20 Seventh Letter is a small British brand based in London, established by April Christopher. Fun, colourful illustrations are printed onto extremely high quality cloth in either London or Glasgow.

we love the characters that april has given to each of the animals - the alpacas look especially cheeky.

we asked April 3 questions to learn more about her:

what is your favourite way to spend your free time?

I enjoy doing a lot of things, but I must say one of my favourite things to do is to eat tasty food! Whenever my boyfriend and I go away on holiday, the first thing we do is arrange where we are going for dinner! There is nothing more satisfying than eating delicious food!

Do you remember your favourite childhood book?

In all honesty, I would only read books when I was told to as I was far more interested in drawing and making random things out of paper as a child - I used to make wallpaper out of old fax paper and paper waistcoats! Having said all of that, one book that I do remember reading on numerous occasions when I was very very young, was an illustrated book called ‘What’s the matter little frog?’ and it was about a group of animals going on an adventure to try and find out why the frog was upset.

Do you have a motto that you like to live by?

I don’t really have a motto as such, but only recently I’ve realised that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. It’s so easy to compare yourself to others and complain that you don’t have things, but on most occasions you have to seek the opportunities yourself. I had spoken about creating something like 20 Seventh Letter for years before actually doing anything about it and then one day I realised it wasn’t going to happen unless I made it happen! I’m working full time alongside 20 Seventh Letter so I can financially live the life I’ve chosen to in London; my business may take me longer to build up than someone else in a different situation but at least I am moving in the right direction!

Find the beautiful 20 seventh letter makeup bags here:

- Textiles

- For Your adventures

91 Magazine was launched in 2011 by founder and editor Caroline Rowland. The idea came about when Caroline felt that none of the mainstream magazines were capturing her interest any more, and she longed for a magazine that covered all aspects of creative living.

She wanted beautiful homes that were attainable and oozed creativity while mixing contemporary, vintage and handmade looks effortlessly. She wanted craft and DIY projects that were modern, not twee, and that represented current trends, while also being accessible to all levels of skill. She wanted shopping tips, not only from the high street but from obscure corners of the world and the internet, so she felt she was always discovering the newest boutiques and designers. She wanted to read about creative lives and businesses that would continue to inspire her on her own journey while getting handy tips and advice. She wanted all of these things to be visually beautiful and well written.

So instead of waiting for this to happen, she created 91 Magazine. 

Alphabet Bags is tun by the lovely Lucas and Hayley, a husband-and-wife team in Saffron Walden. They started their accessories brand in their spare room in East Dulwich in 2008.

I am obsessed with typography (I am part of a ‘Font Appreciation’ Whats App group where we text each other with new discoveries!) and the bold, simple, fun messages on the Alphabet Bags designs really make my heart sing.

find our selection of alphabet bags in the new arrivals section of the shop, and in the for your adventures and textiles collections.

Nottingham-based painter, printmaker, knitter, maker, writer and reader Amy Blackwell captured my attention a long time ago when I spotted her illustrations and fell in love with the characters she creates. We also have a shared love of pancakes.

She is inspired by “the weird and wonderful, clashing colours, the natural world, history, fashion and folklore”. We are so excited to stock a small selection of her greeting cards, which look absolutely lovely in a frame. check out amy’s you tube channel to glimpse behind the scenes at her creative processes!

Find them in the new arrivals collection, and in paper goods.

Discovering artist anna mac was a highlight in this firain adventure. anna has the most calming, beautiful instagram account @_anna_mac_ and as soon as i realised she sold greeting cards, i contacted her!

about her work, anna explains:

"the way I paint feels like a game of building and taking away, the smallest edition of a shape or use of colour can transform the painting. The evolution of each painting can come quickly if each move fits with the next, and some can be a complex journey of changes and wrong moves. Either way, a piece builds and builds until everything 'fits'. Peeks of layers underneath show through and I like to complement those delicate details with bold clean shapes".

the greeting cards we sell at firain look really lovely framed and hung as a series, where this use of colour and shapes that anna describes is clear to see.

we asked anna 2 questions:

Who are the biggest influences on your work?

I tend to be influenced by shapes, colours and negative spaces in the world around me. I like to look at the forgotten details that perhaps go unnoticed ordinarily. In terms of being influenced by another artist, Henri Matisse is one of my all time favourites; seeing his 'Cut -Outs' exhibition at Tate Modern was pretty life changing for me. 

Where on earth is your happy place? 

Hard to pick one! At my easel painting, sitting on the front doorstep on a warm evening or the countryside where I live on the Suffolk coast. 

find anna’s cards in the paper goods section.

it’s always special to collaborate with a maker, and we are delighted that we have some special firain-inspired soap dishes in the shop by jeweller and ceramicist beci callow.

beci’s designs are whimsical and fun. she uses colour sparingly to create simple designs with handmade charm. each item is hand cut, shaped, painted and fired by beci in her workshop. (i love the way the avocado people soap dishes all have different personalities!).

based in leigh-on-sea, beach runs clay clubs for budding artists - follow her on instagram for more details: @becicallowdesigns.

as a devon-born girl myself, i was really excited to discover tones-based artisan leatherware makers anna and alice, who own and run by alice wood.

established in 2012, the ethos behind the brand is that form follows function; combined with the use of sumptuous leathers, the organic shapes these women create are beautiful and extremely useful. the leathers they use are often off-cuts from brands including mulberry; the colours they choose are gorgeous (that yellow!!).

i love the story behind this brand: in 2009, anna and alice were working together for handmade shoe company but in time moved away from each other. however anna returned to devon in 2016 and the women realized it would be a wonderful opportunity to work together again: by alice woods was born.

find their beautiful, luxurious leather goods in the for your adventures section of the shop.

Callie Jones lives and works close to Firain HQ in North Wales and we have a shared love of the coastline and countryside in this magical location. We have also both lived in creative hubs in london and the peaceful west country. i am so excited that we are able to stock Callie’s beautiful linocuts that she has printed onto cards.

Callie is a trained artist and has worked with brands including marks and spencers (designing wine bottles!) as well as receiving commissions for a wide range of commercial assignments. her observations of even tiny details - chickens in the yard and ripples in the water - draw the viewer in.

each artwork has a story - see the individual cards for each one and lose yourself in callie’s world! these cards also look so lovely in a simple white frame on the wall.

find callie’s cards in the new arrivals and paper goods sections.

mid-century modern design lovers rejoice! ding ding is a design studio in nottingham, uk, which is a location known for it’s rich textiles history. jenna owns and runs ding ding, and focuses her practice on shapes and mark making and one colour printing. 

the results are simple but gorgeous designs that are then applied to a range of useful objects. taking inspiration from heavyweights lucienne day, lygia pape and john piper, jenna is making their own mark in pattern design. its a labour of love to create crisp shapes and consistent design. 

find the ding ding pouches and purses in the textiles section.

The Wild Swimming book is a collaboration between glass painter Flora Jamieson and illustrator Gemma Koomen. the book captures the joy of swimming in beautiful, unspoilt places and I know that as fellow adventurers you will love this book.

Flora Jamieson

Based in Dorset in the UK, Flora undertakes a wide variety of stained glass commissions - from small commemorative panels to  full sets of window or door panels.  As well as her own contemporary designs, she  also reproduces and restores windows from our rich heritage of domestic stained glass, such as those from the Victorian, Edwardian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras.  She sells small decorative items in her distinctive bold colours and simple graphic style online and in select shops and galleries. Her contemporary stained glass designs are inspired by graphic design, the natural world, organic forms and geometric patterns.

Follow Flora on instagram for glimpses of her favourite wild swimming spots: @theroundwindow.

Gemma Koomen

I have long been a fan of Gemma’s playful illustrations which reflect the wild Northumberland countryside that she calls home.

Inspired by nature, nostalgia and simplicity, Gemma’s work begins by hand with gouache, ink and the occasional colour pencil, and is driven by the desire to capture little moments of calm and joy, recreating the familiar and domestic into elements of magical possibility.

Her love of painting and drawing began as a child when she would spend her days in an imaginary world created with crayons and pencils on the backs of her artist father’s rejected screenprints, on walls and underneath furniture. Gemma went on to study Fine Art Photography at Glasgow School of art, go on to complete a whirlwind Masters in Illustration and continue to work as a photographer, web designer and occasional illustrator in between raising children. Through the years, the love of drawing and painting remained, and inspired her to start illustrating freelance full-time.

Gemma loves plants, birds, rambling walks and tea in the sunshine, and is inspired by vintage paraphernalia, old black and white photography, time spent in nature and conversations with her two young daughters. Follow her work on Instagram: @gemmakoomen.

Dreaming up ideas then turning them into tangible, usable products sounds relatively easy but how many of us would love to turn our passions into a business? We have from the very beginning of firain stocked handpoured concrete coasters by Florence + Moose and the creative brain behind the business, Charlotte White, has been kind enough to share a little more about her brand with us. 

When did you start using concrete in your work? 

I think it’s something that has crept into my work over the last 6 – 9 months. My partner and I bought an old cottage last year (which we are currently in the process of renovating) and I had some left-over concrete from a project. I started experimenting with the mixes and different molds and its grown from there. 

Concrete can be a tricky material to use. What are your tips for handling it?

The best tip I can give for working with concrete is making sure that you prep everything in advance. This makes a big difference when you start mixing the concrete as you only have a limited time before it starts to set. Another thing that I spent a lot of time doing was trialling a range of different concrete mixes to find what worked best for me. And… Always put the water in first before you add the concrete mix. 

Your background is in Fine Art. Who or what are your influences? 

I’ve been fortunate to work/study/live with creatives. It makes such an impact having people around you to bounce ideas against. Visiting contemporary art spaces (and their amazing gift shops) is a real source of inspiration. There are so many artists who have inspired me, I don’t even know where to begin….

Where do you live and how does this affect your work?

I currently live in a small village in Oxfordshire in an old cottage, which I love. It’s nice to have a tranquil space to come back to at the end of a long day.

Who do you love to follow on Instagram (or anywhere else for that matter?) and why?

It’s difficult to name specific people, because there are so many fantastic people to follow. I love following creatives, designers, small independent businesses. 

Tell us 3 things about yourself that we might not know

Okay, here goes; 

- Our name; Florence (after a 1970’s Beetle that we had which we unfortunately sold last year – best car ever). Moose (we always said we’d name our dog Moose when we got one) We’ve now got a 5-month-old Goldie puppy – called Moose!

- My other half, Gary, who has been my rock for the last 9 years is a massive inspiration to me. We talk through every idea, he helps at fairs, he helps me to pack orders into the early house and with product development.  

- I also work full time as a Merchandiser! Lots of numbers and spreadsheets. 

What are your future plans for Florence and Moose?

The last few months have really been a whirlwind, which I am massively grateful for. But, I’d really like to work on expanding my range (concrete of course!) and I’m in the process of developing a website. I’m just really excited about the future and have loved every minute of it so far. 

You have a successful small business. What are your tips for those thinking of setting up on their own?

Running your own business takes a lot of time and effort and it’s not all plain sailing. Having a strong support base around me has been helpful to me. Working in retail has really allowed me to understand how businesses are run. It’s important to understand finance, stock control and time management. When setting up my Etsy Shop, I didn’t really know where to start, but once you’re set up it’s such a great platform to sell through! Firstly, spend some time searching through Etsy and other sites to see what’s out there. It’s important to get your prices and photography right from the start. I also found the articles Etsy produce useful and get in touch with your local Etsy group for support. There are so many people out there with great knowledge who are more than happy to give advice and encouragement. What I found useful is to set up cost cards for all of my products. This is useful in understanding the broken-down cost that goes into each product and make a list of where you get your supplies from.

The main lesson I’ve learnt is to believe in yourself and if you have confidence in in your products then other people will as well. 

find florence + moose concrete creations in for the home.

i have long been a fan of gemma’s playful illustrations which reflect the wild northumberland countryside that she calls home. She has created a range of greeting cards and prints as well as the illustrations for the wild swimming book with flora jamieson, all available in the paper goods section.

inspired by nature, nostalgia and simplicity, gemma’s work begins by hand with gouache, ink and the occasional colour pencil, and is driven by the desire to capture little moments of calm and joy, recreating the familiar and domestic into elements of magical possibility.

her love of painting and drawing began as a child when she would spend her days in an imaginary world created with crayons and pencils on the backs of her artist father’s rejected screenprints, on walls and underneath furniture. gemma went on to study fine art photography at glasgow school of art, go on to complete a whirlwind masters in illustration and continue to work as a photographer, web designer and occasional illustrator in between raising children. through the years, the love of drawing and painting remained, and inspired her to start illustrating freelance full-time.

gemma loves plants, birds, rambling walks and tea in the sunshine, and is inspired by vintage paraphernalia, old black and white photography, time spent in nature and conversations with her two young daughters. follow her work on instagram: @gemmakoomen.

kylie dunn is a busy working mum and jewellery maker. she runs jack + freda (named after her beloved grandparents) from wokingham and has a real love for fun, easy-to-wear, affordable pieces.

we asked kylie a few questions…

1. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? 

Probably 'in a minute' to my children which is just awful!  Juggling a business from home with 2 young kids is great, but tricky and I find myself asking them to 'hang on' far too much. Now I've been asked what my most overused phrase is, I'll make a concerted effort to find a more positive one!

2. if you could choose one favourite book, what would it be? 

I rarely get time to read these days, but oh wow, I just loved Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. 

3. Where is your happy place?

L'Escale in Cap Ferret, France. There is a gorgeous restaurant on the beach where we first visited with our baby son (who's now 7). We always said it would be lovely to go back without the kids and we did exactly that last weekend for my husbands 40th! It serves amazing food and we could have a dip in the sea between courses! 

find jack + freda necklaces in the jewellery section of the shop.

i discovered this candle company in the best way possible - i smelt Join candles in my friends home and i decided that they would be one of the launch products when i opened firain.

join is owned by jen and her sister who hand pour each and every candle in their riverside studio in south london. Join products are lovingly packaged in amber apothecary style glass jars which can be re-used for all kinds of things.

the natural candles are made with carbon neutral soy wax (no nasties to inhale!) and the finest essential oils which have a big ‘throw’ - you don’t need to burn these candles for very long to appreciate the scents. like me, the sisters are inspired but their travels and heritage; they create unique fragrances inspired by the rugged coast of Cornwall where they grew up and the smells of the countryside where they walk their dogs.

watch this space for a very special collaboration between firain and join…under wraps for now!

find join candles in the candles section of the shop.

Juliet Foster is the owner and maker behind Jules + Clem. I was drawn to the simple shapes and interesting colours in Juliet's creation, and I knew we had to share them with our customers.

In her own words, Juliet describes her creative journey:

“I've always made jewellery, starting my label - Jules & Clem - back in 2009 when I was working as a production assistant for Walker Books, a children’s publishing house. I loved my job but didn't find it creatively fulfilling and making jewellery gave me the outlet that I needed. In 2012, after the birth of my daughter, I left Walker to focus on making jewellery (and being a mum!) 

I work mainly in perspex and wood, doing whatever I can from my home studio. My early designs were influenced by working with children’s books and I still make the more popular items from that time - bunnies, cats and birds - but as my life has changed so have my influences. Now, as a busy mum, I am drawn to much simpler forms and shapes. I make minimal pieces in subtle hues with and emphasis on quality and wearability. 

I love every part of running Jules & Clem, even the accounts! A lot of thought, care and attention goes into every detail and I hope it shows in my products.”

To see the Jules + Clems earrings, click on the Jewellery collection.

Jwrnal (‘journal’) is about people, places, products and processes. It's about conversation, community, storytelling and sharing.

I remember the giddy feeling I had inside when I stumbled across the website only a few weeks after moving to Wales. Seeing the vibrant communities here in Wales makes me excited to explore and discover. I feel privileged to be stocking issue #01 of the print magazine. Over 40 makers and creatives in Wales (including one of Firain’s makers, Callie Jones) shared stories, photographs, recipes, doodles and so much more to create Jwrnal #01. in print.

Jwrnal magazine launched at the Good Life Experience Festival in 2017 by curating a collection of contemporary craft products made by Makers from all corners of Wales, representing many mediums of traditional rural crafts including; pottery, weaving, chair making, textile art, wood work and more.

Editor Sarah Hellen is a collector, a curator, a do-er, a maker, evolving most things she does around her love of Wales and the creative people she meets. Follow her on Instagram @jwrnal_wales.

Jwrnal magazine is very special: click here to buy your copy. (It would make a fabulous gift for that Welsh friend in your life who misses home.)

About Kinfolk

Delving deeply into home, work, style and culture, Kinfolk promotes quality of life and connects a global community of creative professionals from London to Tokyo. Since 2011, Kinfolk has become a leading lifestyle authority with a dynamic mix of print and online media, including a quarterly magazine sold in over 100 countries in four languages, daily posts on Kinfolk.com, bestselling books, plus international events and a gallery space in the heart of Copenhagen.

Find issue 30 in the paper goods section.

In a world where even babies know how to use a device, stepping away from the digital world and enjoying a printed magazine feels like a treat but part of an important shift back to enjoying the physical pleasure of holding books and paper!

lionheart magazine is oozing with the most gorgeous illustrations, photography and thoughtful articles by artists, makers and musicians. established by hels, a mother of 3 and freelance writer, lionheart was created to help women feel peachy good and roaring from the inside and out into the world. 

find issue 10 in the paper goods section and magazine collection.

Fashion graduate Laura Baker creates the most wonderfully fun jewellery from her home in Manchester. Laura makes many of the beads she uses herself and has a fabulous way of using colours to elevate something as simple as a string of beads to a much grander piece.

we will have some new loela jewels available later in the summer, so look out!

find Loela bracelets and necklaces in the jewellery section.

Molly has many strings to her bow!

She found a love of sewing and interiors when her mother trained her in soft furnishings in 2011. During her apprenticeship she began experimenting with making cushions and bags and has since gone on to complete a Diploma in Professional Curtain Making and Soft Furnishings.

For Firain, Molly has created a range of her beautiful soft buckets in ‘firain’ colours - blues and yellows of the seaside. She sews and hand paints onto cotton that is ethically sourced from India; each pot is different and I love these dotted around the house storing all kinds of things.

Find Molly’s buckets in new arrivals and for the home.

Glasgow-based Jen stewart established NMARRA in 2017 and has created quite a following for her fun and irreverent brass earrings.

​Jen is inspired by shapes in the natural world, folk art, 20th century design and architecture that she develops into wearable (and affordable) accessories. She kindly answered some questions I had about her creative process:

How do you get yourself in the creative mindset?

At the moment I feel like creativity breeds creativity for me, the more I put out into the world the more ideas pop up. Ideas for new designs come to me at odd times, so I try to get them down on paper so they are out of my head, which means I have many scattered sketches. I then gather them together to properly work up and develop into my designs.

Learning new skills, investigating a technical process or material always makes me look at things from a fresh perspective. Recently I have really enjoyed working with other creatives on photo-shoots, as it's great when everyone's expertise comes together to create something bigger and better.

Is there a book, person or place that you go to, to regain balance when things get crazy?

I love the sea, and water in general, it always makes me feel restored and re-energised. NMARRA actually takes its name abstractly from Scottish gaelic words for of or by the sea - na mara. If I can't get away to the coast or my other more reliably sunny adopted home city of Barcelona, then being in my flat, having a bath, and hanging out with my beloved kitten usually does the trick. I do love to get lost in a good (or somewhat trashy book) I am currently devouring Elmore Leonard and Raymond Chandler crime/ detective novels and find them very relaxing!

Do you have a motto you like to live by?

When it comes to work, a quote nabbed by author Alasdair Gray from Canadian Dennis Lee provides a bit of a inspiration: “Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation”. For me this is a good reminder that work should be part of creating the future world that we want to live in. I’d love to design and run my business full time and be able to create opportunities for others. This coupled with the old marketing motto, ‘if you fail to plan you plan to fail’, covers my general approach to NMARRA. In life, I generally just try to follow my gut and have a good time!

we love the bold designs in the nmarra range - the OPLA’s pictured here below are a best-seller.

Find the collection in jewellery.

'Projektityyny' aka Project Cushion is a Nordic home textiles brand founded in January 2016 by Dorset-based Finnish designer, Nora Nilsson. 

my very first order for firain was with nora. I was so nervous to start this shop, but we had met at the Pulse show in London and I fell for her sumptuous textiles on the spot. with a background in fashion design and buying, nora has an eye for using the most luxurious textiles and I love the colour combinations and the sweet touches of pom poms and tassels.

the projekti tyyny cushions and blankets are special pieces that will add cosy scandi-boho layers to your home. each piece is unique - handmade in limited editions in india to nora’s exacting standards, these are truly investment pieces for your home.

find projekti tyyny in the textiles and new arrivals sections of the shop.

read more about Nora and her ever-expanding brand in an interview for 91 magazine.

I love that the word ‘reverie’ is from an old french word meaning ‘be delirious’. shouldn’t we all feel like that from time to time?

Reverie Studio was born out of a dream to create modern products that are mindfully made and I know you will love sending these gorgeous letterpress cards to your favourite people.

Reverie Studio pay attention to the materials they use - the materials they use can either be recycled or are already recycled. The cards are made on a vintage adana letterpress, which means their designs are limited edition and even more precious.

If you would like to see the reverie studio range, please go to the paper goods collection.

soap is very important to firain - we are making an effort to swap our hand-pump soaps for bars and we have been on the lookout for a long time for scents we love and packaging that is eco-friendly and beautiful. we are so happy that we discovered soap daze which fits the bill perfectly!

Soap Daze is a Devon-based company run by Sharon, who makes the soaps in her back garden. She uses the finest organic ingredients to make creamy, rich soaps in a fantastic range of scents. each soap is palm-oil free and suitable for vegans and many use herbs and spices. I love that sharon offers ‘unwrapped’ versions of the soaps, to reduce packaging and the cost of producing the bars.

find the soap daze collection of vegan soap in three places: new arrivals, for the home and for your adventures.

Louise Lockhart is a the artist behind The Printed Peanut. All products are manufactured in the UK and aim to use eco-friendly materials wherever possible. The soaps we stock are handmade with a smiley face stamped onto every bar.

The Printed Peanut is a one-woman operation, based in sunny Yorkshire, UK. Louise lives and works in an old cotton mill where she spends her days creating designs from little paper cut outs and line drawings. We asked her a few questions:

What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?

I’d say paper is the most important thing as I always start my designs by cutting out shapes from paper with a knife.

When you are stuck for ideas, where do you go, what do you do, who do you talk to? 

I like to cycle along the canal to the post office to send off my orders and give my eyes a break from the computer screen!

Where is your happy place?

I like to hunt in second hand shops for old children’s books and other treasures. Preferably on holiday!

Find the printed soaps in for the home and for your adventures

Lilly Mandarano is the maker behind The Super Sparrow. She is based in Deptford, South London (a place close to my heart as its the area of London I moved to when I was 20, fresh-faced from the countryside!). Deptford has a really thriving art scene and Lilly is very much part of it.

All her work is hand built and glazed, making each piece unique.

I love how Lilly describes her work: “Making ceramics takes time; each stage is important and as clay has a memory, each piece tells its own story. Having been hand-built gives them individuality and personality.”

I was drawn to The Super Sparrow creations because of the natural, simple, honest (almost minimalist) designs. Sometimes we can be afraid to use ceramics for everyday use but Lilly’s work is robust and dishwasher-proof.

Lilly uses different clays for her designs:

Top: Buff Stoneware

Bottom Left: Flecked Stoneware

Bottom Right: Lavafleck Stoneware

Flecked Stoneware has a lighter flecking and more neutral colour tone than Lavafleck.

Please go to the new arrivals and for the home collections to see the full range, and for the bathroom to see the soap dishes.

In 2001 when we all grabbed plastic bags willy nilly from the supermarket checkout, former ecologist Beth Williams established Turtle Bags to raise awareness of the hazards that plastic bags were causing in the oceans. After discovering that sea turtles were confusing plastic bags for delicious jelly fish, the brand created practical string bag to help us all reduce our reliance on plastic.

Voted as one of the top ten ‘best bags for life’ by the independent newspaper, ​Turtle Bags work with FairTrade partners who share their environmental values (and ours!) to supply ethically produced bags for life. Turtle Bags is a company with integrity at it’s heart and Fair Trade principles at it’s core.

find the super stylish string bags in for your adventures.