Apologies for the meager blog entries of late; the end of winter is always an extremely busy time of the year for us, readying ourselves for the raft of Spring releases just around the corner. This year is no exception and I'm pleased to say that they are looking amazing and I can't for them to hit the market.

Next week I'll post a few preview shots to whet your interior design taste buds. Before then I'd like to show you some tasty images we received from Hamish at Trenzseater...

Wow! I think they're stunning and certainly show how fabulous our Deco Velours collection is when made into cushions. For more information about these beautiful pieces, please visit the Trenzseater website. The luxurious Deco Velour collection can be seen at all our showrooms, alternatively contact our sales team for more info.

(Thank you to Trenzseater for the images)

Now for something completely different but still very close to my heart: Have you heard or read about the Ultimate Ride challenge? In the name of charity (and adventure) Jeremy Burfoot and his team are attempting to ride from London to Sydney on jet-skis. With a total distance of around 31,000 km it's a awesome challenge which will break the world record by a huge 12,000 km. It's had a reasonable amount of press here in New Zealand and the trip can be tracked on their website. 

Jeremy is a melanoma survivor and has undertaken other ventures in the name of promoting early detection and Sun Smart behaviour. His mission statement is: 'To promote a message of healthy living and cancer prevention and raise funds for cancer research'. To this end each leg of their journey will be sponsored to raise these funds. Unique Fabrics has decided to sponsor 'a named leg' (#100) in loving memory of my husband Laurie who died last year of cancer. I wish Jeremy and his crew the best of luck and hope they reach their goal without too many mishaps - what an amazing adventure ahead of you!  

About a week ago as I was walking Zac and Apso I spotted some daffodils. They're always a welcome and cheery sight in the midst of late winter. Hopefully our new release will have the same effect! It's called Indian Summer and it's chock full of rich, bright prints featuring wonderful florals, stripes and geometrics.

The creative brain behind this beautiful collection is Annie Selke. She is truly a design visionary in the US home interiors market, who designs a broad array of products, from furniture and textiles to bedding and sleepware. She has multiple brands in her 'stable' such as Pine Cone Hill and the Dash & Albert Rug Company.

We are so pleased to be able to offer this collection to the Australasian market. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Images courtesy of Annie Selke - thank you.

Jo has forwarded the following images to me. They feature Lounge Designer Furniture's award winning stand from the 2010 Furnitex show. Congratulations to Lounge, the stand does look fabulous and just happens to include a large number of our designs!

The smaller sofa in the top image is upholstered in Yohji, with the chairs, ottoman and cushions from our Deco Velours collection. The lower image features their Jigsaw sofa in our velvet Martine, Carlucci's Chablis Velour and Safiye.

The stool above is called Loop and is covered in Josef, Off White, also from the Deco Velour collection.

Thank you to the super talented team at Lounge for these images, I hope the show was a success for you. Click the link to their website for more info about their stunning, innovative designs.

We've had a great response to the Antelope ad in Vogue Living, with a number of requests for more information about its inspired art direction and fashion. The two creative minds behind this collection and ad are Bart Halpern (textile designer) and Isabelle de Borchgrave (artist and paper dress maker/creator).

Along with Arte Wallcoverings, Bart Halpern has designed collections for Donghia and his own brand, and is well known for his masterful use of texture, particularly pleats. His designs for Antelope are very chic, with a strong focus on luxurious textures (eg suede) and subtle embelishments.

Isabelle de Borchgrave is renown for her intricately designed paper garments which are often re-creations of historical costumes, ie renaissance, Fortuny, Worth etc. Her work has been included in many publications, along with her own book. It must have been a challenge working with the heavy Antelope wallcoverings, she did a fabulous job.

For more information about Antelope call into one of our showrooms or contact our sales service team.