Lovely Pigeon

Hello there; it's Abi posting today while Kate's still dusting off her her stetson and catching up after her recent trip to Mississippi. It's all about the very lovely Lovely Pigeon today though.

Lovely Pigeon is one of my favourite websites and it's not hard to see why. There are gorgeous prints, delightful stationery and even a smattering of vintage wares for sale. I found Lovely Pigeon when I was searching for Christmas presents for friends of a design persuasion and came across these pretty prints of birds and other things.

There's also a small but perfectly formed range of stationery featuring the eponymous lovely pigeons but also cute animal sets and a newly introduced range of geometrically influenced notebooks.

Lovely Pigeon is the creation of Kirsty Thomas who started producing the Mr Pigeon lino prints in 2009 from a studio in her home in Cellardyke on the East Coast of Scotland. Kirsty is a designer, illustrator and, as she puts it "an occasional shopkeeper". She makes all these lovely things (and jewellery too) and sometimes opens a shop to sell her wares and showcase the work of other Scottish and UK makers.

Kirsty is inspired by many things that we here at YHIL also like: “I love block colour and geometry, mid-century design, flea markets and typography," she says. "I am inspired by people like Charles and Ray Eames, Charlie Harper and Lucienne Day and their eclectic and inclusive approach to design. I am also passionate about interiors and my house and studio sees an ever-changing collection of vintage chairs and weird ceramic dogs.” And, below, you can see the space where she channels her inspirations...

But why the name Lovely Pigeon? “I didn't really have an opinion on pigeons until I set up the company," she explains. "But I've since developed a fondness for them – there are some good-looking country pigeons round here! The Mr Pigeon lino print was one of the first pieces to be launched and I still love it – he has a twinkle in his eye and is now the 'face' of the Lovely Pigeon brand.”

My favourites are these gorgeous blue bear and balloon set of two prints (£14) and the copper foiled Anstruther limited edition prints (£40). In fact, many of Kirsty's hand-pulled prints are produced in limited edition runs and are a very affordable way to kick start your own artcollection. There's also some brilliant upcycled teatowel cushions featuring holiday destinations that are as bright and bubbly as a pitcher of sangria (£18-£25)

And Kirsty tells me: “Lovely Pigeon is all about making people smile." I think this is probably why I want pretty much everything that's for sale at Lovely Pigeon...