London - September 07, 2005

Homing Device

House Proud Kits

Emergency in Hoxton: couple stuck with faceless furniture and too much self-assembled pine is in desperate need of household variety.

Danielle Proud to the rescue. England’s latest super-homemaker is doing her bit to save the world of interiors with her new line of whimsical D.I.Y. cushion, lamp shade and cross-stitch kits.

That means that you, too, can take on the might of a certain Scandinavian home store armed with nothing but a swathe of ’70s printed fabric, colourful thread and some snazzy pom-poms. Like most Ikea merchandise, these sets are cheap and easy to assemble. But you won’t find them in every home — they are highly original (at least for now).

Each kit comes with step-by-step instructions for fashioning such eye-catching accessories as psychedelic lamp shades or printed cushions with fancy tassel trims. Clearly more enjoyable than figuring out where that screw is meant to go in your new Klappsta chair.

Another world crisis averted with old-fashioned home-stitching.

Available at Topshop, Oxford Circus, W1 (0845 121 4519).