High Street Heroes
A monthly perusal of High Street seasonal newness to find my Top 12 lustworthy items to add to your home ASAP this June.
This month, I have, for me, been very restrained with my purchasing. Usually, I am tempted to pop something in the basket but no, I have held back (this is a slight lie - I did actually invest in a pair of Marant sandals for the summer but they don’t count as homeware). I don’t know how long this restraint will last. If my husband Joe had his way, then it would be indefinitely. Due to the fact that our mortgage rate is about to end, he has been accosting me with shouts of ‘DON’T SPEND ANYTHING!’ daily, has insisted that I now use the knackered and under used treadmill for free rather than go to the gym and worse, has started limiting takeaways, an action that has impacted the entire family in an embarrassingly First World type of way. He’s also started going through bank statements to work out where we can save money and bombarding the family WhatsApp with questions. ‘When did anyone last watch Britbox? Why are we paying for art on the TV? Microsoft £3.99? Apple £10.99? Who’s signed up to The Postcode Lottery?’. It’s endless.
Another victim of the mortgage hike has been Buddy’s dog walker, whom he has had for seven years. There is a reason that he has always had a walker and it’s not because I myself am incapable of walking, just to confirm. Buddy is a twelve year old Lhasa Apso and will not consider putting one paw in front of another unless he is walking in a pack with other dogs. EVER. He lulls you into a false sense of security by pretending that he does want to go for a walk but within five minutes, he sits down and will only be a) scraped along on his bottom which looks, to outsiders, tantamount to dog abuse, or b) carried. I broke the news to Jacqui, expecting her to be at the very least slightly miffed, but no. She couldn’t wait to renounce the least rewarding task in the world of dragging Buddy about. I even tried to give her a months notice but she declined. ‘He’s never really liked walking, has he?’ I said to her. ‘No, never’ she replied.
Anyway, on the positive side, my monthly foray on to the High Street floors has revealed that the majority of the retailers appear to be on Sale, with plenty of excellent bargains to be had. And even better, there is also some excellent newness gracing the shelves that is well worth a peruse. Had I been in a position to add to bag, my first stop would undoubtedly been Zara Home which has so much interior decor beauty going on at the moment that they are almost giving me palpitations. Here’s my monthly round up of the best of the best.
1. Fringed Linen Blend Cushion Cover, H&M Home £14.99
Big fan of this fringing and tones of this excellent cushion cover - a good, easy update for the sofa which would also work well outside on the garden furniture. If it ever stop raining, that is.
2. Engraved Wooden Tray, Zara Home from £19.99
There is SO MUCH that I am here for in Zara Home at the moment, but these wooden serving platters are a winner. A nice contrast alongside your usual ceramic tableware - the engraving adds all the texture.
3. Pair of Burford Garden Chairs, John Lewis £599
Rattan garden chairs, but take it up a level and make it look super cool. These woven chairs are beautiful to look at and would work equally well in a garden room or conservatory.
4. Long Wooden Serving Board, Dunelm £10
Astonishingly this black wooden serving board is almost half a metre long making it an excellent buy. Tapas, cheese, bread, all the summer necessities - this is ideal whether it’s drinks in the sun or a casual dinner.
5. Coffee Cups x 4 by Sebastian Conran, Habitat £15
This simple and effective design has the look of a future Habitat classic - the white with the pop of red is a statement in itself. This style also comes in a set of two mugs for a bargain £8. Habitat are totally nailing it at the moment.
6. Patterned Plate, Sostrene Grene £3.30
This pretty 22cm plate is big enough for casual dinners and could easily be mixed and matched with what you’ve already got - perfect for summer dining. There’s also a matching bowl if you wanted to layer it up.
7. Speckled Wine Glasses, Marks & Spencer £16
These beauties will create a feature even on the most neutral of table settings - they also come in orange for a summery colour pop. Love these neutral tones, though, and a good size too.
8. Ginny Table Runner, Anthropologie £56
Gingham always works well with other pattern and this table runner (230cm) has contrasting piping. It comes in four colours, including lilac - very much like the look of this against the wooden table.
9. Danton Fringed Fluffy Wool Rug, Oliver Bonas £225
Super cosy and super deep pile, the soft earthy colours in this rug are a dream. Like the H&M cushion, fringing here rather than scallops and I am totally here for it. Comes in two sizes.
10. Dou Table Lamp, Heals £114
There’s lots on Sale at the moment at Heals - this excellent rattan ferm living lamp is a good buy and a nice reduction.
11. Aluminium Vase, Mango Home from £35.99
LOVE these metallic vases. Nice and textural and the asymmetric rims would look amazing either as a decorative object alone or with flowers within.
12. Tealight Holders, IKEA £5
This duo is from the TESAMANNS collection which is a collaboration with duo Raw Colour - limited edition and great colours too, perfect for summer.
So there you have my favourite finds this month. Which is your favourite? Do tell me in the comments below!
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These picks are most excellent! sorry to hear about the current rein-in, but you tell it hilariously!
I am here for all of this – and my husband would fully commiserate with yours on the budgeting front! (“Who is actually watching Disney+?” 🤣) Those M&S glasses are gorgeous, and I daren’t venture into Zara Home territory … But now you’ve mentioned it….🙊💗