We’re having a Sunny Sale next week!

There’s a heatwave in London, the perfect time to have a clear out and to make room for the new products coming in Autumn Winter. For one week only, we want to give you lucky people the chance to grab a terrific discount on past season cushions, toys, ceramics and gifts. Visit www.donnawilson.com from Monday 26th June – 3rd July 2017 to grab a bargain.

We have pretty plates, handy tea towels, cosy kids knitwear, some familiar faces and so much more!

My favourite room in my house is the kitchen. We have double height ceilings here and a great big window to let the natural light in. I hang my own plate designs on this cupboard wall along with some sentimental items from my childhood. It makes all the difference to add your personality to your kitchen. Here are some other ideas I love:

Keep it organised but keep it fun (pics below L-R) This giant pegboard wall is functional as well as decorative. With this modular shelving can move the pegs and the shelf so that it’s an ever-changing display(source: Position Collective) I love this idea of having the longest row of hooks, somewhere to hang your Mog Mug, brushes, oven mitt, utensils or herbs (Source: My Scandinavian Home/ Granit). I absolutely love the exaggerated giant cupboard handles in tactile solid oak.  This is designer Faye Toogood’s former London home (source: NY Times).

Add a burst of colour. Effective storage is so vital for keeping a tidy kitchen. Why not add some colour? My white porcelain plates with happy faces are great for a feature wall. Not just for the dinner table (Pics L-R: My kitchen (!), designer Dries Ottens colour block green sink, yellow storage by Uncommon Projects/ Jocelyn Low, mixed chairs round the table by Aurelie Lecuyer.

Natural materials Plants and polished marble. Country kitchen in Sweden. Love the shapes in this Terrazzo floor (source: Ioanna Roufoupoulou) and this Marmoreal counter by Dzek.

All year round, the Barbican Centre hosts a diverse range of exhibitions within the fields of contemporary art, design, fashion and architecture. When I used to live in the Golden Lane estate I could easily pop over and be truly inspired by what was currently on display. Now I have 2 little boys and live further East, it’s a bit tricky to get the time to go as regularly. I managed to find some time to see The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945 last month and it really did not disappoint.

When you arrive, the exhibition starts on the mezzanine which gives you a terrific bird’s eye view of the installation-scale models by some of Japan’s most iconic architects. My favourite was the fantastic wooden teahouse by Terunobu Fujimori that sits in a minimal garden of grassy mounds. You can climb inside, take a seat and people watch through the massive porthole window (pic above, right). I thought it would make the best tree house in my back garden  (you may have read my Tree House inspiration post earlier last month here) The shape of this tree carving (pic above, left) reminds me of my Giant House Cushion.

I loved the styling of the Moriyama House model (by SANAA’s Ryue Nishizawa, pic above right) which is a combination of 10 stark white-painted prefab units including fully -furnished rooms. In Tokyo, this is a real building which that is co-habited by Yasuo Moriyama and a community of  5 other tenants. The maze-like structure and gardens have such an unusual warmth when you walk through and you discover personal possessions in every corner. From piles of books, vinyl records, functional kitchen utensils and ambient lighting. When can I move in?

I also want to highlight Hideyuki Nakayama‘s series of childlike sketches (see pic above). All his buildings designs use these drawings as a starting point.  It’s the same approach I take when inventing new knitted creatures.  I think about the way that children draw things and how uninhibited it can be. Like drawing a cat with ten legs and three eyes or a bird with an exaggerated big head.

The exhibition is on until the 25th June. I hope you have time to visit and enjoy it as much I did! Make sure you visit The Conservatory too. It’s a bit of a hidden gem.

Presenting Line us… the robot that can draw!

We were very privileged to have the inventors Durrell Bishop and Robert Poll at the MYO Launch party. Line us also helped us illustrate our guest interviews in volume 1 of MYO Magazine.

Learn more about it here at the MYO Blog.

Our friends at Noodoll have some great creative ideas to get you making! Donna has shared how to make this super easy DIY Fox mask over at Noodoll’s blog. Looks a bit like Cyril Squirrel Fox! Find out how to make your own here. Take a look at Donna’s Pinterest board for more Mask inspiration.

You’ll also find more fantastic coverage of our MYO Magazine Launch Party from the other weekend. Thank you to the Noodoll team Yi Ying, Darcy and Dana for joining our fun!

It’s Father’s Day very soon. Is your dad top of the pops? A master chef? Perhaps a keen cyclist? An angry bird? A big papa bear? (or just really hairy?)

We have some smashing gift ideas for all kinds of dads this Father’s Day! Cosy scarves and hats, fun ceramics for tea and toast, soft cushions and cheeky greeting cards.

Shop Gifts for Him