Another loves

A new discovery for me has been a section on the Another magazine website. The loves section has contributions by readers of their favourite things and it always has great things on it. It could be a Hermes leica,

an Alexander Wang corseted dress,

this fragrance brief case, which is part of the experience when Francis Kurkdjian creates a bespoke fragrance for you,

a Pierre Marconi Violette chocolate,

a ysl wallet,

or a geodesic dome treehouse by Dustin Feider. Read for yourself here

Modern patchwork

When I designed the Anzu Patchwork range of cards and Cosy candle, aside from being inspired by Indian chintzes, embroidered Chinese silks, Chantilly lace and this picture of Truman Capote below, there were also a couple of companies that really influenced me.

Squint and Bokja both produce modern versions of patchwork. Squint is an English company based in East London, that covers furniture with a mix of English damasks, Japanese kimono silks, and 19th century French trimmings to create a modern twist on patchwork.

They produce chairs, chaise longues, lighting and cushions. Click here to view their website.

Another inspiration was Bokja designs. Bokja is a Lebanese company based in Beirut that uses rich embroidery and sumptuous fabrics from across the region to create truly individual pieces.

Click here to visit their website.

Get cosy!

Continuing from my post on the Anzu cosy candle the other day, and in an attempt to keep warm and cosy, I thought I'd post some of my favourite cosy things. Oyuna has the best cashmere - snuggle under this gorgeous throw or wrap yourself in one of their other cashmere goodies. Click here to visit their website.

I love this Fredrik Hylten-Cavallius 'Piet' indoor stove. It has special fuel so it doesn't need a chimney. If anyone knows where to buy this in the UK, please email me or leave a comment as I love it!

I just bought some cosy Ruby & Red slippers and they're great. Above are their grey cashmere ballerina slippers.

Sneaking into people's offices

photographed by Heidi Slimane

I always think it's interesting to see people's offices/creative spaces and I thought I'd post a few of the ones that had intrigued me the most.

Above is Yves Saint Laurent's desk

A detail of Yves' desk in his bedroom

c). the selby

Model and designer Ines de la Fressange in her pink office in Paris

c). Carl Purcell

Ernest Hemingway's desk in Key West, Florida

c). Domino

Actress Drew Barrymore's inspiration board in her production company 'Flower Films' office

Writer Daphne du Maurier at her desk in Cornwall

c). Vogue

Film director Sophia Coppola's hectic office

Cosy

It's been such miserable weather recently and exactly the kind of weather we had in mind when we worked on designing the Anzu Cosy candle.

Inspired by rainy days when you might snuggle under a patchwork quilt (this one was done by the talented Jane Brocket over at yarnstorm.blogs.com),

curl up on a sofa with a good book (this one is by Squint),

and laze in front of a roaring log fire. The Anzu Cosy candle has warm woody and floral heart notes on a bed of sweet amber and musk lightened with citrus notes of lemon.

We wanted the candle to echo classic English style, and think it would fit perfectly in these cosy English interiors - Chatsworth Library above and the studio in Charleston below.

ANZU IS 10 YEARS OLD !!!!

Yesterday not much work was done in the Anzu office as we had a very small celebration of the 10 year anniversary of Anzu. I can hardly believe it was 10 years ago that I set Anzu up. It was literally in the last century!

I think you can see how happy I am! What started off with me in the sitting room doing every bit of it including packing all the cards myself has ended up being a company with a great team of people and our cards and candles being sold across the world. Thank you to everyone that has made Anzu a success, especially our customers.

It has amazed me over the years how many people have treated me with such affection simply because they like my work. All this, stunning flowers, a delicious lunch, champagne, and Jasmine's home-baked chocolate cake made for a happy, memorable day.

We kept the celebration small as we know that so many of you are busy with the lead up to Christmas, so we decided to celebrate it properly in the New Year at the upcoming trade shows. So keep your eyes open - treats and celebrations ahead! We are excited about the future and have so many new great things planned already that I think the next ten years promise to be truly special.

What happens when the Anzu team tries to set the camera on self-timer mode!

I look forward to continuing the celebration with the rest of the Anzu team shortly, and with our customers in the New Year!

Repurposed suitcases

As you might be able to tell, I am doing a couple of jobs sketching suitcases at the moment and I came across these images.

You could turn your suitcases into a bathroom cabinet or a drinks cabinet (these are from the Vanitycase store on Etsy)

Alifes design

or a sewing case.

The Anzu suitcases card.

Inspiration boards

I love creating inspiration boards and find them so useful when I work. I had these special screens made and I use them all the time. Above are the inspiration boards I used when developing the Anzu range of candles.

A section of the inspiration board for the Anzu Cosy candle - more coming on that next week!

Wes Anderson style

I have been busy painting the last few days, but took some time to re-watch Darjeeling Limited the other night. As you probably know I love Wes Anderson films. I love the eccentricity and humour of his films but most of all I find the style so inspiring. I think these bespoke Louis Vuitton suitcases that they had especially made for the film are fantastic.

So whether it's the clothes and style of the characters (Anjelica Huston is so cool in Life Aquatic),

the quirky and witty illustrations (mostly done by Wes' brother Eric Chase Anderson),

the details in the interiors (such as these butterfly cases in Hotel Chevalier),

the wallpapers in 'The Royal Tenenbaums',

or the signature Futura font that Wes uses in all his films, I just love it all!

New York Times also did a style profile of Wes Anderson in India (see below) or visit here to see it bigger.