Christie’s is on to a good thing inviting young designers to style their showrooms ahead of their online sales. We loved Petra Palumbo’s collaboration for the Dressing the Table: Contemporary Fine Dining sale that transformed the Duke Street Gallery into a playful and inviting home with various tables laid up as though for breakfast or a dinner party. Next up are Wicklewood and Blithfield, sister companies known for their use of pattern and colour who have styled the gallery creating the perfect setting for Picasso’s Ceramics. Featuring over 100 lots from decorated plates and bowls to more complex forms, estimates start at £800. See it in-situ from 30 January – 5 February 2020, with bidding open 30 January at 2pm to 7 February at 2pm.
Credit: Wicklewood & Blithfield at Christie’s London. Photographs by Jonathan Bond Photography
Meri Meri has become our go-to for party decorations – stocking everything from piñatas to paper plates and fancy dress. Good news that they have just teamed up with French artist and children’s illustrator Nathalie L’Été to create a new collection. There are two styles – Flora which includes plates, cups, scallop-edge napkins covered with flowers, fungi and butterflies, and Flora Cats which includes characterful French cats on plates, cups and cake toppers. Mix and match for a spring party. Plates from £5.75 for a pack of 8.
It is a great pity that Deborah Orr did not live to see her first book published. Finished just months before her untimely death in October last year, Motherwell has already amassed great critical acclaim, a memoir that recounts her childhood in the 70’s Lanarkshire town of Motherwell – ‘the place where I failed to get to know my mother very well at all’. The razor-sharp journalist will be remembered in this talk, Motherwell: Memoirs, Mothers and Remembering Deborah Orr hosted by Dolly Alderton and with guests Linda Grant, Louisa Young, Suzanne Moore in association with Waterstones at St James’ Church, Piccadilly. Book tickets ahead.
The smart St Pancras International – with excellent shopping – makes travelling by train even more appealing. Now you can get your journey off to a very good start at the new Fortnum’s bar and restaurant. Sit up at the high stools for a champagne cocktail, or settle in for breakfast or their classic Afternoon Tea with finger sandwiches, scones and cakes. There’s also a Fortnum’s shop where you could pick up a hamper or some goodies for the journey. Booking is now open for this summer’s direct trains to the South of France that run from 22 May to 7 September (the rest of the year you have to change in Paris). As if we needed another excuse to book…
Is January always this long? These are the treats that have got us through the month:
Siggi’s yoghurt
High protein Icelandic yoghurt with low sugar and no fat. Perfect for satisfying that sweet urge without succumbing to a whole pack of biscuits. £1 a pot, available from Sainsbury’s.
Agua de Madre
A grown-up very low alcoholic drink in a lovely bottle, made from an ancient Mexican culture. It certainly puts a spring in your step. From Farmdrop and Planet Organic. £3.75/330ml bottle farmdrop.com
Kalettes
These are are cross between a brussel sprout and broccoli. We appreciate this might not be an attractive prospect to many but give it a go. Particularly delicious when tossed in a drizzle of olive oil with a sprinkle of chilli, garlic and then a squeeze of lemon juice. Available at Tesco’s and Waitrose, £1.50 per bag.
Melt Superfood chocolate
For an after-dinner treat. It is so intense and smooth, you only need a tiny bit … and to think it’s doing you good. £7.99 for 90g https://www.meltchocolates.com/superfood
Bach’s Rescue Pastilles
We’ve kept anxious feelings at bay with these pastilles that are soothing and not too sweet. A tin is a good thing to have in your handbag. Available at all good chemists, or £5.99 at hollandandbarrett.com
Meridian Pumpkin Seed Butter
There are loads of new ‘butters’ on the market and they’re a great way to boost protein, especially for those cutting out or down on meat. We’re loving this pumpkin seed butter on toast or dolloped into curries. £2.99 a jar, meridianfoods.co.uk
Soda Stream
We are now drinking sparkling water with abandon (and not feeling guilty about all those glass and plastic bottles recycling) with our snazzy Soda Stream with refillable gas canister. Starter kit, £59.99 sodastream.co.uk
Oatly salted caramel oat milk ice cream
We’ve been fans of the milk for ages – every since they handed out free oat hot chocolates at Latitude a few years ago. Their new ice cream range is vegan and surprisingly satisfying, particularly the salted caramel. £4.50/500ml tub at Tesco.
Love Beets
Pimp up any salad (we love it with feta and walnuts) or whizz up with some coconut yoghurt to make a soup. It’s full of vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants. Love Beets offers cooked beetroot in different forms and flavours, £1.25 a pack at Tesco.
We’ve long coveted Rosi de Ruig’s exquisite handmade lampshades and colourful glossy lamps. Now we meet the maker to find out all about life at her eponymous lighting business, as well as her insider interiors’ tips and decorating haunts:
What’s the atmosphere like in your West London studio?
Highly creative and at times rather busy. We are a small team of three often working to tight deadlines. Everything must be made properly, checked precisely and packed up with great care.
Can you explain a bit about the process of making your shades, from conception to finished product?
Everything is handmade from scratch in my studio. Once the template is cut and the paper is attached I roll the shape around the rings and secure everything with the coloured cotton trims (also handmade here). I need to work with paper which not only inspires me but can add layers of interest to other people’s homes.
Where do you source your beautiful papers?
I source all the papers from designers from here in the UK to Craft Boat in India and I strive to find patterns which haven’t been used in the lighting medium before. I’m in constant awe of pattern makers, it is terribly important that they get the credit they deserve.
What are the current trends in lighting?
It is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore the importance of sustainability in design. Greater thought is being given to the materials used and emphasis on whether the product can be made here in the UK. There is also a growing demand to have well made things which should last the test of time. The right long life light bulbs are key!
We just love your glossy lamps – why did you decide to make those?
I adore lacquer, I think there is something deeply pleasing and extravagant about the smooth super shiny surface and deep colour which comes from the layer upon layer of paint work. Put a lacquer lamp against almost any pattern and it just looks wonderful.
Where in London are your favourite interiors?
For a local breakfast the recently opened Elder Press Café (designed by Kate Guiness) near Chiswick Mall (above).
For a day out, The VIP room at 2019 Decorex designed by Nicola Harding of Harding & Read was a sight to behold – the transformation was truly inspiring.
For me the small independent shop is the best. I like Brassica Mercantile (Beaminster, Dorset), Jessica Buckley (Edinburgh), Pascale Store (Woodbridge) and The Edition 94 (London). So much thought and careful attention has been given to stocking these small but beautifully curated spaces.
Striped Glassware at The Edition 94
Where do you get your inspiration?
I tend to feel most inspired when I am relaxed – be it gardening visiting an exhibition or discussing ideas with friends. Colour and pattern constantly surprises me in the most unlikely places. The ultimate treat is to have a couple of days in a new city and just having time to wander its streets, galleries and independent shops.
What are your feelings about Instagram and which accounts do you love to follow?
Instagram has increased my global reach and benefited my small business immeasurably. To share images of my lampshades and lamps (@rosideruig) in such varied interior context has been invaluable and it is always such a delight to see my work in situ. It does help pull together ideas which otherwise can feel quite scattered. I have enjoyed making many new friends through Instagram but without question getting out and about to see things first hand and meeting people in person should always be, where possible, an essential part of the design process.
Taking my much-loved dog Peggy for a blustery walk along the coastal path in West Dorset. Be it a misty, cloudy or even rainy day, it’s beauty never ceases to lift my spirits.
And finally, which are your 3 favourite shades and where would you put them?
An oversized chandelier filled with a mixture of colours from my pin sewn collection (shown above).
With Nothing Underneath’s boyfriend-style shirts come with bespoke, limited edition embroidery on the cuff for Valentine’s Day. Pick any shirt (from £80) and add your design (£20), with 5% of all sales donated to @heartresearchuk. Email hello@withnothingunderneath.com to order, last date for orders is Sunday 2nd February:
Flower-filled room à la Gatsby, price on application at Pulbrook & Gould:
We were fortunate to see Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins at its first European screening at the Bvlgari Hotel last night. A documentary about political journalist Molly Ivans dubbed ‘six feet of Texas trouble who took on the Good Old Boy corruption wherever she found it’ we found ourselves wondering why we’d never heard of the witty and razor sharp powerhouse before, and wishing she was still alive and writing her columns today. At the post-screening Q&A director Janice Engel felt sure she’d be Tweeting Trump with loaded barbs several times a day. Though the event at the hotel has sold out, the film is now available to watch on Amazon Prime and we’d urge you to do so.
Next up in the Bvlgari Breakthrough Women in Film series is a preview of the Bafta-nominated Portrait of a Lady on Fire 17-18 February. Set in Brittany, an Italian noblewoman has engaged a ladies’ companion for her beautiful daughter Héloïse who is recovering from the loss of her sister. A story of great obsession ensues. Then on 11-12 March there’s Love Type D a contemporary take on the rom-com that asks – what if the reason you were unlucky in love was down to genetics?
The pre-release screenings which champion female filmmakers and plot lines are always followed by a Q&A with talent from the film. Tickets are free with a £20 suggested donation to Save the Children, and this includes champagne and canapés on arrival, as well as the film.
Chelsea-based Katherine Hooker has long been a go-to designer for the Duchess of Cambridge and celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Meryl Streep. Her classic, nipped in at the waist, three quarter length coats are one of her best selling and most recognisable items of clothing but her line also includes a great selection of dresses, skirts and jackets too. (She also does custom made clothing if you are after something more tailor made). So don’t miss the chance to buy Katherine Hooker clothing at greatly reduced prices at the Arlettie Sample Sale next week. Open from Wednesday 29th January to Thursday 30th January, from 11am – 8pm at Arlettie London, 13-14 Margaret Street, around the corner from Oxford Circus. Don’t forget to register before you go – you’ll find your invitation here.
‘It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child’ said Picasso. And so the RA’s immense new exhibition proves, opening with a tiny paper cut out dog – no less than a couple of inches long – that carries the exact sprightly look of a Cairn terrier in profile. This was Picasso aged 8. Next comes a classical charcoal nude with a perfect bottom, drawn aged 12. By the end of the exhibition we’re watching a documentary film of the artist on summer holiday experimenting with prototype felt tip pens: it’s Picasso aged 74.
Dog, Málaga, c. 1890 Cut-out paper
This childlike playfulness threads through the entire exhibition. The last Picasso blockbuster in London was the Tate Modern’s spectacular 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy. The RA’s Picasso and Paper offers something entirely different, instead of one year we see an entire lifetime, instead of great masterpieces we see what’s in the margins; the scrapbooks filled with sketches and the ideas that went into making them. The scope of the display is vast, with 300 works filling the petrol-blue walls of the main galleries and spanning from Cubist cardboard guitars to Surrealist stream-of-consciousness poems to bronze sculptures and costume designs for the ballet.
Violin, Paris, autumn 1912 Laid paper, wallpaper, newspaper, wove wrapping paper and glazed black wove paper, cut and pasted onto cardboard, with pencil and charcoal
Part of the joy is that unlikely works are given the spotlight. We’re shown preparations for Picasso’s great masterpieces – Guernica for example is referenced with preparatory drawings, sketches, newspaper clippings and photographs of the work in progress. But in the same room the glory is given to another enormous work from that year, Femmes à leur toilette (1937-8). Shown in the UK for the first time in over 50 years, it’s an epic collage made up of wallpaper samples thought to depict Dora Maar in the centre having her hair combed by Picasso’s side-lined first wife Olga Khoklova with former lover Marie-Thérèse holding up a mirror to the right.
Pablo Picasso, Femmes à leur toilette, Paris, winter 1937–38
But best of all are the tiny details made accessible in this show. The recipient of a great many letters, we discover Picasso’s method for marking envelopes with an eye – meaning they needed further attention. There’s the single inky line of a fist clutching a hammer and sickle drawn over the front page of a wartime newspaper. There’s a colourful postcard to Guillaume Apollinaire and sailing boats and palm trees sketched on headed paper from the Grand Hotel Victoria in Naples in 1916 where he was holidaying with Olga. A hoarder, it seems every scrap of paper has been saved and there is just so much to look at.
After the show – when you’ll be feeing inspired to pick up a pencil – go all the way through the excellent exhibition shop to the very back where’s there’s the wonderful Petit Café laid with red gingham tablecloths. Here you can order a coffee and madeleine and doodle on brown paper amongst a gallery of Picasso prints. These are available to buy thanks to the RA’s collaboration with Galerie Mourlot, New York. The collection of 31 rare lithographic prints ranging from £475 – £8500 are framed and are selling fast so best be quick if you want to nab one. Open every Friday until 10pm, there will also be a special late opening until 8pm this Saturday 25 January – the day it opens – so book tickets now.
