OPEN FOR BUSINESS......

A quick visit to Kent again making deliveries and catching a bit of R&R.  Weather had turned wet and grey by Sunday, but took the chance to get some much needed fresh air by popping down in to the village and take a look around some Open Gardens.   I'm nosey by nature, so any opportunity to snoop around other people's gardens is too tempting an opportunity to ignore.  The love and effort some people put in to their gardens is always uplifting to see.  Lovers of gardening can create a fascinating mix of styles, pulling you further and further into their world as you wander through.  Lovely.

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CRUISING DOWN TO CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

My second jaunt out in to the real world last week took me to the famous Chelsea Flower Show.  I don't go every year as it becomes a little like Groundhog Day I feel but this year I fancied it, but with no golden ticket in my hand it was going to be the sofa and Alan Titchmarsh on BBC2 to show me the highlights.  Just as I was resigned to this option (not a bad one mind), my lovely mum offered me a spare ticket, so off I trotted.

There was of course loads to see, and one of the areas that many designers addressed was the need for sustainable gardening.  The 'Living Wall' has been around for awhile and can look really effective.  How wonderful would it be if all urban new builds and offices had to integrate living walls - what a bonus....

Bees and bugs were high on some designers agendas, incorporating insect houses in to the design, and with the current plight of the poor old Bumble Bee not a moment too soon......

Saw some great ideas for borders.....

Lovely bits of architectural detail.....

LOVED the rotating curved slatted panels that gently spun round in the wind by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma for the Laurent-Perrier Garden....

Once I'd done with the show gardens, I headed off to see if I could see anything interesting amongst the sea of conservatory and lawnmower sellers.  Two really good finds.  First the super talented sun-dial creator David Harber who's work I'm already familiar with....

...and a new one for the contact book, Kadai fire bowls - fantastic ideas for furnishing a garden.

By this time I was beginning to flag a little - there's only so long you can squash along with crowds of Pimm's swilling WI and flower club coach parties.  I headed in to the tents to take a quick look around.  Found some great ideas for colour combinations and textures which I'll report on separately.  And I was about to give up, and God knows how I could have nearly missed it, this fabulous bit of madness caught my eye.  Mad, bright, brash and smile inducing, it was made of dried and fresh flowers by the rather patient people of Singapore.  You can't really tell from the photos how huge and bright the whole thing was - trust me, it was like Lego-Land on acid.......

Weary legs and a need for a proper cup of tea persuaded me it was time to head home.....

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A NOSE AROUND CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK

Last week I managed to get away from my desk for awhile.  Thursday found me in Clerkenwell, the epicentre (apparently) of modern British design, while on Friday I was in the more sedate surroundings of Chelsea for the famous Flower Show.  Two days out and about proved an eclectic mix of the new and innovative, the not so new and actually just ripped off from the original, the classic but still a winner and the naturally beautiful.............

So, first stop, Clerkenwell Design Week.  As anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm not a huge fan of the over-hyped east end of London, once a gritty, cutting edge dust bowl of emerging talent.  Then the big guys moved in (because it was gritty and cutting edge) and suddenly it turned in to a parody of what it was.  Anyway, there are occasionally events that drag me over there and London Design Festival (coming up in September) the CDW are two of them.

I wasn't overly impressed by what I saw at CDW it has to be said - maybe it was the rain that dampened my mood, but I find it quite an odd event with little cohesion.  I did see some good things though, and a couple were real winners.  Here they are:

Graphic Relief are a very clever bunch of guys who have developed a technology for manufacturing moulds with fine surface detail.  Used on concrete and ceramics, the effect is both stunning and beautiful.  Now where's that wealthy client of mine who's looking for a wall to be clad.......

These two designs have been done in conjunction with Timorous Beasties, the Glasgow based surrealist textile and wallpaper company who were also showing alongside Graphic Relief.  Their updated take on the fusty old net curtain is brilliant.

Other designers that I saw and already love for their paired back simplicity were:
Another Country - gorgeous hand crafted yet elegant furniture - I could do with a lie down actually....

Bodging Milano, a strangely named company who create modern versions of the traditional Windsor Chair.  I love the multi seat bench - great for a hallway or a kids bedroom....

 Pinch is always creating some great pieces and the new Lowry armoire is one of them....

There were some other designers there that I quite liked and Lee Broom was showcasing a new range of parquet furniture - wasn't so keen on that but love his lighting.  Clever boy.

 And finally, a funny little thing that made me smile, the Sky Planter.........

.....and what a fitting segue into my next post............

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