It’s official, 50′s style home shopping is back.  Remember the days of Avon, well now it’s Jamie at home parties!  The company launched in March 2009 and now has 2,700 consultants across the UK and this figure is increasing all the time-quite commendable in times of a  recession.  The amount of people who have attended parties to date has reached a whooping 260,000!  It seems people can’t get enough of the home shopping experience and and I can kind of see why.

First and foremost, the products are stylish and functional and start from as little as £5.  You are able to shop at your leisure in a relaxed surrounding (i.e your friends livingroom!), and finally, you can do all of this whilst enjoying a glass of wine with your friends-perfect!  Anyone for a Jamie party?!  And if you were to consider working for Jamie as a consultant, you then have the advantage of flexible working hours and as a working mum, I know this is an attractive option.

We spoke with Jamie Oliver’s team and asked them about the range and this is what they had to say…

• What made you want to design this range and who or what inspired the new additions?

The brand and therefore the products start life based on Jamie’s values and his passion for food, entertaining and spending time with friends and family. We are only one year old so the additions to the range are always evolving and developing, but are mostly inspired by Jamie, the designers we work with and our customers. We draw a lot from the people around us and who we sell to.

• What would you say is the most essential item for the summer kitchen?

For the kitchen indoors I would go for the Cast Iron Griddle Pan. It’s quick, easy and healthy cooking for meat or vegetables. Using very little oil you can griddle meat and vegetables in minutes.  For outdoor cooking, the right BBQ tools are a must to make the job easier. They are a serious set of BBQ tongs and a great set of skewers.  The double pronged ones are best.  They make it much easier to turn your food without it spinning.

• Being able to use it indoors and outdoors makes the new cast iron griddle perfect for British summer BBQs. Do you have any other solutions or top tips for the perfect BBQ?

Great marinades, dips, sauces and relishes. One of the great things about BBQ’s is that everyone can get involved – from laying the table to tuning the meat. It’s informal dining at its best.

• Have your travels around the world influenced your thoughts on essential kitchen items? If they have, can we see this in the new range?

Essential kitchen items are those that are essential to the way and what you cook, which differs in each food culture.  Anything that makes a job easier is always an inspiration but it’s not necessarily an essential.

• You have a new kitchen scent collection inspired by herbs, how would you say this affects the atmosphere in the kitchen?

Fragrances are for enhancement, creating a mood or hiding kitchen smells.  I would say the fragrance ticks all those boxes.

• What is your must have herb you could not live without?

Sage is my absolute favourite but I use parsley the most.

• Apart from the scent range, how do you bring the outside indoors with your cooking?

Fresh fruit and vegetables and lots of it. Picked fresh from your own garden if you are lucky to have one is the best.  From local markets is just as good. The flavours can be extraordinarily good. Growing herbs indoors is an obvious one, but as rewarding as the cooking itself.

• What advice would you give to people wanting to improve their cooking skills?

Apart from having the right equipment which is a must, practice and experimentation are essential.  A good grounding in basic skills like knife skills, really do make a difference.  Recipease run great knife skills courses.

• Do you have any storage solution tips when it comes to kitchens?

It’s very tricky as many of the products that take up the space are those that hold volume, so you are storing a lot of air.

There are lots of space saving products on the market from bowls and food storage boxes that slot inside each other to foldable chopping boards to cookware with detachable handles.  Most people however have kitchen equipment that has evolved with them over their cooking ‘careers’, that become loved and cherished favourites.

My suggestion would be to keep it simple and have clear outs every now and again.  Stick to your essentials and those items that you have grown to love, cherish and enjoy using.

• How much of your own kitchen can be seen in the new range?

Lots. I love cooking.  My own kitchen is made up of practical but beautiful products.  Practical shapes, an array of solid wooden chopping boards that will last and age with use.  A real mixture of contemporary and old country pieces.

• Any plans for more kitchen essentials?

Oh yes.

Below are are a selection of the new products:

For further information on Jamie’s products or to hold a party then call 0844 871 2010 or visit: Jamie At Home

Interview conducted by Liz Danon and questions answered by Zoe Jackson, Head of Buying for JME Lifestyle.

Zoe Jackson, Head of Buying for Jme Lifestyle

We love these Pantone mugs from Objects of Design; collect one in every colour for a swatch book stylish displayWhat a great idea! A chopping board for all of your culinary needs, Objects of Design

I have one of these square Grillits from Le Creuset and they’re fantastic

Get the week off to a good start with this handy week planner from Love Eco.  Unbelievably, it’s made from recycled vending machines and coffee cups!

For when you’re on the move, make a fresh cup of coffee and use the cup again and again.  All you need to do is take it to the coffee shop and ask them to use this cup rather than their disposable ones..perfect! Eco Outlet.

This pretty vintage style jug, from the Dot Com Gift Shop, can either be used as a water jug or for displaying some fresh spring flowers.  I have a similar one at home and I use it for my fake silk (but very real looking!) hydrangeas.

Staying with the vintage look; we love this floral hip flask also from the Dot Com Gift Shop – I know they have been around for a while but trust me on this when I sat they will always be fashionable as they are so pretty…

My mum used to have one of these wire baskets to hold eggs, it always reminded me of being on a farm, even though we lived in London, maybe add a couple of feathers in there to make it look authentic! No-one needs to know.  Available from Twice on Line

I like this simple white apron with the mixture of typefaces and the adjustable neck strap.  Also available from Twice on Line

Add to that these fancy font tea towels and you’re complete.  From a selection at the Dot Com Gift Shop

This small box from Not Mass Produced, is made from reclaimed wood with holes inside for six eggs.  It also has a hinged door with reclaimed chicken wire and wire chickens on top with real feathers!

This juicer, from Objects of Design, avoids the problem of pips or pulp with its perforated catching cup.

This stylish Egg set is from Prezzies Plus.  A real toasty soldiers for dunking in your egg, marvelous!

If you are selling or renting your home then try and make sure it looks up to date with the latest decor.  You don’t have to go crazy and re-decorate your whole home as little touches here and there will do the trick.  I know you have heard it a million times but it is best to keep the look simple.  Stick to neutral colours for the walls and just add interest with your accessories.

The stylish paint colours and accessories above are from B&Q and are very affordable.

Accessories: You can update the look of your home with fairly inexpensive accessories.  Hide away all of the clutter and then add simple key touches.  A bookshelf or coffee table could be transformed with a simple table runner and a few ornaments.  The pretty accessories below are from Wilkinson and start from just £6. 

Try not to use more than a few co-ordinating colours and materials otherwise it will look too busy.  Once you’ve cleared away all the clutter invest in a few plants and flowers as they always brighten up a room.   I would suggest buying decent fake flowers so that they last the duration of the sale.  The plant below is £49 from Marks & Spencer.  It may be a little expensive but it is a great fake and remember it will last for years-this would look great in the middle of a coffee table.

Update a plain old sofa with a set of bold cushions from Graham & Green. At the top end of the budget Marks and Spencer’s sell some lovely embroidery designs for £35 or if you want to go super trendy then opt for their metalic sequined style for just £15…I love them! Remember, you can take all the items with you to the new home so see it as an investment. 

For value cushions  try BHS or B&Q.  If you have a very old fashioned sofa that makes the house feel dated then think about covering it with an extra large throw; this is a much cheaper option than buying a new sofa.   If you have a particularly dark house then invest in some up lights and make sure these are on when you conduct a viewing.

Bright, fun, decorative and comical; these are the words I’d use to describe Kitsch.  Not for the faint hearted, this is a look that will brighten up any room in the home.  If you want to create this style but you’re a little scared to commit to a large room then why not have some fun and go for a Kitsch toilet?  It will be a good talking point when friends come over!

Kitsch Trends 2009/2010, Pippa Jameson Interiors

COLOUR BLOCKING

This is going to be a big trend for Spring/Summer 2009.  Coming straight from the catwalks of Vogue, you can expect to see this filtering through to the Homes and Interiors with bold blocks of colour on cushions, rugs, wallpaper and fabrics.

NATURE

Nature is going strong with lots of pretty botanical prints featuring birds and butterflies.  This makes beautiful wallpaper.  If I was going to introduce this look in my home I would wallpaper one wall, choosing one with no windows so you could see the whole repeat of the pattern; see it as a large piece of wall art rather than wallpaper.  The wallpaper below is called Isabella from Graham & Browns collection.

TRIBAL

Leopard skin, Ankara and Ikat are just a few of the African prints that you will see this year on cushions, tablecloths, bedding and tableware. Team this with a touch of bohemian and you have a cutting edge look.

African prints Trends 2009/2010, Pippa Jameson Interiors

ALL THAT SHIMMERS…

Anything with a sparkle goes.  These shimmering accessories in either; gold, bronze or silver would look great in an ultra modern home with clean lines and white walls.

Moodboards created by Pippa Jameson

The New Year often means a good old clear out!  A time to go through all of your possessions to see if you are hording a mountain of junk!  The golden rule is; if you haven’t used something for 6 months then get rid of it.  A lot of us (including me) tend to stash things away thinking that we’ll need them one day but trust me, you never do!

Picture credit: Daily Mail / Splash

Remember to recycle There are many large recycling centers, just look on your local boroughs website or try yell.com to find your nearest one.  They take absolutely everything including the kitchen sink!  Have a look on The Recycle Centre to find your nearest one.

Charity shops: Another idea is to do a run to the local charity shop.  It’s very satisfying knowing that your old treasured possessions are going to another home rather than being thrown in the bin.  Have a look on the Association of Charity shops website for your nearest.

Have unwanted furniture collected: If you have large furniture items that you want to get rid of then have a look at some local charities and shelters.  They will often collect and pass the furniture on to homeless shelters.  There is sometimes a small collection fee of between £5-£10 but well worth it if it’s going to help the homeless and people in need.  A few companies that collect are: Emmaus, Urban Waste, Reuze, Big Green Switch & The Furniture Exchange

Jumble sale or car boot sale: If you want to get rid of some items that are worth a bit of money then why not have a jumble sale?  The only down side is that you have to get up early but you’ll walk away with a nice profit!

Ebay: Don’t you just love eBay.  If you have the patience then you can pretty much buy and sell anything!  This is good if you have lots of items to get rid of. If you haven’t got the time to list each item separately then just put them on as a group purchase.  All you need to do is take a group picture of the items as well as listing each piece in the description.   Alternatively get someone to eBay them for you.  Just type in ‘eBay seller’ into Google and you will be able to find someone in your area.  They will ask for a small commission but it’s worth it if you don’t have the time to sell the items yourself.

Retro glassware & wallpaper

The retro look is having another revival.  Cool brown and orange tones combined with sharp splashes of citrus colour.

The trend started its come back on the catwalk and, like so many other looks, has now filtered down into the interiors world.  I do like the look but in moderation.  I think the key is to add ‘touches’ and mix it cleverly with modern simple pieces for an ‘up to date’ take on Retro.

There are some good and some bad retro accessories to be found!  Retropolitan is good source of accessories.  An affordable company that has some very stylish and bespoke pieces.  It also has a good online shop so that you can have items delivered directly to your door.  The glassware in the above picture is all from Retropolitan.

Retro furniture

If you are looking for a retro look in the kitchen then try Cola Red.com for some stylish 50′s American diner furniture.