Design junction and Decorex - MIS top 3 pics

Finally over my post LDF virus, I've had a chance to look back at my discoveries from the shows.  As I had my own exhibition keeping me busy this year, I only managed 2 of the major shows, so I chose the ones that are most vital to me as an interior designer - Design Junction and Decorex.  In terms of specifying to clients, these are the shows where I always pick up new ideas, view new lines and catch up with long term suppliers.  I found both shows to be particuarly inspiring this year. Here's my top 3 pics from each show.

1.Industrial lighting and really cool filament bulbs Dyke & Dean 2. Tables with inlay (this come in pink but wasn't on show) Alexander Mueller for Capsbury.  3.Ombre felt covered chair - Designers Guild

1. Cushions by A Rum Fellow. 2. Hand printed wallpapers by Eley Kishimoto.  3. A riot of colour in wallpapers from Timorous Beasties 

Do check these companies out, and expect to see them in one of my client schemes very soon.

Zoe.x

Meet Daphne

Wow. What a whirlwind month September has been. Prepping, making, building, styling, curating, discovering, chatting, hosting, followed by de-rigging, packing and finally the obligatary post LDF illness. Putting on my own LDF show together with Out of the Dark was mega exciting but I now have a lot of catching up to do.  I can't believe I haven't even had a change to blog about the beautiful creations from the show.  So let me start by introducing you to Daphne.

Daphne is a beautiful vintage french bed.  She is upholstered in perhaps my favourite colour for velvet - a luscious deep green teal.  It reminds me of a peacock.  The woodwork is painted in a light blue/grey.  The 3-D handmade felt flowers in green/grey, navy and dusty pink, wind their way across the footboard, popping up briefly on the headboard.  Enough to be pretty yet high enough so as not to interfere with everyday use.  I can't tell you how long I spent putting my colour combos together.  It's something I love doing for clients, but for myself, for a furniture exhibition, its a whole different ballgame.  I'm really happy with the results.  Here's some photos by the lovely Paul Craig - let me know what you think about Daphne.

Daphne is a one off and available for sale for £1,350.  I've just taken a commission for a version of Daphne in clients own colour ways - can't wait to see what we come up with!

We are happy to take any commissions and work with you to create something that works for you, and your home or business.  Contact: zoe@myinteriorstylist.com

Meet more of the family next week!

Zoe.x 

All bedding is from Next with thanks.

My LDF14 - upholstery workshop with Out of the Dark

This week we're all hands on deck here getting ready for our exhibition at South Kilburn Studios for Queens Park Design District at London Design Week. Seeing my ideas turn into reality is the most awesome part of my job, so I'm really looking forward to this week.

This project had its first little spark from a conversation between Jade from Out of the Dark and myself, at one of their very special upholstery workshops. Lots of hard work and months later, our furniture collaboration is born!

I'm very happy to say Out of the Dark are going to be putting on another of their upholstery workshops at the studios, one week today, 15th September.  Learn the basics for upholstery and renovation with Jay, who really is the best teacher ever.  Maybe it could be the catalyst to get your own upholstery creative vibes going!  

I'll be on hand too to chat about any ideas you need help with design-wise.

The evening runs from 6pm-9pm and is an absolute bargain at £35. Plus you'll be the first to catch a look at our furniture collection, which will be in place from Monday - whoop whoop!

Book here to secure your place:

Here's some pictures from my evening to give you an idea of what to expect...

Hope to see you there!

Zoe.x

www.outofthedark.org.uk

www.londondesignfestival.com

www.queensparkdesigndistrict.co.uk

www.southkilburnstudios.org

EXCITING NEWS!

Hello my lovelies,

Well, it's been a while hasn't it? A bit of radio silence on the blog from MIS Towers recently - we have been very busy on exciting things, which I happy can now share with you.

I'm jumping up and down with excitement as I can now announce that I have been working on a furniture collaboration with Out of the Dark, to show at London Design Festival, as part of the new Queens Park Design District.  If you've spoken to me in the last couple of months, I have probably mentioned this to you, as I'm not very good at keeping secrets.  Now all the pieces are just about finished and seeing them in real life, as opposed to in my head, is so awesome.  As an interiors creative, making products is something I have always longed to do.  I've known of  Out of the Dark since their early days, discovering them while designing for channel 5's Cowboy Builders.  I'm a huge supporter of Out of the Dark, in regard to both in the ethos of their work and the designs of their furniture.  A collaboration was inevitable!  I knew that these pieces had to be something we created together.  Hence The Flower Project collaboration was born. I'm going to be giving you lots more info in the run up to LDF, so stay tuned.

Here's a little glimpse of something we're using in the designs - a box full of hand made felt flowers.

More soon! Zoe. xxxx

FELT FLOWERS HANDMADE AT ZOE BREWER LONDON HQ

P.S.I'm working on a bit a re-,style for my website and blog - work in progress at the moment, but what do you think?  (There has been a slight issue of a years worth of blog posts going missing in the process (whah!) but on-wards and upwards, hey!)

Things to make you go OOH #15

As you may have noticed, I'm very much into a bit of copper at the moment. Shiny metal buffed to a rich, almost pink patina - what's not to love? This OOH is the biggest yum of copper you ever did see - The copper clad Tay bath from Drummonds. If I was fully renovating my house right now, I'd happily put the kitchen on the back burner in order to fit this into the budget. The cast iron bath has copper sheet hand pressed on by copper experts (apparently they're roofers) which is then polished and laquered. It's not cheap;you could probably buy a small kitchen for the same price. But on the other hand, for a bath with this much "wow factor" its actually quite reasonable.

The Copper Clad Tay - from £3210, Drummonds

Happy Dreaming!

Zoe.x

Things to make you go OOH #14

After a temporary lapse, I've got my OOHs back! It's sort of appropriate that the first OOHfor 2014 is number 14. The OOH list is not a long list, but rather a very carefully chosen selection of things that actually genuinely cause an audible "OOH" from me when I spy them.

I discovered this dressing table from West Elm while researching for a client.  I've always been a fan of a dressing table.  It always seems such a glamorous piece.  This herringbone mirrored option certainly fits in with my indulgent thoughts of powder puffs and lipsticks.  The truth is so often an overused mascara and a touche elat isn't it?!  A girl can dream though hey.

Herringbone mirrored dressing table from West Elm £394.95

Do have a look through my other OOHs and let me know how many OOH you.

Zoe.x

Things to make you go OOH # 13

Mostly, I love my job & everyday think how lucky I am to be doing something I love so much. However there are downsides. For me the main one is giving stuff back. This is how it goes - if I'm doing a shoot, lovely suppliers will sometimes lend me their lovely wares on the basis that I will make them look lovely on the telly or in a magazine and then lovely people will buy them. Good for everyone all round right? Apart from one tricky part - when I have to send the stuff back afterwards. You see mostly, although I'm picking thingsthat will fit the feature, I'm also naturally picking things that I like (and want) myself. So sending these pretty things back often results in loud stomping and sighing while packing, together with a sorrowful look at the OH, followed by a threat of divorce from him if I keep anymore "stuff". 

On my last shoot, I called in the classic Roberts Radio in "on trend" light pink. I love this so much, that I had to take a picture of it in my kitchen. I shall frame it and place on my bedside table, next to the picture of the kids. Maybe Santa will see it.

The Design classic DAB Roberts Radio.

Zoe x

Things to make you go OOH #12

I am a little obsessed with glass bottles. Particularly milk bottles, of which I have about 100. They're so versatile for styling and can be filled with different liquids, flowers, coloured items, etc. The icing on the cake is vintage bottles of course. My most amazing ones where rescued from those big black bins behind some shops (don't ask). To find good ones you need to scour car boots and dusty corners of vintage shops. Of course that's a bit time consuming, and wouldn't it be great if someone did that hard searching foryou, so that you could just order them from the comfort of your own home online? Well now, thanks to Pedlars Vintage Staples , you can do just that.  The lovely Charlie Gladstone (read my interview with him last year here) has been searching out glass stock in the USA and bought us back this lovely lot.

Pedlars Vintage Staples glass bottles and jars selection £7.90-£29

There's blue headache cure bottles, green bottles embossed with a measuring scale and tiny bottles from a diner, used to give customers cream with their coffee.  Obviously as vintage finds, there are very limited numbers of each.

They go on sale from 8am Wednesday 23rd October on the Pedlars website, so elbows at the ready.

Which are your favourite? I love them all and want them all.  Just an all round big #OOHfrom My Interior Stylist HQ.

Zoe.x