Behind The Scenes : Magpie Miller Photo Shoot

It was so interesting being on my first photo shoot that I thought I’d share some behind the scenes pics of the Magpie Miller shoot to show some elements that go into a day of shooting.  I hope you enjoy!

 

Magpie Miller Photo Shoot

I’m absolutely delighted and extremely proud to bring you the very first Magpie Miller photo shoot!  I was so lucky to get super-duper interior stylist Charlotte Love on board, having fell in love with her work when I discovered a test shoot she worked on last year.  Charlotte is an extremely talented individual and an absolute dream to work with – I was so sad when the whole experience ended!  The icing on the cake was getting the brilliant interiors’ photographer Jon Day on board too.  Double win!  With Jon’s perfect shot and Charlotte’s expert eye, the past few months of hard work culminated in a set of absolutely stunning photos.

Graphic Design Spotlight: Laura Jackson

I absolutely love visiting university degree shows and it’s something I commit to every year in order to see what up and coming talent there is.  From the very beginning of Magpie Miller I’ve always been passionate about supporting graduate design and thought it would be a great idea to extend this by getting graduates involved in the Magpie Miller brand.  Working with graduates means that the website always has a fresh look whilst reflecting the ethos of working with independent and graduate designers.  Last October I was lucky enough to come across Laura Jackson from Manchester Metropolitan University which, in my opinion, has one of the best Graphic Design courses in the UK.  Laura is super talented and has a passion for clean and elegant contemporary designs which twist the traditional and deploy gorgeous, well considered typography.  I’m so lucky to have Laura on board and she’s been such a fantastic asset to Magpie Miller!  I thought I’d post some of her personal work as well as briefs that she has executed on for our website.  Enjoy!

*All work is copyright of Laura Jackson and Magpie Miller

Colour Blocking Ideas

Now, I do love a bit of wallpaper.  By simply adding some bright or patterned wallpaper you can lift a room in no time with minimum fuss.  It’s basically a big rubber stamp that says “this is my home and this is my taste”.  Anyone who visits can immediately see this visual calling card.  The fact that wallpaper has enjoyed such a bold resurgence in recent years is fantastic and I’ll certainly be featuring the odd roll in our new home.  And whilst I have a very keen sense of what I do and don’t like for a house, I still find wallpaper a little intimidating - coming as it does with a level of visual commitment when used in one of the main rooms.  This could also be down to the fact that I get bored easily; but ultimately I’d rather find other ways to make a style statement within my house.  Either that or it could very easily end up with me painting every bit of plaster white in a complete indecision knot!  But as much as I love a white wall we’ll  need something to stimulate our retinas and let’s face it, bleaching every single vertical surface in the house is just boring.  So it got me thinking; what can we do with paint to add a bit of interest to our house?

Painted Shapes

…………………………………………

Weekday Carnival

I absolutely adore this idea of painting a wall two tone and adding shapes rather than adhering to straight lines for separation. You could employ this technique anywhere in the house but I believe it fits perfectly within a kids room and would also look amazing as circles instead of triangles!

Bold Colours

…………………………………………

Farrow and Ball

Ok, so these colours are a little bold but why wouldn’t you shout about these high ceilings? And by golly, that is a high ceiling.

Pretty Pastels

…………………………………………

Sydney Design School

These colours are good enough to eat. In fact they remind me of oh-so-yummy Fruit Salads we used to devour as part of our Penny sweet selections. What I particulary love about this colour blocking is that it makes the most of the unusual layout of this room and really brings to life what could have been quite an awkward room.

Elegant Colours

…………………………………………

Marie Claire Maison

This image really is the ultimate in colour blocking.  I’ve admired this image for a while now and just fell in love with the clever use of complimentry colour all whilst keeping true to the elegance of the room.

Cheating It

…………………………………………

Analog Dialog

And finally; how about this for a cheats way to colour block?  This is a great way to add a bold colour of your choice to the wall if you’re too scared to put paint on it.  It’s so easy to do as well – just pop down to your local craft store, buy a XL canvas, add your favourite paint and Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt!  Or so we’re told…

Blog Discovery: Kasparas Regnbue

When putting posts together for the Magpie Miller blog I tend to concentrate on a certain look or collate different ideas that I think you’ll all be interested in. Today’s post is slightly different; a bit of a re-blog if you like.  I’ve recently discovered a blog written by Kasparas Regnbue which concentrates on her gorgeous Norwegian home and all the lovely things she has in it.  I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous soft pastels she incorporates – alongside white, different tones of greys and both vintage and new items.  I sometimes find that Vintage can be clichéd and overdone, but the way Kasparas uses these pieces with a carefully selected colours palette creates a fresh, crisp and scrumptious look.  Below I’ve selected a few of Kasparas’ latest blog images and I can’t recommend visiting for a snoop about strongly enough!  http://kasparasregnbue.blogspot.no/

All images from http://kasparasregnbue.blogspot.no/

Going Dotty!

Patrick Norguet                                              Joanna Henderson

This month I’ve been going dotty over dots! There’s just something about their charming little round edges that really catches the eye and reinforces the space in which you apply them.  From producing a subtle effect with natural tones or creating a bold statement using a colour such as Emerald Green (see above) with some geometric shapes and animal print thrown in the mix, they are a style choice that is both arresting and understated!

I’ve been Pinning polka dots like mad recently.  Pinterest has been an addiction since I joined it over a year ago but since buying a new house that we move into next Spring, I’ve doubled my efforts and my Pinaddiction is, in the words of Rachel Zoe, OOC!  Having all these new rooms to decorate makes me jump for joy and I know dots will be featuring somewhere on the walls of the house as it fits in with the sudo-scandi look (I just made that term up) that I’d love to achieve for our home.  I won’t be constraining polka dots just to the walls though.  No, no. They will also be featuring on accessories too; just like these yummy examples below.

 FellowFellow  Etsy

I’m even going dotty with this cute Spotty Butter Dish on Magpie Miller!

Ombre And Glitter Pumpkins – Halloween Fun Without The Carving

It’s that time of year where I start seeing beautifully (and not so beautifully) carved pumpkins in my newsfeeds and, to be honest, I hate carving pumpkins! All that pumpkin slime and seeds whilst almost breaking my back to get that ‘perfect’ shape only to be bitterly disappointed when you end up with a floppy, unrecognisable stinky mess. Bleurgh!  So instead of carving I’ve been thinking about getting crafty by using two of my favourite things, paint and glitter.  With that in mind, here’s my roundup of easy peasy pumpkin squeezy Halloween decorations:

Ombre and geometric pumpkins

http://www.fun.kyti.me

Bronze glitter pumpkins

http://www.indulgy.com

Scary painted shapes on pumpkins

http://www.bhg.com

Painted tops and tape pumpkins

http://www.blog.hgtv.com

Gold glitter pumpkins made into tea light holders

http://www.twigandthistle.com

Painted pumpkins in sophisticated colours

http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com

Which one will you be doing this weekend?

Magpie Miller’s Monday Mood Board : Cable Knit

Knit one purl one, stitch one…  Something one.  Just because here at Magpie Miller we don’t know how to knit doesn’t mean we can’t revel in its resurgence this past couple of years; with designers taking on the aesthetic to ensure it stretches beyond itchy jumpers.  As the weather fast-forwards to Autumn and the shops are jettisoning their Summer collections through sales galore, its not too early to embrace the cable-knit look and introduce it’s chunky, textured presense to your home / wardrobe.  Cosy!

Photo Credits: witanddelight.com magpiemiller.co.uk Crush Cul De Sac jonesdesigncompany.com

Magpie Miller’s Monday Mood Board : Dip Dye

Dip Dye has been a massive fashion trend over the past year and interior design is leading the vanguard on this style too.  The best thing about Dip Dye is you can be as bold or subtle with the colour choice as you like.  When I came across these gorgeous lilac cocktail glasses I knew I just had to have them!  Their graduation of colour and shapely form make them totally irresistible.  Plus they look great when sipping with your pinky in the air!

Photo Credits: Charlotte Love Magpie Miller Carpe Item Design Sponge

Brent Couchman : Graphic Design

I love graphic design.  From iconography through to typography, it’s at the heart of our daily lives. Whether it be instructional, decorative or informative, graphic design (when done well) allows the world to be a more aesthetically pleasing and structured place.

However we’re all surrounded by so much good design that we’ve almost become immune to its charms – with our impulsive reactions more readily associated with bad examples.  But there is no ignoring Brent Couchman’s brilliant work.  An independent graphic designer based in San Francisco, Couchman has created branding identities for Fossil and a slew of other companies.  The manner in which Couchman’s designs pop and elicit further investigation is not something you often get in the age of mass media; particularly amongst the online bun-fight and sensory overload we all encounter every day.  It’s fascinating how you can see the merging of his Texan upbringing and California attitude throughout his work; an eclectic combination of Bauhaus Cowboy and Gold Rush Iconography that seeps so heavily from the Sunshine State’s Fifties heritage iconography.  Simply scrumptios!

I’ve pulled a selection of my favourite work from Couchman and I heartily recommend a visit to his fabulous website for more information.