine and wooden pegs to hang garland-stylee over a mantlepiece or banister. Ooh er!

Next up: The lovely Bodie and Fou. Ok, so this idea is slightly more aimed at kids but I wouldn’t say no to a cube a day filled with ‘toys’ and other small but useful things! It’s a bit more pricey at £35.50 but it can be re-used year after year. (please note: toys not included. The idea is you get creative and fill it yourself).

And lastly, but by no means least is a charming DIY Advent calendar from the creative genius that is Lucy Jane Batchelor. It comes with 25 dated illustrated stickers to create your own wintry scene. Such lovely retro colours. Jolly delightful! – Alice

LIMITED EDITION: Sofa.com collaborates with the OH SO LOVELY St Jude’s Fabrics

For years now, I have hankered after the Bluebell Sofa from sofa.com and now they’ve only gone and bloomin’ collaborated with the talented textile designers at St Jude’s Fabrics – offering even more tantilizing designs to their range.

The project is the first in a new initiative called ‘Design Lab’ which sofa.com launched as a way of supporting and promoting British design. Together they have chosen three different prints in three colourways by well known artists and printers. Mark Hearld is known for his nature inspired lithographic prints and Angie Lewin is the co-founder of St Jude’s Fabrics and creator of the lovely skeletal plantform designs:

Look how well they translate onto upholstery! Available on six different models from sofa.com, these are limited edition pieces and only available from their showroom so if you like what you see, don’t dilly dally! Great chair but there’s room for improvement with the shelving:

and the wingback chair (below) showcases Angie Lewin‘s fabulous hedgerow design. I love it’s mid-century style, blending in nicely with the sludgy green paint colour and retro enamel lighting…

It’s all VERY lovely. So VERY comfy and perhaps far too pretty to sit on. – Alice