Vertical gardening in a small city garden

The only thing, in my mind, that can compare to a lovely picnic on a hot summer's day, is to be outside gardening. Having long ago decided that one of my life's aims is to grow my own fruit and vegetables, I took the matter in hand this year and tried to create a vertical allotment in my tiny city garden patio. Outdoor space is at a premium in London and I'm lucky to have a garden at all. This year I'm trying to grow: lettuce, beans, spinach, peas, peppers, yellow courgettes, green courgettes, three types of tomato and pumpkins. I'm also growing strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, redcurrants, gooseberries and blueberries. I wanted to show that it's possible to eat well in the summer from your own garden, however small it might be. I bought a set of outdoor shelving and used it to maximise my space by stacking the pots vertically. Watch this space for progress - so far only the courgettes, beans, strawberries and blueberries are really growing fast but I'm hoping that'll change! Everyone should grow vegetables, it's good for the soul!

Cloth candlesticks

I'm just potty (ahem) about these beautiful new ceramic candlesticks from Portuguese designers Goncalo Campos and Maria Bruno Néo. They have come up with a collection of candle holders in porcelain, made in a very unusual way, called Pano (the Portuguese word for cloth). They've cleverly dipped fabric in ceramic. They use cotton fabric as the temporary structure to hold the porcelain and at the end of the process the fabric is burnt away remaining only the delicate porcelain. By using the fabric rather than a mould, they make totally unique pieces. I want, I want, I want!

Another habitat vanishes..

...but this time it's nothing to do with wildlife. Habitat has just confirmed that the chain has been sold and all stores nationwide except the three London stores will be closing. Habitat has struggled financially for years now: although the concept of fresh and unusual design was completely unique to the British high street upon launch in the 80s, mass copies have undercut them in price (although not quality). I'll be sorry to see it disappear but I have to admit to a feeling of vulture-like excitement that's making me feel disgusted with myself. Voila, my shopping list for the "closing down sale"...
Marcel Li coat rack (£150)
Terracotta chicken brick (£30)
Tivoli tagine (£22)
Two of these "Tiffany" breakfast in bed trays (£22)

Perle light fitting (£30)
Emmanuelle pendant light (£50)

Adventures in glass

Check out this rather unusual cake stand by Portuguese designer Catarina Carreiras, doesn't it look fluid? I also love the "optical wand" catching china dragonflies in a glass bubble. They both look extremely fragile - not the kind of thing you'd want to leave lying around on a table top - but for all that they're extremely original.

Styling in the garden

So it turns out that this styling lark is a lot harder than it looks. Not only do you need the right light and the right background (small city gardens with a vertical allotment being annexed by the snails are less perfect than I originally thought). So here is my first attempt at being a homewares stylist, what do you think? Any hints and tips gratefully received! This is all in aid of a very exciting Portuguese project that I can't wait to tell you about, watch this space!

The (chalk) writing on the wall

We've got a problem. It's a large, ugly, boiler-shaped problem. I'm going to box it in and paint the front with blackboard paint so that we've got somewhere to put the shopping list. I'm deliberating whether to try for something a little more impressive like some of these rooms, what do you think?

Photos via Daring Ideas, Sense and simplicity and Hey, Lady Grey

A frame within a frame - or how to paint a rented apartment

I really like the way that white walls are brightened up by double framing prints and painting the backgrounds different colours. It'd work brilliantly with modern monochrome prints and if you used the backboard of the largest frame to mount the smaller ones upon, it'd be a brilliant way to add colour to white walls in a rented flat. This example is taken from the Portuguese rental company The Lisbonaire.

Steel mousse

Stainless steel furniture can be so cold and clinical but there's something warm about this beautifully bubbly table and sideboard made by Portuguese artisans Riluc. It's the perfect roundness of the circles on the top that just beg you to draw your fingers over them.

Bye, bye birdie

Everyone has a favourite place in their house. Mine is certainly my garden but on days like today, when it's pouring with rain (unseasonable in June everywhere but in the UK), it's got to be this part of my bedroom. The picture is one that I took of a dancing otter in Cornwall and the candlesticks were a gift from my sister. I'm going to have to remove the bird sticker before I leave this apartment so I wanted to share my favourite nook with you before I do so.