Get their look: Vibrant boho lounge

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When I bought my first flat back in the early 1990s, I was finally able to properly express my creative side in my home. I could drill holes, rip up patterned carpet, remove ugly tiles… and paint the walls the colours I liked.

When I saw this photograph of Matthew Williamson‘s Butterfly Home range for Debenhams, I was transported back to that time. This vibrant boho lounge is a similar colour scheme to the one I used in my sitting room. I was trying to create the feeling of being ‘inside a box of Milk Tray‘. All deep purple walls and skirting boards with accents of hot pink, shiny brass and mirrored surfaces.

Get their look

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Purple textured throw

RJR.John Rocha – Antique brass ‘Anika’ side table

Small hexagonal lantern

Round cushion with pom poms

Patterned cushion

Glass tea light

Pink flamingo shaped tea light candle holder

Green ceramic large plant pot

Cockatoo candle

Blue and green swirl bud vase

Purple textured throw

RJR.John Rocha – Antique brass ‘Anika’ side table

Small hexagonal lantern

Round cushion with pom poms

Patterned cushion

Glass tea light

Pink flamingo shaped tea light candle holder

Green ceramic large plant pot

Cockatoo candle

Blue and green swirl bud vase

Designer Desire: Brynhild Parker

Margaret Brynhild Parker (1907–1987) was a painter and illustrator who, after graduating from the Slade School of Art in 1928, became a member of the East London Group.

I especially love her works of interiors – it’s almost as if you’re having an unseen snoop around someone’s home.

During WW2, when painting commissions were drying up, Parker turned her hand to illustrating children’s books with authors such as Alwyn Richards and Ernest Noble.

Her works can be found in the permanent collections of MOMA, the V&A and Manchester Art Gallery amongst others.

The current record auction price for one of her works is $10,380 USD for a painting sold at Sotheby’s in London in 2008.

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Brynhild Parker, a young artist whose work has often been shown in London, makes a sketch of Freda Walker in her flat…

Photograph by Bill Brandt for Picture Post, January 1939

Price Points: Eco-friendly firewood

Air quality, particularly in urban areas, has been much in the news recently. Often vehicle exhausts are cited as the main problem, however, it was the turn of domestic wood-burning stoves to be highlighted in the news reports we saw last week.

It appears that there are plans to phase out everything except the most efficient burners from sale over the next few years… and the fuel they consume was also a point of concern. Here are three examples of eco-friendly firewood, each with their own plus points to recommend.

Solid fuel coffee logs, 8kg, (16 logs): £7.98, B&Q
These logs are made from used, recycled coffee. They’re a carbon-neutral winter fuel, have a natural aroma, each log burns for 1 hour, and they burn at a higher temperature than wood.
12-pack Premium eco wooden heat logs: £13.99, Amazon
Less than 5% moisture content (traditional kiln-dried firewood or seasoned firewood contains around 20%). It’s suitable for log fires, coal fires, open stoves, fire pits etc. They’re environmentally friendly, consist of wood from managed forests & recycled wood that’s been cleverly compressed into handy logs. The manufacturing process means they retain their shape during burning and don’t expand (reducing dangerous sparking and spitting). They’re convenient to use, easy to light and provide a high, steady heat with low smoke and ash.
Lekto night briquettes, 20kg, (20 briquettes): £24.95
Less than 9% moisture content. Each environmentally-friendly briquette burns for an impressive 8 hours – perfect for keeping your fire alive overnight. It’s sourced from well-managed, sustainable forests without any added chemicals. They’re made from conifer tree bark that’s been compressed, and work well when used in conjunction with traditional firewood. The small, compact size makes them easy to store.

shop eco-friendly firewood

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.