I can’t believe April has whizzed by as if in a blur from the window of a high speed train with rain lashing against the windows. March was so balmy and bright with an air of spring about it.

I’ve been swept up with such interesting projects.

In a whirl organising Ideas on a Postcard, please (www.ideasonapostcard.org.uk) for Architecture for Humanity 3-9 May at Space fiftyfour, 54 Rivington Street, London EC2.  We’re launching the publication of Design Like You Give a Damn 2,  and there will be scheduled events and workshops.  Studio 54 Architecture generously donated the space.  For the opening night, we’ve devised a special cocktail made with seasonal and locally sourced rhubarb – calling it the ‘Hakini’ i.e. the Hackney Bellini. Our logo, designed by Risa Sano of Mentsen, depicts the theme of the event – which is to come up with a ‘design like you give a damn’ project that would benefit London – and put it on a postcard. We’re exhibiting everyone’s postcards in the gallery. The postcard template can be downloaded from the website. And I’ve also been busy with ‘Making it My Place’ – an interior design project working with a group of people who’ve had the misfortune of being homeless but are now living in their ‘first step’ flats. Three really nice guys have signed up and week one (we’re in our third week) we made applique fleece blankets. Week two was spent sanding and spray painting furniture culled from the local YMCA charity shop. We’ll be whizzing up curtains with the help of our resident soft furnishings expert and doing some repair and painting to bring the flats up to scratch. Some inspiration for up-cycling with paint:

Piet Hein Eek is the master of turning old and paint flaky wood into furniture poetry.

Jo Nagasaka uses resin and pigment to turn old tables into works of art

another great idea – using palettes as a sofa base with layers of felt covered foam.

On a totally different tack my love of earthy tones and textures knows no bounds. I love the industrial vintage stacking chairs below from Cream and Chrome.

and arts and craft stool below is so charming.

and to conclude on a surreal note: Kathy Ruttenberg’s ‘Messenger’ sculpture

and David Shrigley’s pumpkin Barbie

hang up your clothes

I’d like to dedicate this post to my daughter although it may not be appreciated. She has made it clear to me that is is her incontrovertible right to leave her clothes where ever, which may be the floor. Perhaps if I supplied her with any of the fabulous clothes racks below she may be inspired to pick them up.

The brand new just debuted  ‘Tra-ra’ clothes rack designed by the talented Tomoko Azumi of t.n.a. design studio.

rough hewn vintage clothes rack found at Factory 20.

Industrial vintage at Mondern 50.

A hefty old garment rail from Strawser & Smith.

A vintage rail in a modern bedroom via Marley and Lockyer .

a clever leaning clothes rack for small spaces at houzz.com.

19thc kimono rack with peony motif at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

adorable crochet hangers from re-found objects.

sitting comfortably

A few chairs old and new which inspire.

Mass Productions chairs at East Street restaurant in Rathbone Place

vintage chairs at The French House

old college chairs from Miles Griffiths

and flat tables by Jo Nagasaka – using tinted resins

sunshine and a touch of spring

Spring was in the air – the sky blue – the mercury up – so off with the shaggy sheepskin and a light footed skip down the street today. A little gift of a day – everything feeling  brighter.  Inspired to share a cheery selection of door images cut-and-pasted from far better bloggists than me. I delight in these images and welcome you to do so too.

aprons on a door via Remodelista

dressing room doors at Anthropology

ticking gathered under a sink

heart + mannequins

Heart of the day

carved wood 20th century – at Deodar

and mannequins as decorative objects

French mannequin from Bristol Fashion

A cinched waist circa 1880s mannequin from Eras of Style

from Anton & K a pair of 19th c mannequins

a child’s mannequin – all parts original – at Eras of Style

from Elemental

antique child’s mannequin at Antique ObjectsEdwardian male at Katharine Pole

at Brownrigg Interiors

working from home: the home office

On Wednesday I am giving a workshop at B’Hive – a women’s office hub in Covent Garden founded by PR supremo Lynn Franks.The workshop is about working from home – the pitfalls and challenges as well as all the obvious good stuff like being able to sit at your computer all day in your pjs. Maybe that’s a pitfall.There have been times, I confess, when I’ve been at my pc first thing in the morning in my dressing gown and find myself still in a state of déshabillé in the afternoon. Working from home is about getting in the zone - the professional mindset. Organising the work space is key – and while my set up chez moi is not the best example (I’ve never had a tidy desk) I am a staunch advocate of creating the perfect ambiance for productive creative work at home.To that end I collect images that inspire: clever conversions of tiny spaces (wardrobes, cupboards, nooks and crannies) into hotbeds of dynamic work.

Here are a few to kick off with:

an office in the bedroom – why ever get out of bed

a bedroom console that lifts up to create a home office desk designed by Peter Pawlak

a bedroom closet houses a desk – and files and a cork board stored within a chest

another closet conversion with a decorative curtain

yet another closet – a perfect stowaway office

keeping it all white makes for a neat work space

vintage lockers are fabulous storage

a sliding wall separates an office area from the dining room in a small east London flat

B’Hive is located at 26-27
Southampton Street
London WC2E 7RS

heart sampler

This charming wood sampler (each piece is a different kind of wood) is featured at a pop up shop this month at Haus Interiors, 250 Elizabeth Street in New York City. It’s the work of woodworker David Stark and the image via Remodelista.com.  I chanced upon Haus Interiors the last time I was in NYC and was taken by the well chosen mix of things in the shop. I bought a clever wall calendar printed onto painter’s canvas which was immediately bagged by my daughter. Wish I was in the big apple now to see this pop-up.

heart, table, chair

from re-found objects

from 52metres

from Alex MacArthur

work in progress continues…

and back in Tunbridge Wells, the signage complete, furniture revived and recovered…

Risa Sano of Mentsen created the bespoke font and designed the signage…great job!

the blue chairs recovered in a neutral colour with a burst of sunshine yellow tweed by Bute

heart, sun, star, lobster and birds

hello February!

month of chocolates and hearts

BIG Architects’ Valentine offering in New York – image via Design Boom

Sunburst 1950s Spanish gilded metal from www.17-21.com

1940s tole star from Ebury Trading

a 1960s bird mobile brass on copper from Aurora Decorative

1950s iron lobster at Quindry

time will tell

In the grey damp of January I trudged across Battersea Park to the bi-annual Decorative Fair which I like because dealers in all kinds of vintage things from all over the country exhibit. A kind of melancholy beauty in the park – colours faded to almost monochrome. An incessant drizzle. I could feel my hair frizz. My boots squelched into the ground. I pretended I was in a 19th century novel. Someting I do when I am on solitary walks. So in such an historical frame of mind I entered the genteel buzz of the fair. It attracts a well bred clientele – ladies in quilted jackets measuring up gilded mirrors and talking about reupholstery options for Louis V chairs.

My attention was grabbed by the purveyor of retro clocks. All ticking away in sync – thanks to spanking new workings. These clocks are used on photo shoots and film sets and the company in fact is called Clock Props. Based in Wandsworth. The website is www.clockprops.com.

also at the Decorative Fair

Appley Hoare’s atmospheric settings culled from French brocante and conjured up with their decorative flair. www.appleyhoare.com

Quindry combine ‘soft’ 20th century French and Italian designs with tribal elements. ‘Soft’ is the word used by Quindry owner Gwen Pilard, whose style is impeccably chic and sophisticated. Quindry is based at 299 Lillie Road, London SW6. www.quindry.net

Michael Bell, based at The Gasworks, London SW6, displayed a very nice industrial sorting office desk with attached stool.

The glam award goes to this adorable little satin covered Napolean II chair with sequinned cushion. So divinely boudoir.

a work in progress continues

Slowly but surely work continues on the community centre and Cafe Refresh. The exterior is now a soft shade of grey and Craig and associate from Sabre Signs hand painted new lettering. In the spirit ot ‘make do and mend’ the very tired looking blue chairs were recovered in a taupe fabric from Panaz and bolsters covered in a vibrant golden yellow wool from Bute add a shot of colour and a touch of comfort. I’m very pleased with the limited edition Eames ‘Hang it All’ which replaces a not very nice coat rack. Still waiting to complete with finishing touches. Ordered a golden yellow Pierre Paulin mushroom pouffe which I think should look good.

Eames ‘Hang it All’ in walnut finish and black from Aram

look at the post from 9th December to see the ‘before’.

the glorious Thames – shame about the photo

I caught the Gerhard Richter show just before it closed and I am so glad that I did. The Tate Modern was buzzing on a mild January afternoon and there was a long queue to get in. Fourteen rooms displaying the range of Richter’s work: his explorations in abstraction and representation, and his use of photography as both the source for his work and the work itself. One room displayed his paintings of the Baader Meinhof group, radicals in 1960s Germany, who all died tragically as a consequence of their activities. So young. The paintings, based on newspaper photos are elegiac, haunting, and very moving. His landscapes are epic. His vacillations between totally grey and fully spectral colour canvases and his continuous shift between exquisitely executed representational painting and an experimental approach to abstraction is fascinating. I found his two portraits of his daughter very touching and personal.

After I left the Tate – I was thrilled to see that the promenade has been extended so that you can now walk up to the South Bank passing en route the Oxo Tower and a little landscaped garden. Lots of people were out and about. The lights on the river were so pretty. Inspired by Richter I took a few photos of the Thames. They didn’t come out that well – here is one:

colour: shades of blue and green

My default position with interior decor is neutral – give me shades of grey any day as the backdrop for furnishings and accessories. I like colour in small doses, little shocks, vibrant but contained flashes. I prefer art, books, textiles etc to bring colour to a room rather than painted or papered walls and.  But this can be limiting too. Too safe, too controlled. So my plan is to consider colour afresh. Beginning with blue and green  -  soft as a clear sky, a duck egg, a limpid pool, eau de nil.

making it real

So here we are in 2012. Some say it is going to be a tough year with recession on the cards. Others say fabulous things are about to happen.  Personally if I had to choose between the rose tinted soothsayer or the gloomster I’d go with the former. Right now, where I’m sitting, I’m all for the star gazing card reading optimist. We’ve had our cold shower. The Western world got the wake up call. We’ve faced the demise of the consumer culture and the death of the credit card bubble. (I can personally attest to that).  Let 2012 be a year when we consider what really is important.

According to some mystic astronomer on Jools Holland (every year I swear I will NOT watch Jools Holland on NYE and then I do) Venus will be passing the sun sometime in June. The effect will infuse us with love and affection.  So something to look forward to. Before then, my advice is keep it simple, keep it real. Start with wooden spoons, as seen on Design Sponge.

My love of wooden crates knows no bounds. Make a wall of simple storage using a collection of vintage boxes like these.

I’ve been busy researching floor cushions for a current project and would like to share some of the options I have been looking at. Claire Ann O’Brien is such a talented designer. I first encountered her work during Design Week.

Below: the Urchin Poufe by Christien Meindertsma

and these, which I found online:

goodbye 2011 and Happy New Year

Cosy up, add sparkle and candlelight, and reflect on the past twelve months. What a year it has been with seismic, volcanic, and anarchic eruptions, political outcries and rebellions, fights for freedom and human rights. The world has grown weary of the money grabbing banking establisment while workers all over the planet have stood up for basic entitlements. Reflect on the plight of people who have suffered draughts and famine, civil war and violence, earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear meltdowns. Think about the people who have lost their homes and livlihoods, their loved ones.  2011 has been a very hard year for many people and when we clink glasses tonight to toast in the new year, let’s also give a thought to our brothers and sisters around the world who’ve been forced to be so brave. Let’s hope 2012 brings happier days.

images via Remodelista

Toast Christmas

Ian Shrager hotel Chicago

painted logs

happy Christmas

fa la la la la la la la la

speckles and splatters

There is something so charming about speckled and splattered surfaces. Jackson Pollack’s free spirited canvases may have been wrought from a tortured soul,  but are somehow life affirming and joyous.

Ralph Lauren’s speckled wallpaper will add Pollack-esque expressionism to any interior.

I’ve recently discovered Texas Ware – a confetti splattered melamine of the 1950s. You can find pieces on eBay.

Little jug with pitted surface from Timothy Langston.  

So tangerine is the colour of 2011 according to the trendsetters and style dictators. I like the colour in small doses. A splash of orange in an otherwise neutral setting adds pinache and warmth.  Too much can be overkill.

This little ‘farmer’s basket’ in tangerine is available from Anthropologie and can add a nice ‘fashion’ touch to your kitchen.

a tangerine coloured sake cup

If you want to go the full hog – stick to one wall in an otherwise monochrome space like this bathroom.

Or try a tangerine lino floor as seen in the kitchen of  maternitywear designer Baukjen de Swaan Arons who founded the company Isabella Oliver.

a work in progress

A few weeks ago I was asked if I could redesign a café and community centre situated in a council estate in Tunbridge Wells. This is the sort of challenge I love: transforming a cheerless place into a welcoming hub. I feel practically messianic when it comes to buildings in the public sector – places which have been shortchanged, degraded and made ugly because anything aesthetic is not regarded as a value. Why do council buildings have to look and feel so institutional and loveless.

When I first went to the site, I thought ohmygod. This is visually soooo noisy with a medley of haphazard colours on the wall, a frightful pink exterior and desperately dreary blue pinboards with scolding notices imploring one ‘ not to do this and not to do that’.  Notices like those have a way of bringing out the anarchist in me.  Oh and so many absolutely hideous chairs ! Dreadful tatty blue ones in that toxic shade of institutional blue and purple monstrosities.

here is the before:

We began by painting the exterior and interior a soft pussy willow grey to calm and soothe and be a neutral backdrop.

this is the work in progress…

I

the cork wall going up (great for hanging art and posters).

Adding a blackboard panel and ‘Downpipe’ by Farrow & Ball on the end wall.

Oh and the loos. They were painted in a speckled pale blue and were stained around the toilets (v unappealing).

We brightened them up with a raspberry pink and bright blue.

work continues

so watch this space…

colour

My mood is strictly monochrome these days as illustrated by endless posts devoted to white grey and black. But colour beckons. Two images which I wish to share – a chaise lounge and a chair both in a gorgeously patterned fabric.

from Lorfords Antiques

shades of grey

First of all,  I’d like to add my praise to all the accolade’s furniture designer Matthew Hilton is receiving these days for his elegant pieces. His light extending table for de la Espada is a triumph of design and engineering.

and some wonderful Matthew Hilton chairs

‘everyday life design’

the Kimble Windsor chair

1970s stackable school chairs at Gerard Coles are classics in their own right (find his details on The Hoarde)

and shades of grrey my constant obsession

Icarus light shade by La Torre Crux Design

white and black

from Appley Hoare

Swedish summerhouse from Design Sponge

from Stringer Interiors

The new wicker wave pendant lights shades from Boex

stars and sunburst

I think the addition of a celestial element chez vous can be just the thing for a touch of fun and sparkle. What could be more heavenly than a sunburst mirror and a hanging star pendant.

An Indian star hanging light from Norfolk Decorative Antiques.

A mid century star burst hanging lamp at Ebury Trading.

A modern sun mirror at The Decorators Source.

and for table top sparkle – votives are the thing. I love these brass ones from the Danish design stars Claesson, Koivist, Rune.

black & white

There’s something very crisp and clear about a black and white interior – but then again it depends on the black and the white. It can also look soft, moody, elegant, sophisticated, retro, modern. Black and white is infinitely versatile and a great foil for textural elements and splashes of colour. I love black and white kitchens and bathrooms. My fantasy is to have both. Here are some images I’ve recently gathered from other design sites  – demonstrating different variations on a theme.

cabbages and roses

Cabbages and Roses sent a preview of their new spring fabric called Avery with some seductive images with their signature mix of English country house charm and quirky vintage style.  I post their images for all to savour.

I love the striped fabric under the mattress – a clever take on the traditional valence.

conran at m&s

I popped into Marks and Spencer the other day, as one does, and clocked a marked improvement in their furniture as displayed on the ground floor of the Kings Road branch.  And lo and behold, I saw that the rather smart modernish designs were the handiwork of Ternece Conran – who I’m happy to see – has gone back to basics. He is the man who afterall introduced a fresh and accessible approach to home furnishings to Britain back in the 1960s when he opened the very first Habitat store. Habitat became known for good affordable design and Mediterranean kitchen accessories. In fact, Terence Conran attributes the success of Habitat to the  popularity of his inexpensive pasta jars wich were all the rage back then. The Habitat chain was eventually sold and Conran concentrated on ‘high end’ design at his Brompton Cross flagship. Habitat has sadly gone into administration and only three shops are being kept open by the new owners.  They are a forlorn shadow of their former self.  Happily though Sir Terence is back in the saddle doing what he does so brilliantly well – bringing great design to people at affordable prices.

last of the summer wine (and cake)

Rosé and lavender scones with lashings of clotted cream and home made damson jam – on a sunny lawn at the Chelsea Physic Garden.

The Tangerine Dream Café at the Physic Garden (open April-October) makes the best scones (light, fluffy), cakes (polenta, date, chocolate etc) and quiche in London – nay, probably the world. They are baking angels. Only a few days left before they close for the winter. Enjoy every last crumb.

Sunday in the park with George (well maybe not exactly George)

The Sondheim musical about George Seurat who painted light and was about creativity is completely wonderful and resonant and moving to all of us who have tried ‘to finish the hat’. ‘Finishing the Hat’ is a song about finishing whatever creative thing you are doing. I saw the London production a few years ago and I creid during that number. Anyway yesterday, when the sky was so blue and the air was balmy, it was far too nice to be indoors. So off to Battersea Park I went with George, well actually someone called Peter, who I happen to be married to, but that’s by the by. We’ve been having the most wonderful weather for London. The light has been magical – long lovely autumn shadows, everything zingy and alive. Trees gently turning colour. So I took a lot of cheesy photos which I post below. I am so pleased that Albert Bridge which has been under scaffolding and cladding for what feels like years is finally nearly fixed and open again.

the cocktail hour

There’s something so sophisticated and elegant about the whole mid-century Mad Men cocktail hour.  Properly grown up and sexy. Imagine the scene. The lights are low. Henry Mancini or cool jazz playing in the background. Wearing a chic little dress, a dab of perfume and a seductive air. Make my martini extra dry, darling.

Perfect for bottles, glasses and an ice bucket – this ebonised 1950`s Italian bar with shaped legs (above) reminiscent of the work of Vittorio Dassi can be found at Jess Graham Vintage Designs.

Cocktail trolley from Fears and Kahn. (above)

Coffee Tea or Me?  Stewardess style adds a twist to interiors curtesy of SkyPak, a German company who are upcycling decommissioned airplane trolleys.

Sip a Cinzano on the rocks on this elegant 1960s Italian sofa at Ebury Trading.

Or maybe a bellini on the high backed three seater below deisgned by Italian architect Paolo Buffa  for the Hotel Bristol in Merano circa 1953 also at Ebury Trading .

then turn out of the light…

soft lighting

It’s seasonal I know,  this need for warm soft cosy things. It’s the nesting time of year. The grey tinged days and encroaching chill of winter. It’s the time for earthen tones – golds, mustard, russet, like the changing leaves. Time to snuggle up with wooly throws and blankets. I recommend Bengal Spice tea. Cinnamony and warming.  Bake something and let the kitchen fill with happy smells. Keep the lights soft and low – like the ones below:

the classic Jielde lamp

Ochre‘s ever elegant lighting

vintage Italian glass chandelier at Ebury Trading

Wunderkind Benjamin Hubert’s quarry pendants for de la Espada

These vintage brass lights from Retrouvious give a soft warm glow.

cosy up

It’s getting nippier outside.  The days are shortening. Time to get cosy. Snuggle up in bed with toasty blankets and fluffy duvets (like the one below from Anthropology).

large wool Berber blanket from Rait Antiques

warm gold tones adds zing to the retro fabric covering these 1950s chairs by Howard Keith at C20C

animals

I’ve noticed recently how the animal kingdom has found a place in interiors – from traditional trophy antlers to re-purposed rocking horses. Maybe it’s time to take a cue from Noah and his Arc. Bring ‘em in – marching two by two.

papier marché newspaper animal heads at Anthropology

wicker animal heads at Abode Living

wall mounted bull’s head at Sofa.com

large reindeer antlers mounted on a plaque

Carved African Antelope mask from the Ivory Coast at  Foster and Gane

19th century Dutch toy horse

Zinc horse at Puckhaber Antiques

Antiques and Objects draft horse

in a silent way

Sometimes I can’t hear myself think for all the cyber noise – the endless chatter  – the deluge of ideas and opinion.  I imagine a bumper to bumper traffic jam on the information highway.

So that’s when I switch off the computer and spend some time away from technology. A kind of mental detox from gorging on instant info.  Quiet time.  Contemplating simple things.

A basket from Muji and a bamboo lampshade at a pop up tea house in China image curtesy of DesignBoom.

Salvage in the kitchen and some great desk lights

I like a bit of rough – in the kitchen. The chunky reclaimed wood and simple metal brackets make chic shelving as seen on Brooklyn based Factory 20’s website. Great that the wood was left as is – provided there are no irksome splintery bits.

Retrouvious, the genius company who have taken salvage to whole new level, created a fabulous kitchen centrepiece from an upcycled university science lab unit.  This Hampstead home has been photographed a zillion times but I find I return to it for inspiration.  It still looks refreshingly original.

I’m obsessed by desk lamps at the moment. There are so many inspiring ones around. From vintage to the reissued Anglepoise classics (which I am in love with) choice abounds.  I might have to replace my own hand-me-down desk lamp with the wonky shade.

Art deco lamp from Cream & Chrome

1940s desk lamp by Dughills at Cream & Chrome

Henry Wilson glass Anglepoise

Eileen Grey brass and enamel desk lamps at Ebury Trading

and finally – the British classic Anlepoise:

“Anglepoise is a minor miracle of balance…balance is a quality in life we don’t often value as we should” – Kenneth Grange, Design Director of Anglepoise

I particularly like the Type C Mini which uses LED bulbs and comes in this array of colours. They would sit happily on a children’s side table or any desk that is space challenged. I like the matt finish and the easy touch in/off mechanism on the top of the shade. Plus they don’t ever get hot.

purple bike

and purple shop

and graffiti boy