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  I was recently drafted in by an acquaintance as wingman at her daughter’s 6th birthday party. Our mutual friend had been forced to back out and had volunteered me in her place. “Of course I’ll do it, it’ll be fun”. Looking back, I should have added, “for the kids”.   Now I’m not a spoilsport but when she casually revealed there would be 40 children plus Dazzle the clown, I almost choked on my cupcake.  I missed my short reneging window as I regained composure. So, past the point of no return, my stall had been set as a clown-loving, super organised party planner – one she simply..

    Anyone reading this of a certain age will instantly recognise this design as a standard school desk used for many years throughout the UK.  In some ways it shouldn’t qualify as a classic design, if function is more important than form in your own interpretation of good design – for in practice it was an awkward piece of furniture to use.  That being said, this desk made the most of its available footprint a long time before Ikea introduced the world to compact living. The desk’s measurements were very modest, allowing just enough working surface for a small writing ..

        Ok children, avert your eyes. Me and your mum are about to talk school desks… Now there’s how to clear a room. However old your child may be, another school year means new uniforms, bigger shoes and more homework. With that added workload in mind, now could be the right time to start thinking about buying your budding student a desk. Somewhere for them to work quietly without distraction. Something spacious, solid and practical. Somewhere to feel inspired perhaps? Well it just so happens that we have exactly what you are looking for right here. Fro..

    My daughter asked me a killer question recently. “Mummy, did you live in the past?” My answer was “yes” because we all lived in the past, even five year-olds. Following that I had to verify that the question was “did” and not “do” because if it was the latter, then I would have two problems on my hands. 1. A deep thinking, highly sensitive daughter who has noticed my overly-nostalgic tendencies and is worried about my mental wellbeing. 2. I have noticeably over-nostalgic tendencies that cause even five year-olds to worry about my mental wellbeing. So when she fol..

      Here at Little Lucy Willow we appreciate anything timeless, durable, luxurious and British – much like our furniture of course…These qualities are central to many brands and products, not least the Burberry trench coat which sprung to mind this week as we talked fashion over coffee (and chocolate caramel cake). Now there aren’t many items of clothing that can claim longevity like this one can. That’s why we’re such fans. Much like our furniture, it’s a lifetime investment. Ok I’ll stop talking furniture now and start talking history… When Thomas Burberry designed t..

      So school is out, the sun is too (sometimes) and you’re wondering how to entertain the children while you get all those pesky jobs done? You’ve already been to the park four thousand times and you’ve ticked all the standard beach, zoo and museum boxes. So what’s left? Well I’ve got an idea. I know it involves some forward planning and a little imagination but how about a treasure hunt? If it’s nice and sunny you can arrange it in the garden, if not, use the house. If you really want to go to town, why not include both? You could even get your Little Lucy Willowpl..

    It’s that time again. The turning point of the holidays that children generally hate and their parents generally love. Yes it’s time to start thinking about going back to school! To ease the pain for your little ones, we have £30 worth of WHSmith vouchers to give away with every order over £750 – for all those stationery essentials – plus 10% off our storage and bags. It’s a tough time for kids. I recall having a very personal dislike of clothing giant, C&A, as a youngster, being faced with their pretend blackboards scribbled with “bak to skool” and other such ‘crazy’..

      Here at Little Lucy Willow we love timeless design in all areas of the home. This week we have been talking chairs and debating the best of British. My personal favourites are the Ercol Windsor Chairs in all their guises. A friend recently purchased a gorgeous Ercol original rocking chair and restored it for her nursery. Any breastfeeding mum will know you need a half decent chair for such a lengthy task! These ageless designs, which made their first appearance in the 1950s, are still in production today with only slight modifications to speak of. Ercol furn..

      I am feeling both rejuvenated and shattered if that’s at all possible. No, it’s not because we have been inundated with customers since announcing our July offer (£50 of John Lewis vouchers for every order received over £750. This cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer by the way!). No, my new lease of life stems from ditching the family for the weekend and scarpering off to Edinburgh. My exhaustion is down to two words. Hen night. Now considering the bride to be is a shy, quietly spoken, early-to-bed type, it wasn’t half racy. The minute I stepped int..

  Today we are talking toys. Which traditional toy would today’s young gaming fanatics still want to steal from their siblings? Which toy would prompt any parent to say “come here, I’ll show you how to do it”, despite the fact their children can do it perfectly well by themselves?   We’ve come to the decision the ancient spinning top is a very good candidate. I mean, who could resist a quick go of this gorgeous Linley Silver Spinning Top? Certainly not me.         ..

      Those endless warm summer afternoons (and a few wet ones no doubt!) are treasured times for our little ones. With no concept of the hours ticking by all they have to worry about is where their next snack is coming from. Lucky them eh? The wild imaginations of children can fuel a whole day’s play. Hands up who made a “duvet den” when they were little, or threw a bed sheet over the clothes maiden as an impromptu place to hide? What about wedging a few planks of wood between some branches and declaring it a treehouse?   These days, the den world has moved somewhat..

      I have been very proud to be British this week. It all started with the Tour de France Grand Depart, which, if nothing else, was a great way to see a birdseye view of glorious Yorkshire. It was a fantastic event for our country, with spectators flocking to watch the riders whizz past in the blink of an eye. All in the sunshine too. How lucky was that? Not so lucky were Brits Mark Cavendish and defending champion, Chris Froome, both of whom are injured and out! I think I should have kept my blog shut as it seems my calls for ‘sport support’ have jinxed us. Football, t..

      Ok so he lost. Andy Murray will not be the winner of Wimbledon this year and will not be the one to save our blushes from the shambolic World Cup. Never mind, that’s yesterday’s fish and chip paper. In the mean time, let’s just dust ourselves off, chuck the tennis rackets in the cloakroom along with the footballs and get our bikes out instead. Yes, there is still hope, because the Tour de France Grand Depart took place last weekend in beautiful Yorkshire and we have the boys from Team Sky to support, not least defending champion Chris Froome. Sadly Mark Cavendish is ..

  Throw those curtains wide and get yourselves outside…   This month we are hoping to get all you lovely Willowers out and about. Walking, running, doing cartwheels you name it. A picnic in a Little Lucy Willow playhouse (which are 10% of for this month only!) perhaps?  Why not send in your photographs – and summer recipes – and share your activities with us? Rain or shine, summer should be fun for us and our children so smear on the factor 50, throw open the doors and soak up the sun. Oh and it might be an idea to have the raincoats handy. Just saying…   It’s n..