The weather may have given us a gorgeously hot summer for a change, but if you’ve been busy working the likelihood is that you haven’t actually had a chance to visit the glorious seaside towns this country has to offer. As we’ve had some beautiful coastal-inspired fabrics made up for summer we thought we would give you some tips on how to inject a touch of coastal charm and summer into your own home…

Add a touch of French Riviera chic to your furniture for sophisticated summer evenings out on the decking with subtle neutral colours and delicately illustrated fabrics. We particularly love the Ocean Printed Cotton and Sailboat Printed Cotton here at Jim Lawrence that can be made up into different size cushions, and other soft furnishings.

From work surfaces to islands and sinks we all have areas in the kitchen that could do with some more targeted lighting. A stylish and functional solution to this is using flexible spotlights to really pick out and boost the lighting in specific areas within your kitchen.

Finding a home for the ever growing additions to my household is a constant struggle. I have trawled the internet for ideas that help in arranging, organising and tidying. I have put together a list of some of the most interesting, pretty and practical ideas I have found to make your life a little easier.

A Beautiful Collection of Fabric Notice Boards

These stylish fabric notice boards are a great organisational tool for tidying away all those important pieces of paper we all have lying around. They are a relatively inexpensive way to add instant structure to a room and can be made to match the décor with any fabric.

Take advantage of a bright spring day to get your home sparkling fresh and clean for the summer.

Let’s get the hard work out-of-the-way first! Nothing is going to make more impact in your kitchen than a really good scrub and clean. It’s amazing what a bucket of hot soapy water and a bit of elbow grease can achieve. It’s a really good time to overhaul often forgotten parts of your kitchen; lightly washing down your paint work and kitchen cupboard doors, for example, instantly freshen up your kitchen.

Over time polished brass knobs and handles in your kitchen can become tarnished with grease and finger prints.

Schoolhouse Drawer Pull

There are many dedicated brass cleaning products on the market, but a great natural way to restore their shine is to firstly wash them with warm soapy water, and then create your own gentle cleaning solution. Mix two tablespoons of salt and white wine vinegar with a pint of hot water and allow to cool slightly . Apply this mixture to your brass wear with a clean damp cloth. This should remove more stubborn stains and marks and reveal the sparking beauty of this stunning metal once more…

One of the big trends in interiors this summer is decorating with natural history inspired insect motifs and here at Jim Lawrence we have several beautiful examples.

Beetles and butterflies run riot on this wonderful cylinder shade in our quirky Entomology fabric. The shade has been created using our Lampshade Builder, where you can use our simple step by step guide choosing from a multitude of shapes, sizes and fabrics to create your perfect shade.

Imagine yourself in a summer meadow as you dry the dishes with this tea towel in Charcoal Octavia. The interwoven leaves and butterflies in this charming 30’s inspired print will bring the outdoors right into your kitchen. Any of our full range of fabrics can be made into a beautiful tea towel, please see our fabrics to choose which one will fit in with your kitchen designs.

Adding splashes of colour with beautifully bold butterflies

New Cranfield Spot Light – 8.40W x 10.50H x 8.40D (cm)   Priced from £38.90

​We love to keep you updated on the new additions to the Jim Lawrence range. We have selected a few of our favourites for you to see here. The new Cranfield spot light makes the perfect task lighting. This spot light is designed to go on the ceiling and looks beautiful over a side board or sink in the kitchen. A great little spot light to highlight an area of a room in a hard to reach spot. The spot light is shown here in Nickel but is also available in the more traditional antiqued brass, as well as matt black, polished and plain ivory.

​It is beginning to get colder and the darker evenings are setting in. It is the time of year when i look around my home and want to redecorate everything in sight. I never have the funds or the time to take on such a mammoth project so I found a way in which you can cheat and give your room a new look in a simple but effective way…just add a bold splash of colur!

It is a great way to brighten your room and bring out any subtle accents of colour that already exist in your design. You could accomplish this by painting one of the walls of your room, however I prefer to choose a few carefully selected items to give the same feel.

Changing the colour of the light in the room could be one of those items. The Barbican pendants are a great example of bright and bold lights that inject colour into a room.

Add That Splash of Colour with the Barbican pendants

My name is Emily and I’m currently doing two weeks of work experience at Jim Lawrence. I’ve been based in the marketing department with Cassie and Emily. I was really excited to have the opportunity to write a blog for the website on something that interests me, as I couldn’t believe all the  lampshades at Jim Lawrence are handmade in the workshop, meaning every one is individual and personal. When you hear the word handmade, it doesn’t mean as much as when you’re able to actually see the product being made, as I was able to.

I really think there is nothing more lovely than all gathering round an open fire as these winter evening draw in. But, with a wealth of fireside products available, how do make sure your fire side stays sleek and tidy?