How much turquoise is too much?

I have to admit to being a big lover of teal, turquoise, bluey-green - whatever you want to call it, the colour makes me smile. And Pantone agree, because their Colour of the Year for 2010 is 15-5519, otherwise known as Turquoise. Apparently it's believed in some cultures to be the colour of compassion, healing, faith and truth!

  Yesterday my new turquoise armchairs arrived for my living room, and one day when the room stays tidy long enough I'll take some photos and post them here. But for now I'm still trying to find some accessories to tie the whole room together. Here are my favourite turquoise finds....

Reproduction TRIM phone, £47.50 from Pedlars

Daphne teal lamp table by Johnny Egg, £350 from Heals

You can't go wrong with classic designs and these two are great examples.
The Panton Flowerpot light, above, was originally designed in the late sixties but the look is timeless. From £198 at Nest.
And, whilst not totally turquoise, the accents of colour in the ball clock by Vitra below would be perfect in a turquoise themed room. £182, also at Nest.

I have three kids, two of whom are very energetic 5 year old twin boys so this rubber vase is a great idea to avoid breakages. Made by MENU of Denmark. 29 euros at Finnish Design Shop.

I love anything with an architectural theme and this cushion is definately on my shopping list.
trellick Tower cushion, designed by People Will Always Need Plates, £30 from London Cushion Company.

This cute vintage, bakelite radio wuld look great on my shelves. Find it at Ebay.

I came across these magazine files while browsing Etsy a few weeks ago and I love their simplicity. They are painted on one side and left natural on the other.$38 from Paper Doll Wood Shop

The problem is knowing where to draw the line! Can you have too much turquoise?

New fabrics at Bemz

Bemz have added some zingy spring colours to their fabric range, as well as some new Marimekko fabrics. For those of you who haven't come across Bemz yet, it's a great online store selling fabric covers for Ikea sofas and dining chairs. So, rather than being limited to buying replacement slip covers from Ikea you can choose from over 100 colours and patterns at Bemz, and even better - they make covers for discontinued models. Many of the fabrics are available to buy by the metre so that you can make co-ordinating accessories (unless you are as challenged by sewing machines as I am!)

 

Bemz also have three new fabrics by Lisa Bengtsson, which I adore. The footstool above is upholstered in her Baronessa Pink fabric and the sofa is shown in her Sir Harald Multi fabric. Very eyecatching with a vintage feel.

Anglepoise

Most design students will have 'fond' memories of all-nighters spent hunched over their drawing board listening to late night phone-in shows on the radio and those late nights may well have been illuminated by an Anglepoise light. Anglepoise are 75 years old and back in 2008 they created the Anglepoise Play range of lights to add a modern twist to the design classic.

 This is the Anglepoise Fifty, cast from a single peice of polycarbonate, the famous hinged arm is frozen at fifty degrees. At £39.95 it's a very reasonably priced, and quirky, lamp.

And I love the humour of the Anglepoise Giant 1227. This photo shows perfectly how your sense of scale is distorted by the oversized design - very Alice in Wonderland. The lamp can reach a height of 2.7m so probably not suitable for a small room! It comes on casters though, so can be moved around easily. Available for between £1,500 and £2,000 it's not cheap but would certainly be a talking point.

But if you still prefer the classic designs, Pedlars have a selection of reconditioned 1950's Anglepoise desk and wall lights available on their website.

POST UPDATE
Thanks to Paperclip for pointing out an error with my photo of the Anglepoise Giant 1227 above, which is actually not the Giant 1227, but a giant version of the Roche Bobois lamp by Luxo of Norway. Apologies .....below is the actual Anglepoise Giant.

For the girls

As promised, here are some gorgeous, contemporary wallpapers for girls rooms.

These fantactic papers are by Ferm Living, a Scandinavian design company producing wallpapers, cushions, home accessories and wall stickers.

And this wall panel will bring a smile to your little one's face. The ladybirds remind me of the bugs in the 'James and the Giant Peach' movie. Designed by Vicky Scott, the paper can be ordered to fit any wall size. Find it at Bloom Papers.

If you can't get your children to stop drawing on the walls, try focussing the creativity. This Tick Tock wallpaper is meant to be coloured in. Anyone my age will no doubt recognise a few of the clocks from their childhood! Designed by Absolute Zero degrees, it's available at Mini Moderns.

Not really a wallpaper, but I couldn't resist showing you this beautiful wall decal from Dutch company Zuuz. I have been trying to find a place for a set in my home for months - no luck yet. I may have to redecorate a room just to justify buying them! And the best thing with wall decals is they can be removed easily if you ever want to change the look.