[Photography by Emily Nicholson, Dursk]

Last week I attended Part 2 of New Designers on behalf of Trend Bible and was blown away by such innovative concepts across furniture and product design. One collection that caught my eye in particular was the Brush collection by Ellie Birkhead of Brighton University. From in-depth research, Ellie realised that there is currently only one company in the UK that handcrafts brushes using traditional methods. This inspired Ellie to embrace self taught crafting techniques in order to create traditionally made brushes, but with a modern design.

Brand Watch: Handmade rag rugs by Makana Home

Earlier this month myself and Nik spent just over 10 days in Portugal (mega blog post to follow) for our Summer holiday. Having never been before, we wanted to get the best of both worlds with a capital city break, finished with a relaxing getaway to the beautiful beaches of the Algarve. Our time in Lisbon was an eye-opener to such a vibrant history communicated through original details and breathtaking features around every corner. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this authenticity of Portugal continued into our Lagos trip, all thanks to Makana Home.

Trend: Summer Cool

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Monochrome and stone inspire this cold Summer trend. That and the fact that there's still no sign of sun here up North. Since attending Chelsea Flower Show last month on behalf of Trend Bible, I've opened my eyes to more indoor-out styles that signify how items of the home are now being taken outdoors for a modern update of the garden. The black and white Pot Cradles by South Korean design studio HEAN are soft hanging pouches and offer a minimal alternative to plant cluttered shelves and deskspace in the home, but could also be used as a decorative garden feature, for vertical plantations.

News: Design for Me

We all turn to Pinterest and our favourite blogs when planning to decorate or redesign, but imagine an online platform that instead of providing inspiration, goes straight to the source, the designer.

Design For Me is an online service that allows the client to be in control of all of the decisions. Launched as a beta version last year, it matches and connects homeowners with residential architects, interior and garden designers, that the home-owner can then shortlist for their home transformation. Created by Emily Barnes, the site now has over 700 subscribers, a number that continues to grow. This social approach to bespoke design provides a direct service for the customer, and acts as an ever-growing online portfolio for the designer, what could be better?

Tulight by Puik Art

Dutch designer Ernst Koning of Ilias Ernst has recently designed the Tulight - the latest product to be released for design collective, Puik Art. Inspired by everyday life, these no fuss fixtures come with all the necessary parts and can be assembled instantly. Available in black, white, red and mint-green, the silicone up-turned tulips are a great way to break up bellowing ceiling space, with four metre long free flowing lines and a pop of graphic colour.

Ernst Koning talks of his latest designs for Puik Art on Vimeo.

A Taste of Summer

All photography by Emily Nicholson (Dursk) 

I've been in my new house in Newcastle for nearly 2 months now and as a welcome gift/summer BBQ essential, the lovely lot at Out There Interiors have sent me this stunning Jennabelle drinks dispenser by Nordal. It's taken pride of place on the kitchen side-board, and already looks so at home. It couldn't have arrived at a better time as this past week we've seen Spring temporarily transform into Summer, which has meant lots of evenings spent on the decking, kicking back to chilled sounds and getting lost in conversation all the way through till dusk.

Spring Wishlist 2015

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Spring is my favourite time of year; we get those summer vibes with occasional bursts of sun, wild flowers begin to bloom and it's that time to re-jig the home - out with the old and in with the new. My Scandi Spring Wishlist includes my must haves for SS15 and some items that I've already invested in.