Spring/Summer 2014 look book from Cath Kidston

If you read my post about the #ccbloggers meet up that happened at the weekend, you'll know that we were treated to a behind the scenes look at Cath Kidston, where the Nottingham store team talked us through how Cath gets her inspiration and which prints are hot of the press and what we can look forward to for the Spring/Summer 2014 season.

Cath Kidston has very much been the zeitgeist for many when it comes to home design, tapping into the enduring trend for nostalgia and turning floral prints into must-have accessories. Taking inspiration on her travels from small swatches of fabric at rag markets or postcards from abroad, Cath creates impactful prints that this nation seems to adore - and I am one such fan.

I'm not overly into the more chintzy designs, such as her most popular pattern, Provence Rose. I like vintage styling but too much flower power can really put me off. I most enjoy the way Cath plays with colour and her bolder prints are much more my style.

I really was like a kid in a candy store at the weekend, ticking off in my head everything that I wanted (that would be half the shop, then!) but when the team showed us the new look book, I was inspired all over again.

In total, there's around 75 new patterns for the coming season with a very strong theme of vintage coming through. That may sound like an obvious statement, but some of the upcoming prints have a very vintage feel in terms of the shades and the influences behind them.

A new pattern that's just been revealed is called Brighten Up Your Day and features a toile print of Brighton seafront, in the same kind of vain as the London print but with a more washed out, faded postcard kind of feel to it.

There's a fab new floral print which uses a bold palette of yellow, blue and red with stylised flowers that looks simply stunning throughout the new dining products.

Another new print for the season ahead is the beach print - think deckchairs and sunny skies. This print really stood out to me and I can see it being very popular this summer.

When developing new designs, Cath chooses which prints will be available on which products, reflecting the type of taste it's aimed at.

Other design developments include a lot more of her 'fun' patterns, taking a theme and really running with the print ball. In autumn, she revealed the new fire truck print and her train print dress was hugely popular, leading to more products in this print in the pipeline.

I'm going to do a round-up post on Cath Kidston for children, as there really are some amazing designs available at the moment which offer the perfect mix of fun designs that children will like but beautiful design that will fit seamlessly into the rest of your home.

All in all, expect more of the same but in a broader range of designs. As some items take better to market than others, it's important that if you see a print you like, that you snap it up as it won't necessarily be around forever. Some people like to stick to one pattern and build their collection whereas others can't help a more-pick-and-mix approach when it comes to Cath.

My own passion for her prints has been reignited and if you're interested in my current wishlist, pop over to Pinterest and take a look.