In Shoreditch till Sunday then in West London, this pop-up shop is a fun way of trying on the new collection of famous scarves. Luscious colour and print, some with up to 40 colours. They really are objects of beauty and can be worn in many ways. I had a kind of tied turban – not too Gloria Swanson. […]
One-minute blog of interesting things
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As a working contemporary artist I visit many exhibitions and shows, but sometimes it is the things I see that are part of daily life that capture my interest. My one-minute blog of interesting things reflects the fact that although we are increasingly time-poor, there is creativity all around us. Email me at info@carolinebanks.co.uk with your name and email to receive a weekly post that only takes 1 minute to read.
Velo-re belts from bike tyres
A custom-made present for keen cyclists: take an old tyre and have a belt made by Velo-re. www.velo-re.com You can send in your used and worn out tyre (you know, the one you kept getting punctures in on that memorable cycle tour holiday) and receive a souvenir to keep your trousers up. You can of […]
Maya Selway silverware
The first thing I noticed was the silhouette bowl, seen in the middle below, basically a line drawn in metal. Some of them are freestanding and so fragile looking that I hesitated to hold them. There is no practical use for this or some of the other pieces but purity and beauty are reason enough. They are contemplative pieces: just looking […]
Vintage Fairs
London is such a rich source of vintage product it attracts stylists and designers the world over. Here are a couple of shots from one I visited recently. It reminded me of the early days of Camden Market and Brick Lane where I’d go searching for interesting clothes and accessories as a student. I still remember […]
The Savoy Hotel – open again.
Now there has been a lot of press about the Savoy: why it has cost so much, why it took so long, how similar it looks now to the old Savoy…need I say more? Well my personal experience is that, as with so many things, the more one learns, the more one appreciates the subject in question. […]
Louise Bourgeois – the fabric works
I’ve long admired Louise Bourgeois’ work and knew about her family’s textile background but these pieces, mostly produced in the last few years of her very long life (she lived to the age of 98 ) moved me in a way that caught me off-guard. The textile pieces included framed works. She saved old fabrics: handkerchieves, teatowels and ticking, woven stripes, […]
The Russians
There is a definite Russian flavour in the air this autumn: the Victoria & Albert museum in London’s major exhibition of “Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes” has impressed with the multi-media cross-fertilisation (lots of hyphens there) of talented individuals working on a single project. While Diaghilev’s team were looking to the […]
James Plumb
This one is for lovers of the reclaimed and re-loved in interiors. Hannah Plumb and James Russell work together with the the overlooked and neglected to create atmospheric and quirky interiors and objects. You can see their work in London at Selfridges – their dog lamps are part of a window display at the moment. […]
Super Design London
This was a small show for limited edition and one-off pieces of furniture and lighting from a selection of galleries, organised by The Apartment gallery. As one visitor said, it appeals to a very particular type of person. In terms of buyers I agree but believe that many can appreciate the beauty and skill of […]
Useful new products
Whenever I see something new my first question is: will this improve our lives in some way? Well here are a couple of products that are useful and attractive. Konstantin Slawinski’s housewarming objects include Join, a cutlery set that is sculptural and requires a little application by the user to disassemble before eating. It is made […]