Living Normally - a moral tale

Don’t get me wrong, I love a well crafted interiors book. It is in fact, physically impossible for me to walk past a book-shop without entering and heading straight for the aforementioned section.

Living Normally is different (in a good way) and is a complete breath of fresh air as well as a very good moral tale.

It is in essence, an anti-style bible for those who ignore makeover culture. The affectionate insight into our everyday homes is a celebration of nice people, the real family and our need to surround ourselves with memories and the curious ephemera of daily existence. 15 very normal people with very ordinary homes are given the opportunity to air their views on life at home today and to let you in to their (very) personal world. Similar to a interior designed home, but without the interior designer and their date stamp.

The result should remind you that home should be a place to relax, escape to, feel happy in and most importantly, live in.

Nigel Slater

My favourite things ( in no order of preference and taking out Ed and work for this purpose) are books, cooking, havens, gardens and animals.

I am a cook type person - a pretty good one apparently. In fact I supported myself through University, with my own little catering company.

Nigel Slater is a cook, not a chef, and a really marvelous one at that. His recipes are the ones I use most often, and his books replace my novel reading at times, such is his delightful prose. If you have never used his books - start with the Kitchen Diaries as it will change the way you feel about cooking and eating.

The above is my new favourite and I'm going to read it cover to cover this weekend - it really deserves my full attention.

I really can't wait.

ONLY CONNECT

Building communities or being part of a community is ever more important. Too many people live alone, we are getting older and our standard family unit is a world away from our parents lives. We are in fact, lonelier.

Connecting to others, through groups and forums – online or in person, is becoming vital for self belief and self worth. Take the need for connection and another great growth area – grow your own, and you have a super concept called ‘Fallen Fruit’.

Fallen Fruit is an activist art project based in Los Angeles that maps all the public fruit – on or, overhanging public spaces – in the neighbourhood. Take a look at their website here – it’s a lovely read.

How very neighbourly.

Alabama chanin

Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin has a creative business model which is inspiring. As a business owner she designs limited-edition clothing and homewares. Everything is made-by-hand using a combination of new, organic and recycled materials.

Here is the inspiring part…

The construction is carried out by skilled local artisans. These men and women act as their own business owners, purchasing raw materials from Alabama Chanin. They work from the location of their choice, setting prices for completing each item. Alabama Chanin then purchases the completed items back from the individual artisans. Each piece is numbered or limited edition and carries the signature of the maker.

Traditional techniques are celebrated, refined and passed from hand to hand, from generation to generation to be kept alive through commitment to quality and beauty.

It is not only a sustainable business model, but a lesson in creating and consuming slowly.

A slow movement for living as it were.

Image courtesy of www.alabamachanin.com

Sense - A home away from home

Ed and I stayed here a couple of weekends ago. When you go away for the weekend, so much (for us anyway) is invested in the hope the the place is a lovely and uplifting as we hope. Not just that it's clean, but that you feel rested, inspired, relaxed and happy. The Olde Bell was all of that. Yes it's designed by Ilse Crawford, but apart from her magic interiors wand, there was the great service, food that was perfect (think Nigel Slater), and a lovely room with crisp sheets, solid oak furniture and Aesop. Add to that the beautiful village itself, the river we walked along, a sunny day and finally, the fact that we could take Lily, and well, it was perfect.

Ed grabbed these two seats, and we sat, the three of us reading books and drinking wine (Lily just sat.... ), whilst Ed tended the fire..... oh for about six hours.

One night in a place like this, made us happy - and that's all you can really ask from a hotel isn't it.

Thought for the week

Something exciting coming before Christmas for those that need a little warmth.

To the quilters

A very early start, to finalise five quilts. Then a lovely drive to Surrey where my quilting ladies were waiting. Much discussion over thread colours and quilting patterns, a lot of smiling and my poor dry fingers were forgotten about. To make things for your own visual pleasure is one thing. To then present them to experts is another. The three smiles were just super.

Absolute bonus was buying a coffee from the barista who won barista of the year 2009.

I could have skipped.

Dumbo Feather - Pass it on..........

I would like to have lunch with Kate Bezar very much. A few thousand miles apart will probably prevent this, but I admire her ( from afar ) greatly. Kate had the courage to set up a unique magazine which is one of my favourites ( there aren't many )It is called Dumbo Feather, pass it on. Silly you may think. Actually it's incredibly smart without being intellectual or ironic. It was in fact a eureka moment when I found it. You must read it. There is nothing like it. Sermon over.

It's actually described as a 'mook' - half magazine, half book and simply tells the stories of five real people doing things they love, really well. They’re delightful tales of their time on the road-less-travelled, the tough times as much as the highs. Have a look at the website here. It's published in Australia but you can subscribe to an online version. It really is incredibly inspirational.There should be a new issue out very soon.

Now I just have to hope that maybe Kate will come to London one day.

Floral Inspiration - Flora metamorphicae

We have all (hopefully) seen carpets of flowers - daffodils in spring, the bluebells at Kew Gardens, or even the uplifting yet humble field of rape. I have been extremely fortunate to see Flora metamorphicae – a magical carpet of ceramic flowers. The hands of humans have in fact created a thing of true floral beauty.

Flora metamorphicae is a perpetual project created by a group of six ceramic artists. The ceramicists, who are based in Bergen, work in individual isolation to shape their own blooms which, once brought together, open in a carpet of 4000 flowers. The clever idea is to have a large amount of flowers with a diverse expression, as elements in different installations, both outdoors and indoors.

The magic is in that although each artist works on their own, the collective strength of their ideas creates an ever-changing, up-lifting and beautiful viewpoint.

Magic indeed.

Images courtesy of Flora metamorphicae

Mad et Len - Sense

 You may search and search, but most of you will never find information about Mad et Len. Also, if you want to buy quantities of their Cedarwood bathwater, Gardenia candle or Coffee and Chocolate perfume, then you may have a very long wait.

Ignoring mass-production, Mad et Len products are made personally for you, to order in a little village in rural France by a husband and wife team. They gave up corporate lives to create something beautiful, discreet and memorable.

Their products are made entirely by hand - the oil is hand mixed before each measure is poured individually into a jar. Herbs and flowers are picked when needed. Their goal is to get back to the root of perfume using basic raw materials - it's about as far away from a mass consumerism as you can get.

Each product is delicious. The concept even better – is this not what luxury is? If you live in London you can find it at two of my favourite stores – The Shop at Bluebird and Petersham Nurseries.

Its simple but starkly beautiful packaging contrasts perfectly with its heady concept. And the name – well its an offbeat reference to Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past.

Heady indeed.

How to be idle - something for the weekend!

The wind in ones hair. Freedom and giggles. On a boat, a cliff or the preferred mode of transport in our family - the pushbike. The exhilaration - the stream of air that caresses a happy face as you free-wheel it down the hill.

It's going to be another windy weekend. Climb a cliff and take in the view, pedal furiously up a hill so you can fly down it, or take to the beach and walk into the wind.

Joyous!

Artisan No. 4 – Catherine Cazalet

Last year I tore out a page of US Vogue and have kept it in my inspiration folder ever since. The article highlighted the work of Catherine Cazalet – a decorative painter who creates really beautiful screens and murals amongst other things. Beautifully simple, yet striking with fantastic colour combinations.

After art school and an apprenticeship at the Stirling Studio in London, she has been working for herself for the last four or so years. You can commission her directly here, or buy from Shop Curious.

She is inspired by the V & A and Charleston – my two favourite places in England so I imagine she would be very nice to be around.

To commission a bespoke piece - this is what makes home, well a home.

A quilt ..

This is what I call the 'random' design template ( working title only!). This was the original design we started with years ago as it was based on traditional quilts of old but seemed really really modern. I had some old kimono fabric my sister brought back from when she lived in Japan and I realised that as it was 30cmish wide, this would be a great way to start putting together big blocks. Then I got hooked on saris, old sheeting, silk scarves etc etc. This particular quilt has Liberty silk, French silk, Japanese silk and a whiff of Indian something. Backed in Fair Trade cotton, with a bamboo wadding and ( laboriously ) hand-bound in hand-dyed silk. A lotta lotta hand-work.

We have seven different design templates, all inspired by the past but relevant for now. One by one will put up and then the website will be a frenzy of colour....

Out - The new ceramics gallery at the V & A

Recently I had the pleasure of listening to Edmund de Waal at the V & A. The new ceramics gallery has opened and his commissioned installation is possible one of the most beautiful things I have seen. I haven't put a picture up as it needs to be seen in person ( look up or you'll miss it ).

It is the highlight of the new galleries, which are in themselves really, really beautiful. Everything is there - from Chinese porcelain, handmade ceramics by Bernard Leach to eighteenth-century French porcelain.

Light floods in and everything just seems a little more magical. I love ceramics, both for their visual beauty and for the reason that they exist - to eat and drink, and most importantly to share.

It would be a wonderful way to lose yourself for a few hours - don't forget the V & A is open until 10pm on a Friday, which would be a rather delightful way to start the weekend.

The Papered Parlour - Our new studio!

We moved into our new studio space at the Papered Parlour this morning ( it was indeed still dark ). Later on, Lily and I walked a very pleasant 20 minutes through the common to start work properly for the day. A very good day today - two quilts pieced and inspiration for the next one.

Inspirations gathered over the weekend...

this

 

and this

 

and this

 

and this

and finally this.....

American, Cambodian, French and Indian, all in one big pot of ideas..............

Back to work.

Artisan No. 3 – Justin Smith

Though his visual aesthetic is far from traditional, up-coming milliner Justin Smith revels in the traditional values and techniques of his trade whilst leading millinery into the realms of art and commerce.

Handcrafted his hats may be, but the Royal College of Art graduate has rethought the hat as sculpture, using his handcrafted skills to explore new proportions and unexpected materials.

Although a successful hairdresser, he began designing and making hats in 2000 while studying millinery part-time at night. In 2007 he graduated with an MA in Millinery from London's Royal College of Art, where his graduation show caught the eyes of those that mattered.

His star is rising with industry accolades including the Maria Luisa and i-D styling awards at ITS#6, as well as sponsorship at the Last London Fashion Week.

If you like Stephen Jones, you’ll be surprised by but love Justin Smith.

Recycle, repurpose, renew - Christina Kim

Would you pay £600 for a jacket made from recycled handkerchiefs? If you knew it was lovingly handmade by Dosa, Christina Kim’s ethical fashion and homewares label, then perhaps you would.
As many of her fabrics are special, they have been saving the scraps from one season’s designs and utilizing them in the next. As a new season rolls around, they sort through all the fabric, sew the pieces together and make new yardages to incorporate into the next collection.

First known for her simple slip dresses and pajama pants, the collection of recycled fabrics has allowed her to become more craft-like and customized in the design of her garments. It has changed the way she does business. Firstly it’s more physical as she herself sorts through the scraps. Secondly this way of working is extremely complicated and requires a team of staff that believes in the ethos of recycling.
Recycling is now so integral to Dosa, that 50 percent of its fall 2009 Traveler collection is made with fabric from the previous season. Each item is identified with a small plastic circle that bears the universal symbol for recycling.

Not only does it find new purposes for old material, it's also created a launch pad for new projects in developing countries. By utilizing craft traditions and women’s handwork she is able to create garments that are unique, beautiful and ensure that the maker is always intrigued and inspired by each garment.

Dosa collaborates with, for example, the craftswomen of S.E.W.A. (the Self-Employed Women’s Association) to transform tiny bits of Khadigram khadi (a hand-spun and hand-woven Indian fabric), Liberty cotton and African wax prints into colorful patchwork belts and bracelets. The women of S.E.W.A also created the aforementioned handkerchief jacket.

So, back to that jacket.

A project where every piece was not only one of a kind, but allowed the individual crafts-woman to bring their creativity to fruition. Procured on EBay the handkerchiefs, once they arrived Dosa’s muse arranged all the handkerchiefs into individual garments. They were then sent to S.E.W.A where they were basted, sewn and whipstitched to create the beauty of these garments.

Back they came to LA, where they were documented, garment stories written and finally, they were dispatched to a place where you could buy one, for what seems now like a very small price to pay.
image courtesy of dosa

The Sensual Home - book love

Books are a big thing for me and at this very moment I have about ten sprawled across the table, whilst I'm drawing some new quilt designs.

My favourite 'interiors' book ever, started me on the path of Haven ten years ago.

The Sensual Home is not an interiors book, it's much more than that. It's about the fundamental ways of being and living. Attending university one of my most memorable lectures was being introduced to Abraham Maslow's hierachy of needs. I remember leaving the lecture feeling truly inspired and thought 'I get it'. I was 17 at the time and probably had no idea except for that underlying gut instinct.
The Sensual Home is Maslow in a nutshell - design, psychology and marketing all together and I've been lit up ever since.

On to the author - Ilse Crawford. The founding Editor of Elle Decoration - I still have issues from 1999 they were that ground-breaking. To me, she seems extraordinary in that she is able to create and write about spaces for living that resonate inside you, not just for your eyes. Much has been written on Ilse, so you should look at her work here.

I've had my copy of Sensual Home from launch in 1999. It's gone from London to New Zealand and is now on the table open at page 53.  It still sparks ideas and 'lifts me up'.

In times like these when the world is coming out of a difficult place, then home and what home actually means is possibly one of our most important lessons. The Sensual Home is probably more relevant now than ever before. I'm so glad its on my table.

Out - to market, to market

Up at 5.30am and out the door to the best antique market. Good things today, very happy. Especially happy about my cheese and pineapple toasted sandwich for breakfast. Best finds from the dealer above.

Must now defrost toes and negotiate with customs over fabric........................

How to be idle part 2 - Writing a letter

What is more pleasurable than sitting at a computer free desk, pen to paper and writing a letter to a friend. Could be fountain on hand printed, or felt-tip on lined paper - it really doesn't matter. Letters take time because they are so much more permanent than a dashed email and yes, they show your state of mind and who you are completely.

There is more pleasure to be had even after you have written the perfect two pages. Folding, stuffing, sealing and then popping it into the letterbox are lovely feelings. The loveliest though, is the pleasure of opening it and reading it at the other end. Just such a lovely thing to do all round really.

Image courtesy of theselby.com

Floral Inspiration - Anna Last

Very challenging day today for a variety of reasons. Until I read  daily imprint. I have always like Anna Last. This image sorted me out, plus a visit to the textile gallery at the V & A and dropping a ton in their book store ( oh and at Waterstones on the way home for the books they didn't have ).

Thank god for flowers ( and books....... ).

Thank you for the picture Daily Imprint.

Out - Marylebone Farmers Market

Last of the Autumn bounty and hopefully some sunshine. A delightful way to spend a Sunday morning. Red onions, apples, nuts and pork will be on the list. The first casserole and an apple crumble. Cooking from scratch, from the season, from local and dedicated artisans. Children baking, and making crumble on a Sunday afternoon. It just feels right.

It's the biggest farmers market in London and has a fantastic variety of growers, butchers and bakers.
You can find it here:

These are my favourite things Tord Boontje, Rough and Ready yet perfect

It’s been ten years since Tord Boontje unveiled the Rough & Ready collection, although the pieces are still some of my favourite things.

The collection comprises of a chair, table, light, bench and high chair, made from cheap salvaged and easy-to-find wood and recycled materials. The designs are made available to anybody for free by providing blueprints on the Tord Boonte website. Over 30.000 have been distributed to date.

The pieces, as their title suggests, appear rough and ready .They have a sense of incompleteness, and a utilitarian nature, as well as embracing the thought of imperfection as beauty.

If you want to build one of the pieces, simply collect whatever found material you want/like/love and put it together following the simple instructions. A bit of reclaimed oak, an old welsh plaid blanket and some copper wire would make a very lovely chair I think.

Querying what is beauty and what is value is always a good thing, plus you get to make something with your very own hands. Why don’t you download the blueprints today?

Home Sweet Home

Homes are often thought of as show homes - places to 'show-off' the It purchases from the It store, sourced by the It designer. Whilst I love interiors mags, I'm generally more interested in the who and the why compared to the what. The intent of many is concerned with how they look, not how they feel. Isn't your home meant to be the very place where your senses can be stimulated and heart protected, rather than a place to display a collection of wares?



The word 'home' is actually derived from the Nordic word 'heima', which translates to a state of well-being as well as the physical place. How you feel when you walk through your front door should in fact be as important to how it looks. Sight, smell, touch, taste and sound all contribute to that (unfortunately ) rare 'aha' feeling when you walk into a home that is 'tuned in'.
Pay attention to and delight in your senses in order to create a way of life and a home that is happy, warm and uplifting, and most importantly one that feels right to you and yours.

Image 1 from Vanity Fair 2009. Image 2 from www.royalacademy.com

Thought of the week

Artisan No. 2 - Matt Dwyer

'It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place'. This is what you will find engraved on the lid of the silver teapot above. Created by Matt Dwyer, the little silver teapot was shown at the V & A's annual Collect exhibition in 2008. Fascinated with with idea of teatime as a ritual, he created a range that would captivate adults and children alike.

The range - entitled 'Curiouser, Curioser!' contains said teapot, cups and saucers (with curly wurly handled spoons Alice would cherish), sugar bowl and creamer, as well as a very beautiful tactile teabag. Crafted in silver and ebony and made for tiny hands, this teaset is handcrafted by an artisan and are objects of pure delight.

On my bedside table...

The problem with continually buying books is that the mound on the bedside table never seems to decrease. This is what I've got on the go at the moment...

Virginia Woolf - Mrs Dalloway. I've read a few of her books and have enjoyed them greatly. A huge fan of this era of writers, Forster, Lawrence ( Sons and Lovers in my top 3 ever) and Strachey, I like Mrs Dalloway very very much.

In praise of slow - Carl Honore. I've heard about it and understand the principles. When I get to read it I hope it doesn't pan out like a Malcolm Gladwell where the first chapter tells you everything you need to know and the remainder of the book reminds you how much you've wasted your £8.99.

The book of idle pleasures – Tom Hodgkinson & Dan Kieran . I love this book - great to dip in and out of. I also bought Ed The Idle Parent, just to remind him.......

Indie Publishing - Ellen Lupton. I've no desire to write a novel ( a magazine yes ) but this book for me is more about the physical making of things. An ideas book - you never know what will inspire you.

Among the Bohemians – Virginia Nicholson. The grand-daughter of Vanessa Bell wrote this. I bought my copy in a second hand bookstore in Brighton, but they have just re-issued it in paperback. Very interesting but a touch 'dry'. It's like the cast of Hello and Look magazine without the stylists and free goodies - oh and most of them were poor as church-mice. I'm just going to keep dipping in and out of it.

Dumbo Feather, pass it on. This is an Australian magazine that I rant about to anybody that will let me. It's simply five in-depth interviews with people who are living exactly the life they want - successfully. Very clever publisher, very small team and thriving in these rocky times as they don’t rely on advertising...... it's available at Magma in London.

They way we live - Stafford Cliff. Slowly collecting this series as they are just really interesting. His best is the Home and I think he would be a fascinating person to meet.

You can find inspiration in everything - Paul Smith. This book just seems to move around the house with me depending on the pile most relevant. It does what it says on the tin and if Paul Smith says it, then I believe it.

Monocle Magazine - nothing to say on this really but if I was only allowed 3 (ok 5) magazines a month this would be in it. Read it, your thinking will change and don't forget to download the podcasts. Nothing like a good opinion to spark you up.

Elle Decoration - Favourite British interiors mag - I have copies from their launch year and still enjoy them. Mind you I have thousands of magazines in storage so I could proclaim this about many mags including all the great ones that only last three issues...

Elle - I like it

British Vogue - that's the number 1 spot, 20 years and counting. I must also point out that when I was in NZ, air-freighted copies cost around $25 - say the equivalent of going to Wagamama for lunch (with gyoza). It must be love.

Inside Out - Australian Interiors mag – super, beautifully photographed and No. 4 on my list.

Wallpaper - I like it, I'm trying to decide if I love it. A few more months of trying.

Authentic French Fashions – Dover Books. Just an illustration book of Poirets, Chanels et al. The tennis outfits are particularly fetching.

Home is where the heart is?- Ilse Crawford. Now I love this book so much, it comes away on most holidays. Ed an I always pack a book bag or two (think Waitrose hessian shoppers) full of the books we might read on a weekend away. This goes every time. I originally bought this in NZ and gave it to Ed to keep safe until I arrived in London supposedly a few months later (it took a year!) A very special book for us both.
W magazine – my replacement for the now defunct Domino. It’s ok – better than Glamour, which was the other choice……

A home built on Books - Well thank you all so very very much!

Thanks to the efforts of hundreds of people and companies, we have collected over 6,000 books to create an inspirational library. At a Home built on Books we’ve received copies everything from the Great Gatsby to Lord of the Rings, to books on Shoe Design, DIY and Paul Smith. The subject matter covers every angle – inspirational, vocational, entertaining, spiritual, heartbreaking, humorous and everything in between.

As well as collecting so many books, one of Centrepoints supporters - Image Source - have already agreed to help by painting the library, putting up shelves and cataloguing them.

But the key thing is that the books are already getting into the hands of the people who need them – the young people at Centrepoint. And if just one book helps one young person to change their life for the better, it’s been worth all the effort.

We’re currently working with Centrepoint on plans for next year’s campaign. But in the meantime, we are looking for regular donations to help us keep the library stocked. If you are able to help us just get in touch
Thank you so very very much.

PS: Somewhere there is a dog in this car - don't worry, not the boot!