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Dining Homewares Kitchens Shopping

Embrace the tea party with Royal Albert’s floral latest

Sponsored by Royal Albert China

You’ll all know I’m a Pom and nostalgic for all things home, despite having been here in Sydney for more than a decade. When it comes to iconic British brands, you can’t go past Royal Albert and with Royal Wedding fever very much alive and well in Australia too (who else loved Eugenie’s recent nuptials?!) I think many of you will love their two latest collections as much as we do!

Alpha Foodie is a beautiful new collaboration with London food blogger and recipe developer Samira Kazan. With a love of pink, mathematics and travel, the Oxford graduate’s blog has become a huge success with over half a million followers. Her collection includes tea-oriented (how English!) gift items in pink and turquoise, with each piece decorated with stylistically fresh and fun photographic patterns of fruit and flowers.

The new patterns are inspired by the texture and colours of a smoothie bowl, with hand painted blueberries, blackberries and daisies. Different design options were created with Samira’s followers voting for their favourites. We love to see such a timeless brand as Royal Albert embracing 21st Century social media engagement!

Another new collection, Modern Vintage, is one for the mix ‘n match lovers (that includes me!) among you. Polka Rose, Polka Blue, Rose Confetti, Cheeky Pink and New Country Roses Pink and White, are all designed to work together.

Royal Albert has a more than 100-year tradition of creating pretty floral teaware and Modern Vintage reflects the contemporary trend for eclectic mix ‘n match settings, with designs reimagined in a modern way. But they’ve even done the hard work for you, providing three-piece, ready-made place settings to form a decorative, colourful tabletop.

Each bone china piece is finished with 22 carat gold. Coming beautifully boxed, they’d make a stunning gift, or why not treat yourself?

Special backstamps have been applied to the teacup, saucer and and plate in each 3 Piece Set so that the components in each set were more easily identified.

Both Alpha Foodie and Modern Vintage are available to browse and buy online

Like to see it in person? Find your local stockist.

–Established in 1896, Royal Albert is inspired by everything English, from the national flower, the rose, to the traditional country garden. Florals and polkadots combine for their signature look. The brand has a strong connection with Australia however, and a long-running collaboration with model favourite Miranda Kerr.

Categories
Bedrooms Homewares

Possibly the best hand screenprinted, mix ‘n match pillowcase collection ever!

I Love Linen owner Lauren Roe has launched her own range of designs,  starting with the most fun and fabulous capsule collection of pillowcases.  They’re all limited edition and screenprinted by hand. Even the pom poms are hand dyed!

watermelon pink and green pillowcases

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The advantage of designing your own range is that you can take everything you personally love and bring it to life as products! And I’m sure Lauren will find that many other people love what she loves too. Pom poms, pineapples, chevron and ombre are definitely popular!

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The idea to kick off The Bedroom Society with pillowcases (a full range will follow for Spring/Summer full) came because her store, I Love Linen, already stocks many good basic sheets and quilt covers in a variety of colours. “Pillowcases are a great way to change the look of your bedroom without spending a lot of money, and I have seen many of us like to have maybe something a bit more simple for the duvet (like pure linen) and then have a bit of fun with a pillowcase,” she says.

“It’s true I designed the range with a bit of a selfish perspective in that I am addicted to polkadots, chevron, stripes, pom poms and ombre and I wanted to do something fun, so added pineapples (I went for a more sophisticated design) and watermelons (I chose a more graphic print for this one). All the pieces are great in that you can mix and match them too.”

Because the range is still being screenprinted (you know we like to bring you these things hot off the press!) you can only place pre-orders now, with items due to ship on 27 April. The prices are good too, at less than $50 a pair. I wouldn’t hang around if I were you. Look out for a giveaway in our newsletter in the not too distant future.

Pre-order online for delivery after 27 April.

Categories
Interiors Addict

Billy Heckenberg: a great new cushion brand from Sydney’s Northern Beaches

I love discovering new, independent, local brands, and Billy Heckenberg is certainly one of those! How great are these zippered cushions? They’re designed to look like they’re drawn with texta that’s not quite filled in between the lines!

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Maddy Duggan is the woman behind them, and she told me how the brand is in fact named after her great grandfather, William Heckenberg. Family’s important to her and she grew up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, surrounded by creativity and encouragement. “An obsession with art, design and photography throughout my life led me to complete a degree in Fine Arts at UNSW College of Fine Arts. From this point on, you could be sure to find me sitting at a sewing machine or with a paintbrush in hand, in a constant quest for creative fulfilment.”