Q&A: Caroline Taylor

Caroline Taylor

I love finding out more about the creative people I meet, so I thought I’d start a regular Q&A slot. This month, I’m speaking to Caroline Taylor, editor of 91 magazine (which I blogged about last year) and winner of the Women in Publishing ‘New Venture’ award.

Hi Caroline, thanks for joining us. Can you tell us a bit about who you are you and what you do?

The SS13 issue is out now

I am the founder and owner of Patchwork Harmony, a creative hub for all things interiors, vintage and crafts. This includes the blog I have written since 2008 and the online magazine I launched in 2011; 91 Magazine. I am the editor and art director on the magazine, which focuses on featuring unique homes which have been created on a budget using thrifty finds and handmade items. We also run articles on independent sellers and craftspeople as well as sharing ideas to create a stylish home on a budget yourself. As well as these projects, I also offer editorial services; from writing, picture research, design and consultancy.

Where do you live, and what’s your home like?

I live in Kingston Upon Thames with my fiancé Simon and our cat Claude. Our house is a ground floor Edwardian maisonette, with two bedrooms (one of which is my office), two reception rooms and a small garden. We’ve done a little bit of decorating since we bought it, although we are saving to do some renovations after our wedding this year. It has wooden floors throughout and mainly a pale colour scheme with lots of vintage and thrifty finds scattered around!

If you could buy three things for your home today, what would they be?

A Smeg fridge…

via Citrus & Orange

…a reindeer hide rug…

Natural hide rug £175, Cox & Cox

…and a vintage leather chair…

Vintage leather club chair £750, Rose & Grey

What interiors / design shop could you not live without?

Well I generally shop at markets and vintage fairs, but I also love TK Maxx! You can pick up some great finds for the home there – from Le Crueset kettles, to great storage solutions, like the vintage style wire basket I picked up last week.

What is your top decorating tip?

Don’t try to ‘match’ your interior too much. The most interesting homes are those that are eclectic and full of objects that the owner clearly loves. But to avoid it looking like a jumble sale, select an item or colour in a room and build the rest of your items around it. Colours should complement each other, but don’t be afraid to experiment and change things around often to keep it fresh.

Keep in touch with Caroline…

Twitter: @91magazine / @patchworkhrmy

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/patchworkhrmy/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/patchworkharmony

Website: www.91magazine.co.uk / www.patchworkharmony.co.uk

Pedlars mobile shop

Do you live somewhere between North Wales and London? I have some exciting news for you. If you so wish, the Pedlars mobile shop could be making a stop at your home, school, local pub or wherever else is convenient!

This fantastic gifts and homewares company is inviting customers to contact them if they’d like to book a visit from the renovated 1950s Citroen HY van, which will be stocked with a good selection of Christmas gift items, between 26 and 29 November.

Pedlars is a relatively new discovery for me, but their online store (and beautifully designed catalogue) is packed full of gorgeousness. I particularly love the use of colour in so many of their items:

Folkware dining set (6 dining plates, 6 side plates, 6 bowls) £235, Pedlars

Sophisticated Animals napkin set £39, Pedlars

There’s also a good selection of genuine vintage (as opposed to vintage style) items. These chairs, for example, date back to the 60s and were bought from the Fried Dough Concession of a travelling carnival in the US:

Vintage Carnival folding chairs £39 each, Pedlars

And these Hovis tins were actually once used at the Hovis factory, most likely during the 60s:

Hovis tin £39.50, Pedlars

They’ve also got some cute mugs, and you know how I like mugs:

King Of The Road mug £12, Pedlars

If you do visit the Pedlars mobile store, I’d love to hear what you thought of the experience; just drop me a line in the comments box…

Key cupboard

There are many useful things I could buy for my flat right now. A new, smaller desk would be good. And I need some more Annie Sloan paint for my next project (giving a horrible pine chest of drawers a make over for my new study).

But instead, I find myself drooling over silly things that I don’t need at all but which are SO PRETTY! Sorry, pretty things make me a little effervescent. Pretty things and the enormous amount of work I have on at the moment.

Anyway, this is the gorgeous key cabinet that caught my attention today.

Work In Progress key cupboard £45, Found

I don’t have a spare £45 (and if I did I would put it towards the aforementioned desk and paint) but in my view, featuring something on my blog is the next best thing to buying it.

What do you think?

91 magazine

Photo by James Royall

One thing I love about the internet is the way it allows talented people to share their work with relatively little financial cost.

Would Caroline Taylor (Patchwork Harmony) have been able to successfully launch a paper and ink magazine in today’s climate without serious backing? Probably not. But online? Now that’s a different story.

I discovered 91 magazine earlier this year, and immediately knew I had to be involved. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be part of such a creative team?

Photo by Michelle Young

So I was very pleased when Caroline asked me to write ‘In pursuit of craftiness’, the seller spotlight feature in the summer issue. Check it out on page 14-17.

Photo from Inkkit / Etsy

But don’t stop there. The magazine is packed full of breathtaking images, interesting and entertaining features, and loads of great tips to inspire you in your own home and life in general.

Have a browse and let those creative juices flow.

Photo from Lola’s Room / Etsy

Oh, and don’t forget to take a look at the contributors page and check out their individual blogs and websites. Like I said, there are a lot of talented people out there.

Welcome to my world…

© Rin Simpson 2012

Hello! Thank you so much for stopping by for the launch of Glass Jars & Photographs.

Whether you’re a hard core interiors fan or just like looking at pretty pictures and dreaming, you are most welcome here.

I promise I won’t tell you what to think or what to like. I promise I will avoid words like “must buy” and “latest trend”.

I promise always to keep it real and remember that you’re (probably) not a millionaire or willing to update your whole look each and every season.

Personally, I just want to show you a few things I like, and practice using my new Nikon D3100.

Sometimes I may include a ‘how to’ piece or tutorial. I may feature interviews with people I think are talented and interesting, and I’ll probably have the odd rant.

But I’ll always try to avoid pretensions and posturing. Because I’m not like that, and I don’t think you are either.

So let’s kick off with a few of my favourite things, things that inspire me and that I hope will inspire you too.

Quirky vintage

A) Graham & Green, B) Warbeck & Cox, C) Thornback & Peel

Natural artisan

A) Toast, B) Nordic House, C) John Lewis

English florals

A) Kirsten at Simplyklassichome.com, B) Virginia Graham, C) The Contemporary Home