Spring is well and truly sprung at Giggy & Bab this year, with stools springing up all over the place like daffodils on a grassy bank. As people shake off the winter chill, thoughts turn to spring cleaning and all manner of reaching up activities, from dusting away cobwebs to pruning the roses. Enter a rather fetching and useful step stool.

Easter saw Giggy & Bab dipping its toe into retail, albeit for two days only. A selection of stools were beautifully displayed in the window of Crouch End homeware stalwart, Of Special Interest, run by the irrepressible Belinda. I've long been a fan, and so I was delighted when she offered a pop up shopportunity at her gorgeous shop on Park Road, and the chance to bring the stools before the discerning burghers of London N8.

In early May, Giggy & Bab headed to ExCeL in east London's Docklands for Grand Designs Live, as one of five lucky winners of a Design Discovered bursary. Warm thanks to interiors journalist Barbara Chandler and show organizers Media 10 for the amazing opportunity to appear at this prestigious show. It was a treasure trove of everything you could possibly need to know or buy for a new build or refurb, from advice and talks to state of the art kitchens, from artisans to architects to artworks... to mops.

We had a great show on Stand E25 in the Design Arcade. I was ably assisted by my chief saleswoman (honorary) and all-round fantastic sister Vanessa, whose enthusiasm, creativity and hard work made it a breeze. Not to mention her impeccable dress sense, with outfits chosen to match the merch. Here she is on build-up day, sporting hi-vis gilet, putting the finishing touches to our interactive reaching wall. It's designed for kids to climb on a stool and get down a tin from the highest shelf they can reach. Good game!

ExCeL's Docklands location brought the stools to a new audience, with visitors from east London and Essex adding to the usual mix. I met many lovely people, from Ikraam in the East End to Dawn and Kevin from Southend to Miriam and Pete in Crouch End.

Fellow standholders were charming, talented and hardworking, and it was a pleasure to spend time with them... and to lend a helping stool when needed. Marcus of The Future Mapping Company availed himself of a Birchwood in pale grey to hang a map on his stand, while Mike nipped up a mint green Blackheath to straighten Lovia's pelmet on Drapery Box. Oh, and that's little Sophie, Mike's granddaughter - she's on one just for the pleasure of climbing up and standing on top.

My only regret? I narrowly missed meeting the legend that is Kevin McCloud (gnash, gnash). Ah well, at least I have the entire series of Grand Designs on DVD....

Next! Muswell Hill Creatives summer market was held a few days later, bringing together a clutch of local talent, with products ranging from leather wares to knitwear, from jewellery to ceramics and beyond.

This is the second time Giggy & Bab has had a guest stall there and I am proud to be associated with these talented artisans, whose products are appreciated by the receptive citizens of London N10. They are partial to a step stool and all!

Thrilled and honoured to be selected by design journalist Barbara Chandler as one of 5 winners of a Design Discovered bursary, awarded by show organisers Media 10. It’s an amazing opportunity to sell our wares direct to show visitors for 9 whole days.

This is the first year of Design Discovered, which is described as “a celebration of breakthrough design talent.” Giggy & Bab will be in the talented company of co-beneficiaries Aase of House of Hopstock, Sam & Freya of Troo Studio, Sam Lander, and Majeda Clarke. Between them they offer such delights as jungly textiles, beautiful porcelain, weaving, furniture, recycled polystyrene lampshades… and more.

Barbara Chandler is design editor of Homes & Property at the London Evening Standard, and well known and well loved as a champion of creative business and design talent. In her words:

“Hats off to the show organisers Media 10 for supporting new designers in this way. Exhibiting at this hugely popular home show is a great opportunity for these eager fledgling design entrepreneurs, who are already so impressively professional in the way they have perfected their products. It’s also inspirational and informative for others who would like to follow suit – a chance for visitors to share real life design success stories, and to pick up unique and innovative items for their homes.”

“What I love is the diversity of our group, which shows the varied routes ingenious designers are taking at different stages in their life to turn their ideas – dreams even - into product.”

“Juliet Munro of Giggy & Bab is reissuing a classic step-stool design from the last century which she rescued from a market stall. She’s painstakingly sourced British suppliers for the different metal and wood components and brilliantly upgraded the colours and finishes, adding a shiny logo plate as final touch.”

Thank you kindly Barbara, and Media 10.

In other news, a Hornsey stool in teal is beautifully featured in the May issue of Good Homes magazine, on sale now, and full of Spring loveliness. It’s a snip at £3.99 and perfect for curling up on the sofa with a cuppa.

Another thank you goes to stylist Louise Gorrod.

Wind and wuthering weather has blown our plans into disarray, so the Muswell Hill Creatives market will now be held a week today, on Saturday 23 March. Giggy & Bab stools would have stayed put in the high winds, but that’s about it. Bulging gazebos in full sail, flapping tablecloths, crashing signs, precious items blown off tables… a terrible scenario could have ensued.

Gentler conditions will prevail the following week for what promises to be a lovely day out. lt will be a joyous celebration of local creative talent, and I am looking forward to doing a brisk trade in step stools, especially now the spring cleaning season is upon us. The new Birchwood and Blackheath models are expected to take the public by storm. (Ed: don’t mention the word ‘storm’!)

The strapline of The Simple Things is “Taking time to live well” and it is a gentle read celebrating simple pleasures and slow living. In a world gone mad, increasingly we need to reconnect with life-affirming things like nature, creativity, home cooking, gardening, to keep us grounded and sane.

2019 got off to a flying start when Giggy & Bab stools were used to display products from fellow entrepreneurs at the marvellous StartUp 2019 event in January. It was brought to us by excellent small business network group Enterprise Nation, and it was jam-packed with fascinating talks, live interviews with inspirational founders, advice and resources for the aspiring entrepreneur. It was held in the beautiful surroundings of Bush House in Aldwych, once home to the BBC World Service and now part of King’s College London. A wonderfully inspiring and interesting day it was.

The Birchwood and Blackheath join the Hornsey in the Giggy & Bab range of retro step stools. The snaps below were taken recently at our suppliers, where production is ongoing. Please click on individual thumbnails to enlarge.

Birchwood stools are fitted with our standard furniture grade birch plywood, but clear lacquered to show off the beautiful tone of this blond wood. It is available with the pastel and black frames. Seen below in its duck egg and mint green incarnations.

The Blackheath is fitted with black stained plywood, and is available with all ten frame colours as it looks gorgeous on both the brights and the pastels, I’m sure you’ll agree. And of course black.

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The lovely people at Amazing Productions spotted the Hornsey stool at 100% Design and asked to borrow one. They used it to good effect in the big reveal at the end of Series 3, Episode 2, in the Plumstead home of young couple Tom and Shrez.

You can catch it here on All 4: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/george-clarkes-old-house-new-home/on-demand/67754-006

It’s great telly, and Gorgeous George pulls it out of the bag as usual (spoiler alert!) - making a lustworthy home out of an old wreck…. and in the process showing His Yellowness off to a tee, sporting a frizzy green plant on top.

As it is, the good people at Country Living Christmas 2018 magazine have chosen to put a red Hornsey stool on the Gifts for Cooks double page spread. We’re happy to share the space with this fab goat jug from www.quailceramics.co.uk, and lovely trad basket from www.dibor.co.uk.

The whole magazine is a cracking Christmassy read… ok so it’s only October but no time like the present (excuse the gift-related pun).

While we’re on the subject, seasonal uses for a Hornsey stool include:

• Decorating your Christmas tree
• Extra seat at the Christmas lunch table (especially good for kids)
• A perch for keeping cook company in the kitchen as s/he slaves over a hot stove
• In the living room, steps out make useful shelves for mince pies, prosecco, chocs, port…. Rennies

In other news, Giggy & Bab is proud to be providing stools for speakers on stage at the forthcoming Festival of Female Entrepreneurs in Bristol on 19 October 2018, organised by marvellous small business network Enterprise Nation.

The day-long event boasts an amazing line-up of inspiring entrepreneuses, and promises to be a belter par excellence. Details here.

Those in attendance include a veritable constellation of stellar Emmas. Emma Jones and Emma Greenfield of Enterprise Nation, Sunday Times business journalist Emma Broomfield, and Emma Bridgewater (no introduction necessary)… a woman after my own heart, she refused to outsource manufacturing to low wage economies and has become a champion of British industry.

Hornsey stools - in hot pink, teal and yellow - will be on display in the Design Fresh section of 100% Design, as chosen by design journalist Barbara Chandler.

Barbara, who is Design Editor of Homes & Property at the London Evening Standard, has selected 11 outrageously creative, talented people… plus me… as part of Design Fresh, billed as “a celebration of breakthrough talent”.

The stools will be jostling for attention with a formidable pool of extraordinary objects and products, ranging from the purely decorative to the functional, and beyond. They include tiles that sprout moss, a form-changing chair that wraps around you, and even some objects shaped by aeolian processes (that’s wind erosion to you and me).

The dazzling array of materials used includes coffee grounds, soft expanding foam, extruded aluminium, cast concrete, and waste polystyrene.

Click here to see the Design Fresh page on the 100% Design website.

The show is open to the public on Saturday 22nd September, so if you’re into design, come along and feast your eyes….