Lu West Blog

Brand new A3 sized Mini Moka silkscreen printed with white ink on terracotta coloured Canson paper available to purchase HERE in the Mengsel Shop. I've only printed 10 in this very specific colour, so if you want one... be quick!


Terracotta is such a rich, warm and lovely colour and makes me think of the Mediterranean. Here's a little mood board I put together...


In this picture:
- Contemporary Ceramics by Atelier Polyhedre
- Structured Stem Willow Bag by Orla Kielly
- Kenitra Rug at Anthropologie
- Eames prototypes on manganese clay body - house numbers by Heath Ceramics
- Le Creuset Grand Teapot in Volcanic at John Lewis
- Mini Moka Express hand pulled silkscreen print in terracotta by Mengsel

Oh my goodness! I've just been informed by a kind reader of the Mengsel blog that the Percolater pendant light that I raved about previously in my post on Thatcher's Coffee is actually available to purchase at none other than ETSY. Designed by Jennifer Jako for Fix Studio. This porcelain beauty is definitly going on my Christmas wish list...

Percolater Pendant light by Fixstudio at Etsy

Percolater Pendant light by Fixstudio at Etsy

Percolater Pendant light by Fixstudio at Etsy

 
I am pleased to announce that Mengsel's tea towel range will now be stocked at the wonderful dishware boutique, Elsa + Sam. Located in the city of Portland, Oregon,  Elsa + Sam offers only the highest quality decorative and functional dishware direct from independent designers in North America and Europe.

I've known about this beautiful store for quite some time now and was very delighted when Elsa contacted me. Do have a look at the Elsa + Sam website. My favourite picks:

large kidney plate, white with magnolia

Large bicycle pitcher

Nokka vinegar bottles

Newton cream and sugar set

Lust Teapot

I'm a bit of an Anthropologie obsessive and can spend hours just wandering around. There are very few items in this shop that I DON'T like, which is quite rare. Here's my 5 favourite picks from Anthropologie at the moment.

Two-Wheeler Shirtdress

Experimental Vases (I actually bought one of these for myself)

On The Wedge Espadrilles

Bird-On-A-Wire Dinner Plate

Clothbound Penguin Classics, Pride and Prejudice

Now available in Mengsel's Etsy shop. Ceramic study cushion covers in petrol blue ink on white cotton drill with the inverse option of white ink on petrol blue cotton drill. Silkscreen printed by hand and sewn together in the Mengsel studio. Working great as a set, these colourful cushions are ready for your home.

Ceramic study cushion cover in petrol blue on white cotton

Ceramic study cushion cover in white on petrol blue cotton

Ceramic Study cushion covers in new white / petrol blue colourway

The design was hand drawn by me while visiting the very interesting and wonderful ceramics department of the Victoria & Albert museum in London. The "Ceramic Study" cushion shows the original coffee service used on Finnair flights during the 1970s. The set has a beautiful pattern and I just fell in love with it. Silkscreen printed by hand with red ink on white cotton drill. Sewn together in the Mengsel studio. Available to purchase HERE in my ETSY shop, with international shipping. More colours to be added soon. Hope you like it...

Ceramic study cushion cover, red on white.

Ceramic study cushion cover, red on white.

Ceramic study cushion cover, red on white.

Ceramic study cushion cover, red on white.

Ceramic study cushion cover, red on white.

It is barely 12 o'clock here in London and I'm already having a Blue Monday of epic proportions. Made me think about one of my favourite colours a lot today, which is inspired by the blue Dutch tiles of Delft, Holland. In my Afrikaans culture, coming from Dutch ancestry, most of our grandparents had these blue tiles and ceramics in their homes. It really conjures up the romantic, mysterious era of 17th century Holland, when the Dutch came to South Africa to colonise the Cape. I love this colour so much that I used it for my Delft Blue Retro Roosters tea towel (available in my Etsy shop) and I find great inspiration from the images on the ceramics.

Retro Roosters tea towel in Delft Blue by Mengselhttp://www.etsy.com/shop/mengseldesign

Shinzi Katoh is one of the most famous designer artists in Japan and designs various products with "happy thoughts" and aims to make people happy. See some of the items below. His products are available in the UK at Shelf in Cheshire Street, London, E2. Alternatively, you can shop online at Shinzi Katoh Design (Art and Zakka). Enjoy!

Let's start a new game: colour of the day!

Esther Coombs had her cute and quirky range of ceramics and cake stands at TENT London. Her beautiful illustrations adorn tea cups, ceramics and milk jugs and she creates bespoke cake stands with her designs. Esther's work embodies the new tendancy for upcycling and renewal of older items. A large selection of her work is also available to buy at her Etsy shop.