White on White

I adore white on white and collect all sorts of embossed stationary. So I could't resist this French linens catalogue printed in 1952, from Wayward's stall at Brighton's Saturday market.
When I'm working on interior projects, I rarely use standard bright white paint colour I always specify a shade of white that complements the total environment.

I have just spent weeks selecting the white for my new workspace. Only to realise it was almost irrelevant once I'd moved in all my files and boxes. They are all different shades depending on age;but these different levels add such a texture.

I had to get a photograph of these white towels on the white wall, at the new Jane Scrivner spa treatment rooms, they seem to have a real rhythm about them.

Black and Blue

I love this season's fashion trend for all things black and blue. So much so, that this is the invite I designed for our studio christmas party. The black silhouette is from a photograph I took of the Brighton Pavilion.

By coincidence COS launched these carrier bags at the weekend.
I remember a rhyme from when I was  young…"black and blue will never do" - just goes to show, rules are made to be broken.

Paul Smith at the Design Museum

Yesterday I went to the Paul Smith exhibition at the Design Museum. It was a bit surreal, as when I turned into the room that represents his office, there he was and he said hello! His assistant and press officer were there too, and they said they found it all a bit strange as the layout was exactly like their real place of work.
It's an interesting exhibition with lots to look at and you get a real feel for him and his business. The best part of the exhibition for me, is a film that captures the day of his Menswear S/S 2014 fashion show in Paris.
In the film he is talking about his brand and the fact that it is all about colour. He says "there is COLOUR and there is colour", and it's as much about a light navy and a dark navy, as lots of colour; that has real resonance for me.

The exhibition runs until 9th March 2014.  

Merchant & Mills - a maker's paradise

During the week I am a designer, but on the weekend I'm a maker. So it was wonderful to visit the Merchant and Mills shop in Rye - this really is a maker's paradise.

An emporium of everything to do with sewing from patterns and fabrics, through to all sorts of notions. Merchant and Mills is the creation of Carolyn Denham and Roderick Field. Carolyn is the maker, responsible for the patterns and sewing side, while Roderick is the graphic designer responsible for the  packaging and stationary.

As you can see from the photographs the store is beautifully considered, as is the Merchant and Mills website and online store. On the website they also have a great video about their enterprise see here.

So what did I buy? …. all sorts of hardware for my bag making, a super sharp awl, more tailor's chalk…. but best of all their Maker's Journal. This is fabulous, it's a note book that concertinas out. The beauty of this is that you can add fabrics and things without it bulging to one side. Also you can view all of the contents at once. I'll be using my Journal for my next big personal project - designing my new flat!

Carréducker Bespoke Shoes

I've just completed a course in making handmade bespoke shoes with Carréducker. It was an intense two week course, where Deborah Carré and James Ducker taught me everything I need to know to make my own shoes. Back in July I spotted a small article in Elle Decoration about the course, and that I could see Carréducker shoes in Gieves & Hawkes. So I visited Gieves & Hawkes in Saville Row to see the shoes and while I was there, I was allowed downstairs to the workrooms, to see where the shoes are made for their clients. I then arranged to visit their studio at Cockpit Arts near Holborn (see below) - I was hooked.

I decided "in for a penny, in for a pound" and ordered my own bespoke laste, as I knew I would want to make more than one pair. I chose a pointy toe which is more my style at the moment and the last can be slightly reshaped if I wish at a later date.

I had chosen to do the course because I make my own clothes and some accessories, but I've never made my own shoes. I was warned by Deborah that it would be really hard work and it would ruin my hands - and she wasn't wrong!

There were three of us on the course, where we learned something like 200 procedures including  hand-stitching the layers of leather sole with our own twisted hemp threads. You can read more about the course here. It was very tiring but by the final day, I really didn't want to leave. Hand stitching shoes is very therapeutic and at the end you have something so unique to you. I feel very privileged to have had this opportunity - absolutely the highlight of my year! 

Polishing up the almost finished shoes.

London Design Week

 Things I loved at last week's design shows.......

Louise Wilkinson's exquisitely naive fine bone china at Tent

these wonderfully considered utility products from Turner and Harper at Design Junction

and the beautiful upholstery fabrics from Eleanor Pritchard, also at Design Junction

Farrow & Ball new colours

I recently attended the launch of Farrow & Ball's new colours, pictured here are my two favourites"Mole's Breadth" above, and "Stiffkey Blue" below.

World Interior News asked me to write up my take on all the new colours - you can read it here:-
http://www.wantoday.com/interiorsblog/farrow-balls-new-colours-for-2013/

Deceptively modern wallpapers

I've been sourcing wallpapers for a regency property in Brighton and came accross the Little Greene wallpapers reproduced from historical archives. A lot of their papers originate from actual London addresses as with the one above from St James Place. 

This 18th Century design looks surprisingly contempory when reworked into Little Greene's colours. However property I'm working on dates from 1825, so this design is a little early.
According to Little Greene the 1800's was a key period in the evolution of wallpaper production. During this century the introduction of continuous paper reels (from France), and subsequently roller-printing in 1840, replaced the widespread, artisan technique by which individual rolls (called 'pieces' measuring 12 yards x 23 inches) were printed by hand.

Little Greenes 19th Century designs include patterns from Japan, where printing methods had evolved in a similar way to those in the west. I love this design 'Pines' - the wonderful ombre effect of the folliage seems so right for now.

Little Green suggest coordinating this design with the following colours from their paint range -    Normandy Grey, Stone - mid cool, and Fray

                                              

Faded Glamour; this season's colours.

Harpers Bazaar's "A Moment In Time" photographed by Yelena Yemchuk, styled by Leith Clark

I subscribe to various fashion and interior magazines, and I find it very interesting how each one covers a trend, and how this crosses from clothing to lifestyle. This month there is a feeling of romantic nostalgia; of faded glamour. The fashion story above, in Harpers Bazaar is very English country home with a decadent nonchalance.

Vogue's "Heartbreak Hotel", styled by Lucinda Chambers, photographed by Jervier Vallhonrat 

 Whereas Vogue have focused on this season's sharper, mid-century influenced silhouette, but still softened in the same wonderful faded shades, with a beautiful backdrop of De Gournay wallpaper.

Elle Decoration's "Beyond the Pale" photo Sean Myers, Stylinh Hannah Bort

These gorgeous sepia tinted tones are crossing over into interior trends, as the move away from minimalism continues. The overall effect reminds me of hand tinted photos.

Louis Vuitton Autumn Winter 2013/14

This soft and sensuous colour story is very current, but also set to run through to next autumn, as shown at the Louis Vuitton catwalk show last week. A fabulous mix of colour, pattern and texture - dreamy!

My pink crush.

Hawkins Brown Biochemistry Building, University of Oxford      WAN photos Tim Crocker 

I've never really liked pink, even as a child, I found it a bit too sweet. But things started to change when I fell in love with the Hawkins Brown Biochemistry Building in Oxford, a couple of years ago. The Beautiful tones of rose pink, apricot and honey used for the bris soleil, work so well with the surrounding sandstone brickwork.

Raf Simmonds for Jill Sander A/W 2012 / The Sartorialist Milan 20.4.2012    

Then last spring Raf Simmonds showed this stunning camel and pink coat for the Jill Sander A/W 2012 collection. By coincidence at the same time I saw this fabulous picture from The Sartorialist - the pink of those shoes mixed with the strong neutral palette of chocolate, cream and caramel - gorgeous.

So the trend for the neutral and pink mix just grew on me. I started to see versions of this palette everywhere; form Farrow and Ball's promotional pictures above, to these palettes below from the ever inspiring La Boheme blog

I particularly like the way orange and ginger tones are being added here.
But the level of pink that completely swung it for me, is this subtle shade of blush.....

The Independent magazine 29.12.2012

This picture, styled by Magda Bryk and photographed by Rory Payne, captures spring's tone on tone colour look perfectly. The strong clean lines of the burgundy Prada coat, softened by the 'hint of pink' silk top from COS - I'm won over!

Maison Martin Margiela with H&M

I've just had the most fabulous shopping experience! I was very excited about the Maison Martin Margiela collaboration with H&M but unfortunately I wasn't working in London on 14th November, so had to risk ordering from the website. Anyway I ordered the deconstructed pump with removed heel.......

OMG!!!! Gorgeous white on white printed shoe box and labelling, printed cotton shoe bag and the deconstructed shoes. One pair of all leather black pumps with removed heels to wear as a necklace!

Such attention to detail, beautifully packaged, wonderfully designed, just the best shopping experience I've had in years - wouldn't it be great to feel this spoilt all the time!

Yelo

At the recent World Architecture Day I spotted a man in a great pair of yellow trousers - they really stood out in the sea of black and grey worn by everyone else. Later on I was introduced to Andy Parsons of Yelo Architects and heard that he always wears an item of yellow clothing. By coincidence we met again and he was in one of his yellow shirts - what struck me was, that unlike some architects who wear colour as a moniker, Andy wears his with style.

 I thought it would be interesting to talk to him about his style and relationship with the colour yellow - so I googled yellow architect and found Yelo Architects - easy! And clever - by dropping an l and the w, he's created a great word somewhere between yell and hello, that really reflects the values of the colour. The human eye process yellow before other colours in the spectrum, due to the amount of light reflected and when paired with black, as in Yelo Architects' logo, is the easiest colour to read. We associate yellow with hope cheer and vitality - it is a joyful colour, just like the word Yelo.   

Andy started wearing yellow at college and it has now become an integral part of his professional identity. It is an exact shade of yellow that he chooses, almost Process Yellow, and he's lucky because he can wear it. It is also the Giallo Fly colour from Ferrari - very clean yellow, sharp and fresh.

I have used a similar yellow to highlight the entrance to a building and also reception desks - just like Andy's trousers, it really stands out and attracts our attention from a distance.          

Navy Blue

 As anyone who knows me will know I love navy blue. So when Sarah from 8th Day Design sent me the link to the Nothing But Navy Shop I was so excited. I got in touch with Gemma Kay Waggett of Nothing But Navy, who said "I decided to start the brand because of my love of the colour navy and my understanding that it is also the favourite colour of many individuals"

These pictures were from their most recent event at Material Lab for London Design Week. The Nothing But Navy brand is a series of pop up shops and the website store - The whole concept is about fabulous navy merchandise - heaven!

Why do I love navy? There are the known associations with reason, trust and competence but its navy's affinity to thought and reason that attract me most. When I look at French Navy - saturated blue with a tint of mauve coming through - my thought processes become energised and this encourages my creativity. Whereas when I look at intense inky or slightly green tinged navy, this evokes a sense of calm in me - the more logical thought. Either way they encourage me to loose myself and dream.

London Design Shows

The recent London design shows were the best I've seen in a long time - here are some of my favourite finds.

 Julie Kouamo's hauntingly romantic wallpaper - Exotic Vine from her new Bangou Collection at 100% Design.

Bethan Gray's elegant and beautifully crafted 'Brogue' leather -topped, solid wood tables at Design Junction.

Flaster  concrete tiles at SuperBrands, I adore how traditional tile designs have been reinterpreted in a truly modern way. I had seen these tiles previously in Liberty's - gorgeous.

And finally, this completely brilliant concrete design from The Sculpture House at Design Junction

  formed of cut concrete paving blocks, the reassembled textured pieces resemble a stunning luxury carpet.