I have to confess that of late I’ve been guilty of stalking often visiting the Swoon Editions website. I’m looking to change things up a bit and have a little revamp perhaps. I want something affordable but well designed and a little different. I’m also in the market for the blogging desk of dreams and after hours of research online and on Pinterest I found a strong contender at Swoon. This online furniture and homeware designer first caught my eye with their Ziggy range, oh boy I want one of those so badly, great for concealing my clutter but I don’t know what the boy thinks about that. My online stalking must have paid off though as Swoon invited me along to have a look at their Shoreditch Showroom pop up.
Swoon Editions don’t normally do showrooms, they’re usually purely online, but in celebration of the winter season, they’ve set a pop up showroom in Shoreditch so that you can get a closer look at their latest designs and most popular pieces. 
Swoon Editions was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty ambition: to offer beautifully hand-crafted furniture at fair prices. For Swoon every idea starts with a problem. Theirs was that well-made furniture was far too expensive. There turned out to be a simple solution; to limit the overheads. The furniture industry has overheads that pushes prices skyward – shops, warehouses and middlemen. Swoon Editions, a solely online retailer was created as an alternative.
At a recent design conversation run by Elle Decoration, there was a lot of discussion about a move away from the classic Scandi interior design which so many have loved. Some have embraced something completely different with deep dark toned walls, flooring and upholstery which produces a stunning look but maybe isn’t for everyone. Others have been adding new elements to the light and airy look such as the addition of a gorgeous deep, jewel toned sofa. I think design wise I’d be in the latter camp. In the Elle Decor talk we heard about the hottest trends coming out of Milan. Every year, interior aficionados from around the world head to the design event of the year in the global capital of fashion and design – Milan. Salone Del Mobile is a trade show, the world’s largest trade fair of its kind and one of the key trends coming out this year was upholstery in velvet textures and shades of deep greens and blues. You can definitely see the influence Milan has had on the designers at Swoon. If someone had asked me a year ago if I’d buy a green velvet sofa for my home, I would have given them my best dubious face as I recalled visions of my parents velvet sofa from back in the 80’s, but I couldn’t have been further off the mark. In fact now I’d struggle to decide between green or blue. The blue Berlin sofa in the pop up showroom is my favourite sofa. If you get the chance, sit on it and see for yourself. It is so comfy and soft but you won’t sink into it and get stuck which is my number one sofa requirement. This sofa would be ideal for kicking back and watching Stranger Things on……oh a girl can dream…..
Ok so this is the part I’m the most excited about. I spied my potential blogging desk of dreams on the Swoon website a couple weeks ago and have been umming and ahhring, trying to figure out if it’ll fit in the spot I want it too and then I found it in the pop up!! Let me introduce you to the Mickey desk aka my perfect desk. My current set up is an Ikea ensemble doubling up as my desk and vanity which has served me well I have to say. However I’ve been dreaming about streamlining it all, cutting back the desk clutter and embracing something more minimalist (I know, the Queen of clutter wants to be a minimalist, is that even possible?). I’d love to invest a little in a dedicated desk space for work and blogging. I thought I’d wanted the totally white Scandi look, but when I saw this desk I stopped in my tracks. The deck is made from Mango wood is just beautiful. I stood there staring at it for ages, so much so that Sam, one of the designers came up to me and asked if I was ok. I gushed that I’d just found the perfect blogging desk and was imagining how it would look in the backdrop of my blog photos. We then started chatting away about blogging, with Sam telling me about his new food blog: Our Modern Kitchen which he runs with his girlfriend Carmen. It’s a sign……the desk is truly a blogging desk. Being able to look at it really helped make up my mind; the Mickey desk in the more petite size will be perfect!
Swoon have launched a beautiful new lighting range. Jewel like creations made by expert hands in Portugal’s ‘City of Crystal’; Portugal’s largest hub for glass manufacturing. Taking inspiration from everyday objects – from memorable childhood toys to simple street lamps – each pendant is carefully crafted using a meticulous four-hour process, from molding to finishing touches. Prices start from £45 which surprised me given the attention to detail and hand crafted methods. You read more about all the process here.
If you head to the pop up showroom, make sure you pay a visit to the Sleep Shop downstairs where you can test out the super-soft range of mattresses. I loved this room, it was cosy and warm and you get to have a little lie down; amazing!! I felt a little like Goldilocks trying out all the beds and I of course would have to fall in love with the most expensive of the range; the Lyndhurst 3000 but it was incredible! The right balance between firm and softness; if that bed was mine I would really struggle to leave it.
If you’re London based or will be visiting this week, pop in and take a wander around Swoon’s Shoreditch Showroom p.s it’s on a street full of great restaurants! The pop up opened yesterday and will run till 12 November. You can get a 15% discount on your next order, just enter the code SHOREDITCH15 at the checkout.
Jx