Cups raised to Prince George Commemorative mugs made to mark the birth of George Alexander Louis of Cambridge to Prince William and Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, displayed at the Emma Bridgewater pottery in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent Source: AFP FIRST, the royal baby. Next, the royal baby mug. In fact Prince George had barely been born before orders started flooding in to ceramic company Emma Bridgewater in Staffordshire in the English West Midlands. The company's half-pint earthenware glazed mugs, right, bear the slogan, in vivid blue, "Hooray for George" framed by a crown, a heart, and swirls of colours, alongside his birth date - July 22 - and the exclamation "It's a Prince." Ballistic demand prompted about 7000 orders in the first 24 hours after the the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge revealed the name of their baby last week. This piece of crockery is set to enter the history books and could become a design classic. The mugs are hand-decorated at the Victorian factory and the clay comes from Devon. The colours of French blue and lavender are applied to the biscuit earthenware in the company's signature sponged technique, before they are glazed and finally fired for 16 hours at 1120C. Staffordshire potteries have been marking royal events in earthenware for four centuries. Cabin fever CREDIT where credit is due. Australians are innovative when it comes to their household style, according to Shaynna Blaze, judge on The Block and award-winning co-host of Selling Houses Australia. I would say we start a lot of our own trends. Australia is unique and we have a lot of trendsetters here," she says. We don't tend to take our trends from the UK or America, as they're a lot more gilded or 'blingy'. Spring is an ideal time to paint your home, but go for bold colours, Blaze advises. "Outside the house it's about high contrast," she says. We have said goodbye to safe, neutral tones for exteriors. Before we were really trying to make everything blend in, unless it was a heritage home where traditional greens and reds are used. Now we're talking about high, crisp contrast. Exterior walls in deep charcoal or deep blue and a crisp, white trim can make a house look fresh. To update a home without going to the effort of a complete paint job, add a pop of colour by painting the front door, window trim or garage door. A white country-style weatherboard house, for example, could look fabulous with a striking red front door. Hot Buy FLORENCE Maud Broadhurst, the wallpaper designer, businesswoman, singer and banjolele player, was born in 1899. Thus she predated Sunbeam's arrival here from the US by three years. It might have taken a while, but now the two of them have been brought together. The company's range of small appliances now come adorned with Broadhurst's famous Japanese Floral print. Sunbeam has the status of an Aussie icon, but was originally the American Chicago Flexible Shaft Company, arriving here to make shearing equipment. The forebear of this stylish Mixmaster ($299) became famous in Australia and the world. Just try to make a pavlova without one! Broadhurst established her Australian (Hand Printed) Wallpapers company in 1959 and was soon exporting handcrafted wallpapers with vivid patterns around the world. If home baking is not your natural milieu, the range includes retro kettles, toasters, espresso machines and, our favourite, the couture ironing board and cover. So timeless that it's trendy. davidjones.com.au