Creative CoOP25/6/2015
I should have gone to the press preview at Masterpiece but time got the better of me. My husband keeps on saying ‘let time be your friend’ which is what my children’s running coach keeps on telling them about running downhill. That doesn’t help much either.
I was thinking how to make a little time for myself. Time to empty my head and create space to be inspired again. Then what happens? The persuasive Melinda Ashton-Turner pops round with chocolate and Guinness cake to discuss plans for her Creative CoOp. How can you say no to Melinda? She is the co-founder of a creative collective, a bespoke group with varied experience in the media and publishing industry that volunteer their services to talented designers and crafts people. One of those talented crafts people is British ceramicist Hannah Morrow and her company called H for Hannah. Her passion is English bone china, made beautifully.
The Hedy and Elem collections both celebrate the ceramic tradition of fine bone china handmade by a small family run manufacturer in Stoke-on-Trent using techniques used for hundreds of years.
Each piece has a quiet beauty that is deceptively simple. The quality is evident in every piece, so wafer thin that the light shines through them. Shapes are crafted in soft curvaceous forms that are lovely to hold and use. Hannah’s signature style draws from many influences, which range from her grandmother’s Austrian roots and modern aesthetic to all types of design, Japan, TV and food. Her aim is to design beautiful products that may become objects of desire but are for people to enjoy every day. Creative Co-op created a new set of images for H for Hannah by celebrated photographer Anders Gramer and stylist Melinda Ashton Turner. I said yes to helping with PR. Perhaps by giving something back to an industry that I love and has been so good to me over the years should be my pause for thought. hforhannah.com creativecoop.co.uk BIID IN FRONT17/6/2015
I remember a heated debate about the role of the interior designer hosted by Sue Crewe at Decorex last year. Yes, interior designers were on the panel but held contrasting and candid views on this topic. Facing us was the doyenne of interior design Nina Campbell, the new eco warrior Victoria Meale and the leading light of the interior world Ben Pentreath. It was a packed house and then silence fell. A member of the audience dared to ask about how interior designers charge. Needless to say Ben was brilliant and opened-up this sometimes closed-world.
This week sees the annual British Institute of Interior Designers (BIID) conference asking “Who Do We Think We Are?” exploring the forces that are changing the interior design profession. Architectural historian, writer and broadcaster Tom Dyckhoff, Editor-in-Chief of Elle Decoration Michelle Ogundehin, leading design history expert Professor Anne Massey will be amongst those taking part.
FRONT London is a headline sponsor of BIID’s landmark 50th Anniversary Conference taking place at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Portland Place, London, on Thursday 18th June 2015. It is also hosting the BIID summer drinks party at its showroom in the heart of Mayfair.
Commenting on the sponsorship announcement Aigars Zelmenis, the managing director of FRONT London says: ‘At FRONT London our award winning designers celebrate craftsmanship and continue to set new industry standards for handmade rug designs. We also share the same values of creativity, innovation and integrity of BIID. Our driving force is the work of interior designers and they make us excel at what we do. Now it is time to celebrate all our great achievements together and this special party with a sixties vibe in our visionary space’ I hope the questions at BIID are as spirited at those at Decorex and the party at FRONT London will be a lively as the debate. Enjoy! biid.org.uk frontrugs.com The French House news9/6/2015
The French House is a refreshing breather in our buys lives. It seeks out cherished makers who delight in creating chic design in an unhurried way.
This is a family company inspired by the timelessness of well-crafted design, products that fulfil a function, yet have an inherent honesty and beauty about them. Many of their suppliers are artisans or small family-run firms, most of whom have worked with them for a number of years now and are producing exclusive ranges especially for The French House. The French House is now launching a new range of soft furnishings, fabrics and blankets, all inspired by vintage French designs from their archives collected over the years. You don’t have to be a Francophile to warm to these these charming textile pendants.
Ombelles means parasol-shaped blossoms in French and these pretty designs are made from early 20th century vintage fabrics. There are three different colours: red, blue and light grey and three sizes of shade.
I like these old-fashioned patterns on the more modern-shaped drum shades. This pictures are styled by the unstoppable French House co-founder Mark Housden and are photographed by the unflappable Jan Baldwin, who has shot the new designs beautifully. Watch out for the new collection and the redesigned website launching next month. The images are full of Gallic charm and will seduce us all to take stock, unwind and feel at home with The French House. thefrenchhouse.net Categories
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