Colourswatch March

What a month. Mooning over an expensive designer couch just seems idiotic at the moment. So I decided to revamp what I was going to feature and just keep it all a bit more accessible, and find things to make us all just a bit happier feeling…

I have been more than a little melancholy after the events of the last month. It has all quite literally taken the wind completely out of my sails. I have felt overwhelmed by the sadness in the world and the constant call to help. It has meant that I have kept myself (subconsciously) very close to home.

Weirdly, it has been the small things that seem to have taken on a deeper significance. It has seemed important to hang the washing on the line, to walk the kids right into their inner city school instead of letting them go on the bus each day. The house being tidy, the kitchen bench tidy last thing at night. That might not a big deal for some, but I have always been about the big picture and am quite bored with the everyday tasks like housework etc.

Television seems less important. I don’t want to see anything that depresses me; I want happiness and a bit of comedy where I can find it. I am reading more – especially re-reading all my old interior magazines and books. And reading more to my children. We read aloud each night but at the moment we are reading chapters from two different books each night. I wouldn’t replace those evenings in the lounge with everyone in their PJs – my eldest daughter knitting, and the boys on either side of me on the couch.

Less TV means more music in our house as well – and it has all been old favourites aside from the new Radiohead album King of Limbs that has been on high rotation. I have never been one for perky music interestingly – in fact my musical tastes have often been referred to as ‘depressing’, but I guess it has taken my head elsewhere and that has been a blessing. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not depressed – just trying to put the world to rights in my own head, and trying to make sense of it. So I haven’t felt like throwing money around on things, and mooning over an expensive designer couch just seems idiotic at the moment. So I decided to revamp what I was going to feature this month, and just keep it all a bit more accessible, and find things to make us all just a bit happier feeling.

I will start with this month’s book, just because I have just mentioned books! This is a personal book from my own collection – it is just such a grand book that I had to feature it. Wallpaper has of course made a welcome return to design in recent years, and has bought a burst of colour and whimsy with it. This book is called simply “Wallpaper the Ultimate Guide” by Charlotte Abrahams. It not only traces the history and development of wallpaper, but also profiles key designers and manufacturers from all around the world.

That’s just the interesting information bit – then it goes on to give expert advice on choosing and using wallpaper – and even practical advice on how to hang it. The best bit – is the bulk of the book though, it features 150 examples of full-size reproductions of the best contemporary wallpapers as well as 100 historical examples.

Even the cover is delicious with both the front and the back designed as a front page so you may choose whichever one suits your mood at any given time! The book is by Quadrille Publishing, distributed in NZ by Southern Publishers Group and retails for $75.

At this point I usually feature my favourite flower for the month – but quite simply there is nothing that takes my fancy other then good old fashioned roses. So instead there are these gorgeous paper vases – well they aren’t really vases – more sculptures from Tse & Tse. Really these are just gorgeous and are designed to fit around any shaped object inside it. This forces the vase into a different shape depending on the shape of the object inside. I just love them and at a mere $22 you can collect all of the four designs available. They are of course so lovely that they don’t need flowers in them at all – the shape and colour are quite enough.

The vases are available exclusively from Madder and Rouge in Auckland and Wellington. Madder and Rouge are now on Facebook, with Erin from Madder and Rouge also doing a wonderful blog every fortnight. It is worth a read. Find her blog through their website www.madderandrouge.co.nz.

Another beautiful thing in my house at the moment is the collaboration between Evian and Issey Miyake. Each year for the last couple years they have released a bottle that takes the whole concept of ‘designer water’ to a whole new level. Christian Lacroix was the designer for 2008, then Jean Paul Gautier, and last year my personal favourite, Paul Smith and now Issey Miyake is the designer for 2011.

The thing about these bottles is they are not just for using the once. After using the water, you have this gorgeous bottle that can either be refilled and popped back in the fridge, or it becomes a vase for a single flower. I have even had them lined up empty along a mantlepiece and they look gorgeous. I got mine from Madder and Rouge in Newmarket, but if you wish to find the two older designs, or are outside Auckland, you can get all three designs from Aquadeli at www.aquadeli.co.nz for $12.50 per bottle or $132 per case of 12. Or call Eurodis for distributors outside of Auckland on 09 816 8964.

I thought I might like to include something that was free this week as well. Nice to be able to do that! I am particularly enamoured with my new app from RESENE called ColourMatch, of which they have two (applications that is). I am very happy with the iphone compatible app – it is very handy when trying to match colours – you can take a photo of something and it will tell you the closest RESENE colour. Nifty. You can also use the spectrum of colours in the app, and it will also help find the closest colour match. Use this in conjunction with their FANDECK app – which has their full range of colours, which gives you colour combinations and complementary colour options for any colour you choose. And did I mention it was free?

When I was living in London, I started seriously collecting blue and white china, particularly Burleigh Calico which is a gorgeous highly patterned old English design. I have teacups and vases in the pattern, and have slowly built up a pleasing collection of china patterns from my travels (when we lived in Europe).

Just recently I found this lovely china from Australian Designer Samantha Robinson. These patterned cups make me think of the Burleigh pattern and have this charming mix of the modern and traditional about them. They come in three colourways and are available in NZ from www.mondegreen.co.nz for $95 for a set of four in the same colour but mixed patterns. They come in green and red. They also have a teapot in yellow, red and blue as well as a range of platters and plates. Gorgeous.

Well that is about me for this month. Next month I have some truly divine things to feature before I do a Colourswatch Kids – there are too many glorious things around for the small people in our lives to pass up at the moment. I keep seeing them in my travels and rather than include them with the big people’s things, I will do one especially for them.

Words and photographs by Anya Brighouse. 20 March 2011.