Natural History's blog

Come Dine With Me: The Table

In order to create a warm, inviting atmosphere for guests to come over for dinner - the perfect table is needed. It sets the stage for your food, dishes, meal and dining experience in general. When I think about buying or acquiring furniture, I tend to stay away from pieces that aren't flexible... What do I mean by that? Well flexible in the sense that they can go from breakfast table to craft table to fancy shmancy dinner party table. All purpose tables. Dress up, dress down. Here are some lovely examples of such tables (for moi!): 

Love this natural and VERY old tree table

Source: Anja Mulder

Love Emma's dining room table

Source: Marion House Book

Look at this amazing table, made for massive dinner partie! 

Source: Brick House Tumblr 

Love this table featured on Rachel Whiting's photography site

Source: Rachel Whiting Photography

As seen in Domino Magazine (RIP!), a fine specimen

Source: Domino Magazine archive

And finally, some inspiration from our old friend Ikea

Source: Livethemma

 

Ciao! 
Meagan from the Row House Nest 

PS - wondering why I have been a little absent recently? This explains it all up. 

Bottled Health

Hi guys, hope you've all had a lovely week. Today I want to share with you these fabulous retro plates from cheese specialists, Paxton & Whitfield. Inspired by milk bottle caps from the 1920s to the 1950s, these plates carry the advertisements for individual dairies of the time. My fave has to be the green 'bottled health' advert, what a great way to promote milk!

In the 1940s when groceries were in short supply, Paxton & Whitfield changed from an artisan cheese shop into a grocers and therefore would stock everyday foods, including milk, which had bottle caps similar to the iconic designs on these plates.

The plates are 16.5cm in diameter and come in the four colours seen above. They are also presented in a cool hatbox so would make a perfect gift too. They are £25 for the set and available in-store or online at Paxton & Whitfield.

{Image: Paxton & Whitfield}

The Joy of...Abstract Art

Embarrassingly, I know nothing about art. E H Gombrich's The Story of Art is still winking at me from the shelf where I left it 4 years ago. And yet. As a lover of texture, colour and pattern, I know what I like when I see it.

Here are a few of my favourites.

Image 1 by Val Pitchford, image 2 by Cy Twombly, image 3 by Gerhard Richter, image 4 by Kelly Washbourne

 

Wow your walls

I've been blogging for Natural History for quite some time now and always keep a lookout for products that are inspired by the natural world.

This wallpaper (called Columbia Road) from Custhom is hand screen printed – and while at £198 per roll it's not for those on a budget – it is a work of art.

The Columbia Road range also features a gold hand foiled wallpaper (shown above) at £32 per metre which, could make plain walls really rather special.

Custhom teach wallpaper printing courses at The Papered Parlour so if you'd like to learn some of their tricks, book on to one of the popular courses quickly!

Image © Custhom

Victoriana by the roll

Hi guys, I have recently discovered the work of Louise Body, a paper and fabric designer, and just had to share her 'Paper Tiles' wallpaper collection with you. Launched last year, this collection is a series of wallpapers made to resemble Victorian tiles; the paper has even been purposely aged to give it period character! The wallpaper is printed onto high grade, robust paper and therefore can even be used in high-activity areas such as the kitchen or hallway. Fab. A cost-effective way to introduce a bit of Victoriana into your home. Here are a few images of her 10-piece collection, starting with my favourite, 'Buttercup Blue'.

I think these would look great as a kitchen splash-back. Next up is 'Dahlia', a yellow and blue design which also looks great in a kitchen environment.

And what about 'Mixed Folk'? The colours in this design work really well together and would look lovely in a bathroom.

Although I think these designs would be perfectly suited to kitchens, hallways or bathrooms, they can also look fantastic in living areas, as you can see from the pics below. (Pictured are 'Orange Rose' and 'Patchwork' in jade).

Though perhaps only for the brave! What do you think? -Laura.

{All images: Louise Body}

The Joy of...Weddings

My sister got engaged last week. Hurrah. Cut to hours of over excited pondering on venue, dress, theme, table dressing, first dance etc. And that was just me. Here are a few pics from the inspiration scrapbook I put together for her.

Image 2 via JCrew blog, image 3 via Vogue Paris

A Short Break: Tea

Image: Emotional Discharge Tumblr

Ciao! 

Meagan 

 

Bring back the hankie

Chances are: you've got a cold; you're getting a cold or you've just had a cold. Whichever it is, you'll be sick of the sight of tissues which is why I believe we should reinstate the humble handkerchief. It is a greener choice (I don't mean that literally) and it looks better than a Kleenex.

In the past, you would have struggled to find a stylish handkerchief but now there are all manner of hand printed versions that you wouldn't be embarrassed to carry. Here are my favourities.

1. The mini pocket handkerchiefs from Sukie (above) which are perfect for small hands
http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/sukie/product/animal-print-mini-cotton-handkerchief

Image © Sukie

2. This extremely tongue-in-cheek set from Urban Bird and Co
http://www.etsy.com/listing/81912344/screen-printed-handkerchiefs-you-make-me

Image © Urban Bird and Co

3. Hand printed and very pretty – the elegant choice from Thornback & Peel
http://www.thornbackandpeel.co.uk/

Image © Thornback & Peel

 

Studio Gnu

Last week I received an email from my friend Rona sharing a link to the homepage of Studio Gnu. I quickly checked it out and instantly fell in love with its fabulous animal inspired art work. Studio Gnu create interior products based around animal trophys but use recycled or locally sourced materials wherever possible without harming any animals. For me they sum it up when they say that they aim to 'create all the grandeur without the guilt' of displaying an animal trophy in your home.

My favourite from the collection is Mr Hare from the first image. You can see more of Studio Gnu's work here and also contact them to find out about pricing. At present the studio produces work  mainly for commissions, however they did create some pieces for Anthropologie's King's Road store just up until Christmas so hopefully we'll see these guys in an interiors store again soon.

Claire.

Images all via

Photographer Wes Kingston

New Year, New Storage

If you're anything like me and still have Christmas presents scattered around the place, still yet to find a permanent home, then maybe it's time for some new storage. I live in a tiny one-bed flat so adequate storage is an absolute must; there is only so much open shelving you can have in a small place before you start looking cluttered. So, with it being a new year, I've had a good clear-out and have started looking for a new cabinet.

Whilst browsing Ikea's Livet Hemma blog, I noticed this cabinet as it's perfect for my needs. This is a classic Ikea PS unit that has been updated with a fresh lick of paint- a good look, non? The cabinet itself is available in either red or white and is a modest £69.99. They look great left in their original colours or altered to match your room.

I love the industrial look of the cabinet and is perfect for locking away DVD'S whilst having some room on top to display your favourite items.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! -Laura.

{Images: Livet Hemma; Ikea}