Fun and happiness are noticeable by their absence in the world of design. Designers talk of clean lines, simplicity and functionalism but the other 'f' word and the 'h' word are usually missing from their lexicon. American designer Jonathan Adler spotted this gap in the design market and recently brought his brand of 'happy chic' to Britain with his first shop opening in London. His maximalist interiors take inspiration from
by Alannah O'Sullivan Top notch coffee shops, delis, art shops, florists, supermarkets, farmers’ markets, parks, kindergartens, schools, libraries, hospitals, churches, art galleries and theatres – all within walking distance of where I live. Is this Paris? New York? London? No, it’s that well-kept secret – Queen’s Park in Glasgow’s South Side. From my front door, I stroll into the ever-captivating park of the same name with its acres of green.
Husband and wife design team, John and Linda Meyers took inspiration from the 1970s for their home in Portland, Maine. Their sophisticated mining of the decade for the more stylish and often underated trends is featured here. John Meyers explained 'If everything was 70s it would be overwhelming. It's a more bohemian look – one of our biggest influences is Terence Conran's 1974 classic, The House Book. It shows the
Debunking Jon Savage's 'The decade that taste forgot,' (The Face, February 1988) is a book by Dominic Lutyens and Kirsty Hislop, 70s Style & Design. This book has rescued the decade from parody and presents it as a vitally important period in the creative arts. So forget the cliches of avocado suites for the bathroom and crimplene flares, this book argues that today's design owes a great debt to the
These brilliant 'critters', like the cushions below, are made from recycled ski sweaters. Check them out along with lots of other clever ideas on By Elke, one of the most charming crafting blogs around. Elke Bergeron, who is based in Colorado, makes amazing things from wool and fabric and is also a talented textile designer. The cashmere animals below are just asking to be hugged close… By Elke is full
One of the many revelations of the internet has been the fact that Americans are better at nerdy humour than the Brits. Curated by Jason Oberholttzer, I Love Charts is a collection of graphs, pies and diagrams which at first glance look perfectly respectable and possibly even informative. Closer inspections shows that they are nothing of the sort. They are funny though. Ben Greenman, who devised most of the charts
No need to sleep on the floor at the Gladstone Library; the only residential library in Britain does dinner, bed and breakfast. And, if you don’t finish the books in the library, you can take them to bed. Originally designed to allow scholars to stay on site while undertaking their research and writing, this hotel with a difference is just as welcoming to tourists. It’s founder William Ewart Gladstone didn’t
Swedish interiors store, Svenskt Tenn must have missed the Ikea campaign telling us to 'Chuck out the Chintz' because they have been busy importing floral fabrics from Britain since the 1930s. Above left, is Magnolia Black Linen from British company, GP&J Barker. The colourful pattern on the right with illustrations of wine, hops and tobacco plants is called 'Poisons'! Not an import from the UK, this was designed by the
As part of our occasional series offering random good advice, here's Chrissie Hynde setting out a pretty sound manifesto on The Pretenders' Last of the Independents album from 1994:
I have a great fear of and fascination for deep dark woods and these brilliantly brooding paintings by Fife artist Nerine Tassie capture that allure. Her bleak, unpeopled seascapes are equally appealing. Tassie, who is a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, says her work is inspired by natural spaces and in particular, the impact of time and changing light within these spaces. Despite, or perhaps because of their small