A new - and modern - coffee set

July 26, 2016

We're back from a weekend in Norfolk and I've a few Norfolk posts to share with you this week. I make no apology for that, as it's a beautiful place and one of those places that I find it easy to chill out and recharge in. As usual when leaving mum and dads, I left with more than I arrived with and full of cake, which of course is never a problem. As well as our purchases - it's rare that I'll visit Norfolk and not buy some fish at the Fish Shed in Brancaster Staithe and so take up space in mum's fridge too - there were some aquilegias, lupins and foxgloves from dad's garden, a giant lettuce he'd grown and something more unusual, a coffee set.

But not just any coffee set.

This one, a Midwestern set called Plant Life, was a wedding present to my parents from my granddad, which they've hardly used (their words) since their wedding in 1958 and as I've recently developed a taste for coffee (thanks to Nespresso) when it was offered, I was thrilled to bring it home.

I have memories of the best dinner service coming out for special occasions as I grew up, and wanting to be extra careful with it and not drop or damage it. I've a skill for being a tad clumsy you see, but I think I managed not to break any of this and I'm hoping that record continues.

It's been a while though since I looked at the design more closely. I'm not sure back then that I ever really looked at it in the same way I do now. But now that I do, it makes me smile. Its images and drawings are still modern and contemporary, or at least not dated, if you prefer to think of it that way.

And I've just the place for it too.

It's now proudly sitting in my dresser, where I think it looks great. It goes nicely alongside my Le Creuset Classic orange casserole and the Norfolk-crafted earthenware noodle bowls and I love it against the duck egg blue and the wood.

Bringing it home was the prompt I needed to spring clean the dresser's display cupboards and rejig what went where. Now it looks prettier but is still - probably more - functional, which is just as well as I've promised to put this to good use.

Now, who's for coffee?

Love This #68: An A-Z of textured wallpapers

July 13, 2016

When I looked at the Murals Wallpaper textured range , I knew I wanted to share it with you. My orginal idea was to choose five or so of the wallpapers and let you explore the rest... But once I started looking I knew there was no way I'd narrow this down to anything close to a single figure.

So instead I'm using a fun idea the team at Murals Wallpaper put together and that's sharing an A-Z of textured wallpapers, just so you can see how hard it is to choose for yourself. And well, as they'd done the hard work it'd be a shame for it to go to waste hey?

So far I could easily have most of the first nine wallpapers. But it was when I got to the honeycomb below that I realised my original plan was foolish.

But then again, how realistic does the ivy on the right look?

I've not seen a knitted wallpaper before and I'm still in two minds. The marble though could be a real winner, especially with it being tipped as an upcoming trend. this season.

Don't believe me, next time you're in a department store or interiors shop count up the marble items...

And I might be influenced by the yellow stool in the tiled wallpaper, but isn't that great too?

Now that they're all here, I counted at least sixteen that I loved. Which ones are your favourites - because if you're anything like me there'll be more than one!?

Photo credit: all images courtesy of Murals Wallpapers

This is a collaborative post with Murals Wallpapers, who also provided the images for this post. As ever though all views are my own.