In the pink

This makes me smile every time I see it. To me it looks like the exteriors equivalent of a beautiful ballerina-like gown, or an amazingly feminine floral display. Pink – especially the right shade – is such a happy colour.

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Show me the shoe

Ok shoe-lovers. Now that I have your attention. What do you think of this as an idea? Great way to store your shoes? I love it.

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Throw me a throw

I'm a little over contrasting throws. But I adore them when their sole purpose is to add texture and warmth, rather than colour. These just make me want to sit and stroke them.

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Stitch in time...

This is so cute. Designed by Norwegian artist Siren Elise Wilhelmsen, it's a clock that actually knits as time progresses. After two years of time stitching on, you have a 2m long scarf.

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Paradise found

Check this out. Imagine sleeping here. You might imagine only an exhibitionist would enjoy it but it's actually a building on a private island (somewhere Scandinavian I think). Bliss.

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The view from my desk

I admit I've been a bit interiored out lately. I've been struggling with finding inspirational stuff to share with you. It's probably a combination of the big Xmas shoots I've been doing for House & Garden and the fact that I've been working like mad to get the house finished. But I noticed a strange (ha!) thing the other day. This is a pic of the view from my desk. I realise now how similar it is to my Mac screensaver below. Delete the ferns and it's very close indeed. Talk about the power of visualisation.

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Ahead of the bed

We're back in the house. Can't say I can see much of it – there are boxes everywhere – but at least I'm no longer cooking in a workshop next to the weed-eater and old paint cans. Now comes the exciting bit when we start to pull it all back together. We still have no wardrobes, no bookcases, things still need painting and the exterior is a total mess but we're sleeping in our own bed (albeit looking at a big hole in the ceiling where a speaker will eventually go). I'm looking forward to making the finishing touches. High on my list is an upholstered headboard. Headboards make a huge difference to a room. If you're after one, too, a great place to look is the new website of Lis Burt, formerly of Mercatini. Called Privato, it offers a fabulous made-to-order luxury headboard range – from buttoned to paneled to studded. I'm thinking panels in our room, in either black satin, linen or velvet. Yum...

Here are some more images of headboard treatments, some a little over-the-top but you get the picture.

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