Cosmic Communist Constructions
Druzhba Sanatorium, Yalta, Ukraine designed by Igor Vasilievsky. Photograph by Frederic Chaubin The cult of the super-architect has grown in the west as countries commission internationally-famous, often wealthy architects to lend their status and fame, as well as their considerable design talents, to new flagship buildings. Not so in the old USSR where these exhuberant and striking buildings were designed by architects who were civil servants and received little recognition
One time Marine Girl and now Caught by the River, the wonderful Tracey Thorn is one of the contributors to On Nature, scheduled for publication by Harper Collins at the end of next month. The book is a guide to country pursuits with contributors sharing their particular outdoor passions such as life on remote islands, watching the seasons through a Welsh kitchen window, boy’s own adventures and urban naturalist daydreams. Caught by the
by Nicki Slater, Imagination Workshop Set off earlier this month for my first day of allotmenting proper, VERY excited and with hoe in hand. Imagine my heartbreak when I arrived to see ALL fruit bushes, apples trees, nets and rhubarb completely gone. The previous tenants had showed up and removed the lot. I know it was theirs and they could take it if they wanted but I must admit a
This Saturday sees the start of the 3 Harbours Festival in East Lothian which is located in and around the harbours of Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton. The strapline for the festival is 'art in unusual places' and it describes itself as the largest and most diverse arts festival in East Lothian. It includes visual art, music, murals, literature, dance, photography and traditional crafts and runs from the 28 May to
From when you were rocked gently on your mother's knee to when you used to tip your cheap plastic school chair back as far as it would go – there's something irresistible about a chair that you can rock out in. Pictured above is an attractive Scandi looking design from The Futon Company, reasonably priced at £179. Below left is the classic Eames rocker which not only looks great but is a practical,
James Boswell: 18th century literary giant, father of modern biography, startlingly frank diarist, reluctant lawyer, party animal and one in a long line of significant Scottish figures revered around the world and largely unsung at home. The first ever Boswell Book Festival was held over the weekend at the gorgeous Auchinleck House in Ayrshire which was the home of the Boswell family for generations until it fell into disrepair in the middle of the
We say a reluctant farewell to San Francisco with our last post featuring two restaurant recommendations: Betelnut Pejiu Wu on Union Street which serves south-east Asian cuisine and Perbacco on California Street. Described by one customer as having 'an air of a 1920s expat hideaway in Asia', Betelnut has exotic crimson decor with lacquered walls, bamboo fans and period posters but as a very busy restaurant is certainly not hidden
by Shane Dunning, Woodwinters Each year on 1 June sees the release of the new vintage of the fabulously titled Marilyn Merlot from California's Napa Valley. For those of you who have seen the film Sideways where the main character has a merlot related melt-down, you might be aware that it has become quite trendy to be disparaging of merlot dominant wines. So with that in mind I thought it would
Tomorrow sees the grand opening of a major new art gallery and museum in Yorkshire. Named for one of Wakefield's most famous daughters, The Hepworth Wakefield features key work by sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore and is at the heart of the city's regeneration. The waterfront building, designed by award winning architect David Chipperfield and clad in pigmeted concrete, appears to rise out of the River Calder. Visitors to
For those of us who find being good difficult why not check into The Good Hotel. Their philanthropic approach is designed to inspire the "good in us all'. The eco-friendly hotel decor features reclaimed and recycled construction materials. Saving the planet has delivered quirky and interesting design features: the bench (pictured below) made from recycled felt blankets; a vending machine branded by ReadyMade magazine which dispenses sustainable t-shirts and wallets
