Chores that aren't a bore

Don't you hate it when you have what you think is a great idea, you lazily sit on it, and then discover someone else has had that very same idea except they've got off their fine rears and made it happen? Well let that be a lesson for 2012; less talk, more action I say.

And so this "great idea" has arisen locally on our oh so pretty High Street in my lovely town of Old Hastings. Introducing to you the A.G. Hendy & Co. Home Store. If you love Labour and Wait in Shoreditch, you will be salivating in this store. For here we have many floors of functional products in rooms that tell you a story and have you fascinated by its Victorian dilapidated charm.

Brooms and brushes galore, chores are certainly no bore in this store. I personally would like one of everything please - purely for display, none of this cleaning malarkey.

This store is a welcome addition to the old town and a must-visit for our visiting friends. So if you're in town, add this to your list!

A.G. Hendy & Co. Home Store, 36 High Street, Hastings Old Town, TN34 3ER

I like a good nose

I don't know about you but I love looking round other people's houses. In particular creative people's homes. I find it fascinating seeing how other people live, other people's passions and comforts. Which is why I love the work of Todd Selby, a New York based photographer who takes photographs of very interesting people in their homes. Be them candid or incredibly contrived, they are an insight into that person and who they are. Here's some shots chez Monsieur Starck who, I will quite happily admit, is on my celebrity cheat sheet! I think it's the French accent.

Anyway, I digress. Getting back to nosing at other people's homes. Local to me photographer: Daniela Exley takes beautiful captures of interesting people's homes in Hastings and St Leonards and one of her recent visits was to the home of artists Peter Quinnell and Claire Fletcher. Owning many prints by Claire and having been taught by Peter, it's fascinating to look at their trinkets of inspiration and see their living arrangements are as pretty and sugar coated as Claire's illustrations.

I love eclectic interiors that represent their owners and tell a story. Once I finish getting my house together, maybe I'll treat you to a nose chez moi. x

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner

London home accessories always catch my eye. I have a growing collection of London gems to remind me of the city I grew up in and still miss to this day (as happy as I am on the south coast).

Loving the above: The London globe from John Lewis (other cities also available - see link) and this dear little lampshade by the inspiring Charlene Mullen.

Source: Living Etc, Dec 2010