Love House Design

Beth — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:17:35 +0000

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

Beth — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:12:52 +0000

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

Beth — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:42:56 +0000

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

Beth — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:31:47 +0000

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

Beth — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:38:37 +0000

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

Beth — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:42:36 +0000

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

Beth — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:22:13 +0000

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

Beth — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:25:33 +0000

from re-found objects

from 52metres

from Alex MacArthur

work in progress continues…

Beth — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:18:45 +0000

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

Beth — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:38:49 +0000

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