Neon Ring Of Fire

 Art, colour, decorative, exhibitions, fun things, inspirational, interiors, lighting, London, nice things, product design, things to do  No Responses »
Apr 182013
 

Chris Bracey Neon Ring Of Fire

Having discovered Chris Bracey’s neon lights (with thanks to Conran Shop) and gone on to use one in a shoot last year, I was rather excited to see a gallery of bright colours emitting glow over the hard concrete streets in the west end of London. I have to say, I do like a bit of neon lighting, especially done with a nod to many aspects of iconic American popular culture which will always retain a element of cool; 1950s, rock’n'roll, bikers, tattoo parlours and street retail advertising. But Bracey doesn’t just regurgitate old lights, he adapts and adds to, recycling old lights to make new pieces, that are more relevant to us today, whilst referencing the land so far from these shores. And no further away than from Walthamstow, where Bracey works in his delightfully named workshop, God’s Own Junkyard. His workshop is now open to the public on specific days, so after you visit Scream to see his exhibition, I advise you to check out his website, then go and indulge yourself with more neon goodness.

1.) Lady Luck (detail), 2.) Hot Burning Love/ Hotel Love, 3.) Love and Hate, 4.) Hands of God (and detail),  5.) Find Love Upstairs (shown in three light variations)

Chris Bracey at Scream Gallery. 12 April until 01 June 2013.
27 – 28 Eastcastle Street, London, W1W 8DH Tel: +44 (0)20 7268 9857
Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 11am – 4pm

It’s All Woolly Good

 animals, Art, collaborations, colour, craft, decorative, Designer-Maker, events, homewares, inspirational, interiors, London, nice things, textiles, texture, things to do  No Responses »
Mar 142013
 

Woolweek Its All Woolly Good

Yesterday saw the opening of this year’s Wool Week by Campaign For Wool at Wool House, Somerset House. I first got excited by Wool Week two years ago with their Wool Modern exhibition, which I loved for all its crafty exhibitors but found disappointing due to its heavy fashion emphasis and a lack of homewares. This year, they’ve totally turned it around with more interiors and homewares than you can shake a sheep at. Which is only right, when you think about how much wool is a major player in homewares; from cushions, carpets to sofas and blankets. Very nicely curated, with an extensive exploration across all interior styles and colours. Go in with open eyes and prepare to be amazed. You’ll never look at a sheep in the same way again. It’s a cracker.

Photos from left to right, top to bottom:
Infinity carpet runner by Christian Zuzunaga for Brintons
Arran jumper armchair by Champ Upholstery with Vintage Clothes- seen in the Natural Room by Josephine Ryan.
Fabric walls in Wool Sateen Glace Indigo by Holland & Sherry- seen in the Classic Drawing Room by Fox Linton Associates
Wool lettering detail
Curved Laine, three-dimensional acoustic sound absorbing panel, 100% wool felt, made to order, designed by Anne Kyyrö Quinn- seen in Modern Room by Anne Kyyrö Quinn.
detail of the cloud mobile, custom made for Wool House, by Donna Wilson- seen in Nursery by Donna Wilson.
Leaf, pink acoustic sound absorbing panel, 100% wool felt, made to order, designed by Anne Kyyrö Quinn- seen in Modern Room by Anne Kyyrö Quinn.
Chain carpet, designed by Ashley Hicks, woven to order by Alternative Flooring- seen in Study by Ashley Hicks.
knitted vessels by Hilary Anderson-Barr- seen in the Natural Room by Josephine Ryan.

The Campaign for Wool’s WOOL HOUSE
Wool House, West Wing, Somerset House, London
13 – 24 March 2013
Open daily
Free admission

Bridging The Gap

 Art, books, collaborations, colour, decorative, furniture, homewares, inspirational, interiors, London, nice things, product design, shops  2 Responses »
Mar 052013
 

Other Criteria Bridging The Gap

Other Criteria sees the bridging of the big, wide gap that spans between shops and galleries, offering a collection of Damien Hirst’s and other contemporary and emerging artists’ work in shop format. Strictly speaking, they’re an art publishing company, but with this venture sees the opening of two retail outlets in London. Predominantly led by Hirst’s foray into the world of interiors, which is a combination of the curious and the unrealistic, this is a nicely curated selection of homewares for the boldly designed-inclined. Definitely worth a visit if only to indulge the parallel universe fantasy, you know the one: where you’re a millionaire living in a humungous house on Hyde Park without restriction on either space or financials. In terms of prices, do not be fooled, this is far more gallery than shop. With prices around £30-£50k for a rug, this isn’t shopping for the faint-hearted, but then we knew that with the location of the shops. Speaking of the rugs, it was the rugs that I fell in love with, being exact copies of Hirst’s Spin paintings, these hand-knotted wool rugs are fabulous bursts of colour and look fantastic, and all yours as long as you remortgage.

1.) ‘Spot’ clocks, small £305, large £490, 2.) wallpaper range, prices from £205 per roll, 3.) ‘I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds’ bone china plate, £33.50, 4.) ‘Beautiful Primal Urges’ rugs, 100% wool, small £30k, large £50k, 5.) ‘The Rape of Persephone’ wallpaper, £250 per roll, 6.) ‘Beautiful Self-indulgent Spin’ chair, set of 6 chairs, £30k, 7.) ‘Beautiful, amore, gasp, eyesgoing into the top of the headand fluttering painting’ bone china plate, £22.50, 8.) Malambra/ Aquamarine large vase, by Paola Petrobelli, £2,800, 9.) acrylic ashtrays, around £450.

Other Criteria, 36, New Bond Street, London W1S 2RP (020 7629 5800), or, 14, Hinde Street, London W1U 3BG (020 7935 5550)

Colour Wood

 colour, furniture, homewares, inspirational, interiors, London, nice things, product design  No Responses »
Jan 152013
 

Colour Wood Colour Wood

Weirdly, I’ve only just come across these, but better late than never. These sleek little numbers are from Scholten & Baijings, a Amsterdam-based duo renowned for their beautiful and minimalist product design. Surprisingly delicate neon and pastel colour usage and geometric liners patterns are their design signature, and once you see their style looking across their product portfolio, it won’t be long until you start seeing them popping up across the board. These tables are currently on sale at the London-based design shop, TwentyTwentyOne, but before you get excited, I must warn you, even with a discount, they’re still not cheap. You might well need to save your pennies up, or be prepared to be eating beans on toast for a while. A damn good table to eat your beans at though, eh?

Colour Wood, 2010, sale price starts at £648, TwentyTwentyOne
Designed by Scholten & Baijings
Manufactured by Karimoku New Standard
Product code: KARI-T341*

The Glamour of the Big Screens

 architecture, decorative, events, fun things, inspirational, interiors, London, nice things, things to do  No Responses »
Dec 122012
 

Barbican Cinema The Glamour of the Big Screens

I’ve been very excited at prospect of a brand new cinema complex at the Barbican. The current screens have always felt a little bit lost and forgotten, and were located at the end of such a long windy corridor that you always wondered if you’d ever make it back out again. Though it did mean that often you’d have the screens to yourself. Mum and I used to go a lot, as it was so close to both her work and our home. Many a tear was shed, a giggle gurgled and ice cream slurped in the quiet plushness of the old screens.
The new screens are splendid, I can tell you, but one mustn’t skip to the pinnacle without describing the ascent, eh what-what? The ‘shop’ front is Edward Hopper-esque heaven and the inside has measures of both 50′s film star glamour and contemporary chic to keep all viewers happy. There are beautiful chairs, mirrored ceilings, burnished copper counters, sweeties in glass jars, old film posters framed and even a wall of film clips montaged interspersed with those scanny-griddy barcode-y things that enables you to download film scripts. The cinemas themselves are simple in comparison, but no less dowdy. Off-setting the lipstick-red leather chairs with a plush rouching of steel-grey fabric encasing the room, you can’t help but feel delightfully cosy. Well, it’s hardly a objective review, but what do you expect from a girl who loves the Barbican. Top marks to Dannatt, Johnson Architects for a marvellous job on the interiors.

A Bird In The Hand…

 animals, ceramics, Christmas, decorative, fun things, homewares, interiors, London, nice things, product design, shopping, shops  No Responses »
Dec 112012
 

Pols Potten birds A Bird In The Hand...

A bird in the hand is worth four on the Christmas tree, right? Or summat like that. It wouldn’t be hard to go all birdy this Christmas and especially not with these little fellas by Pols Potten. SCP are stocking a variety of their white ceramic birds, and I reckon they’ll be flying off the shelves (boom), because, whilst these photos do no justice to them, when you are up close to them, they are just totally adorable. Your hearts will melt and before you know it, you’ll have bought the lot. Well, I very almost did, at any rate. Now, who knows what ‘Sparrow’ is in Dutch?

Large Sparrow ornament, £10, small Sparrow ornament, £6, set of 4 tree decorations, £18, all from SCP.

Alternative Wrap

 Art, collaborations, colour, decorative, Designer-Maker, illustrators, London, nice things, paper, pattern, shopping, shops, stationery  No Responses »
Dec 052012
 

YCN wrap1 Alternative Wrap

On a post-lunch stumble with my jolly good friend Elias from Social Nesting, he took me to his new favourite treasure trove, YCN. Oh hello. A lovely mishmash of stuff, all beautifully designed and presented, you’ll be finding yourself craving all sorts of things you never knew you wanted. I think that’s the best sort of shop. I like to be surprised and fear predictability like I fear getting old. If you’re on the look out for some tasty wrap, and I don’t mean lunchables, then here’s the place. Three different designs by three different designers, you’ll bound to coo over at least one of them, if not all. I love ‘em all. At the top is ‘Cyclists’ by Evgenia Barinova, in the middle is ‘Stationery’ by Jamie Brown, and last, but not least, is ‘People & Animals’ by Daniel Frost. Lovely stuff.

A single sheet of wrapping paper is £2.50, A2 in size and printed on a 130gsm Cyclus Offset stock, available on-line and in-store at YCN, 72, Rivington Street, London.

Spinning Bowls

 Art, ceramics, Christmas, colour, craft, decorative, Designer-Maker, events, homewares, inspirational, London, nice things, shopping, things to do  No Responses »
Dec 042012
 

Sapetra Spinning Bowls

It was the Christmas Cockpit Arts open last weekend at their Holborn studios, and whilst I’ve been to Deptford, I haven’t been to the original site for a good while. I used to work at the opens, sitting on the desk taking the entrance fee and shivering in the cold. But, alas, I digress. There were lots of old friends with new news, and Sapetra is just one of them. Well known for the ceramic ‘Air’ series, particularly the little travel pillows, it was nice to see them nestled amongst new designs. I’d not seen this ‘Spindle’ series before and was rather taken with them. They are a perfect form, that rests on one side of its sloping bottom, allowing a circular movement should you so wish. But the bit I liked the most were the colours and the way the slip had been dribbled in rivulets down the side of the vessel. Lovely.

Deptford Cockpit Arts is open this weekend, and most definitely worth a visit, for original and interesting handmade gifts.

Deptford Cockpit Arts
18-22 Creekside, Deptford,
London,
SE8 3DZ
T: 020 8692 4463

Opening times: Fri 11am-9pm, Sat – Sun 11am-6pm

Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog

 animals, colour, decorative, fun things, homewares, London, nice things, product design, shopping, shops, textiles  No Responses »
Nov 162012
 

Cush Puppies Aint Nothing But a Hound Dog

No one is more surprised than me that I’m listing cushions with dogs on them. If you’d told me, I would have laughed you all the way to Battersea, but no, here I am and yes, there they are. Dogs. On cushions. For some reason these I like. It’s got to be said, I do like an animal ornament, and I confess, I have parakeets as part of the design of the fabric on my cushions, but strictly speaking I’m not one for ‘cutesie’ renditions of animal, domestic or wild. Patchwork cushions made from a variety of fabrics both old and new, each with a patchwork pictorial of much loved pooches. Made by British designer and maker, Carola Van Dyke, in the village of Firle, and on sale shortly at Liberty, London, for £89 per cushion. At least they won’t pee on your rug, eh?

Rains Down, Down On Me

 Art, collaborations, exhibitions, fun things, inspirational, interiors, London, nice things, random, theatre, things to do  2 Responses »
Oct 122012
 

rain1 Rains Down, Down On Me

So, having got drenched yesterday it seems somewhat pertinent to be blogging about an exhibition about rain which doesn’t get you wet. Yes, people, you read that right. A rain exhibition. You’d have thought that in this country the last thing we’d need is a room of rain. And even more amusingly, the day I went, I had to queue for almost an hour to get in. Laugh, you may, but the last laugh will be on you if you don’t go. Rain Room is the latest project and installation from those clever people over at Random International at the always and forever fabulous Barbican, London. It’s free to get in and on until March 2013. Make sure you get down there. This is art definitely worth getting wet for, or rather, not.

Random International: Rain Room
4 October 2012 – 3 March 2013
The Curve Gallery

Tickets: Admission Free

Times: View gallery opening hours
Open daily 11am – 8pm; Thu until 10pm,
Except Sat 13 Oct: 11am – 4pm (last admission into the queue 2pm)
Wed 31 Oct: 11am – 10pm

pixel Rains Down, Down On Me
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