10 Things for May
A round-up of things that have caught my eye. From events and new collections to the hot (or should that be cool?) new trend for all things silver – and a very good curtain hack.
This is a packed post – too long for email, so you’ll need to click on “view entire message” to see it all. Otherwise you might miss my curtain hack and how I created headboards for the house in Italy. Not to mention the things I have seen and loved this month.
1 SILVER SOFA by Adorno
There was a lot of silver about at Milan Design Week. I saw mirrored chairs, reflective glass tables, sculptural flowers – and this sofa. Now there was a silver sofa doing the rounds on Instagram before Christmas. It wasn’t this one, which is modular, making it more adaptable to the size of your living room. That said, it will look better in a crumbling palazzo (as above) or a vast warehouse apartment than a new-build, where it might not fit with any other furniture. BUT before you therefore dismiss it as irrelevant (and save yourself eight grand in the process) Milan is about ideas. Ideas that will later become trends. So this is your nod to get in on the silver idea early. You don’t have to live in a grand old house to have a couple of silver cushions on your sofa.
Indeed let’s not forget my maxim that where the catwalk leads, the furnishings will follow. I bought a pair of silver trousers last year and I have worn them a surprising amount - they like a white/ivory shirt or a navy cashmere sweater. Try silver also with camel and suddenly you’ve got the basis for a very chic room, never mind outfit. You may also have noticed lots of the Instagram fashion crowd rocking their silver boots. And if you need any more proof, here’s a member of staff at one of the shows in Milan sporting a silver apron.
Silver is more subtle than gold (or the recent domination of brass). It’s understated but still looks luxurious. The gold (brass)rush is over – we’re all about the silver (chrome) now. Give it time and you will be, too.
In the meantime, take a look at Tim Teven, Zieta and Elvis Wesley for inspiration and possibly even shopping.
2 VINTAGE SUPERMARKET 15-18 MAY
One way to bring silver accessories into your home is by looking for vintage, and this month sees the first-ever Vintage Supermarket, created by Merchant & Found. The Vinyl Factory – spread over 6,000 sq ft in Poland St, Soho, London – will be filled to the rafters with original vintage furniture, lighting and general goods. There will be candles in old jars, masses of chairs and garden furniture - M&F founder Paul Middlemiss (formerly of the Conran Shop) is said to have the largest collection of vintage garden furniture in Europe. In addition to one-off pieces there will be lots of contemporary craft on show as well.
And, if you happen to be there on opening day at 5.30pm, I will be joining a panel talk on The Secrets of Vintage Shopping; what to look for, where to find it and why you need it. It’s free to attend, but it might be a good idea to register in advance.
Race you to the silver trays.
3 SKETCH CELEBRATES 200 YEARS OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY
If you’re in town for the Vintage Supermarket then you should also factor in time for a cup of tea at Sketch, the restaurant renowned for its famous pink tea room (now yellow) which once housed the Royal Institute of British Architects and was also the London atelier of Christian Dior. The tenth annual Sketch in Bloom (on until 27 May) asked florists to pick an artist or a painter from the National Gallery and create an installation inspired by it.
In the Glade room, JamJar picked JMW Turner - “we thought Monet was a bit obvious” - and chose to interpret his Ulysses deriding Polyphemus. The hand-dyed drapery (by Mia Sylvia) was created using botanical dyes and Turneresque brushstrokes, while the dried flowers and twisted ropes represent the “whipping waves, spume and froth”. A spring of red broom represents Ulysses’ flag.
Upstairs in The Lecture Room, Lucy Vail and her team chose Alfred Sisley’s The Small Meadows in Spring. British-grown flowers were chosen to go with the room and they focused on the foliage underfoot in this little-known painting. Dried petals were set in sheets of resin to represent the trees.
Finally Yan Skates took over the famous Sketch pods for his homage to the Dutch Master Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder. A series of whimsical figures straight out of his paintings greet you as you walk up the stairs. “His paintings contained the message that even if you are rich enough to buy something this pretty you will still die. It’s a reminder of death and something pretty created from used and sustainable materials that might have been thrown away by others.”
It’s well worth a visit if you’re in the area (Oxford Circus).
4 OLOHA TRIO rechargeable garden lighting by Fatboy £199
Right, a change of pace now. I love these rechargeable outdoor lights by Fatboy. The design is a metallic bowl with a light inside that will sit on a table or can be mounted on a wall. The sides of each bowl make the light effect more atmospheric. It isn’t just for outdoors though - it would work well on a coffee table, for example.
Rechargeable lights are quite the thing at the moment. I mentioned in an earlier piece about how lots of restaurants have stopped using candles in favour of rechargeable table lamps and while I haven’t yet bought these pretty wall lights from Pooky, they are still hovering by my cart.
We’re used to seeing high street stores collaborate with celebrities and high-end fashion designers (Mango x Victoria Beckham, anyone?) but this month the buzz is about the collection by Pantone for H&M. The 17-piece collection includes four colours – red, orange and green and yellow – that are all supposed to relate to food. They’re not called anything as humdrum as red and yellow, rather it’s spicy and zesty. Anyway I’m showing you this in case you have been pondering the unexpected red theory and felt like this might be the perfect addition. Personally, I like the apple green pedestal bowl or the vase. I’ve seen the mugs a lot, so will be focusing on more unusual shapes.
The rest of this post, including my great new curtain hack discovery, a look at how we created headboards at the house in Italy and my top television tip for this month is below. For £6 a month you will have access to a weekly post including my live drop-in design clinic where you can ask questions. I would be thrilled if you would consider joining. It works out at around £1.25 a week.