I promised in my last This & Tat that you wouldn't have to hear me drivel on for another week. I am a woman of my word. This week I have enlisted the eye of Eleanor Cording-Booth (@consideredspace). We met just over a year ago at the Tat pop up in Pentreath & Hall. She bought one of my favourite pieces of art, and from that alone, I trust her taste. I shall hand over the reins to her and stop my waffling on.
1) StudioBust is a brand new project that I loved immediately and I’m excited to be announcing its launch in the hope I’ll seem vaguely cool by association! Founded by the lovely Mads (who I met via Instagram after admiring her flat renovation), StudioBust is a clever way to celebrate the female body, specifically your body. Using 3D scanning technology and traditional casting techniques, you can preserve a moment in time and create a meaningful piece of art with a personalised sculpture. I imagine they’ll be hugely popular during pregnancy but I’d also love one to look back at when I’m old, to realise that my 34-year-old bum wasn’t so bad. Send enquiries via Instagram for now. Prices start from £399 and you can choose from a variety of finishes from lacquer to bronze.
2) I came across ‘Moho on Etsy when I was looking for some woven furniture (as per) and I loved their tonal collection of vintage furniture and lighting. Lots of mid-century and characterful, primitive bits in there too. They always have something unusual that I’ve never seen before on my UK vintage-hunting, like this excellent rattan chair. They describe it as a throne and I won’t argue with that. They’re based in Germany but will ship worldwide (even if Etsy says they won’t), so contact them if you spot something you like.
3) By Alice was founded just over a year ago by another Instagram pal of mine (I swear I have some friends in real life too). Alice sells antiques and decorative pieces made by her posse of artisan contacts around the world. I love everything she chooses but I’m feeling especially struck by these beautiful scalloped plates. They’re handmade and glazed in Italy by a traditional ceramic studio and they’re also available in navy and mustard if white isn’t your thing. They’re so lovely that I’d be tempted to display one on a shelf or a wall. Far too nice for my lunchtime peanut butter bagels. Prices start from £35 and you can DM to order via Alice’s Instagram (they’ll be added to her website shortly).
4) A recent favourite Instagram (yep, that old chestnut again) discovery for me was Sascal Studio - an interior design studio and homeware shop run by sisters Sarah and Caroline. I’m madly jealous of their custom bobbin shelf/desk set-up but that’s irrelevant here. They launched an online shop a month or so ago selling found vintage items and a few pieces that they’ve designed and commissioned. I loved the marbled linen napkins from their first drop and I’m looking forward to collection two landing on 4th November. If I could pick one thing from their current stock, it would be this black and white fruit bowl or this babe of a vintage bamboo floor lamp.
5) People often ask about the striped flatweave rug in my bedroom whenever it pops up on Instagram and I delight in telling anyone who’ll listen that it’s from Rug Vista. The website isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing but stick with it, there are an enormous selection and plenty of absolute crackers. To avoid the overwhelming feeling that only a giant TK Maxx can bring, I recommend searching their ‘Kilim Modern’ section and then narrowing down by wool and then again by size or shape. The prices are very reasonable too - my own wool flatweave is around 2m x 3m and was £600. During a quick glance just now, this checked style and this brown runner caught my eye.
6) When is a chair also a work of art? When it’s taken months of work to cover a piece of furniture in an intricate design made up of thousands of hand-stitched glass beads. Made in Nigeria using traditional techniques and local motifs, the finished pieces are absolute showstoppers. They’re £2,753 each but I wanted to share them anyway as I think they’re sublime and just as time-intensive and worthy of investment as a painting or any other work of art. They’re from recently launched brand, Evoke London, who specialise in exceptional handcrafted pieces. They seem like lovely people too, which is always good to know.
7) Rebecca Udall is the low-key don of tableware and bedding if you ask me. I’ve mentioned her glassware before on my own shopping round-ups and here I am again, banging the Rebecca Udall drum. She has some really beautiful table linens and napkins, a stellar line in placemats and Murano glassware and super high quality Italian cotton bedlinen - all of which are on my own wishlist. You might be thrilled to know you can choose your bedding with a chic embroidered trim, available in loads of different colours. If Christmas gifting has you stumped, you couldn’t really go wrong here.
8) I came across Japanese brand Puebco a few years ago when I was looking for a toolbox and then promptly forgot all about it. That was until last weekend when an email from independent homewares shop Tea + Kate reminded me. Side note that if you want to support small biz in these dark days, Tea + Kate has a really lovely selection. It’s where I buy my Hay paper lights. Anyway, I digress. These cotton Puebco market bags are made from recycled materials and they come in three sizes. Practical but also very smart to have on show and I love the utility vibe. They’d look much nicer than a Tesco bag when hanging from a hook in your hallway or kitchen.
9) Artist and printmaker Ellen Merchant sent me a message on Instagram last month, inviting me to take a nosey at her work. I get a lot of messages like that and they can go either way but I really loved her punchy block prints and the clever colour combinations made me fantasise about entire rooms wallpapered in her designs. Ellen is studying at the Royal College of Art but her online shop is open and she’s already working with private clients, so drop her a message if you’re interested in something specific or would like to discuss a commission. I’m calling it now, she’s going to be big!
10) As a proud northerner, it would be remiss of me not to sneak in a brand from my home county. Not only chosen because they’re from Yorkshire (but it helps) Galvin Brothers specialise in handcrafted wooden furniture that will last. I love them for timeless, well-made side tables – specifically the Byron and Fluted Block styles. Also worth mentioning that attractive dressing tables are weirdly hard to find and Galvin Brothers do a good one. Either they’re frou-frou and dated or they’re overly modern and lacking any detail. If you agree with that sweeping statement, you might like the Peninsula dressing table with inlaid green leather top (just don’t spill your foundation on it).
Big thanks to Eleanor you can follow her & her finds via @aconsideredspace