Saturday 29 October 2011

Shiny Lovely Glass

I had the pleasure of attending an exhibition of my good friend and glass artist, Laura Smith on Thursday night. Laura works with copper along with the glass, which sets her apart from many other artists, as it is quite a difficult technique.  She has just returned from the glass mecca of Seattle, where she studied at the school started by glass "startist", Dale Chihuly.


It is taking place at the Candid Arts Trust in Angel (just behind the tube, same street as Double Club.. if you remember!) and is showing contemporary artists throughout London.  She was in good company, as there were lots of lovely designer makers exhibiting their wares.  Check it out if you have the chance!  It's on until tomorrow (Sunday 30th October) afternoon.











Sunday 23 October 2011

A day at the Harbour

I spent most of Friday re-aquainting myself with the joys of Chelsea Harbour.  For those who haven't had the pleasure (or pain? don't wear heels..) of visiting this design mecca, it is basically the show rooms of a vast amount of lighting, flooring, fabric and furniture suppliers, in one complex. 


Hard work, lots of walking around, but I picked up some gorgeous samples for my projects.  All very exciting!  


Finished off my visit with a friendly paw shake from Nathan at Tai Ping's 5 month old puppy.  Pets at work and silk carpets, not sure if it gets much better than that!








Sunday 16 October 2011

Afternoon at the Museum

This Saturday, I wandered down to the world famous British Museum to mooch around with some friends.  Another sunny London day, so Foster's Courtyard looked stunning!


It's always so inspirational, seeing the craftsmanship behind the artefacts, and seeing the colours and patterns they used.


We also saw the Medals for the 2012 Olympics on display!  General consensus was that we actually preferred the Paralympic medals  stylistically.  Pretty interesting to see, and they explained a lot about the process of making them.


Just a few snaps of what caught my eye.












Week one of Catherine White Interiors!

I have started to work solo this week, which is an exciting step for me!  It is something I've always wanted to do, so I'm now looking forward to this new challenge!


I went to visit some clients in their Essex home, which is a beautiful barn conversion near Epping.  We are looking at the bar area in particular, but the project might extend to the rest of the ground floor.  Gorgeous woodwork and bricks, it's going to be an exciting project. 


Later in the week, another client and I went to the Saatchi gallery to look at the gorgeous Douglas Fir Dinesen flooring which we are hoping to use in the project in Barnes I have been working on.  It was just such an amazing day, just wanted to show some "not so grey" photos of London!   I didn't have too much time in the gallery, but I am going to try and pop back there again soon. 















Sunday 9 October 2011

Vandaag, New York

Whilst wandering around 2nd Avenue, I stumbled on Vandaag, an Eatery specialising in Northern European cuisine and drink.  I loved the colour palate used, as well as the style of the restaurant.  The owner was there, who said he had designed it with his architect, and kindly let me take some pictures.  














Public Bar/Restaurant - SoHo NYC

A colleague suggested I check out this lovely restaurant in SoHo, just a few pics showing the space. I wish I'd had time for a drink or meal!


They have some great pics on their website, so check it out if you are interested.










The High Line, NYC

I possibly didn't choose the best day to go on the High Line, a new "park" in the center of Manhattan.  Despite the drizzle, it was a fantastic experience.  I got on just by the Standard Hotel  in the Meatpacking District, and walked up to 31st and 10th, where it ended.  The landscaping was amazing, the old railway track was seamlessly integrated with the new paving.  I loved how the paving slabs tapered off to give way to open grassy areas.  


This is a community based project, and was driven by local New Yorkers, philanthropists and artists, trying to preserve this piece of history from the developers.  The Railway track was there to take cattle to the meatpacking district for slaughter, but has become redundant since, and trains stopped using it in 1980.  Towards the end of the photos you can see a bit of the track which will be developed further, as the park is such a success!















I got this one from their website, click below for more of the same.