Matt Sewell does Mini Moderns – competition!

Do you know Matt Sewell's birds? I first discovered the artist/ ornithologist through Pedlars, who were selling prints of his beautiful garden birds illustration.

That, alas, was a limited edition, though you can still buy his lovely individual drawings in the same style (scroll down to see one). But today we're all about his charming, Charley Harper-ish wooden birds, below. And this new set of four – a special commission for Mini Moderns to show off the homeware duo's new environmentally-friendly paint (more about which here) – is up for grabs for FREE...

This colourful quartet, being individually hand-made and painted, is not so cheap – it'd set you back £300 to buy. But MM are giving you the chance to win the lot (signed and numbered, no less) along with a copy of Sewell's pretty new book, Our Songbirds, below right (next to one of Sewell's solo bird prints, which cost £45 from his website).

You can also buy individual birds in three different types, pictured below, from the V&A shop for £85 each.

Rather give winning a go? The competition closes on 21 June – follow @minimoderns on Twitter and retweet the competition to win, or like the competition post on their Facebook page and comment on it, or follow minimoderns through Instagram. You can also win by joining their mailing list – just email the word 'birds' in the subject to charlotte@minimoderns.com

Now... on that topic, would you like to have a nose around the home of Mini Moderns' founders? That's their sitting room below – nice innit? Take the tour here.

Mini Moderns' new eco paint (in project-sized tins)

I've got some painting to do round my place, so paint is on my mind. There is a paint that I'm really excited to try, which I shall post about shortly, that may be the answer to my two-year procrastination about repainting a vast set of box-shelves in my bedroom. Stay tuned. Meanwhile...

...also exciting was the news, yesterday, that Mini Moderns – thus far, purveyors chiefly of beautiful prints on wallpaper and things – are launching their own 12-colour range of environmentally-responsible paints. Here is a little preview (the range has yet to go on sale):

'Environmentally responsible' could mean almost anything. In this case, I really like the concept behind it: the company is working with an award-winning brand called Newlife Paints, which salvages discarded paint from landfill and incineration; revives and treats it and repackages it, good as new. I intend to find out more about quite how they take a zillion different colours and turn them into clean, fresh, white emulsion – as the online explanation is frustratingly brief if, like me, you need to know the 'how'.

The Mini Moderns paints have been created to match their wallpapers (very mid-century, as you can see), and cleverly comes in a small-but-double-the-amount-of-a-sampler-pot size (250ml), for just £5, so you can buy just the right amount to perk up a chest of drawers or a chair. The regular size tins, 2.5 litres, will be £32.

Money for... old bus tickets: Mini Moderns' new wallpaper

For everyone old enough to remember Routemaster buses as more than just novelty wedding transportation, 'Hold Tight', the new wallpaper design from Mini Moderns will spark some nostalgia. 

Photo by Josh Love at Vintage Furniture

Look closely and you'll see that as well as being a cool graphic repeat in pleasantly muddy tones, the design is made up of old-school bus tickets. Mini Moderns worked closely with the London Transport Museum, employing an original Gibson ticket machine that bus conductors used to use.

Part of the 'Day Tripper' range, it costs £45 per roll (10metres x 52cm) and comes in three colourways. Harvest Orange, Lichen (above) and Mustard. The new line launches at Tent London this September.

Here are a couple of other Day Tripper goodies:

The Whitby 'Lido' cushion (possibly my favourite cushion design ever - check out the matching wallpaper too, most striking). £35.

Fayre Wallpaper, £45 per roll (measurements as above).

Whitby mix n match porcelain £83 for a set (coming soon)