THE BEST POP-UP IN TOWN! ...PART II15/9/2016
Fine Cell Work has a pop-up shop next door to Pentreath & Hall as part of London Design Week. Do support this pioneering and progressive cause.
Fine Cell Work trains prisoners to do commercial needlework in their cells, and textiles training in prison workshops to foster hope, discipline and employability. Working in 30 prisons across the UK, they work with 250 prisoners at any one time. Work has been exhibited by the V&A, commissioned by English Heritage and the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales. Over to Fine Cell Work to tell you about its latest pop up. ‘Pentreath & Hall rent out this pop-up space to like-minded, creatives and makers with a curiosity for the world of shop keeping and they have generously donated the space to FCW. Pentreath & Hall is one of the most unusual and exciting shops in London and we are honoured to have this opportunity to be next door to them for a short while. For many visitors it is a destination but for some, the tiny shop on Rugby Street is a place discovered unexpectedly, tucked away in a quiet street of beautiful early Georgian houses in one of the loveliest hidden corners of London and amongst one of London’s finest communities of shops & restaurants. 17 and 17a Rugby Street is a pair of glossy black painted Victorian shops, surrounded by history and personality. Immediately opposite, at number 18, is a townhouse that was once the home of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Steps away are the friendly, independent cobbles of Lambs Conduit Street and its unique mix of appealing and engaging retailers including Darkroom, Folk, Aesop, Persephone Books, Oliver Spencer, J Crew, The People’s Supermarket, The Lamb and Noble Rot. We will have a selection of our hand-stitched cushions, quilts and giftware on display and for sale at the shop. Do come by to look around and say hello.’ Open Monday to Saturday 12 - 24 September, 11am – 6pm. www.finecellwork.co.uk JOYFUL INTERIORS7/4/2016
Have you seen Max Rollitt in House & Garden’s May issue? He has the People Lifestyle spread that suits him down to the ground as he is a man who wears many hats.
Max is that rare breed. He’s a hybrid, who like other greats such as Robert Kime, combines antique dealing with interior decoration. He marries academic knowledge and creative understanding of the aesthetics of time into a classically refined yet informal style that has become his trademark. One word that crops up in conversations with Max is joyful and that is what he is all about. He creates joyful homes, which are elegant, effortlessly ccomfortable, interesting and look as though they have evolved over generations. Max trained as a furniture designer and maker, and was apprenticed to Frearson and Hewlett, an antique furniture restoration workshop supporting the top London trade. He became fanatical about craftsmanship and patination and developed an eye for quality and scale. Today he combines the finest 18th and 19th century English antiques with more extraordinary and unusual textiles, ceramics, pictures, lighting and other ephemera. Most of all he looks for beauty, purity and for authenticity in antiques.
He sells antiques to decorators - people like Axel Vervoordt, Colefax and Fowler and Michael S Smith and when he was first asked to decorate a house, it seemed like a natural progression.
Max’s unique vision and instinct for colour, form and texture integrate the beautiful qualities of the antique into composed contemporary interiors. This original approach and intuitive response to interior decoration makes a room feel it has been there forever. His third fine hat is furniture making and his bespoke collection is inspired by his favourite purchases and combine his fine design skills with the best of British craftsmanship. Max has a gorgeous must-see showroom in Hampshire. ‘The shop is my decorating arsenal. I can raid it to find things for clients and if something doesn’t work, I can take it back again.’ He opens his showroom on the first Saturday morning of each month and the rest of the time it is open by appointment. Finally, for all on Max's radar.... he can now be found on Instagram. Instagram: max_rollitt www.maxrollitt.com CUSHION HABIT12/11/2015
I don’t know about ‘the handbags of interiors’ but there is always room for a cushion because these are accessories that you can change pretty often.
Even so, I would rather invest in a bevy of beauties rather than swap each season. Thinking more about this I have cushions from Bennison, Papa Stour, Eleanor Pritchard, Margo Selby, St Jude’s and now saving up for a de Le Cuona Liquid Velvet. Goodness, I didn’t realise I had such a habit. How can I give up when Pentreath & Hall announce LINDELL & CO new hand woven and hand stitched embroidered cushions NOW IN STOCK? LINDELL & Co works with highly skilled artisans and the production is based in northern India and Nepal. Each piece is unique and all of their creations are produced in very small quantities, which make them so special. Gabrielle Soyer designs these original and eclectic cushions and many use chain stitch, which is a centuries-old embroidery tradition that is kept alive by talented craftsmen. The names of the cushions are fabulous too – Gloria, Riviera, New Sun, Butterfly and John.
Gloria and John
Ben Pentreath and Bridie Hall have also designed cushions for Fine Cell Work, a charity and social enterprise that trains prisoners in paid, skilled, creative needlework. Their graphic designs ‘Falling Cubes’ and ‘Tetrahedron’ are based on stone floor and marble patterns by the great 18th century designer Batty Langley. Pentreath & Hall and Fine Cell Work both believe that no chair, sofa, bed or life is complete without a lot of cushions. How right they are. www.pentreath-hall.com/accessories/cushions shop.finecellwork.co.uk Categories
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