The rich artistic tradition of the Islamic world, is the design inspiration behind the launch collection of Moresque, a new on-line retailer specialising in contemporary home decorating accessories, tabletop, bed linen and soft furnishings.

Tas Rahman, founder of Moresque, has combined traditional Moorish designs from Turkey, Egypt, Morocco and beyond, with a modern-day approach to decorating the home; the collection offers unique, hand-crafted decorative products, with broad appeal and can be purchased on-line.

The eye catching Ever-Lasting Candles featured here, are hand-made in Morocco, from wax with inset arabesque motifs, in copper or thuya wood, and are inspired by traditional Islamic art and architecture.

The translucent wax doesn’t melt, whilst the replaceable tea light creates a subtle, flickering glow.

Variations: Cube or Tower from 12 to 29 cms in height and six colours- red, mauve, black, orange, blue, ivory and four motifs.
Retail prices range from £15.00 to £45.00.

The celebrated Egyptian designer Karim Rashid, designed the stylish Bud Vase, inspired by Arabic calligraphy.

The three stem vase is made from porcelain, in a choice of white, metallic silver and satin gold and measures 33 x 23 x 4.5 cms. Priced at £110.00.

The three Kilim cushion cover designs, feature hand-made, authentic Persian and Turkoman kilims, inset into richly coloured silk/cotton borders.

The covers measure 45 x 45 cms, have zip fastening opening and plain reverse and come in three designs/colour-ways:
Turkoman (maroon), Persian Awal (rust brown) and Persian Sani (mauve).

View the complete Moresque Collection at:

Web: http:// www.moresque.co.uk
Tel: (020) 8274 2403

The new service VMES from Herend, brings the magic of the sea right to the table; once you set the table, you can almost smell the salty sea and feel the sand.

Prepared specifically for the 2008 Frankfurt Fair, this Herend decoration successfully captures a romantic moment of feeling free by the sea.

This is an opportunity to marvel at the magnificence of starfish, crabs, turtles or various snails, all beautifully hand painted by skilled craftsmen.

Most of the decorations are exceptional aspects of the fantastic fish and fauna found in the Bermuda Islands:

The service has been designed with three different line patterns along the edges, all symbolising the waves - the colours selected are those of the sea.

They mix and match beautifully together, creating a table that can be changed over and over again and always look completely different.

Prices are as follows:

A dinner plate retails at: Gold rim £56.80 Solid edge £78.10 Patterned Edge. £142.00.

Web: http://www.herend.com

Tel: (020) 7384 9722

It will soon be time to prepare your home and garden for the blustery autumn months ahead?

To help, Sadolin has created a checklist to Autumn-proof your wood:

Garden Furniture -To keep your tables, chairs and loungers looking good, year after year, use a durable and protective product like the new Sadolin Four Seasons Garden Furniture Colour & Protector.

It’s the first wood care product to include Teflon® surface protector, which guards against scuffs and knocks, while offering excellent year-round protection from the elements (£14.99 for 1 litre can).

Shape up your shed - As with any timber, it is vital that it is treated with a quality product to protect it against the elements, but don’t limit yourself to shades of brown – Sadolin Superdec is available in over 45 colours, so why not make a feature of your shed by adding a splash of colour, which will keep your garden bright and alive, even when your blooms die off?

Gates and Fences - Exposed to all the wind and rain that autumn can throw at them, gates and fences need help to keep them looking good come spring.

Check that all the panelling is secure and then consider using some Sadolin Classic (£9.98 for a litre can) to treat fences and a product like Sadolin Superdec (£14.99 for a litre can) for gates – a classic shade like Pondessa Pine, will look great all year round. Remember when treating large areas, such as fences, to work from the top down.

For more application hints and tips visit:

Web: http://www.sadolin.co.uk.
Or call the Sadolin Woodcare Advice Centre:
Tel: (0844) 7708 998

For the first time ever in the UK, aspiring interior designers, or those already working in the industry, can study for a degree in interior design from home via distance learning.

The National Design Academy, in partnership with Staffordshire University, is offering the UK’s only flexible distance learning Interior Design Foundation Degree course, which leads to a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) / BA (Hons).

The degree is a practical, practice-based interior design course, taught by specialist interior design practitioners through Virtual Learning Studios. The VLS is easy to use, like clicking onto a website and tutors are always available to speak to.

This unique degree is perfect for those that want a career in interior design and would like a professional qualification, but aren’t able, or don’t want, to attend a University or College full-time.

The course allows students to study whilst still working, or looking after a family; the course can be completed at a pace that suits each individual student.
A distance learning degree lets you earn while you learn.

In addition to this, there are part-time student grants available from most Local Education Authorities, which are means tested and can help to cover the cost of the course fees, books and equipment.

The National Design Academy, which is based in Nottingham, has been providing training in interior design and related courses for many years. They have a reputation, for providing students with excellent tuition and support.

Web: http://www.nda.ac.uk
Tel: (01159) 123 412

AlertMe.com, a leading new company in intelligent home safety and security, has announced the launch of a ‘Starter Kit’, which dramatically reduces the entry cost of the AlertMe wireless alarm system.

Target customers include people in one or two bedroom houses and flats, looking to protect their home, at a fraction of the cost of a traditional burglar alarm system.

According to a recent survey of 1000 people*, almost 50% of those with traditional alarms don’t use them and as a result, many people are not adequately protecting their home, family and belongings.

The Starter Kit available directly from AlertMe.com is priced at £149 inc. VAT and consists of a simple hub**, key-fob and motion sensor, ideal to monitor a small flat or rented room:

• Affordable for everyone, priced on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ model, the Starter Kit offers complete flexibility to users, and is expandable.
• If an incident occurs in the home, AlertMe immediately notifies the owner – and anyone else who needs to be told – on their phone by text message.
• The system can detects break-ins, measure the temperature of rooms, and can notify when people come home, providing peace of mind.
• It is easy to set up and use – a simple key-fob arms and disarms the system, just like a car alarm.
• Purchasing additional low-cost accessories expands the system, adding such features as the ability to detect smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

AlertMe is ideal for students, young professionals, renters, elderly, or anyone looking to protect their home.

Web: http:// www.alertme.com
Tel: (0845) 200 2873

* Research undertaken by onepoll.com, June 2007
** Similar to the hub in the AlertMe Premium Kit … but with no power backup, or broadband backup.

Increation was formed in 2001 by Vincent Jelinek, a highly skilled designer and a talented cabinet maker, initially started as a small company with a loan from the Princes Trust.

Every year Increation bespoke kitchens has doubled in size and now has 28 dedicated staff and large premises in East London.

Case Study
The client is a professional couple and their house in Kent is a typically English Country House.
The couple enjoy gardening and cooking and needed a kitchen, in which they could cook their home-grown food; their kitchen, had not been updated for 20 years.
They wanted a design, consistent with the rest of their traditional house, incorporating space for casual family eating within the kitchen:

• Vincent’s solution reshaped the whole kitchen to incorporate an island with a unique curvilinear shaped top, with a high tech cooking area, comprised of Gagenau’s state of the art modular cooking system.
• This allowed cooking to be confined to one part of the kitchen.
• He incorporated a butler’s sink with surrounding granite worktops.
• The large walk in larder provides plenty of storage space, with hand made bespoke fruit and vegetable baskets for the larder, an organic waste bin in the cooking area and a cupboard for their recycling with perfectly fitting storage boxes.
• There is an area for their shoes and Wellington boots, for when they come in from the garden.
• The added features helped keep the space uncluttered and everyday accumulation at bay.
• The cupboards are a combination of painted wood, wood based products and solid oak veneered products.
• The rest of the kitchen is oak in a period style, finished in clear lacquer and hand painted.
• The whole interior was taken into consideration including the flooring and lighting and a stone floor in the kitchen, now curves to meet the solid wood floor in the dining area, subtly separating the kitchen from the dining area.
• Ceiling lights were added for general use and halogen lights in the furniture and shelves for mood lighting.
• Made to measure solid oak refectory table and benches were made for the seating area, which can also be moved easily outside for barbeques.

Vincent Jelinek said, “The client has been over the moon with the kitchen and I feel we have managed to provide them with a kitchen which really suits their lifestyle.”

Price: £25,000.00

For inspiration visit:

Web: http://www.increation.net

Tel: (020) 7987 8328

Reid Furniture was founded in 1970, initially dealing only with trade and didn’t retail any of the company’s own products.

It was soon realised that the business could be run more profitably and efficiently, if it cut out the middleman and retailed directly with the customer, giving customers exactly what they want, at a competitive price.

Whether you are entertaining family or friends, Reid Furniture can help you make a statement in your dining room this summer, offering excellent craftsmanship and value for money.

Reid’s collection features inspirational designs from the leading manufacturers right around the world, making it easy to create the perfect dining room setting in any home.

New for summer 2008 is the Natural Drift dining collection featured here, made from solid re-claimed wood, evoking a rustic charm.

Available with bench style seating or chairs, each piece is individually unique, with colours that mellow with age adding to its character.
Priced from: bench £249and tables from £599.

Also new to Reid this summer is the Alfresco dining room collection; finished with veneered oak and complete with four contrasting ‘stow away’ faux leather chairs - a perfect space saver for modern living.
Priced from: table and chairs £699.

Web: http://www.reidfurniture.com.

Haddonstone is a leading UK manufacturer of fine cast limestone garden ornaments.

Haddonstone’s statues, with the right placement, can be enjoyed at all times of the year; even in the winter, people will marvel at their snow-covered beauty and the summer light, will accentuate the glorious detail in the warmer weather.

During autumn, the falling leaves will drape around the statues and in spring the glorious colours of the daffodils, will create an entirely new picture.
To see a full range of Haddonstone’s spectacular collection visit:

Web: http://www.haddonstone.com
Tel : (01604) 770711

It isn’t often that a brand reaches a landmark as significant as 100 years, which is why Royal Albert, known for its quintessentially English floral style, has chosen to mark ten decades of the company, with a very special collection of fine bone china tea ware.

Royal Albert 100 Years features ten charming designs , which have either been taken directly from, or been inspired by, past Royal Albert collections.

Encapsulating each decade from the 1900s to the 1990s, the ten sets of teacup, saucer and side plate illustrate significant English and world events through distinctive pattern and design.

For example, the decadent post-First World War era, can be seen in the lively florals of Spring Meadow (1920s), whilst the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne is wonderfully celebrated in Festival (1950s) and flower power is never far away in Poppy (1970s).

Beautifully packaged in Royal Albert pink hat-boxes, the collection is available to purchase in two sets of five teacups and saucers (1900 to 1940 and 1950 to 1990, priced at £90 each), or as individual three-piece sets (£30).

Royal Albert has also produced a teapot, covered sugar bowl and cream jug set in the 1940’s English Chintz design, to accompany the collection (Priced at £120). (featured)
All items in-store from Spring 2008.

Choose your favourite and start collecting now.

Royal Albert 100 Years collection:

1900:  Regency Blue; 1910: Duchess; 1920: Spring Meadow; 1930: Polka Rose; 1940: English Chintz; 1950: Festival; 1960: Golden Roses; 1970: Poppy; 1980: Holyrood; 1990: Hartington Lane.

Web: http://www.royaldoulton.com

After an extensive period of subtle patterns and minimal colour schemes in the bathroom, there is now resurgence in surface pattern and block colour.

Craven Dunnill reflects this emerging trend, with its new Tarim collection of ceramic tiles for the walls and floor, which features a bold floral design in gloss finish and field tiles in warm tones of chocolate and cream; the elegant colour scheme balances the bold floral design, to create a contemporary classic to stand the test of time.

The Tarim range from Craven Dunnill’s Renaissance Collection features two colours: Marfil a rich cream, and Wenge a warm chocolate brown.

Both are available in scored and plain wall tiles with matching floor tiles; the floral design is depicted in a high gloss finish on a satin brown background and is available as an inset wall tile and as a décor tile.

Shown here:

• Tarim Marfil and Wenge 415 x 316mm: around £26.05m.²
• Tarim Wenge inset 415 x 316mm: around £15.45 each.
• Tarim Wenge Décor 316 x 100mm: around £5.50 each.
• Tarim Wenge floor tile 316 x 316mm: around £24.70m².

Tarim is the latest addition to the Craven Dunnill Renaissance Collection, which comprises over 300 different wall and floor tile ranges.

The collection remains fresh and contemporary with new ranges introduced frequently.

Web: http://www.cravendunnill.co.uk
Tel: : (01746) 761611