Donna Wilson's creative home

Donna Wilson has to be one of my all-time favourite designers. Not only does she create some of the happiest textile designs around, she also helps bring good design to the the lives of others. Her recent project at the Royal London Hospital, for example, involved painting lush green murals on the walls of the children's ward for the patients to enjoy, and she is now currently working with Aberdeen residents to design a unique tartan for the Scottish county.

This creative spirit is also carried through into the designer's home where Donna mixes bold colours and clashing patterns and vintage furniture with modern accessories.

Below are a few of my highlights from her home, including a dining room filled with vintage Ercol - swoon! Head over to The Telegraph to see the full tour.

[Images: Rachael Smith via The Telegraph]

ON TREND: Kilim

My, it has been a while since I was last here! Thank you all so much for sticking around, it's so nice to know you are all still here. The OH and I have been looking for our new home and it's taking up every free second that we have! Exhausting work, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end and I'll be able to share our new pad with you! But back to business and today I want to share with you the latest trend in interior decoration, and one that I like a LOT: the kilim.

Kilims, pile-less woven rugs, have been used in households in the Middle East and southern Europe for centuries. Now, these beautiful textiles seem to be the latest 'must-have' in western interiors. Not only are they great for adding a splash of colour and texture to a room, they are also really versatile and can fit in almost any room in the house. The photo below is of Refinery29's office space.

The mixed-matched cushions look fantastic together don't they?

Kilims also look great in the home environment and this highly decorative rug below adds interest to a fairly plain room.

Again, in this hallway below, the kilim rug just completely makes the room. It's also a lovely neutral version compared to the red, burgundy and maroons ones we are used to seeing.

The kilim also works in the kitchen environment, an area that is normally a no-go area for rugs and textiles. This beautiful white, industrial-style kitchen instantly feels more homely with the addition of the rug. It brings a bit of softness to a harsh colour palette.

Kilims even work outside and can help create a cosy little snug in a conservatory or porch area, as seen in the photo on the left. Also, an original idea I came across on Design*Sponge this week was to use a beautiful rug as a tablecloth and this kilim looks GORGEOUS as a table-runner for a little al-fresco dining.

Owning an original kilim will set you back a good few hundred pounds and should be bought from specialists in this craft. However Anthropologie do a great selection of decorative rugs if you want the look for less.

1. Vilcanota rug, Anthropologie; 2. Agadir twist rug, Anthropologie.

Kilim cushions are more readily available than the rugs and this selection below, along with a whole lot more, can be found on Etsy.

1. Turkish kilim cushion cover, Etsy; 2. Handwoven cushion cover, Etsy; 3. Turkish Anadolu cushion cover, Etsy; 4. Handwoven cushion cover, Etsy.

{Images: Design*Sponge; Apartment Therapy; Pinterest: Poppytalk; Style Files; Design*Sponge, Anthropologie; Etsy}

Geometric Crush

The geometric trend is in full swing and I couldn't be happier. I love the pattern (and often colour) this trend brings into a living space. It really lifts a room! Below is an image I found on the fantastic blog, SF Girl By Bay, and while I adore everything about this room (the oil portrait, the mid-century-modern headboard, plump white pillows) it is the geometric throw that really gets me going. I just HAVE to have it!

However, a one-off piece like this may take years to find, so in the meantime I'm opting for one of these soft blankets from the Human Empire shop.

Don't they look just super cosy? The blankets are 100% wool and come in all the pretty colours shown above. You can find Human Empire on-line here where there are lots of other contemporary accessories for your home. Be sure to check out these coasters if the geometric bug has got you too!

{Images: SF Girl By Bay; Human Empire}

Christmas Wish List No.13

I have been waiting for this bedding set to hit the UK Anthropologie for SO LONG and I am so excited that it has now landed on UK shores. It's called Sethunya and reminds me of Spring. Isn't it so pretty?

I also love this pink floral bedding set too.

Ah don't you just love Anthropologie?

{Images: Anthropologie}

Christmas Wish List No.8

For a fresh take on the 'welcome' mat, Urban Outfitters have designed this cute heart 'please don't leave' rug. Très cute, non?

Too pretty for folks to wipe their feet on don't you think? This should take pride of place in front of the fire!

It's made from 100% cotton and is only £12.00, bargain!

{Images: Urban Outfitters}

Christmas Wish List No.4

Those of you who are regular readers will know I love a good cushion, so my Christmas Wish List would not be complete without one! This year it's this adorable bunny that has caught my eye.

Such a sweet and simple design. It would look as good sitting by itself on a favourite chair or as part of a selection on a sofa. It's from quirky on-line retailer Belle & Boo which you MUST check out- there are so many cute pieces available. It's £43 and is filled with luxurious duck feather. Mmm, cosy!

{Image: Belle & Boo}

Welcome to the World of Abigail Brown

Hello and happy Tuesday! How was your weekend? What did you get up to? I'm pleased to say that mine was spent catching up on a very large pile of magazines that have been calling my name for a very long time! Anyway, whilst browsing my magazines I came across the artist Abigail Brown and her wonderful hand-crafted birds and just could not wait to share them with you.

Abigail is an illustrator, designer and textile artist living in London and creates the most wonderfully sweet textile birds. She hand crafts all her birds and gets to work on a lot of fun commissions (see her website for the latest additions). She has a great collection ranging from her small colourful birds (my personal fave) to blue tits, kingfishers and wrens. Her website is a must-see so head over and have a peek- I bet you fall in love with at least one of her creations!

So pretty aren't they? It's these little fellows below that are the cutest of the lot though...

The cheeky-chappies have so much personality! I eventually want one in every colour, but until then I'm going to get the little pink one and he can take residence on my bookshelf.

The birds are made from a selection of vintage and modern cloth and have little wire legs. There is also a robin in her collection which would make a fab Christmas decoration or gift.
Hope you all have a lovely week!

{All images: Abigail Brown}

Yarn Bombing

Hello there! Who's up for a bit of knitting inspiration this Sunday morning?
A few weeks ago I stumbled across some images of a knitted tree and started researching what this could possibly mean (as you might imagine, I was quite confused). It turns out that there is an international phenomenon called 'yarn bombing' whereby textile artists knit and crochet around, well, everything and anything. The movement has been credited to Magda Sayeg of Knitta Please, a knit graffiti group. Magda shares her groups projects via her blog of the same name and they get up to some seriously cool stuff. Look at these for starters.

Follow Magda's projects over at her blog, Knitta Please. One of her latest commissions was at Etsy HQ in Brooklyn, have a peek at what her team got up to here, and here. It's not just Texas-based Knitta Please that's in on the action though so keep an eye out for some knit graffiti near you. And if you happen to come across any, let me know!

Have a fun weekend, see you back here on Monday.

{All Images: Knitta Please (except image 1, Apartment Therapy}