Gorgeous stair risers

First of all, an apology because we could just as well have called this 'The One With The Bad Photography Part II'. But here's the background...

We saw this lovely staircase at the Edgartown Bookshop in Edgartown, MA on the way to dinner one evening and had to grab a picture then and there because there wasn't going to be a better opportunity!

If you look at their website you can see a much better picture (turns out that good lighting, a decent camera and adequate time does wonders for photography - who knew?).

Anyway,  the idea is that the risers (the parts of the stair that go up, as oppose to the treads, which are the flat bits) are decorated like shelves. Their are piles of books on them and in a variety of suitable fonts are the department titles, like 'travel', 'mystery' and 'historical fiction'. It looks great and is a clever way to decorate a staircase which really dominates the view from the door of the shop.

Inspired by this we checked out Etsy and a search on 'stair decal' or 'stair sticker' brings up a few other ideas such as chevrons, numbers, inspirational sayings and patterns that look like ceramic tiles. There are also some clever people who can custom-make decals for you! But even just painting the risers in a colour that contrasts with the walls or different shades of the same colour could look good too. Lots of possibilities for one of the most used and under-decorated parts of the house!

Meet Luci

Sometimes you come across an object that might not be the prettiest thing ever, but the fact that it is such a good idea and so well designed gives it a charm of its own. And we were charmed by Luci, an inflatable solar lantern.

Deflated

Inflated

Such a simple idea from some some clever people at a company called Mpowered. The motivation behind it is to empower people with affordable light. This means that people all over the world who have no electricity, or whose supply is erratic, can study and work cheaply in a clean, safe environment (no toxic fumes or fire risk from kerosene lanterns).

The lamp can be used with the light source either at the top:

Or at the bottom:

Luci takes 8 hours to charge and should then give 12 hours of light on the lowest setting (there are two, plus a flash function). Unlike a lot of solar lanterns, there is an on and off button, so the energy from a charge is stored if it isn't needed. What you probably can't tell from the pictures (taking pictures in the dark is a job for the professionals - it's hard!) is that the light is enough to illuminate a square metre, so plenty of room to read, study or work. Not to mention that, sadly, light keeps a lot of people safer than the dark.

And those of us lucky enough to have a reliable electricity supply can have a useful and attractive lantern for our decks, patios and outdoor parties. Luci is waterproof, so you can float them in pools and has handles top and bottom for suspension. There is the clear version, which is shown here, or a frosted effect one. And as well as all that good stuff, they are bringing out a colour-changing version, the Luci Aura! There is no release date yet but you can sign up on the web site to be notified.

Mpowered work with all kinds of organisations all over the world to promote solar justice and have a scheme that lets people donate a lantern to those who need it. In the US the lanterns are about $15. You can also buy them in the UK for about £20.

Jonathan Adler - and 10% off!

Look what some lovely friends gave us. (And they really are lovely - not just because they gave us a present!)

These cute bottle stoppers are from Jonathan Adler - an American potter and designer whose company is committed to 'impeccable craftsmanship and irreverent luxury', something we support whole-heartedly. 

There are two Jonathan Adler shops in London selling his wonderful homeware, accessories and gifts. You can also shop online here. In fact, we just checked the website and got the chance to sign up for a 10% discount on our first purchase. That's worth harpooning!

The website also showcases some of the amazing interior design projects that the company has undertaken... read and drool!

Sea Fan

This picture is of a piece of black sea fan, found on the beach. (sea fans are protected under CITES but this is a broken piece that washed up and was left on the beach, so no international treaties were broken in the making of this blog post).

Anyway, we thought the pattern was fascinating (we do some of our best thinking after a lunchtime mojito...) Strangely for something found on the coast in summer, it looks like bare trees in winter. And the pattern and colour would be ideal for the new bedroom curtains we are planning - so if you know of any cream and black fabric with a pattern like this, please let us know!