This is always a delight to visit and very inspirational: some of the best contemporary applied arts around shown by galleries from all over the world. This is in no way comprehensive but here goes with some of the makers working in ceramics who caught my eye. Bluecoat Gallery showed Stephen Bird’s slightly subversive take […]
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.
Fairs and exhibitions – Les Puces du Design in Paris
Yes it’s that cloning issue again: so many things and so little time! This one I definitely can’t get to as it runs at the same time as Collect in London. It’s always worth a visit if you’re in Paris. Let me know what you see there and I’ll tell you what I find at […]
Edible House Project
Pick your own herbs and vegetables from the walls and roof of this house built of plastic crates, similar to those used for packing fresh produce. Destuurlui means The Urban Mates in dutch – at least so my translation tells me. These Amsterdam-based landscape designers and planners created the house for a project last year. […]
St Pancras Hotel London – now unofficially open
Officially open on the 5th May, it is already possible to visit the St Pancras Hotel, one of the most impressive neo-gothic buildings in the UK. To think that this amazing place was almost demolished in the 1960’s – it would have been such a sacrilege. So thank you from me to Sir John Betjeman […]
Asia House Fair
My inbox has been inundated recently with information on fairs – this time of year is a very busy one (think Milan Furniture Fair at the moment). Back in London – much easier than Milan to get to by bicycle – the Asia House Fair opens today with dealers and designers influenced by… Asia. It’s […]
Hubbub, an Ocado style delivery service for independents
This is more of a trend than a design inspiration but I wanted to share it as it ticks all the boxes: local, independent, useful and entrepreneurial. Hubbub is a new service offering supermarket style delivery (online, at a certain time and multiple product) but from independent food shops . At the moment it is […]
Urban growing idea
Saw this on www.lifeonthebalcony.com for those with limited outdoor space. All the instructions are on the site and it looks so fresh. A great way to plant pre-sown annual herbs or flowers. Thanks to My Urban Garden Deco for alerting me to this!
Ms Wanda’s Wardrobe for more sustainable fashion options
Last Friday I went along to the launch party for Ms Wanda’s Wardrobe, a new company started by Esther Freeman. It began from the dilemma of loving fashion but not wanting to add to the one point something billion tonnes of textiles put into landfill every year. Her idea is to promote pre-loved, vintage and […]
Hackney Wick project
I read about this yesterday in Blueprint magazine and wanted to spread the news. The team behind the wonderful Cineroleum outdoor cinema last summer is working on a new project, this time under the 6 lane highway at Hackney Wick in East London. For those who don’t know, Hackney Wick is something of an urban […]
Trends in surface design
When we talk surface design , most people think of wallpaper. Well there is so much more to it than that. At the Surface Design Show in London a wide range including stone, wood, ceramic, leather and glass were on display in addition to the expected fabric and paper. Giles Miller’s corrugated cardboard relief pieces showed an interesting […]