Graypants are based in Seattle but have international distribution so we can all enjoy these. They create lighting from unwanted materials including corrugated cardboard and tracing paper. As you know I love upcycled products where the design is the first thing noticed. These shades give out a wonderful light quality and you certainly won’t hurt your head if you bash into them – am […]
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.
Bloc Hotels for luxury on a budget
Part of my work is in the hotel industry, hence the occasional hotel postings. I spotted this as another example of the trend for good budget hotels with a bit of style. What I like about this one is that the owners of Bloc Hotel have really done their homework, selecting the key elements of […]
Royal Delft refreshed: the Blue D1653 collection
It’s always interesting to see how a brand, established in 1653(!) refreshes itself to remain current. My parents had a couple of Royal Delft vases so I grew up appreciating that very particular shade of blue that typifies the company. Now, whilst I like blue on white, I don’t just want to buy historical pieces […]
Accessories by Hay Denmark
Although the furniture company has been around since 2002, the accessories collection launched by Hay this spring has caused quite a stir. I was compelled at Maison et Objet to compliment them as so much of it is covetable, particularly their ombré coloured stationery and trays. As I didn’t take any photos of the stand these images […]
Another Country: British craftsman- designed and made furniture and accessories
I found out about Another Country through Ian McIntyre of Studio Manifold whose work I admired at his degree show. His ceramics as seen below are now available through them. Another Country launched in 2010 making contemporary furniture in the UK and Europe from locally FSC sourced wood, sold via their site as well as internationally. The furniture and […]
Waste Not by Song Dong
This exhibition, currently on at The Barbican in London, is moving as well as fascinating. Most of us live in a throw-away society but it isn’t always the case and the installlation, comprising over 10,000 carefully laid out household possessions, is a tribute to the artist’s mother Zhao Xiangyuan who saved everything over 50 years, towards the end as […]
Beleaf – banana leaf veneer
I have to confess that I don’t associate Monaco with ecological materials but a fascinating new product from the principality caught my eye at Surface Design. Beleaf is made from banana stalks to produce veneers. The trunk of the banana plant is cut down after every crop and is normally left to rot. This process is repeated every […]
Barry Underwood light installations
Pictures by artist Barry Underwood popped into my inbox the other day and I just had to share some with you. These pieces are contemplative as well as striking, lingering in the mind. Below are a few photos he sent me. I’ll be interested to see what he’s producing for the new Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, due […]
Matthew Picton at Sumarria Lunn Gallery, London
I happened upon Sumarrai Lunn quite by chance – an open door in a green wall with stairs leading down was too tempting to resist – and I’m so glad I did. Although Will Lunn was gingerly recovering from the private view the night before it didn’t stop him telling me about their space. The current exhibition, Urban […]
Fromental – luxury wallcoverings
Fromental produces hand painted and embroidered wallpapers that come from the same tradition as De Gournay. De Gournay is the respected parent with Fromental the adventurous generation taking the concept further. Whilst sharing a common history (Tim Butcher, the Creative Director, used to work there) Fromental has very much forged its own identity since launching in 2005. Most recently I […]