Sunday, April 3, 2011

Brittania Love

With the royal wedding only a few weeks off, I feel like we're seeing a ton of British design and influence in the media.  Have you noticed it too?  I have such vivid memories of Princess Di coming to my hometown wayyy back in 1986.  I waited all day long to see her , get a glimpse of her and hand her a bouquet of flowers.  I can still picture her face from that day... she really did look like a real live princess!  I was totally overwhelmed, my Mom saying to me "Lindsay, are you OK?  You look like you've seen a ghost!"  Nope, no ghost, just a princess.  Let's just say I've always been prone to the dramatics! :o)

With all the talk of the upcoming royal wedding, it's got me thinking about England.  Many years later, I went to a decorative arts school in London and have spent a good chunk of time there, so it feels very close to my heart.  It is a country of contrasts, so quiet and calm in the sprawling countryside and so loud, vibrant, intense in the cities.  

I've put together some images that I think of, when I think of England.  Of course, I have to include a couple of my current favourite designers like the fabulous, Tricia Guild  of Designers Guild and Rachel Ashwell of Shabby Chic.  I'm loving the way Vivienne Westwood has used the  Union Jack in a series of textiles as of late.  And of course, a post about design in England would be a non starter if I didn't mention the founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris.  A true Renaissance man in every sense of the word.  His stunning Tree of Life tapestry is my favourite.  

I'll be setting my alarm to watch the Royal Wedding live, just like I did all those years ago.  Will you?
 
ctv
pbase

ezaiigirlish

trivago

william morris tile





beijing today

something shiny moved

cloud 9

living etc

woman-hood
lonny mag


chocolate-fish


shades of cream

 
swap

belle maison


vogue

care hire x












14 comments:

  1. cute ... I loved the background on the Keep calm and carry on. Soooo british :)

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  2. I love the Union Jack picture above the credenza, just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the origin of Keep calm and carry on, I see these signs everywhere. Now I know where it came from!

    Sherry

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  3. Those are perfect images, I love them all.

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  4. Yes, I am going to set my watch! I remember vividly stay up to the wee hours to watch Lady Di marry Prince Charles, I think I was 10? Anyway, I am still a girl at heart and this is going to be one wedding to watch!

    I love all your images, my fav is the Liberty store, the architecture of that whole street is fantastic, loved browsing that store when we visited last. Didn't buy anything because it was soooo expensive {this was when Cdn $$ was so low} but loved taking it all in!

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  5. I am so excited to watch the royal wedding! I can't wait to see what she wears!

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  6. Thanks for stopping by, I also remember watching Princess Di on her special day, what an impression it made! Love all your British images, 30 years ago when I was in London, I read a sign that said
    "Come home America, all is forgiven" It still makes me chuckle.
    JOY!

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  7. Thanks for your kind words Lindsay! I actually saw Princess Di in Sydney when I was around 14yrs and she was absolutely beautiful, I almost shook her hand but got elbowed out of the way by some eager grannies :-)

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  8. Thanks for sharing this lovely brit feeling with us. I found you through BYW and really like your blog...
    Ever since I visited Cornwall and Devon last year I'm so in love with everything british and my Mom is a fan of all royal weddings. So on the 29th we will definitely be watching and dreaming away...

    Tesca@wohnwasabi

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  9. Hi, Lindsay and Cristina. Thanks so much for dropping by my blog and commenting on the violet and green kitchen remodel. It was a fun project, for sure!

    This is such a fun collection of images. I love that version of the Keep Calm poster. :)

    Looking forward to seeing all the wedding hoopla! I'm sure it'll be gorgeous.

    Thanks again! So nice to *see* new faces.

    Kelly

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  10. I've never been to England, but I'm suddenly feeling very British :-) Love the "fake the accent" art :-) Love the room from Livingetc and the rendering of the pink sofa.

    I'm not so much into the whole William & Kate hoopla, so I won't be getting up early to watch their wedding. I'm sure I'll see plenty of stories about it after the fact!

    {You don't hate me now, do you?!}

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  11. I loved Princess Di when I was a little girl, so yes, I definitely plan on watching it. I feel like I grew up watching her little boy become a man. I only wish she see him get married.

    P.S. I awarded you two lovely ladies with A Lovely Blog Award

    Have a beautiful Weekend. (You can grab the icon off of the post)

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  12. Love the images you chose to show here. I'm extra in love with England these days because I'll be attending an art retreat there in a few weeks--so excited! I'll be spending a few days in London (first time ever) and then heading to York for the retreat. Yay.

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  13. I am so excited for the wedding too! I can't wait to watch it on TV. Love all your photos here!

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  14. Hi! Can't wait for that wedding!!! Love your blog and the last pink post was gorgeous!!! Hope you're enjoying this Sunday!

    Kristin xo

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