New Year Mash Up!

Well March 2011 is almost over already. So I thought I’d quickly post some of the design/creative/mischief I’ve been up to so far.First off back in January was Nonsense’s 4th Birthday. I’m so lucky to have creative friends in all areas of business, some of my closest set up Nonsense back in 2008. This was their 4th birthday where clients and friends alike were invited to admire past work, discuss new possibilities and boogy the night away!

Downstairs a dance floor and bar for client networking socialising and some dancing! Upstairs was a gallery space where Nonsense displayed past projects including…The Soldiers’ Charity relaunch video and one of my favourites MegaMouth for Action Aid. Plus they kindly invited me and some of my products to join them; the Hound Occasional tables, Graffiti Warp Clocks and Limpet wall Hooks. A great night had my all, so see more photos visit their facebook page; there's a little video on there too.

From the 16-18th of January was Top Drawer London, which is one of the leading design-led retail trade show at place at London’s Earls Court. As I was wandering around a came across a lovely surprise; the Aarevalo stand where they were launching my new Array Bowls and Tea-lights alongside other new products and their exhisting collection. Another stand that caught my eye was Places and Spaces, it’s a UK distributor, but i thought they had a great selection of products. Also part of the entrance of Top Drawer were themed areas designed in collaboration with Trend Bible, showcased the must-have products for the seasons ahead..spot the Array in white?! The Aram Gallery near Covent Garden frequently has new and varied exhibitions on, I try to go whenever possible. This was the preview night of 6 HANDS 14th January - 19th February 2011. I was an exhibition of hand made work by India Carpenter, Peter Marigold and Ella Robinson. Then at the End of January I got my comfy shoes on for pacing around Birmingham Interiors 23rd-26th January. My favourite Hall was the Modern section of Hall 2, Where Designersblock had their ‘Doing Better Business’ area. They focused on four areas: how to do better business in a difficult climate, sustainability, taking advantage of the net and sourcing innovative products. All very useful at them moment! There was a huge selection of products to look at, a real visual feast and not another sole less booth with a generic logo, refreshing. ] No. 8 Light by Cristiana Ionescu. Some ceramics from The New English. I love the turn of the century style of Daniel Heath’s Wallpaper below. The only other eye catching stand at Birmingham was Terre d'Hautaniboul. Their ceramic lighting range was enchanting, traditional but with a spectrum of colours to choose from. These are the little samples of the glaze colours you could choose from, ace. Then on a more biased front I went to the launch night of a small but perfectly formed photography exhibition Called ‘To Boldly Go.." Adventure Photography from the ends of the Earth. At Horsham Museum and Art Gallery. 1st Feb-26th March  2011. All photographs were taken by the very talented and slightly crazy Jason Gotel, who I’m please to say is my cousin! ‘To Boldly Go…’ demands the visitor to appreciate the photographic skill and to admire the tenacity of the photographer to reach out and photograph the unknown. And after the drama of the exhibition the visitor can relax at home, in warm safe environment and admire the work hanging on the wall, a lot more comfortable that Jason who hung of the side of the giant cliffs of Spain’s Costa Blanca, to capture the spirit of the place. Each image was amazing, all with a death defying blurb next to them, some stories gave me shivers! To Check some of the storeis out yourself visit the Adventure Photography section of his website. TILT – Enabling Spaces – Launch – 10^th February. I was invited to attend the launch of Tilt at the Hub Kings Cross. This is a close up of their super nice invite. TILT is a new space design practice at the forefront of a movement for Collaborative Design, actively involving users in all stages of the design process, from the initial brief to the actual making of the space. We encourage users to explore the role of objects, furniture and design in their space, and its impact on their culture and behaviour. The Hub Kings Cross is an amazing space, if you’re looking for a creative desk to work at I recommend it. And Finally: Vitra hosted a special evening of innovation on Thursday 17th February at its prestigious London showroom, featuring unique items of furniture designed by MA Furniture: Design & Technology students from the National School of Furniture at Bucks New University. Bucks New University’s new intake of MA Furniture Design and Technology students were invited to work on a design competition set by Vitra. The brief was to imagine a piece inspired by the work of Charles and Ray Eames, whose designs are still in production by Vitra and are an inspiration to generations of furniture designers. Cristiana Ionescu’s design, The Three Bears, was awarded the audience prize. Her lights were also included in the photos from Designersblock at Birmingham Interiors, so definitely one to watch.