Early last week I set off for London as part of an invitation to view the Tesco Home Range for Autumn Winter 2018 at a special press day; the venue was in a very chic part of Soho and on arriving I was met with the most wonderful window display, featuring some of their elegant premium homeware brand Fox & Ivy range, which comprised bedding and textiles with a lovely floral dimension to it.

…..Viewing the new Tesco Home Range for Autumn Winter 2018

*Disclaimer: This is a paid advertorial with Tesco*

There was a further larger display of Tesco’s Fox & Ivy range on entering, in the first room, with an impressive bedroom setting, complete with beautiful bedding and throws, as well as a seating display, showcasing a rather sumptuous sofa with a selection of gorgeous cushions, in all assorted designs, fabrics and colours. The main trends were leaning towards striking block colours, florals, velvet, satin and exotic birds, with the main colour palette being dark marine blue, teal, grey, silver and pinks.

The Fox & Ivy bedding on display was a gorgeous Oriental inspired patterns of birds and blooms, in cool and calming colours of blues, silver and metallic….very much in the style of a 19^th century Chinoiserie, and made from high quality 200 thread count cotton, for a silky smooth feel. I loved the Boutique hotel look, as well as the different textures and fabrics that were available throughout the range, especially the stunning jewelled coloured knitted throws and the satin style quilted cushions in various metallic.

Moving on, I was also very impressed with the Fox & Ivy crockery and china on display, with various Art Deco style mugs in fine bone china, in black and white with gold swirls that would make an elegant statement for afternoon tea or a special coffee morning. The Nero range of stoneware flatware and coffee sets, were beautifully designed too, with a reactive glaze with a smart gold trim around the edges.

Bright floral mugs and cups with bird motifs all with gold trims were featured on the next stand, and the trend towards Chinese inspired floral designs in bright and bold colours worked very well in all of the varying shapes and sizes, from mugs and jugs to dainty cups and saucers, it make for a very colourful way to enjoy a proper cup of tea, preferably accompanied by cakes, sandwiches and scones with jam and cream.

As well as all of the elegantly designed china, the new range of barware and glasses would fir in so well with the monochrome and metallic flatware in the Aspen range. And, I even noticed a very 1930’s style Art Deco cocktail shaker, that would complete the “Great Gatsby” look. As well as tableware, bedding, cushions and furniture, Fox & Ivy offer some really lovely accessories such as photo frames, vases, candle holders and some rather “Country House” style lanterns.

The overall palette for the new Fix & Ivy Autumn Winter 2018 range was sumptuous but subtle, with the base colours being blues and greys, with highlights of burgundy, pinks and silver with metallics, and the patterns being predominately floral with birds; china and flatware was very Art Deco in design and shape and I loved how it complimented the textiles range.

Although I liked the Fox & Ivy new range a lot, I’m more drawn towards sleek, chic and understated, so the new Oslo range was more my style; based in the very on-trend “Scandi” influence in minimalist design, the range was clean-cut with a muted but very pretty winter pallet of pale greys, green, mustard and taupe….bedding was geometric working in harmony with curves and circles, and range include some fabulous accessories and furniture, and I particularly loved the bedside table, calendar blocks and honesty print vase.

The Oslo dinnerware and china was equally sophisticated in a very Scandinavian way, with clean shapes and beautiful bowls, making dining look very modern…..the range was enhances by a set of Milan cutlery and very stylish glassware. The mood boards were on display, so you could see where the inspiration for the range came from, which was essentially flowers, stems and leaves as well as geometric shapes and very clean lines.

In the next room was another favourite range of mine, Sweet Chestnut promotes a warm, autumn palette of grey, pink, mulberry, cream, sage green, taupe and bilberry; the designs are elemental with sprigs of meadow flowers and wild life taking centre stage….I loved the animal illustrations of rabbits and winter birds in the cushions, and the bedding with animal motifs and sprigs of wild shrubbery with berries was charming. Again, texture is important, and there was a mix of smooth cotton sheets and duvet covers, knitted throws and linen cushions.

As well as the bedding and textiles, Sweet Chestnut has some really pretty accessories, such as rabbit lamps, rabbit candles, enamelware milk jugs, copper candles and some very rustic but lovely bedside tables in white wood with straw basket drawers. I also fell in love with the “bunny” doorstop, and the whole theme of British wildlife, hedgerow and nature was evident all the way through this cosy range, and the colours were rich and warm.

I was pleased to be able to talk to some of the designers and illustrators on the press day,  and was surprised to learn that ALL of the designs and illustrations in all the ranges are done by a creative “In House” design team, including the Go Cook range, which I have worked with before here: Dine and Discover: Aromatic Pork in Coconut Milk I spoke to the designer who designs lots of the cookware implements, including some key pieces for Autumn Winter 2018, namely the new Garlic Crusher, Spiraliser, Can-Opener and Knives.  All very ergonomic and designed for ease of use, including being dishwasher safe.

I was very impressed with the new range from Tesco for autumn winter 2018, and was genuinely surprised ay how affordable all of the items in all the ranges were, this is affordable style for all, and the different designs in all of the new ranges would suit most people….there’s indulgent and elegant as in the Fox & Ivy range, sleek and Scandi from the Oslo range and warm and cosy with a country cottage feel in the Sweet Chestnut range. All of the new designs will be available from August onward, and I’ve made a little list if what I’d like already.