willowswardrobe

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:37:00 +0000

Betty and Doris went to see Mika perform last night. They are huge fans of all things gorgeous and French and although Mika didn’t tick the French box he was totally gorgeous. He has the look of a young Byron and really should be partying in a Baroque Palace. Betty and D got decked out in their glad rags and fiercest heels- necessary to get a clear view over the crowd- and managed to get to the front of the stage. The staging was décor-fabulous a riotous mix of Mexican day of the dead meets a vintage toy shop. And the singing was pretty good too. Betty nearly lost her leopard print coat in the mosh pit but all in all they had a marvellous time.
Betty and Doris have now got oodles of decorating inspiration from the extravaganza. Mexican is a huge decorating theme this Spring and although Sweetpea & Willow are acclaimed as French Furniture experts there are a few pieces in the online emporium that fit into this story.

The mot her of pearl inlay and floris inlay drawers would fit well into a Mexican room

as would the ocean corner unit and the étoile drawers.

Sweetpea & Willow is absolutely brimming with Carved Baroque pieces.

This new baroque style 'Bohemian chest' is hand finished with great authentic detailing, have a gorgeous candelabra on top or a couple of huge lamps.

Use the spectre table lamp for a bit of a tongue-in-cheek modern update of a baroque lamp or the Blenheim lamp with its bee and flower print shade for something more quietly elegant.

The cream French Apollo bed is our most heavily carved bed, pile on the satin cushions for total decadence.
The intricate carved gold mirror is the ideal focal point for a baroque room and one that is suitably theatrical for Mika. Tata for now

Jillx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:35:00 +0000

Celebrity Big Brother

We were avid followers of Celebrity Big Brother this year. All because they asked us to supply some of our elegant french furniture for the house.

( Here is our cream french curved chaise longue)

Naturally we are the first choice for a celebrity lifestyle as we supply lots of famous footballers, pop stars, actors and politicians...who shall all remain nameless!!!

In fact I think that we could do a whole Sweetpea & Willow magazine devoted to the Houses of the rich and famous who have bought from us. A sort of through the keyhole in reverse, guess what this celeb has from Sweetpea & Willow.

Just in case you want to recreate the celebrity style, here are just a few of the pieces that were featured on Big Brother.
Beautiful French chaise for lounging on and gossiping. Glad that Alex avoided rubbing his fake tan all over it.

Reproduction French dressing table for sitting at and contemplating your maquillage.
Authentic Louis chair for glamorous dining.
Shame it’s all over...now I wonder what furniture they want in the' I’m a celeb jungle'!

Tata

Jill

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:51:00 +0000

Gothic Drama

Sweetpea & Willow are embracing the dark side this spring with an eclectic ‘Baroque/Gothic meets Victorian Vampire’ collection. I am loving this deeply dramatic look. The ‘Designer collection’ section of the website is over flowing with the most opulent storage pieces all available in this season’s must have shades of purple, black and jewelled colours. Taking influences from original French Baroque an tiques, all of this furniture is hand-carved from the finest woods and given a pre-loved specialist paint finish.

This Gothic trend lends itself really well to bedrooms.

Sweetpea & Willow create a truly sensuous boudoir with this gorgeous carved Victorian black four poster bed styled with the most desirable dressing table, carved screen, French armoire and decorative chandelier.
(Best news is that the 4 poster is now in the sale at £914).

And don't forget a chaise in case of swooning!!

This look is such fun; you can be really creative and add as many layers as you like to create interest. Dark painted walls work well, go for the darkest shade of blue or green (Farrow and Ball have some fab shades) Make some drama and add lots of black Venetian mirrors grouped together with portraits in ornate frames(I particularly like old gilt against these dark walls). Have moody low lighting with lots of lamps scattered around the room.

Bring a bit of gothic drama in with a stone bust (ideal if you age it with a bit of lichen!!)

Have loads of sumptuous cushions and throws and don’t forget a screen for hiding behind, in case of vampire visitors.

Tata 4 now

Jillyx

Deer oh Deer

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:25:00 +0000

Seems like every Interiors feature is recommending Antlers at the moment. So Rudolph is finally having a fashion moment!

Sweetpea & Willow are making a nod to the trend (see the door hooks section). I am loving this lamp with its antler base

and this really wild mirror which is great for an English Eccentrics or a country house look.

For something that still buys into the trend but is a bit happier in an urban setting have a look at our Little Devil chrome horns.
To fit in with this outdoorsy trend, I have a lovely Reindeer Rug that I got from therealrugcompany.co.uk in front of my fireplace (will move it on Xmas eve-don’t want to offend Father Xmas) Styled with a glamorous chandelier I think it’s total decadence!

Anne Ashworth, The Times, wrote a really good piece about the appeal of Antlers. Reassuring to find that they are shed by deer once a year and then regrown. Michelle Ogundehin, Editor of Elle Deco said that the appeal of antlers is “hankering after older things, the nostalgic and the cosy, for the authentic and natural”

I also saw a really funky way of buying into the trend with a trophy deer head wall sticker but not sure where it came from. Maybe you could try painting your own.

Tata for now
Jillyx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:48:00 +0000

Love Autumn

Love this time of year! Clocks have gone back, so extra hour in bed, bliss! Halloween and lots of sweeties to confiscate from children, a result on two fronts! Other lovely things, crunchy orange leaves, hot toddies, slow cooking, Fitflop snuggle boots, making a Christmas wish list, and of course changing the decor to an Autumn/Winter look!

Autumn Décor
Easy to switch the décor into winter mode just scatter new cushions in jewel colours and put comfortable throws on the sofas’. See sweet pea and willow lush blanche throw in a very autumnal berry colour.
Lighting becomes more important as the evenings get darker; chandeliers cast a very forgiving light with a sparkle that makes a room very glamorous. Side lamps also make a room cosy, so put lots around on side tables as well as behind furniture to up light.
We have a few total bargains in the chandelier section, this is my favourite Black glas s with 10 arms at a really amazing £365.

Thought it was great value before at £465 so am very tempted, just have to find room for it somewhere.

Would like it for my boudoir to go with the marrianne black rattan bed.

Sweetpeaand willow globe chandelier is now only £245. This is one of the top sellers and has been recommended by lots of interiors magazines. They make a real statement when hung together as pictured, although you would need a pretty huge room to do that. Three placed over a kitchen island would be tres chic. The Swee tpea & Willow kew fossil wash chandelier is reduced by £50.

This is a classic chandelier and will never date; it complements our painted French furniture perfectly. Would look great with the classical white rattan bed or equally stunning over any of our dining tables.

Candle light is the most romantic and flattering way to light a room although not always awfully practical! I love this candelabra which has an authentically antique feel. Would be really magnificent in a formal dining room.

Ta ta for now

Jillyxx

New from sweetpea & Willow

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:59:00 +0000

100% design

Went to the 100% design show yesterday, part of London design week this show is always really inspirational.
Everyone was very upbeat and despite the recent credit crunch, there were a lot of fab new and witty designs that made me smile!
How about this prickly Louis chair for a bit a foolishness?

Colours for next year. If you’re planning a major makeover, make a refinement on this season’s bright pink, yellow and purple. I am thinking cushions and lampshades in mustard, ballet shoe pink and dark grey, my favourites new cols. Or go all out with some amazing statement pieces. At Sweetpea & Willow we have authentic reproduction French Antique style pieces that absolutely fit next seasons colours. Here are a couple from our Designer collection-
Mademoiselle Hettie console table £975

Rose bombe chest £2 645
I like that wood and craftsmanship are becoming more appreciated. Sweetpea & Willow have always loved the craftsmanship of French furniture and we are introducing new oak furniture for a simpler aesthetic.

Oak armchair £170
See our upholstery service for a way to create your own style, make something that you can love and appreciate forever.

Recycling and re using in other forms was also BIG. This is great, we support the furniture re use network. You can pass your used furniture on to someone who needs it and help the environment by making less landfill, a win win!

Tata for now
Jilly xx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Love September! Time to get loads of new decorating ideas at 100% Design and Decorex.

Have been looking at how furniture trends follow fashion. The 1980’s have been influencing fashion for a couple of seasons now and the trend has filtered down to interiors. Here are a few pieces to help you achieve the look from Sweetpea & Willow.
This chaise Longue or sofa absolutely epitomises the decade of excess with its yuppy pinstripe and exaggerated shoulders!

White velvet,silver studs....total luxury! White Studded Loft Armchair.

Two words that sum up 1980's style...black and designer. Black leather Le Corbusier chaise.

The colour Teal was strong on the runways for this autumn and Sweetpea & Willow have given a nod to this trend with the new Marine collection. Heavily distressed with a seaside vibe this collection is perfect for asummer holiday inspired interior.We have the most desirable storage pieces, sideboards, corner units, chests as well as tables and chairs. In fact everything you could possibly want to furnish a dining room.

The trend for metallic continues and is updated with high shine making way for matt finishes and copper putting in an appearance. Try out different metallic finishes and metallic shades together for a more informal, eclectic scheme. Or mix with jewel colours for a precious and opulent finish. Sounds a trifle over the top I know but why not indulge yourself?

This rossetti silver chest has a stylish deco form that makes it stand out.

The Nordic grey collection has been a huge success for Sweetpea & Willow. We will be in lots of our favourite magazines with this collection in the next couple of months, so have a look to see how the home editors have styled it to get tips for your own home.

TaTa

Jillyx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:52:00 +0000

Sunny days-wicker furniture

Here at Sweetpea & Willow we have been enjoying the beautiful sunny weather-taking picnic lunches in the grounds of Syon House and enjoying watching the boats glide past on the Thames at Richmond. When the skies are blue you really can’t beat London in the summer. Everyone is off en vacances and the City is delightfully relaxed- you can get a table at the restaurant of the moment, walk into the latest plays and get a seat on the underground, love it .
As a deeply fashionable and on trend sort of person Betty is taking a staycation this year and camping in her back garden. Not exactly a hardship as she has a luxury yurt that she has furnished with Sweetpea & Willow rattan furniture
She has the Mocha 2 seater rattan sofa £435 with the matching Mocha rattan armchair £367.
The hanging whicker glider chair gives a bit of relaxed hippy chic, hanging from a pergola. Dining al fresco is a total delight with the Sweetpea & Willow Lloyd loom style dining table and Lloyd loom style dining chairs

Betty always has to have some French glamour around her and our Gold gilt emmanuel chaise longue with our tall iron roses candelabra are divinely decadent when positioned in the centre of the yurt.

Lets hope that there aren't any torrential downpours or biblical floods or Betty will find herself bobbing along on an upturned table like mapp and Lucia.
Ta ta for now

Jillxx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Had a very interesting day out at the Welcome Institute.

Not the sort of place where you would expect to find Betty hanging out but turned out that it offered many decorating tips.

The institute houses some amazingly eclectic collections. Not just the expected scientific instruments but masks, paintings, glass vessels and photographs.

You can get design inspiration from the most unexpected places and the Welcome Institute offered up some great ideas.

Mr Welcome didn’t know the meaning of the word restraint. If he found a shape of glass bottle that pleased him he didn’t just buy one , he’d have twenty-all the same!

Betty is going to take a tip from this and display five identical green glass apothecary bottles on her new buffet vert side board. Or do the same thing with this mirrored console. The mirror will double your collection

There was also a rather bizarre collection of masks. This was given cohesion as they were all more or less the same size although from many different cultures and in very different materials and styles. Placed together on the wall they looked very effective. Try a similar idea with a collection of things that have shared theme.
Betty has displayed her collection of dogs on her chest of drawers. Her Meissen china dog, her fluffy white toy doggy, her glass French poodle, her pewter dog.. you get the idea.

The photographs were also an amazing glimpse into a world that has disappeared, Doris is going to get all of her aged photos of dead relatives and put them into a collage under glass on her coffee table. Guests will be able to select the best face to put their glass on.

Jillxx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:28:00 +0000

We have joined the social networking revolution. Sweetpea & Willow now have a facebook page so we can be friends with all our lovely customers.
Become a fan here http://www.facebook.com Sweetpea and willow. We are going to have discussions about French style and all things to do with French culture. In fact it’s going to be a proper French Salon. Alternatively you could just join up to here about special offers.

We are alsoon twitter!!! How fun is that! Am posting regularly about my colleagues-whatever pops into my head. Will all come to an end when they find out, so let’s hope they don’t join the digital revolution quite yet! http://twitter.com/sweetpeawillow

Love

Jillx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Betty held a shoe party last night. She asked all of her friends to come over for cocktails and have the once in a life time opportunity to buy from her vintage shoe collection which dates back to the glory days of the 80’s.

Her Armoire is positively stuffed with exquisite shoes, but thanks to the recent trend for fierce teetering heels with platforms, room is getting a bit tight. So it was time for a bit of a clear out, Roger Vivier and Terry Havilland were much in evidence

as were some of her more delightful confections from gay Paris. (Including some little Chanel pumps that have seen a lot of action along the Rue de Rivolli.)

Shoe storage is never easy but Sweetpea & Willow have a very elegant French chic solution with this wire fronted Armoire.

Simply cover your shoe boxes in pretty wallpaper or wrapping paper, print off a picture of your shoes and attach. Et voila! A stylish solution to the shoe mountain that lurks in the bottom of your wardrobe.

If you want to turn your friends pea green with envy then consider buying this gorgeous and very chic bookcase. Imagine all your shoes lined up on the lovely lilac shelves! Lush!
From the Sweetpea & Willow Designer collection, the ultimate in shoe storage!

Looking forward to a very organised shoe collection!

Tata for now!Jillx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:55:00 +0000

Shameless plug for Sweetpea & Willow

We think that we have a really lovely website, if you agree, you could help spread the word by nominating Sweetea & Willow in the House Beautiful awards at http://www.allaboutyou.com/House-Beautiful-magazine-awards/v1

All the big retailers have their names listed, but if you take the survey (it takes 3 mins honest!) and put us in under ‘other’ we might be in with a chance.

Did you know that Jacquie started Sweetpea & Willow just three years ago from her kitchen table while on maternity leave?

She never went back to her old job because Sweetpea & Willow proved so popular. We now have a huge warehouse/office complex and a dedicated Irish website. We also have a beautiful showroom filled with lovely French and vintage style furniture, all styled in room sets to give you décor ideas to create your dream interior!

Jacquie has just had baby number 2, so watch this space, she has great plans for the future and we might see Sweetpea & Willow number 2.

Jillx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Jolly hols in Cornwall with Betty and Doris.

Betty and Doris have just returned from their annual jolly to the West country. After much deliberation it was decided that this year they would divert from their usual routine of motoring down to Salcombe and try a brief sojourn in Port Isaac, Cornwall.

This is because Doris harbours a secret passion for Doc Martin (from the TV show of the same name). She found out that the show is filmed there and was hoping for a glimpse of her guilty crush.

Betty went along with the plan because she had heard that Laurence llewelyn Bowen has a gorgeous little shop there, filled with Frou frou home accessories perfect for complimenting her French furniture and Boudoir bedroom.

http://www.sweetpeaandwillow.com/catalog/Bedrooms-Beds/c4_20/index.html
They adored Port Isaac with its cute winding streets and picturesque harbour. Having negotiated the practically mediaeval cobbled street that leads to the harbour, they installed themselves happily in the sun outside The Mote Restaurant http://www.the-mote-in-port-isaac.co.uk/. The perfect vantage point to watch Martin Clunes aka Doc Martin do his thing. http://www.itv.com/Drama/contemporary/DocMartin/default.html

Several large G&T’s later they decided to have dinner in the Restaurant. Doris was most impressed with the Moroccan Décor and the Inlay Mirrors. http://www.sweetpeaandwillow.com/catalog/Mirrors/c12/index.html
Bette was less impressed with the rowdy film crew who dropped a bottle down the stairwell which nearly cut off her decorating arm.
Happily they ended the evening singing sea shanties with the local fishermen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW5IdBWmWGc and staggered back to their cottage at dawn.

Next day it was a trip to Rock and the ferry to Padstow. This gave lots of ideas for decorating schemes. The colours of Cornwall are primarily grey and white, with touched of blue and flashes of yellow.
These are the ideal colours to use in a French inspired room. Sweetpea & Willow have some lovely new country style furniture in the new Bordeaux range which would look lovely against French grey walls.

The following day was spent trawling the art and antique shops which yielded up some rather intriguing finds, including a stuffed black-back gull in a Victorian case and a pair of bronze hares.

All in all much hilarity was had in Cornwall, The Mariners in Rock rocked. Boscastle was spell binding and Polzeath was teaming with fit surfers!!

Tata B & D

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:35:00 +0000

Sweetpeaandwillow.com french garden furniture.

Sweetpea & Willow are french furniture specialists and we have some of the most stylish garden furniture available on line. We think that your garden should reflect your personal style as much as your home interior.
For this Summer we have sourced classic, elegant garden furniture and accessories that will enhance your outdoor space and be enjoyed for many summers.
Our wooden lutyens bench is crafted from mahogany and is amazing value at only £290

For a courtyard or Patio with paved floor you can't go wrong with our Corinthian stone bench.

The curved benches are £185 and the table is £308, a staggering bargain when you consider that these will last for ever.

Cottage Gardens are ideal for wicker furniture and this magical wicker glider chair would be really sweet hanging from a tree or pergola.

We want to share our love of Sweetpeas so we send these gorgeous fragrant flowers to all of our customers.

Have a lovely Summer.

Jillxx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Don't call the House Doctor, do your own make-over and save your pennies to spend on gorgeous french furniture.

Why wait until you put you house on the market to do a spot of house doctoring?
Smarten up your entrance-way now and enjoy an instant pick-me-up from French furniture experts Sweetpea & Willow,
Re-paint your front door in this season’s French grey and give it some smart new ironmongery in silver or chrome. Put out some scented pots of French lavender or smart topiary buxus, whatever suits your personality.

Hallways are great for giving a make-over with maximum impact with not a lot of effort.

Create ambience with lighting. A chandelier is great for glamour but can also be kinetic with the way that light dances off the crystals. This large crystal fountain is absolutely jaw droppingly gorgeous and over the top.

For something a bit smaller, this ten branch tangerine illusion chandelier has huge personality and presence.

Don’t forget to use side lights for a softer lighting effect. Sweetpea & Willow have some lovely statement lamps, the Fifi chrome table lamp

and Santi black lamp are modern classics that look great displayed on a console table.

French console tables are ideal for hallways, they are narrow and don’t take up a lot of space. Look for one with drawers if you need somewhere to tidy away keys and mail. For sheer show stopping glamour this Tangerine console can’t be beaten. it’s really happy on its own without a mirror or any pictures’, leave it to speak for itself!

This plain silver console looks great paired with Sweetpeaandwillow.com ornate figs mirror.

If you hall is big enough for a chair, the stylish pearl velvet and black chair is lovely with its tactile velvet seat.

Sweetpea & Willow have five styles of mirrored console. The deco influence makes them ideal in modern interiors, although this Savoy console has the Louis curves that make it fit with a more traditional interior.
Mirrored furniture is ideal for making a small space seem bigger, so use it if your hall is very narrow. This rectangular Venetian mirror works well with most of the mirrored consoles. but to indulge your decadent side go for this Frascati Venetian style mirror.

Hope that you’re inspired by Sweetpea & Willow consoles to do a spot of redecoration!!

Love
Jill xxx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Sweetea & Willow. French furniture experts are branching out with a new Antique and Collectables section. ......................

I have a bit of a penchant for Fornasetti, I adore his designs for ceramics and I’ve been coveting his wallpaper for ages for my study. Think that all the heads staring down at me would force me to think!
We have just launched an Antiques & Collectables section on Sweetpea & Willow and there is an absolutely incredible Vintage Secretaire there. Designed by Gio Ponti in collaboration with Fornasetti it is absolutely unique, the design was inspired by Galeazzo Allessi’s Palace of Genova. So it has a great witty fusion of modern design with Romantic classicism.

It is worth at least £85 000 which makes it a wee bit out of my reach at the moment.

More in my price range is our local antique market! I popped in yesterday as I am always on the look out for quirky vintage finds and found a fab chair. Poor husband is not happy as I have a huge collection of chairs and am fast running out of places to put them all!

Black Rococo chair Gilt bedroom chair Black & White hide chair

(These are some of my favourites from Sweetpea & Willow) Anyway I just had to have it, it’s an old church chair with a shelf on the back for hymn books. I love the way the top has been worn away by hundreds of hands and the honesty of the design. Number One son can have it as a homework chair – he can put his homework sheets in the back.

I think that is part of the huge appeal of antiques, the romantic idea that they have been loved by generations and that they are just on loan to us until we hand them on to the next generation.

We have some Gillows of Lancaster card tables with beautiful carving and clawed feet. They have the quality that is impossible to replicate today. Withan undisputable provenance they are available as a pair.

I'm not sure how they would have been used originally but having a pair makes it easier to place them in a design scheme, symmetry being important.

Hope you’re enjoying the beautiful spring weather,

Love
Jill xxx

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Boudoir Chic

Sweetpea & Willow French Furniture was on Tonight with Trevor McDonald last Friday. Unbelievable but true. Imagine Trevor McDonald sitting at one of our pretty dressing tables doing a piece about boudoirs.

It might not have actually been the man himself but I simply can’t get the image out of my head.
Just shows how popular the Boudoir look is when it makes the Evening news. We are specialists in French furniture and the boudoir bedroom is a major part of the French look.

We have vintage style dressing tables in a Deco mirrored style,

white painted distressed Louis style dressing tables

and the most ornate carved Armoires and beds for the ultimate in Rococo and Baroque glamour.
Dressing screens are great for adding a bit of ooh la la

and for a truly decadent boudoir use our Black rococo bed and new Amy Black mirrored bedsides.

Finish the look with a black chandelier and black venetian mirror.

Then buy yourself an enormous box of Choccies lock the door and indulge!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Decorating the Whitehouse,

(Ssshhhh! we have just shipped some furniture to one of our ex Prime Ministers. So if Michelle wants a recommendation.....)

Michelle Obama is going to redecorate the private rooms at the white house, a dream job for an interior designer, so here are a few French furniture tips from Sweetpea & Willow………………

Michelle obviously has great taste she’s elegant and stylish and adores colour. Jacquie O decorated the public rooms back in the sixties with a bit of French Louis inspiration. We think that Michelle O should follow the example, updated with her own style and colour sense. Sweetpea & Willow can offer some fabulous inspiration with our beautiful, hand-finished French Louis style furniture.

So here are a few suggestions and if the Whitehouse want to give us a call we are happy to ship French Furniture to the USA.

All of our designer French furniture can be painted in practically any colour. Michelle Obama likes colour-contrast in her wardrobe and we can suggest some rather gorgeous colour combinations for her.

Turquoise corner unit and tangerine cupboard

Lime console table and pink bombe chest.

Royal blue chest of drawers and tangerine console

Pink strawb chair and Black and pink side board

And for a calm retreat for the president and first lady a six foot French white painted bed.

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Sweetpea & Willow featured on Channel 4 The Home Show on Wednesday 4th December. The Home Show was doing a feature on French Style Furniture, so they came to Sweetpea & Willow and filmed in our showroom.
Glass classical style lamp

It was great fun having a film crew in and very flattering that they chose Sweetprea & Willow as having the best examples of French Furniture.

The Home Show filmed our Black Rococo chair, Black and white baroque style c hair, Classic lamps and white painted armoires.

We were delighted to advise Angela Brady of The Home Show on French Style Furniture and were really thrilled to see our showroom looking so lovely on screen.

IN the same week we were also on Homes and property show on ITV. Alison Cork kindly recommended our chandeliers.

We were also on 60 minute makeover in October with one of our Baroque style mirrors.

Also in October we were on Fashion 156 tv with the models using our dressing mirrors and dressing tables. all very glamorous!

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:34:00 +0000

French Furniture from Sweetpea & Willow

Sweetpea & Willow have moved into a new showroom/office/warehouse complex!!

Harry packed everything onto the van, we followed on (dilly dallying in the coffee shop on the way), and we moved in the next day. Unfortunately we had to leave Mr Salmon the Christmas ghost behind, hope he’s not too lonely.

The new showroom is an absolute joy!So lovely to have a space that really does our furniture justice. We can now style each section with a new theme every season.
At the moment we have a glamorous black and pink entrance with mirrored wall lamps,

carved Japanese style screen

and new pearl velvet baroque chairs with pink cushions and a silver chaise.

The upper floors are very traditional French. French grey on the walls lit by some stunning chandeliers.

French carved dining tables and chairs with a selection of candelabra. And some inspiring bedroom sets.

We are featured in Evening Standard Homes and Bargains this week and so have a full diary of appointments. Ring our customer services dept. for availability. Hope to see you soon!

Heritage looks

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:12:00 +0000

Decorating with Old English Charm

Betty has asked me to put together a design scheme for her winter drawing room based around an English eccentric theme.

Winter because she lives in her conservatory in the summer, which is trés français filled with white rattan furniture and bird cages (don’t like to tell her the parrots are a step too far, I’m sure she should have gone for song birds). From where she serves up her sundowners (gin and a slice) from porcelain tea cups.

So for Betty this winter it has to be a Heritage English look. At Sweetpea & Willow we are best known as experts in French style furniture but I think that we can pull off a Trad. English scheme with our usual élan.

I thought about putting in a carpet. See this website for some great ideas http://www.comebacktocarpet.com/makeover.html they are doing a lot to promote carpets in the press and have some amazing striped ones but I still prefer rugs. I saw The Rug Company at decorex http://www.therugcompany.info/default.aspx they have an absolutely perfect rug designed by Vivienne Westwood which is a faded Union Jack. Too British maybe or maybe just a bit tongue in cheek.

Walls will be pale grey/white with loads of oversized pictures of dogs!! Bulldogs, corgi’s, King Charles spaniels…specially screen printed in hyper real colours. Fierce!! Furniture is from the Sweetpea & Willow designer collection. This range is hand crafted from cherry wood, with real old fashioned craftsmanship -mortis and tenon joints and hand painted finishes.
Details, like the handles, which are antiqued brass really make you realise just how good the quality is. I have seen a few of the commodes in the Sweetpea & Willow showroom and the finish is excellent, I’ve played with the drawers and they glide beautifully and the paint work is like silk, really tactile.

There are three sets of drawers which fit the bill, the chest Anglaise, The Alexis chest and the Alfred chest.

Seating has got to look like it came from a Gentlemen's club, sweetpeaandwillow.com leather chairs and sofa have a lived in look that says 'I'm here to stay'I was hoping to get hold of some antlers to go above the door but no joy, so I’m making do with a brace of antler lamps.

As for the rest of the lighting I thought that we should have flickering candle light as well as side lamps and a central chandelier.

This wall sconce is great for making the light dance from its mirror around the room, very romantic and Victorian.
I love the brass finish on this chandelier which is a real statement piece, I hate to say the W word but it has wow factor in abundance. To finish the scheme I’m looking for a stuffed squirrel and three fishes to take the place of traditional ducks. Looks like the wellies and rod are going to get an outing!
Love

Jill xxx

100% Design

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:34:00 +0000

Sweetpea & Willow visit London Design shows
I always think that summer is over when the interiors shows are on, but this year they really seem to have crept up on me far too early. This week I did 1oo% design http://www.100percentdesign.co.uk/page.cfm
and next week I’m hoping to fit in Decorex and Focus.

It’s great fun to check out what’s new and exciting in the design world.

100% design seemed quieter than usual but still had a lot of energy and some really inspirational things.

I was really taken with a few designers who were doing a new thing with decoration taking an almost Victorian vibe and subverting it.

I loved the cushions with cityscapes from conceptual textile designer Charlene Mullen using a hard edged modern scene and making it domestic with soft embroidery.

On a rather more disturbing note are the fantastical taxidermy pieces of Lighting designer Jericho Hands. She pitched a bedouin tent which had a few surprises inside. A flock of pigeons were stuffed and transformed into a fairytale thing of beauty, giving a new take on the chandelier. Even better were the stuffed squirrels running up the outside of the tent, each holding a little light. Squirrels are top of my squish list at the moment (having demoted slugs) so I was delighted to see them used for good purpose. No pics available unfortunately, but see website http://jerichohands.com/index.html

Animals were used for inspiration elsewhere, but not quite so literally (Stuffed!) http://www.petermusson.com/ had some witty little ‘Trophy Kills’ used to decorate the stand. I loved the silver hippopotamus head on purple velvet shield---really! You just had to be there!

It was great to see clock designer Paul Beckett www.paul-beckett.com He says that clock making is a dying art and I guess commissioning your own time piece is pretty expensive. This designer told me that he sells to the uber rich all over the world. His clock takes a very modern plastic composite and combines it with hand crafted bronze wheels for a very modern interpretation of an antique piece.
I also came across this in The Guardian on a clock theme http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/sep/18/corpus.clock about a truly amazing clock that has been designed for Corpus Christi.”it is terrifying, it is meant to be," said John Taylor, the creator and funder of an extraordinary new clock to be unveiled tomorrow by Stephen Hawking at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge. "Basically I view time as not on your side. He'll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he's salivating for the next. It's not a bad thing to remind students of. I never felt like this until I woke up on my 70th birthday, and was stricken at the thought of how much I still wanted to do, and how little time remained." Have a look at the article with a video of the clock.

Loads more inspired, am hoping to do a pop up Sweetpea & Willow shop in one of the blow up tents from inflate.co.uk…watch this space it could be popping up near you!1

Ta ta
Jillxx

Sunday Times

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:37:00 +0000

Our drivers and delivery people are all swanning about in new togs!!
They have fleeces and shirts with a very tasteful sweetpeaandwillow logo subtlety embossed on the front. They also have baseball hats in pale grey, hmmm-this could be a step too far or a cunning plan designed to cover up bad hair. Think Harry looks a tad more dapper in his James Bond get up, but this is dreary, wet Britain, so he needs to dress suitably for the climate.

I think that they should have let me design the uniform. It’s an opportunity missed if you ask me; we could have had knee britches and velvet frock coats in our trade mark pale blue which would be trés elegant and head turningly chic. This could be you Harry, loading up your van!!

On another note we had some really great press this weekend. two of our mirrors appeared in The Sunday Times and one in The Mail on Sunday. It is lovely when journalists like our furniture enough to feature it. The phones haven’t stopped ringing with people wanting to buy them!!

Dressing Mirror

Bye for now

Jill

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:49:00 +0000

Sweetpeaandwillow.com sale is on at the moment and I’ve seen lots of very tempting pieces of furniture that I want. It’s really hard to choose from all the gorgeous things especially as they are all at unbelievably low prices. Was £465 now £395

So I have a few guidelines to ask myself before I buy furniture…

Am I going to like this in a year’s time?
I don’t think that there is any danger of French Louis style furniture looking dated any time soon. This style has been around for a couple of centuries and is still looking fresh, it really has a great deal of charm and it can always be refreshed by adding a few cushions or accessories in the seasons fashion colour. Black chest Was £365 now £325

Is it great quality?
Sweetpea & Willow furniture goes through a rigorous quality control process before we send it out; you can often find one of our directors in our warehouse personally checking the furniture. Not many companies do that!

Do I trust this retailer?
Well I work here so I would! I think the best thing is to have a look at customer comments section and see that the website has an easy way to contact them if things go wrong. Sweetpea & Willow have a showroom and office address which should inspire confidence.

Is this the best price or should I pay a bit more for a quality service?
Sometimes the cheapest isn’t the best. At Sweetpea & Willow we know that our prices are the best for the service that we offer. We are always chatting to customers on the phone answering all sorts of questions from checking progress of orders to advising on interior schemes to go with our furniture. We aren’t a faceless company that you can only contact via email we really care about our customers, we love what we do and hope that we can pass on our passion for chic French furniture.

noreply@blogger.com (Willow) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:52:00 +0000

SUMMER BLUES

Looks like summer has finally arrived and we have a month to cram in all the things we could have been doing all summer. I shall be chilling in the garden every evening, getting the most out of my new Sweetpea & Willow garden furniture, fortunately I ordered the Stone range so I will be able to leave it out side all year. You’re probably catch me sitting on it in the middle of winter wrapped up in my fleecey anorak ( joke! I’m going to be sporting a little prada number this Autumn!)

I have been chilling out at the Ealing Jazz festival. It’s close to the office so easy to grab a picnic and head down to Walpole Park and listen to some great live Jazz and Blues. It’s a real family occasion and a lovely atmosphere. Personally I think that Sweetpea & Willow should offer to decorate the main stage next year, it could definitely benefit from a bit of rococo style! Perhaps a couple of giant mirrors and a few Louis chairs for VIPS, (mentioning no names but rumour has it that our esteemed mayor, Boris Johnson will be visiting tonight).

Haven’t heard much from Betty and Doris recently, they have been to Slapton in Devon and no doubt are now planning a total décor over haul. Am expecting requests for Silver pieces as they like to be cutting edge nowadays. Lucky we have a sale on!! Check out this silver chaise longue which is a very affordable £237, I’m going to get them to buy one each.

L8er dudes!!

Jill x