Love this picture..

YSL, say no more.

Rugs outside

I have always liked Yves Saint Laurent's style in interiors, and I just love the idea of this lounge area with rugs, boungainvillea, big cushions, plates of treats and palms. Even if you don't live in Morocco what better idea for an English lawn on a sunny day?

Add some lanterns and a projector and you've got an outside movie theatre,

or just a great place to read,

or a path to a boat on the sea.

Or if you can't quite escape sitting in an armchair you could get these chairs from Tonio de Roover.

Images: Ysl villa Marrakech 1980, via unknown, via unknown, via rug rabbit, Tonio de Roover

Neon

When it's grey outside (in June!), what better to brighten your life than a touch of Neon. Neon lipsticks,

neon cards from our Anzu Patent card range,

neon satchels from the Cambridge satchel company,

and neon dresses (Michael Kors, Christopher Kane and Lanvin) as featured on Vogue.com

Images: via so much to tell you, Anzu, Cambridge satchel, Vogue

Igtham Mote

Over the weekend, I went to Igtham Mote. The moat house dates from the 14th century and was gradually added to over the centuries.

I only had my friend's iphone to use so sorry for the grainy pictures. The gardens surrounding the moat looked beautiful even in the rain.

What I liked about the house was the combination of 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries with 1930-50s touches. You could just imagine Jeeves and Wooster or Miss Marple being filmed there! I also liked it because it was a house that where you could have a relaxed lifestyle - playing billiards in the billiard room,

playing cards, lounging in the sitting room sipping a martini,

or reading in the library.

There were some lovely details too - the stunning Chinese wallpaper that had been carefully restored,

the ship silhouetted against the leaded windows,

or the cacophony of blue in the gardens.

Images: Telegraph, all others Anzu

Some ideas for Father's Day

What Dad doesn't want their kid to think they are superman? Send the Anzu Super hero card from our Men's range.

The perfect accompaniment to this would of course be a vintage comic. To buy your copy of 1960s classic Eagle and more click here

Most Dads love a beer, and this kit means you can make your own. It must be my Dad coming out in me, that I actually want one of these too!

And rather appropriately for guys, you can throw a rosy cheeked blonde into the mix! Available from www.brooklynbrewshop.com If you're outside of the States, there are similar kits available on Amazon but you might still want to buy the mixes which range from Tea and toast to Grapefruit Honey Ale to Chocolate Maple Porter.

Alternatively if your Dad loves beer but is more of a couch potato, you could create a beer taster set and put a mix of gourmet beers in a crate for him to sample.

A simple box filled with helium balloons - such a happy simple idea that I discovered on the Happydayblog and that would be a perfect idea for anyone really.

This man-eating piranha is a bit more of a weird idea, but very James Bond and is available from www.theevolutionstore.com

If you have little ones who want to create something special for their Dad, what better idea than to do just a fun breakfast in bed.

Or alternatively cook some of Daddy's favourite biscuits and put them in one of these Martha Stewart boxes. I remember cooking my Grandad's favourite Brandy snaps for him as a child and it being great fun and him really enjoying them (or at least pretending to!).

The recipe for these rather fancy ones filled with hazlenut cream (yum) comes from here

Images: Anzu card, comic-magazines.co.uk, brooklynbrewshop.com, brooklynbrewshop.com, via the indigobuntingblogspot.com, via ohhappyday.com, theevolutionstore.com, Safeway, Martha Stewart, BBC

A little silliness!

We have been listening to Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter whilst we work in the office, and then Saffiah sent these personality quizzes round, so if you want to see what character you would be click here and what house you'd be in click here!

We were a mix of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, Ron and Hermiones but only one Harry - Ben our graphic designer!!

Anzu Times Article

click for full size

click for full size

click for full size

Some clothes I wish I was wearing to work..

The pile of pearl bracelets, the shoes, the red bag...

just a great silhouette topped by silver pumps, amazingly from 1944

Mary Jane shoes, tie, and gingham shirt as worn by Vanessa Redgrave in one of my favourite films, Antonioni's Blowup 1966.

Images: unknown, Vogue March 1944, Blowup

Anzu in the Times!

It was very exciting popping to the newsagents this morning to get copies of the Times today, knowing that my flat and lots about Anzu would be in it!

The whole experience was a pleasure from beginning to end. Before the shoot, I was a little nervous not knowing if I'd 'prepared' the flat correctly, but all was surprisingly easy and fun. The Times team were really lovely people - very good at what they do, whilst also being really down to earth and easy to get along with.

So pop to the shops and get your copy today! I'll write more about it next week!

Anzu at Pulse, 2011

Anzu is packing it's bags and will be exhibiting at

Pulse, Stand H46

Earls Court

London

Sunday 5th June - Tuesday 7th June

So hop in a cab, on a train, or in a submarine and come and pay us a visit. Sadly it's trade only.

Unexpected..

I love the contrast in exhibitions where modern art or objects are placed in grand, traditional and stunning venues. It keeps institutions alive whilst giving the modern art gravitas. I'm posting rather late on this I know, but I loved the look of the Murakami exhibition at Versailles.

And I really really want to see the exhibition of 1930s fashion designer Gres at the Musee Bourdelle in Paris. My Aunt who is not normally into such things says its beautiful and judging from the picture below it looks very elegant. I've got until July 24th though so..

And these Venini lamps add a touch of humour at the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi Milan.

Images: via Flavourwire.com, Designmilk.com, Missonimedia.com, Musee Bourdelle Spanish Elle