Eye on Design
News from the design world, product launches and general interiors loveliness you need to know about. Dive in for fabulous tiles, gorgeous tablecloths, the best bedside tables and lots more.
I haven’t written one of these posts for a while, but every now and then I think it’s a good idea to do a round-up of new things that have caught my eye, and to bring designers to you that you might not otherwise find. Also the things that are in my fantasy basket – you know, the one for the limitless budget and the house with elastic walls and six bathrooms. Haven’t we all got one of those?
Talking of bathrooms, I saw these UU Tiles the other day and to quote Kylie I just can’t get them out of my head. Somebody please do a bathroom so I can see them installed. The irony being that I have actually done six bathrooms in the last two years and none of them have these.
Made in Normandy, France, they are sustainable and also just clever. And for anybody who doesn’t want to drill into tiles to add shower caddies, light fittings or hooks, these are for you.
This is one of those “now why didn’t I think of that?” products. In addition to bathrooms and kitchens, you could also use them in bedrooms. I mentioned the hotel I’m working on in Palma, Mallorca, the other day. There, we have used tiles for the headboards and gone to a lot of bother to place reading lights within the tile. Could have just used these… So now the question is: can I persuade my client to buy another hotel?
Look at this link for the colours – that muted pink with the red would be stunning. And somebody tell me when they’re using them. In the meantime I do have a client who wants to redo her bathroom…
Next up is the tablecloth of my dreams. And don’t get me started as I would never be able to actually use it for fear of it getting stained. So maybe I need to hang it on the wall, which would mean that as a tablecloth it’s very expensive, but as wall decor less so.
It’s by Sarah Speute (also French) from Marseilles, whose products are found at Oeuvres Sensibles. I’m trying to restrict myself to the cheapest one, which is €260, but I need a bigger one if it’s actually going to go on the table, so I don’t know who I’m kidding with that.
She also does placemats, napkins, runners, and gorgeous bed covers. So I’m just going to put her here in a quiet manifesting type way and see if the moment comes when it feels like a possible investment. And if I can’t perhaps you can – just make sure to send me photos.
Or there’s this from Zara, which raises the thorny old question of when is a dupe a rip-off, and when is a designer item inspiration for the high street? That’s a big question for another time. This M&S one does feel more like a direct copy.
I can’t leave Sarah Speute without you seeing this one-off shirt curtain she made though. Isn’t it fabulous? Doesn’t it just make you feel better about the world that people are making things like this? It does me.
