Edmund de Waal

Poor neglected blog. I've been a bad blogger. Forgive me, I've been busy at work on a new site for my work which I'll be launching soon, but I plan to continue to post design inspirations and favourite finds here on this blog from time to time.

I popped into the Pump Rooms at Leamington Spa the other day to take a look at an exhibition of ceramic works by Edmund de Waal.

De Waal uses a subdued colour palette to create beautiful vessels that are both comfortingly domestic and calmingly sculptural.

The Exhibition, water-shed, features a collection of recent work and includes a newly commissioned installation by the same name. The show is open until 11th April 2010.

Amaryllis

Seasonal corporate arrangement with Amaryllis, Protea and Carnation.

The container is wrapped with willow sticks tied together with bullion wire.

Fragrant Christmas wreath

My Christmas door wreath, lovingly constructed on a traditional moss ring at great expense to my poor hands.

No bling, no bows, just fragrant blue spruce and eucalyptus and a few berries.

Rose & Protea bridal bouquet

Hand tied bridal bouquet of 'Sweet Avalanche' Roses, Protea, Hypericum, Pittosporum and Eucalyptus.

The Crown Inn at Amersham

Over the weekend it was my absolute pleasure to attend the wedding of our friends Ali and Chris at The Crown Inn in Amersham. The Crown is a delightful old coaching inn that featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral. You might remember it as the setting for the scene where Hugh Grant cosies up to Andie Mcdowell. It has since been exquisitely restyled by interior designer Ilse Crawford with Farrow and Ball colours, Welsh wool blankets, Ercol chairs and vintage radios combining to delicious effect to create a warm, welcoming and soothingly simple interior.

It was so lovely to relax and enjoy a wedding where I wasn't running around worrying about the flowers and the Crown was not only a perfect venue for an intimate informal wedding, it was also a lovely place for a romantic weekend break.

I could go on and on about the delicious food, the crisp white linen, the sumptuos beds, the chic bathrooms etc... but maybe I'll just show you a few more pictures instead and let you make up your own mind.

Roses & Calla lilies

Just back from the wholesalers with flowers for this weekend's wedding this weekend. These will be mixed with rich orange 'Cherry Brandy' roses and Ilex berries.

Grand Prix bouquet

Grand Prix roses for today's bride.

What to wear on your head when you wed is a much debated topic in the world of blogging brides. For me it was a beautiful Butler and Wilson crystal flower hairpiece which I fell in love with and designed my entire wedding "look" around, but rarely have I seen anything with the sheer show-stopping glamour of this stunning vintage inspired piece by Stephanie Browne Australia.

I loved Peony's what to wear on your head post over on A Practical Wedding but I loved her post about why when it came down to it she decided not to wear a veil even more. When wedding planning starts to spiral out of control and you start to obsess about details so much that you lose sight of what matters, sometimes you just have to take a step back and remember what it's all really about.

Autumn country wedding

In a few weeks time I will be doing the flowers for the wedding of Claire and Michael who are getting married at the beautiful Callow Hall in Derbyshire.

Claire has chosen a colour scheme incorporating rich autumnal shades of orange. I'm really excited about some of the ideas we've discussed and can't wait to see how the flowers turn out. Here's a moodboard I put together to work from.

Photo credits
Dress: David Fielden
Venue: Callow Hall
Arrangement of orange and white roses with mango calla lilies by CM Designs
I wasn't able to find the original credit for the calla bridal bouquet. If it's yours please let me know so I can credit you.

Willow wreath

I re-enrolled at college last month to continue my floristry studies with an advanced course focusing on contemporary and European design. For the first few weeks we have been having fun creating willow frames and other structures.

I really enjoyed creating this piece. My aim was to create lots of movement in the design with the overall effect soft, loose and flowing.