Category Archives: Shelfies

Do you have a space in your home that you love but can’t seem to photograph right? This little multicoloured scene, featuring a @primark.home shelf with @kcroxson tea towel against a @littlegreenepaintcompany Ultra Blue wall, is near my kitchen sink, nestling close to the long shelf that runs the length of the Colour File kitchen, way […]

What’s the quirkiest object you display on your shelves?  When I buy anything beautiful, I automatically think about where it’s going to live – even if its primary function is fashion rather than interiors. I regularly hang necklaces from a nail in the wall and silk scarves and decorative bags on coat hooks, rather than […]

A WHOLE YEAR! That’s how long it’s been since my book Shelfie came out. A whole year of getting used to seeing its familiar cover but still being able to remember how exciting it was when i clapped eyes on it for the first time. A whole year since England got into the semi-finals of […]

Sometimes all it takes is colour-organised books… I’ve done it for years (this was back in 2014), both for aesthetics and also for the pure fun of it: when your books are organised this way, it can throw up some interesting book juxtapositions (similar colours yet worlds apart). Here I’ve noticed that Nick Clegg is […]

Recently, @_lisa_dawson_ showed us some vintage Penguin books that she’d bought. I actually squealed with joy when I saw them (they are particularly fine specimens, Lisa) because I think old Penguins are among the world’s most iconic colourful objects – and perfect for shelfies. In my book, Shelfie, I say that beautiful books should be […]

I took this #shelfie pic a while back but I wasn’t sure about sharing it Why? Because I felt there was possibly too much ‘white space’ going on above the assorted objects. However, as someone who loves both physical and metaphorical white space – gaps that hang around typeface like a ghostly aura, words that […]

Here’s a tiny bit of Insta-reality: a bit of Colour File HQ that’s finished and a bit that’s most definitely not. The purple wall, complete with three black @ikeaukpicture shelves, has been kicking around for a while and features in my book, Shelfie. One of my favourite pastimes is arranging and rearranging pictures and objects […]

Hello, my colour-loving friends I adore pink and yellow together 🌸🌼💗💛 To me the combination conveys so much: softness and light, sweetness and courage, forgiveness and fortitude. The pairing is unassumingly charming yet also packs a punch, and I can’t get enough of it. It’s these colours that frame a picture of second-in-command at a […]

I recently read that mint green is on its way back into our lives. I’ve been in love with mint for a while, on account of how well it goes with light pink. My love for the combination was crystallised on a visit to Miami in 2016 where Art Deco architecture reigns supreme and unsaturated […]

You loved these books so much yesterday, I thought I’d give you more…. They certainly do it for me: I cannot express how much joy I get from piling these books up. The colours working together so harmoniously make my heart fizz with joy and fulfil so many needs. Sometimes, answers to life’s thorny questions […]