When we heard that the Hadleigh Ram (just five minutes from our showroom and workshop) was being renovated by the family behind The Long Melford Swan we knew we were to expect something rather special, and we certainly haven’t been disappointed.

We nipped down (in the interests of our blog readers of course!) to meet Lorna Macmillan and find out a bit more about why the style and look of this new restaurant and bar is causing such excitement locally.

Why did you feel Hadleigh was a good spot to choose for your next venture ?

We love the history and location of the Swan in Long Melford and were looking for somewhere that had a similar feel. Hadleigh is a great little market town and we really felt there was an opportunity to introduce a new restaurant and bar here.

There was quite a stir in the showroom last week as the famous choreographer and TV star Louie Spence dropped by to pick up some lampshades.

Every month we have a good look through all of the gorgeous interiors magazines (its a tough job but someone has to do it!) and love to see if we can spot our products in print. Recently we spotted some of our Fulbourn Pendants in an advert for Hill Farm in the Aga Living magazine. Hill Farm are a lovely company who make bespoke kitchens and furniture – unique items that are as individual as the people whose homes they are created for.

We were delighted to spot our Fulbourn Pendants in this lovely kitchen. We think they really compliment the room, adding a contemporary clean finish whilst also remaining rustically elegant. The pendants are pictured here in our matt black finish and are made from forged iron with a glass shade. The fluted glass of this pendant produces beautiful patterned lighting when switched on, adding a silky ambience to the room. They are a perfect addition to any kitchen island or table. However they are not just suited to a kitchen, they can be used anywhere in your home.

Marking its centenary year, Chelsea Flower Show 2013 certainly didn’t disappoint. With the world’s eyes on this tiny 11 acre site in West London, our visit to Chelsea was an assault on the senses. With 150,000 visitors through the gates over 5 days, there was no doubt that it is still the mecca for plant and garden lovers! From heady scents to vivid blooms there was no end of inspiration for your home, surrounded by such fantastic colors. I came back to Suffolk full of plans for filling my rooms with floral patterns. Here are some of the highlights from this year’s show, and some choices for fabrics and soft furnishings that may help you bring a little bit of Chelsea magic home with you!

We have a winner !
We had some fantastic responses to our question of where would you put our Samworth Glass Oil Lamp.

Here’s a few of our spring favourites from our range to inspire you this Easter.

The lovely duck egg blue Barbican pendant is a wonderful spring colour. The soft tone of blue could really lighten the mood of a room and would look delicious hanging over the breakfast table or highlighting your favourite picture frame in the living room.

As soon as I saw the Cole and Son Birch wall paper I knew we had found a seriously stylish couple of local florists.

Lovely Jane (pictured here) and Libby listened to all my slightly mad thoughts for the spring mini brochure and then got to work suggesting some rather cool ideas.

One of my real favorites was definitely the gold fish bowl of tulips (brilliant Libby!)

With the plans for the shoot all in place, the following Thursday I took the trusty Volvo round to their shop in Ipswich and completely filled it to the gunnels with all manner of spring gorgeousness.

We headed down to the Design Centre at Chelsea harbour yesterday for the London Design Week. Full of ideas , trends for 2013 and a amazing style inspiration, Chelsea harbour is always a fantastic place to visit for anyone with an interest in interior design .

The harbour was looking particularly lovely this week bursting with of hyacinths and cheery blossom it really felt like spring had arrived.

We enjoyed a great masterclass in choosing the perfect capsule collection for your home, from some leading lights in design : the renowned Allegra Hicks (who was completely glamorous) , lovely Marianne Cotteral (who was v cool and stylish) and Elenoara Cunietti (who we all agreed would be a great person to go for a glass of wine with).

We then spent a very entertaining hour listening to the brilliant Shaun Clarkson, whose bold colours and design can be seen in many of London’s hottest bars and restaurants, as well as his work with for private clients. He has an infectious laugh and brought a real sense of fun to his talk about his work in design.

Wishing the Jim Lawrence team huge luck today as two of our team take their beautiful dogs to Crufts . They are champions to us already – lets hope the judges agree! Firstly huge luck to Julie Green , one of the talented team of seamstresses who is showing her stunning border terrier ’Stowthorney Swinging Sam’ (Sam).

When she’s not creating beautiful handmade lampshades here at Jim Lawrence, Julie has been working hard to get Sam to show standard.

Things have started well – he’s qualified every year he’s been entered for Crufts so far, but up against 307 other Borders today lets just hope he shows the judges his best side. This could be Sam’s year.

A great treat for any stylish mother this March,  from our range of handmade home furnishings that we think would make a rather sweet gift this Mother’s Day…

Top of the list has to be our new Samworth Oil Lamp. Released just this week, this beautiful little glass oil lamp is just the perfect Mother’s Day gift . The antiqued brass topper gives this oil lamp an old fashioned charm and the delicate hand-blown glass base is reminiscent of a vintage perfume bottle. It will certainly bring style and sparkle to your table this Sunday.