Stiff upper lip

I came across these great posters developed by a husband and wife team in South East London which were plastered all over London during the war. My English friends tell me that this is characteristic of the British during the war - few words and a steely determination to get on with 'business determination'

For us that aren't British, then I think that it makes for a great wall decoration - it conveys so much information in so few words and there aren't many countries in the world that you would associate with a huge crown. I smile when I think of my stoical British friends when I see this!

There are a number of other variations and some other great 'Britishisms' such as "The pen is mightier that the sword" and you might have to look more closely to find out what a manicle is!

Bible for the design nut

I spend a load of time in book shops and when I travel with friends, they know to leave me there for hours on end so I can explore all the tomes on design, buildings around the world, history and above all furniture.

This is a book that I love, Domestic Art Curated Interiors... It is one that I bought right at the beginning when I decided that I wanted to make a go of the design career, and I can spend hours on end just looking at the images for inspiration. I would recommend it to anybody who wants to get a hold on how they are going to change their living space and take the first steps in building a dream home.