100% Design, London

If you haven't been to 100% Design yet, what are you doing?  OK, I know we are all busy (and please don't think I'm sat here burrowed somewhere and behind my laptop sending this to you from the show)  by the time you receive this (thanks to modern technology) I've already moved on to my next show at Tent in East London.  This year at 100% I have found some real gems to keep me feeling inspired and cleansed.  Of course there are the usual wooden floors - real and faux - in every possible tone and material you care to mention and a lot of them too.  There is the usual stuff recycled and Eco friendly, baths and sinks in 'fashionable' colours - Jacuzzis too - wallpapers and stuff I never knew I needed, but clearly I do .  The new materials available for us to use are delicious and I certainly found some new suppliers for my own work.  There seems to be a big and environmentally unfriendly bias towards everything encapsulated in resin - you name it, its been 'resined'.  I have always loved this material (although not the fumes) and it can look incredibly cool used creatively, some suppliers have.  Lighting is a little hit and miss although there are some interesting and in some cases quite sculptural uses of MDF.  Anyway, you still have time to get yourself there, so go on, its Friday.

London Design Week, Love me Live with Me

After a great afternoon scouring 100% Design here in London with new product launches and inspiration oozing from every pore to share with you, one of the best bits for me must be the small barrow just placed outside the venue.  I didn't understand this concept at first, but it doesn't matter.  The guys here are so incredibly friendly, there's no hidden agenda, they just want the opportunity to talk to you and to share the concept with you and for you to share your thoughts with them. "Designed & Made will be giving away over 2,000 items worth over £5,000 specially commissioned from North East based designer makers. They will be given away from an antique market barrow, which will be parked at key locations across London over the nine days of London Design Festival taking place between 18-27 September. The converted barrow has been used as a base on which to build a miniature cityscape of individual vessels each containing multiple items."  "The items have been designed to cause intrigue and to make an impact on the temporary owner’s lives. Items to be distributed include a 9-5 clock by Jonathan Aspinall; taxidermied mice head jewellery by Janet Allison; a poetry family on name labels by Alec Finlay; ‘ Titillation’ handmade, suggestive glass vessels by Gavin Marshall Glass; reusable porcelain memo pad by Helena Seget; ‘You Drink, I Drink’ double wine glasses by Kathryn Hodgkinson; ‘Identity Theft’ brooches by Megan Randall and a graffitiable clock by Amy Levinson" The objects will be the property of the recipient for one week and in return they will be asked to submit their thoughts and photos to a blog on www.lovemelivewithme.com and to pass the object on to another recipient of their choice." "The objects will pass around the country until mid December creating a map of their route and relationships with their temporary owners as they travel. An exhibition or publication of the used objects and the comments they collected along the way is planned."

What an incredible concept.  This is something that I can see working incredibly well at Selfridges.  Selfridges are really quite forward thinking when it comes to these kind of ideas so I really do hope that they find these guys and install it within their Oxford st. site, even for just a short time.  As a customer, this is certainly something which I would like to see and to be part of.  How exciting..!  In the meantime, you must check out these guys at www.lovemelivewithme.org.uk

Poetry Name tags, Image Copyright Alec Finlay

Eek Ring, Image Copyright Janet Allison

Ceramic Medals, Image Copyright Claire Baker

Cardboard Clocks, Image Copyright Amy Levinson