Decorate the Jasmine Way!

These gorgeous home accessories pictured have been chosen from the wide selection on offer at Jasmine Way.  I came across this small, family-run online business on social networking site Twitter a few days ago- its such a great place to network and make new friends!

Loving these pretty, vintage-style trays, complete with side handles for the less-steady handed of us!!

This willow shopping trolley is soooo stylish and makes life just that little bit easier when trawling around the shops.  And the design is so up-to-date (not an elderly lady in sight!!).

A great way to store keys so you’re not searching every morning!

Jasmine Way sources its home accessories and decor from continental Europe, with the main focus being on French design.  Isn’t it lovely?

A special mention goes to Jude, the ‘company cat’, who has been assigned to the position of Chief Box Inspector, along with part-time model.  I wonder how he and Coco would get along?!

posted by Emily

Nuts for Nina Campbell

Nina Campbell, the world-renowned interior designer, is know for her beautiful interiors, as well as for her collection of fabrics, wallpapers, accessories, carpets and home fragrance. Luxury, practicality and a sense of wit remain paramount in all of Nina’s sought-after collections.

damask fabric, price on request

butterfly napkin rings, £8 each

blankets, from £135 each

Wilbur chair, price on request

heart breakfast cup and saucer, £95

posted by Emily

The world made more beautiful… by Lucyina Moodie

I heard of UK interior stylist Lucyina Moodie a few days ago via Holly Becker (of fab US home decor blog Decor8). As I’d never come across her before, I thought I’d take a look at her website and OMG her work is AMAZING… and the thing that strikes me the most is that she can complete any kind of style equally successfully. Lucyina has also recently started working as an interior designer which isn’t at all surprising really – she just has the touch, doesn’t she? Here are some of the shots she’s styled…

My 60 seconds of fame!

I discovered this great UK blog the other day – This Home Sweet Home, so I wrote to the owner Samantha to introduce Coco Målé and hopefully get some editorial coverage. More often than not, I’m completely ignored by the press and bloggers alike, so I was over the moon when she asked to do an interview of me!!! So if you want to learn a little bit more about me, here it is… enjoy!

Over the last couple of years you have been a very busy lady, can you tell us the reason for moving from investment banking to starting your own home and accessories website coco male?
It was a combination of things – boredom with what I was doing (as I’d been doing it for 7 years by then), I was unhappy with the environment and the people in general as it was becoming more and more money- orientated (and consequently less ethical) and my entrepreneurial gene was tugging at me relentlessly to do something on my own!!

What’s your own personal style when it comes to the interiors of your home?
My favourite look is undoubtedly the ethnic look, but like Coco Målé, I don’t have just one style. My living room is a mix of Far East/ Moroccan style, while my bedroom is Scandy chic style in sea blue and white!

The website sells unique products from around the world, have you done lots of travelling, and if so where is your favourite place and why
To be honest, I really don’t have as much time as I’d like to go travelling (when I started I thought I’d be spending 6 months a year in Asia!), but yes I have been fortunate enough to visit quite a few lovely places around the world… Two of my favourite places are Rome – it combines history, with great food and shopping, and New York (of course!), but for product sourcing, Asia and Africa are my key destinations. My most recent trips were to Marrakesh, Kenya and Zanzibar and we have another trip to Vietnam coming up in the Fall.

In your blog you mention your family a little, have they been an influencing factor with regards moving into interiors?
No, the contrary in fact. Most members of my family are involved in interiors in one way or another so I guess I got the bug from them, but they really really didn’t want me to go down that route and convinced me to study economics instead of architecture at university… So as you can imagine, they were horrified when I announced I was leaving banking!

Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding, I see from your blog that your fiance is keen for you to have a relaxing honeymoon (no working!), are you always on the look out for items while you are away to add to the website?
Yes, everywhere I go and I have to contain myself at times not to spend all the company’s cash!!! I’m always on the lookout for things, even if it’s not for buying purposes – I go to competitors’ shops to see what they’re selling, check out what kind of décor restaurants or hotels have and browse the Internet for hours on end…

When you get time to relax what do you like to do?
I like being outdoor as much as possible, so I spend a lot of time in London’s parks, with Coco of course, usually playing fetch or chase on my rollerblades, something I would definitely miss if I ever returned to Greece. I also go to many aerobics and yoga classes (need to shift some pounds before the wedding) and as a typical Greek, I love cooking and eating!!!

You are originally from Greece, do you miss it?
I’ve been in London for nearly 11 years now, most of my adult life, so in many ways I’m more of a Londoner than an Athenian, but I do miss my family and the food and it is that much harder in the summer when I go back home and my friends are all super tanned! My dad always makes fun of me and says my arms are like loaves of bread (white, not wholemeal bread that is)!!

What has been some of the highs and lows of setting up in business, and have you got any tips for people thinking of changing career direction?
The highs are every time we get a lovely email from a customer saying they were delighted with their purchase or when we get a mention in a major glossy and of course the fact that I can be with little Coco 24/7!

The lows – where do I start?! Not receiving any orders at all in the first few days even though 53 people visited the site (I hadn’t heard of conversion ratios back then!); sending e-mail upon e-mail to the press only to be ignored; managing to finally get a product placement in a major newspaper only to find out that the specific product has just been discontinued by the manufacturer (Murphy’s law); rude customers who claim they never received their parcel when we clearly have their signature; or customers giving us a bad review because they tried to call us once at 5.50pm and we were already closed (as opposed to 6pm – yes, we do have some of those unfortunately)…

I am a firm believer that one should always do what the heart says, but I would advise people to really think it through properly before making a career move, to be prepared for a lot (and I mean a lot) of hard work, practically no income in the first few years and to remember that all jobs have their problems – the grass is not always greener on the other side. Also, for anyone thinking of running their own business, I have 3 words: self-motivation, persistence and patience.

The products for the website are sourced from developing and third world countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Swaziland, Morocco and you also have fair trade, Eco- friendly and recycled products, why is this and do you think it is important to support and provide fair trade, and Eco friendly products.
Not all our products are fair trade or eco-friendly and I don’t select products solely on that basis, but yes I do make a conscious effort to source as many of these as possible. I think the world, including myself, has come to realise that it’s just not ok to satisfy our consumerism to the detriment of the environment or young children being exploited and it is worth it to pay that bit extra to ensure this. I’m also a big fan of handmade items and good old craftsmanship, which is why most of our products are sourced from countries like Indonesia and Swaziland and not China for example…

and finally your little Yorkie dog is called Coco, is the website named in his honour?
I had the concept and name for the website before I got Coco (although the website was officially launched later on) so it’s actually the other way round!! But it’s funny because people always think it’s pronounced coco male (mail) and so think I’ve named the company after Coco who is a male dog!!