Category Archives: eco interior design

SPOTTED – screenprinted vintage mirrors of asintended

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We adore finding beautiful, handcrafted pieces to feature here on The Ecospot, or for the projects we work on with our clients. We are particularly in love with anything letterpress inspired, and this traditional way of printing often crops up in our projects in some way or another.

she stood in the storm

So we were delighted when we spotted these gorgeous letterpress inspired screenprinted vintage mirrors by graphic studio asintended, who we discovered on an Artists Open House trail in Brighton.

Using vintage mirrors  the studio prints inspirational quotes over the top to create a beautiful decorative, reflective piece with stacks of depth.

she stood in the storm

Perhaps not the mirror you would choose for a bathroom  but we are thinking about this for a hallway, or even a kitchen diner space to add a bit of extra character and to bounce the light about.

Stunning – and one we will be specifying without doubt. Contact asintended for further information on the mirrors or the other great letterpress prints in the studios collection.

(image via asintended)

SPOTTED – the beautiful vignette still life photos of 5ftinf

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There is a particular art in being able to construct a beautiful vignette – a photographed still life which includes a variety of carefully balanced pieces. To get the different elements  the textures and the light to work together is a real skill and there is one artist based in Brighton who is very good indeed. We follow 5ftinf (the alter ego of artist Philippa Stanton) on Instagram, where the ‘daily table’ photo which is constructed from vintage pieces and seasonal items is a joy to behold.

Whilst visiting the Artists Open Houses we discovered that the gorgeous still lives are available as both greetings cards and photographic prints – both at the open house in 64 Sandgate Road, Brighton and online at Philippa’s Etsy store.

Plus, if there is a particular ‘daily table’ shot that catches your eye, you can request is specially.

But be warned – there are so many beautiful photographs of The Table on both the 5ftinf Instagram feed and blog that you would be very hard pushed to choose just one.

(images via 5ftinf Etsy)

Wednesday Walls – Concrete wallpaper from Pretty Dandy

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Concrete has, of course, huge amounts of embodied energy which puts it into the ‘not very eco’ pile. But if used in the right way it is not only structurally stable for long periods, it can be beautifully finished and not need a top finish at all.

However, if concrete is not already in situ and you just require a concrete look without the structural benefits today’s wallpaper could just be a solution.

This ‘Concrete’ Wallpaper from online interior emporium Pretty Dandy is printed on a non – woven fleece paper and is perfect to give that concrete look without the masses of carbon footprint. It is a darn sight cheaper than concrete too – at £84.50 per 10m roll.

We particularly like the lines on the paper which designate the shuttering marks that you get when forming concrete, which create an almost striped effect from a distance.

A very different wallpaper which is perfect for creating that industrial interior when you perhaps don’t have a raw wall to work with.

(And if you watch this little film and get the secret code you will get 20% off your order for the whole of May. Now that is Pretty Dandy)

(image via Pretty Dandy)

SPOTTED – hand crafted lamps by Sarah Lock

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As yesterday was a Bank Holiday Monday, there were no Monday Musings here on the Ecospot, but rest assured – we were not sitting idle. The merry month of May is a particularly great time to be in the city of Brighton as we have the fabulous Brighton Festival, Brighton Fringe and the Artists Open Houses.

This is where trails across the city wind their way from house to house each weekend, stuffed full of wonderful pieces of art, craft, graphics and homewares. And often, the creators are there too, so you get the chance to chat directly to the makers.

sarah lock

So, this month we we will be spotting quite a lot of stuff that we have hunted out on the Artist Open Houses trails, starting with these great lamps by designer Sarah Lock.

Currently on show at 3 Florence Road, Brighton, we were instantly drawn to the hand turned decorative wooden side lamps, each of which was topped with a bespoke shade.

With an eclectic mix of forms, some of the wooden bases were painted in both bold and delicate bands to match the contours of the base, whilst others were left natural.

Shades are matched perfectly with each base, from oversized florals to plain and neutral, but our favourite has to be the shades created from maps.

We were very drawn not only to the balanced nature of the pieces, but the slightly eclectic nature that each piece had. They would be perfect in any eclectic interior – as a set of bedside table lamps or as a single piece on a side table in a living room.

Plus, the lamps and shades by Sarah Lock are available together (£150) or you can purchase the shades separately (from £30 each)

See them on the Artists Open Houses Trail or at www.sarahlock.com

(images by claire potter design and Sarah Lock)

Weekend Colour Inspiration – the beautiful depth of black

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We are huge fans of grey here in the claire potter design studio – and all greys, from the pale chinchilla fur greys to the deepest and darkest of greys which are edging on black. Actually, it is these deeper greys which we love the most, but what about black itself? Has black shaken the 80′s throwback status that it once had?

Well, going by this stunning image we found via The Minimalist, black could be the way to create a deep, strong yet calm room.

The Minimalist x Real Living mag March 2013-3

The amount of black used here is quite incredible, but that is exactly why the design works. Interest is introduced with the black being represented in different ways – the soft matt wooden panelling on the wall, the high gloss of the fridge and the delicacy and intricacy of the illustration on the wall.

Even though black is usually thought of as being flat, this image is anything but flat.

But the reason why is quite simple  When creating any minimal interior, it is very important to maximise the textures of the surfaces so any blandness is banished, both visually and texturally. Light falls differently over different textures so flatness is eliminated.

Also, using such a rich and deep colour such as black, otherwise neutrals such as these pieces of wooden accessories and the table are given a ‘pop’ that they would not get in another scheme.

This is a brave colour scheme, but if you are able to give it a chance, black could just be the colour for you.

(image via The Minimalist)

Weekend Colour Inspiration – accidental combinations

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Colour is a very personal thing. Colours that I love together, you could absolutely hate. Colour links into the deepest of our memories – just like a scent can transport us to a particular point in our lives, colours can take us back there too.

But sometimes we think just a little too hard about colour – and colour combinations and what ‘goes’ well together. There is a great deal to be said for the accidental and the slight clashing nature of some pairings when you are just not thinking about it. And this can be really exciting.

This image we found illustrates this perfectly – when you look at each of the colours as they sit together, there are a few really odd sections, but overall? The colours sort of blend and work as a whole, because they are all part of a similar palette – in this case, almost autumnal.

This kind of treatment is perfect for a charity shop find, or to rejuvenate a cabinet that has seen better days and is very fitting for the eclectic interior design aesthetic that we tend to work with. If the cabinet is nicely battered too and has lovely cup handles like the example above, then it sort of gets a little industrial too, which is only a good thing in our books.

(image via 16 house)

another ethical tea towel…

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We have a bit of a confession to make. We are secret tea towel collectors.

That is right – we do not own a dishwasher here in the studio, with the crockery piling up over the period of the day until one of us gives in and washes the lot. Usually when we are having a grump at AutoCad or waiting for Sketchup to render our lighting or something.

Usually it sits on the drainer and air dries, but there is always a trusty tea towel on hand just in case we really have left it that long and are desperate for a cuppa and there are no cups.

But the choice of tea towels is quite important. Fair trade, organic or ethical cotton. It will possibly be vintage, could be hand screen printed, but it definitely will be patterned and graphical in some way.

Recently I wrote about ethical tea towel choices for EggMag, which included a great tea towel from the Radical Tea Towel Company, featuring a lovely print about Womens right to the Vote.

tea towel

But the one from the range we have in the studio? This lovely tea towel, which is of course, bright green and features the Yeats quote ‘tread softly for you tread on my dreams’. With the inprint of a foot and the inclusion of the carbon footprint down the side, it is obvious the intentions for this tea towel message are environmentally based, which is a nice thought to have when you do a bit of drying up.

Plus the tea towels from the Radical Tea Towel Company are sourced from ethical bases and printed in the UK using water based inks by a family run business.

So if you are looking to spread a message with your drying up, take your pick.

(image by claire potter design)

Wednesday Walls – honeycomb wall storage from Bloq

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We are in the process of working with a client in Brighton to create an eclectic interior space which is welcoming with a bit of wit too. So when we were looking for an interesting display and wall storage option for the hallway, we were delighted when we spotted this image over on Pinterest.

Hallway storage - interesting shapes

Found over at House to Home, this image features the great Honeycomb wall storage boxes from Bloq – designer makers based in Surrey.

Honeycomb is available in a variety of sizes in a variety of finishes – all made with care and precision here in the UK. They are available in timber finishes as well as the painted shown above and are perfect for creating interesting pattens which are not only decorative but useful too.

They interconnect beautifully with a very chemistry style feel, which fits very nicely with the eclectic interior design aesthetic. The image above also includes an initial – perfect for allocating one section to each member in the family perhaps?

Available to order from the main bloq website, from £106 per wall storage unit.

(image via Pinterest from House to Home)

Wednesday Walls – Cotton Tree wallpaper by MissPrint

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This week on Wednesday walls we are sticking to wallpaper, as we are in the process of specifying quite a lot of the stuff recently for projects we are working on in Brighton – both private and commercial interior design projects.

After the slightly bonkers wallpaper last week which featured musical instruments and woodland animals by mini moderns, this week we are looking at a subtle and delicate wallpaper which would be perfect for a bedroom space.

We are big fans of the prints and colours that MissPrint produce, and we have specified them on a few design projects due to their great impact and ethical foundations, with all their wallpaper being created in the UK from sustainable sources.

This print, called Cotton Tree comes in six different colourways, from the very bold sunset (grey and orange red) through to the very serene sage grey, which we will be using.

The delicate white print has a lovely metallic sheen which is not overpowering but provides a beautiful shimmer across a wall.

Perfect for a space that needs to be a little feminine, but with a nice strong graphic edge.

(image via Miss Print)

Repair is alive and well at Milan

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We are big fans of repairing items in the studio, with us often working with clients existing pieces of furniture - re purposing then into new pieces to fit a scheme. As well as saving money that can be spent on other elements of the design, there is great satisfaction to be gained from taking something that no longer fits the needs of the client and transforming it into a new piece to be loved.

This ‘fixing’ and repair movement is gaining momentum with an increasing amount of designers taking otherwise discarded pieces and creating new pieces. Plus, the craft element of fixing which was previously dismissed is quite rightly being celebrated within the realms of ‘design’. This is not only a vital development for the processes of design but for the reinvention of the hand made - with the new ‘limited edition’ of one single, repaired piece being born.

Plus, repair has shown up at the recent Milan Design Week – a design festival which showcases the very new, high end pieces by a global design community.

This chair by Progetto Pronto Intervento we spotted at Inhabitat and we instantly fell in love with the unashamed repair and clean method of reinvention.

 green design,  green design event,  green materials,  green packaging, salone del mobile, milan furniture fair, green furniture,  Milan Design Week,  Milan Design Week 2013,  young designers,  zona tortona

The timber frame has been retained in its natural form, with a new seat being cut in translucent acrylic – playfully yet functionally stitched to the supports below with cotton string in a contrasting colour. A very simple yet effective addition to an old frame that not only rescues it from the scrap timber pile, but reinvents it for a modern interior.

Great inspiration for those charity shop furniture finds…

(image via Inhabitat)