22 Dec 2010
John Lewis toy department, December 21st. As parents rush round grabbing last-minute gifts (what, no more Harry Potter Hogwarts Lego??!), toy buyer Elaine Whiteman shows BBC News what lucky children will be hoping for under the tree this Christmas...
15 Dec 2010
A selection of Christmas crackers, toys, stocking fillers and other goodies making their way to women's charity Eaves, whose manifesto is 'working towards a society where all women are valued and respected'. We hope our offering brings smiles to the faces of the families being provided housing and support by Eaves over the festive period. With thanks to Talking Tables and John Lewis for the splendiferous array.
08 Dec 2010
Here's Kirstie Allsop welcoming in the New Year with Talking Tables' confetti blaster. What does it take to make the perfect Christmas? According to Phil and Kirstie, all you need is a tableful of crackers, poppers, masks and games from Talking Tables, a family-sized Berkshire sofa by Content by Conran, Cosmo prismatic glass pendant lights by Original BTC and aluminium cake stands from Bombay Duck. Deck the halls indeed.
Kirstie and Phil's Perfect Christmas, 8pm, Channel 4.
13 Nov 2010
Bobelle London's gorgeous eelskin leather accessories have arrived at Portrait just in time for Christmas. Founded by 27-year-old Claire Watt-Smith, Bobelle's collection ranges from jewel-coloured purses, wallets, keyrings, ipad and iphone cases to cross-body bags and clutches. Beautifully soft and glossy, eelskin is a byproduct of the food industry in Korea, making it an ethical alternative to python, alligator and other exotic skins. Not so fishy after all.
02 Nov 2010
Tonight sees the first episode of the new series of Kirstie's Homemade Home on Channel 4. Having spent the last series refurbishing her own home, in this series Kirstie turns her attention to homeowners struggling to restore their period properties. Kirstie comes to the rescue, with the help of Portrait clients Harris & Jones, Original BTC and Compagnie de Provence.
29 Oct 2010
Here's Original BTC's Drop Grouping pendant taking the corner slot at John Lewis' Harmony lighting installation at the South Bank. We watched (and listened) in awe as the lights flashed - in harmony, of course - to the dulcit tones of Fyfe Dangerfield, who played a live set including 'Always a Woman' from John Lewis' last TV ad campaign.
13 Oct 2010
With Design Week behind us, it's now the art world's turn to hit London, culminating in this weekend's Frieze. We stopped off at the opening party of the Museum of Everything in Primrose Hill, curated by Sir Peter Blake, godfather of British pop art. So, what's everything? Well, everything includes a collection of creepy Kewpie dolls, Victorian fairground memorabilia, sideshow banners from the Americas, decoupage screens and glass cabinets stuffed full of anthromorphic taxidermy by the famed Walter Potter. Curious indeed...
01 Oct 2010
It's Children's Book Week next week and we're going on a nostalgic journey through our childhood favourites. This Roald Dahl boxed set is on sale for an amazing £34 from the John Lewis children's book department - hours of delightfully scary reading guaranteed. According to sales figures, while stalwarts like the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Peter Rabbit are still in favour amongst young readers, newer contenders The Gruffalo and Peppa Pig are now top of kid's reading lists.
Whilst we concede it's been a little while since we were target audience, surely nothing can beat Charlie, the BFG and George and his Marvellous Medicine?
30 Sep 2010
Design Week concluded with Focus at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre, where Original BTC previewed the Hector 21 table light, designed for next year's 21st birthday. An update on the classic bone china Hector, the Hector 21 features rows of indented squares inspired by the windows in Original BTC's 1930s Stoke-on-Trent factory.
27 Sep 2010
Portobello Dock was packed to the rafters with visitors to Tom Dixon's West London design festival. Highlights included the new Tom Dixon shop, Mooi showroom and of course mydeco.com's lighting installation, which really got visitors talking! The My Deco team chose 85 different lights by a whole variety of retailers and manufacturers, from high street to high end (including, of course, Original BTC) and visitors had to not only guess who each light was by but also pop a swing tag on their favourite in the hopes of winning it once the festival is over. There's Original BTC's bone china Tea light on the yellow stand, which along with the Hector Medium Dome table light sported a very generous collection of swing tags. Lucky winner to be announced!









