Presumably David Cameron is on the phone to Ilse Crawford as I write this after My Friend gently suggested that his new gaff was in need of renovations. Amid the important developments unfolding this week, it became apparent that there’s a gal in town who’d do well to take heed of the same advice. Namely, Her Majesty. Check out her tired front room:

I’ve taken the liberty of making her a mood board.  Some good British brands here – lady loves her country – plus a bling chandelier that I don’t fully approve of, but a designer must understand her audience* and all that. What do you think?

*repeated use of yellow not intended to denote an insider’s knowledge of (or foist a position on) HM’s political allegiance. Just an aesthetic fancy.

Top row left to right: Staffordshire dogs by Donna Wilson, SCP; wallpaper by Suzy Hoodless; cabinet by Pinch Design; rug from The Rug Company.

Middle row left to right: Finn Juhl sofa and Marthe Armitage fabric both from Sigmar; Philippe Starck chandelier from Baccarat; cushions by Charlene Mullen; plate from Asprey.

Bottom row left to right: side table by Pierre Charpin from Ligne Roset; mirrors from Ochre; figurine from Roost Living; poufs by Paola Lenti from Chaplins; Flos Gatto lamp and Tom Dixon chair both from Twenty Twenty One.

Shopping in Istanbul

Of course there’s more to Istanbul than the floor. There’s the famous Hagia Sofia mosque, Topkapi Palace, several contemporary galleries – Istanbul Modern and Santral both great and the latter in a former power station that gives it a Tate Modern feel – and delicious stuffed veg. But you can get all that in The Lonely […]

Fabulous fifties time capsule

Just ran across this, on the Guardian website. A photo record of the interior of Liverpool’s Lewis’s department store. Alongside the pictures of architectural details, the hair salon and cafe, the website for the project carries stories and recollections from staff and shoppers. Visits from Liberace and Ken Dodd, a prozzie coming in to get […]

Istanbul, down under

This week your roving reporter posts from Istanbul, the only city in the world to inhabit two continents. Its footing on Asia and Europe gives the place a pretty unique feel – somewhere in between tidy Paris and manic Beirut with a bit of Berlin thrown in – and it seemed very design-conscious. But before […]

Kitchen prints

When you see them, it seems so obvious. Norfolk printmaker Angie Lewin has produced a small range of homewares with St Jude’s textiles. Only just available, and sold online through Illustrated Living, it currently consists of three tea towels and six mugs. Not familiar with Angie’s print work? Well, below, two of my favourite of […]