We live in Lichfield, a small cathedral city dating back to the Middle Ages. After much opposition and debate among councillors and residents, a department store is soon opening a stones throw from our front door. Debenhams.

While I am all for holding onto heritage and championing independent retailers, Lichfield definitely needs a shake up in the shopping takes and it makes sense to fill a huge building that has been sitting empty for over 12 months. Debenhams wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice of store, but I’m just thankful it is not a Primark or Poundland – stores burgeoning amid the recession.

Debenhams’ designer collaborations are definitely worth a look and John Rocha and Ben De Lisi are particular faves of mine. Here are my picks from the Debenhams SS13 home collections – available in store and online soon.

Browsing Debenhams.com just now I couldn’t resist snapping up these bits in the sale for our new place. I’m a sucker for monochrome and gold!

Bathroom sign, £6.40; tealight holder, £3 (SOLD OUT); letter rack, £5

I am very excited about this new discovery – particularly as we have to get our act together and start planning our autumn wedding. I adore neon signs and have been hunting for a hire company to rent one from to bring a glam touch to our rustic barn wedding venue. Enter Vowed and Amazed, which has some fab LOVE and star signs available for hire from £100.

Vowed and Amazed

Other posts you might like:

• Currently coveting // Amish barn stars
• Utility chic with Bloomingville
• Upcycled door tables

I firmly believe that art is one of the key elements to turn a house into a home, and that you don’t need to spend a fortune to find cool pieces. A while back, I interviewed Samir Cedric, owner of Debut Contemporary gallery on Westbourne Grove, for an art feature in Grove magazine (I’ll post it soon!), and his words stuck with me. He said to always “follow your instincts and buy what you love” and that “art is often a reflection of your personal style so it is absolutely fine to update it regularly just as we do with fashion and design.”

Of course, it is wonderful to have one-off pieces, but if your budget does not allow it, there are a host of great places to get your art fix. Of course, Etsy for one, and I really like Easy Art too. I frequently find great pieces at Easy Art to feature in my interior pages for Fabulous magazine, and I received a voucher for Christmas as a little thank you from their lovely PR. But do you know, I just cannot decide what to spend it on! There is so much to choose from… I’ve narrowed it down to either a black and white photography print, some form of typography print or a flamingo. I do love a flamingo.

 Café et cigarette, Paris, 1925, by Roger-Viollet

Illuminated metro station sign art print, Paris 2011, by Chris Thomond

Café art print by Camille Sulayrol et al

Other posts you might like:

• Art crush // Debbie Carlos
• Art crush // Cassia Beck
• Animal magic from JimBobArt

Happy New Year! Aside from the obligatory get fit plans (I have the wedding as incentive this year!), I want to get my personal style sorted in the New Year. Using my shiny new peachy gold Cambridge Satchel (thanks Gav!) as inspiration, here are some goodies I've picked out from some of my fave shops. Picking them is almost as good as buying them… OK, not really, but my tax bill is due so pretend shopping will have to do for now!

1.Metallic satchel from The Cambridge Satchel Company

2. NW3 by Hobbs Birch tweed coat

3. Cos silk and wool print scarf

4. Pied a Terre Hopkins Brogue

5. Whistles top

6. Anthropologie knitted turban. Sadly sold out now.

7. Ash hi-tops (the plain black ones have sold out but they’re still available in Rosewood and Perkish)

8. Topshop pleated skirt

I have a geeky obsession for utilitarian homewards and Labour and Wait has long been the source of my back-to-basics fix. Many of their beautifully simple, well-made products are on my Christmas list this year. Would any make it onto yours?

Need some colour in your life? Then look no further than the fabulous art of Amy Sia. I am completely captured by her work - it lifts my spirits and makes me smile. Plus there's free worldwide shipping over at Society 6 this weekend, so it would be rude not to buy really. I've got my eye on this first piece here.

Despite the dark mornings and noticeble chill in the air, Autumn is by far my favourite season. I love getting back to cosy cooking and adapting our home for the colder months.

While I'm not one to mindlessly follow trends, I like to keep an eye on what's new to the market and cherry pick the pieces that I love and fit with our overall asthetic.

Afterall, adding a few new choice pieces each season is the perfect way to inject personal style and keep your home fresh and interesting.

So I was excited to round up some fabulous finds from my favourite trends for autumn 2012 in my latest piece for Grove magazine. From highstreet to high-end, I hope you find something you like to bring your home to life this fall..

If you love roast chicken (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?) then you may already be familiar with the chicken brick, and if not, I suggest you pick one up immediately. The humble brick will transform the way you cook and enjoy roast chicken and it seems to be returning to its status as a cult classic after its heyday in the 1970s.

£32.50, Weston Mill / £30, Habitat

While the origin of the actual chicken brick is unclear, clay and terracotta pots have been used for cooking since before Roman times. A little digging discovered that Sir Terence Conran introduced the brick to Britain and his King’s Road store in 1964. Habitat made the mistake of discontinuing the brick in 2008, before reintroducing it soon after due to popular demand.

So what’s so great about it? The main advantage over cooking your bird in a regular roasting tin is that you don't need to add any fat as the brick steam cooks the food in its own moisture. The terracotta stores, then distributes the heat without causing the fat to burn while the dry walls mean that the meat browns as it would in a normal oven. I also like the fact that it is easier to clean and doesn’t spit fat all over the oven.

Obviously bricks are not just for chicken and you can use it for other roast meats and vegetables. The only thing to be aware of is that the terracotta absorbs the flavour of foods over time, so it isn’t ideal for fish or curries.

We have roast chicken so much more often this way and at just £30, I say that’s a worthwhile investment! I like to lay a free-range chicken on top of lemon slices and thyme sprigs, and stuff it with further lemon and thyme as well as lots of garlic.

While it is not necessary, I like to rub extra virgin olive oil into the skin (just because I love it) and season it with salt and pepper. After roasting you'll have this lovely fusion of juices to serve as a sauce without the hassle of marking gravy. Utterly delicious.

Other posts you might like:

What to do with soba noodles

Make it // ginger spring onion sauce

Stylish practicality // storage baskets

This fabulous poster keeps catching my eye on Pinterest (you can follow my pin here) and I have decided that it is the perfect piece to complete our bedroom. I want the room fairly uncluttered and neutral to feel tranquil and calming, yet something has been missing to make it feel finished and, um, I don't know, just cool I guess!

The Perfect Twist poster is from a collection of black and white posters from Chicago based photographer Debbie Carlos. I just love the raw simplicity of her images. What do you think?