Tradition updated

I visited 100% Design this week and what really caught my attention was how some companies are working with traditional design techniques to create beautiful modern products for today.

Products from Melin tregwynt

Melin Tregwynt  is a family owned company based in Wales; they have taken the traditional Welsh weaving techniques and updated them with a modern mix of colour and pattern.

Modern mix in tradional techniques

Koji Katsuragi is a furniture maker working from his workshop in Kyushu, Japan, his designs are based on traditional English Windsor chair styles....

The chairs he designs and sells are a modern take on a classic - simple and tasteful.

Alacati, Turkey

Tas Otel, Alacati

I've just come back from spending a week in the small town of Alacati on the Cesme peninsula, south west of Izmir. I was lucky enough to stay at the Tas Otel, a renovated  120 year old greek mansion. This was the first boutique hotel to open in alacati nearly 10 years ago, now Alacati has many more small beautifully restored hotels. The owner of Tas - Ms Zeynep Ozis is a founder of the Alacati Presevation Society, this society ensures that the town does not become spoilt - there's not a plastic chair in site!

A street in Alacati

At the Tas Otel they serve the best breakfasts on the beautiful terrace overlooking the garden.

The terrace

And between 5 and 7pm they serve tea and cakes using their own produce and preserves.

Preserves fermenting in the garden

The whole hotel was just gorgeous. Inside the interior is quite simple - stone with white plaster and all woodwork glossed in the subtlest pale blue.

Inspirational Shop - Alex MacArthur

The shop front

This shop never fails to inspire - Alex MacArthur is all about "Antiques and Interiors for decadent living". From skulls and fossils to angels and divine spools of gold thread, the eclectic mix always works.

 

 Stacked chairs

Architectural salvage and religious pieces are mixed with more mundane in theatrical display. 

 

Visually the subtle blend of natural materials and neutral colours with metallics is wonderfully sophisticated.

Alex MacArthur is at 101 St Georges Road, Kemptown, Brighton.

Wet Weekend in Littlehampton

Wonderfully coloured beach huts

I went to Littlehampton for the weekend to see the now legendary East and West Beach Cafe's  - despite the dismal weather, I'm realy glad I went....

West Beach Cafe

First stop the West Beach Cafe for a coffee - it may be miserable outside but we were tucked up in this modern version of the beach cafe. Designed by Asif Khan the cafe is usually photographed with the front windows swung open, but as a cafe it works just as well in bad weather. Brilliantly functional design.

East Beach Cafe

Later on we visited the now iconic East Beach Cafe for some wonderful food. The building is an astonishing object, so tactile inside and out, it is designed by Thomas Heatherwick and crosses over from architecture to sculpture.

If you visit Littlehampton do take a walk down the promenade - whatever the weather - because there is also the brilliant 'Britain's Longest Bench'.... 

The bench is 324mts long and meanders up and around avoiding bins and lamposts and dipping into the ground to allow access to the promenade.

Designed by Studio Weave the bench loops into two steel shelters at either end, where it twists into a 3d graffiti type structure, that can be climbed on. A great example of functional art, this project was made possible by CABE's Sea Change Programme and a donation from Gordon Roddick in tribute to his wife Anita Roddick, the Body Shop founder. Unfortunately the Sea Change Programme will be wound up by the current government.

One of the shelters from the beach

Florence Broadhurst

My friend Kate gave me this fabulous book - Florence Broadhurst, Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives by Helen O'Neill. I had known of her range of wallpapers, but this book takes you through her life and work, both of which are extraordinary! If you are interested in pattern and surface design I recommend you be inspired by this book.

Vintage Goodwood

Got back late last night from Vintage Goodwood - exhausted, but with Heaven 17 's Temptation still ringing in my ears.
Vintage at Goodwood is billed as not merely a music festival but a festival where music, fashion and design should never be seperated. There were plenty of vintage fashion stalls but also some more unexpected shops, I really enjoyed the Kenwood Kitchen Appliance store, great store set complete with 'Fanny Craddock' cookery demonstrations.
 

Vintage Kenwood food mixer

And being Goodwood there were plenty of vintage vehicles......

Most stylish musician.... Kid Creole, who performed a great set with his Coconuts...

But the best thing ...... people watching, some people were so in-tune with their era it was frightening!

As seen outside the Soul Casino

Vintage

I'm currently considering all things vintage as I plan my visit to Vintage Goodwood next weekend. This is one of my favourite vintage fabrics from my fabric collection, it came from The Cloth House.