Posted on

Spotlight On: Tiles

In a new series on the interiors brands loved by Londoners in the know, we turn the spotlight on tiles. Whether you are doing up an entire home or just wanting to make a feature of a particular area, tiles will feel modern and comfortingly permanent. Here’s our pick of the best:

Best One-Stop Shop: Fired Earth

Fired Earth should be your first port of call. You will find a tile for your whole home: outdoor, bathrooms, kitchens etc. They sell the exquisite Neisha Crosland tiles. At £25 a tile these could be used as decoration or in place of a trivet to protect the kitchen table. The buttercup design in particular makes such a pop in the room.

Best for Moroccan Tiles: Habibi

This Moroccan tile specialist makes for my favourite tile-shopping experience in London; go in person to either the showroom on the Wandsworth Bridge Road or near the Harrow Road. They all have that typical Moroccan shiny glaze. habibi-interiors.com

Best for Geometric Designs: Bert & May

This East end company specialises in reclaimed tiles and encaustic tiles in the most beautiful hues. Their trademark design is geometric shapes. This one is a collaboration with Soho House (you can also buy from their website). £5 per tile, bertandmay.com

Best for Variety: Terrazzo Tiles

Terrazzo Tiles on All England Lane (NW3) has a huge range of tiles for all rooms and environments. They also have a tile simulator device on their website so you can try out borders and tiles. encaustic-tiles.co.uk

Best for Pattern: Marrakesh Design

In fact this is a Swedish company, which shines through in their streamlined designs. This collaboration with Popham Design is €150 per square metre. marrakechdesign.se

Best for Turkish Tiles: Otto Tiles 

One of Otto Tiles’ specialties is Turkish designs. Why not transform your bathroom into an hamman. Just divine.  £4 each ottotiles.co.uk

Best for Reclaimed Tiles: Lasco Reclamation 

Lassco is the go-to place for beautiful and hard-to-find reclaimed goodies. Their tile selections are no exception – but you have to be quick! They have these tiles currently in stock. £12 each lassco.co.uk

Best for Animals: Tiles by Textiles 

Inspired by living in India and then the Middle East and their textile heritage there, you’ll be amazed at the different tiles at Tiles by Textiles. We love their animal tiles: cheetahs, camels, elephants – a veritable Noah’s Ark. £15 each tilesbytextiles.com

Posted on

Our Favourite Knits for the Cold

Layer up in this cold snap with lightweight statement knits that will see you through to the end of spring.

Find a fire to sit by and start that long novel. Oversized Zora knitted sweater £350 at net-a-porter.com

This long jumper is a great accompaniment to slim trousers. £49.99 at mango.com

Dress this striped jumper up or down for work or weekend. Mohair metallic stripe jumper £139 at brora.co.uk

Own the day with this fun (and very out of character) Joseph wool knit jumper £225 at joseph-fashion.com

One of many brilliant new season cashmere jumpers, £285 at Chinti and Parker

We have owned a few of the Lingua Franca cashmere knits over the years but this one has to be the best to date. Expensive but they wash well if that helps persuade you. $380 at linguafranca.nyc
We gave this to a teenager for Christmas and she hasn’t been seen wearing anything else.
Pow Crew cashmere £184 at jumper1234.com

We don’t really know why The Elder Statesman jumpers are so expensive other than that they use the intarsia (I had to look that up) technique, which means using colour blocks seamlessly. Anyway this is a thing of beauty. £1825 at net-a-porter.com

Posted on

Pierre Bonnard: The Colour of Memory at Tate Modern

If you’re looking for some respite from the January blues, Tate Modern’s new Bonnard exhibition – the first of this size to be held in London for 20 years – is the perfect tonic. His colour-filled visions of the French countryside, intimate interior scenes and still-lifes radiate a sense of stillness, calm and warmth that is nothing short of blissful during these cold, dark winter months. Languorous, sun-drenched lunches, a view of a flower-filled garden, and my favourite, the artist’s studio looking out onto a mimosa tree set ablaze with its bright yellow blooms – these are the scenes that transport you to Bonnard’s hazy world of golden light and quiet contentment.

Pierre Bonnard, Dining Room in the Country (1913)

Each painting is a feast for the eye; many of the compositions like tapestries of colour and pattern that threaten almost to dissolve into abstraction in front of your eyes. Fleeting moments and distant memories are transformed into timeless visions. This exhibition is best seen with time on your hands. Bonnard rewards you when you go slow, gradually losing yourself to the symphonic mirage of colour that fills the Tate’s galleries.

Pierre Bonnard, The Window, 1925

Bonnard is a hard artist to place. Never belonging to a specific movement, he is often-overlooked in surveys of Modernism, thought of, as Picasso so scathingly put it, as ‘the end of an old idea’. Spanning four decades, the exhibition, we are told, aims to rethink him as more than simply a ‘painter of happiness’, obsessed with colour and light, but as someone who was aware of the world around him, in particular the First and Second World Wars, both of which he lived through.

Pierre Bonnard, A Ruined Village Near Ham, 1917

And indeed, there is a deeper level to many of Bonnard’s pictures, a melancholy or a strangeness that lies behind their glowing colours, making his work all the more innovative, and interesting. Open doors, stolen glances, his beloved wife Marthe bathing, her goddess-like appearance belying the constant illnesses that plagued her – these are the motifs that pack Bonnard’s work with a greater punch. Paeans to the power and poignancy of memory, his paintings, when really looked at, are in fact brimming with human emotion. There are definitely highs and lows in this show, but when Bonnard’s good, he’s magic.

Pierre Bonnard, Nude in an Interior c. 1935

Review for A Little Bird by Honor Hardwick. For more amazing art shows to look forward to in 2019 click here.

Posted on

Charlie Porter of Tat London

Charlie Porter is Decoration Stylist at House & Garden magazine as well as founder of the online antiques and vintage shop, Tat London. Having lost her job as Corporate Fundraiser at Kids Company when the charity closed, she decided to embrace her love for Interiors instead.  Here she tells us about the people who inspire her, her top secret spot to visit in London and why she set up Tat London.

Where do you live in London and why?

I live in West Kensington; the reason being is I live in my boyfriend’s flat. He moved there around six years ago. It’s a lovely flat, but it is entirely different from the Tat aesthetic. Before we moved in, I lived with my sister in Shepherds Bush. I love it there; I lived there until I was five and it was nice to go back to the hustle and bustle of the Uxbridge Road. Our flat felt like a country cottage; I had so many happy meals in that kitchen. 

Where do you go for coffee/Sunday brunch/lunch and dinner?

When I first moved to the North End Road I was a little grumpy – there was a distinct lack of fun things. I felt I was spoilt in Shepherds Bush. It had bakeries, markets and a good few supermarkets (Damask Gate being one of the best, their Hummus was delicious) But in the last year, we have welcomed the wonderful BITE. Lots of freshly baked treats and a lovely cooked breakfast.

Why did you set up Tat London?

I set up Tat because I wanted to have something of my own. I love interiors, and I thought that this would give me an outlet to buy all these marvellous little bits that I see but feel I don’t have any room for that. Now I have all of TAT stock, and I certainly don’t have the room.

Where did your interest in Interiors come from?

It came from my mother, Liz Elliot – she has worked at House & Garden for over 17 years. She has created spectacular homes around us, and she continues to add to them with a tin sconce there & a Quaker chair here. She has such a fantastic eye along with an excellent instinct for the way in which a room should be laid out. That is something I am working on but have yet to feel confident in.

What would be your ideal antiques foraging day and where would you go to?

The ideal situation is to either be by myself or with someone such as my sister or mother who is happy to go around not talking. I can happily listen to podcasts, murder mysteries or general blubbering. I like to keep my concentration on the tables. It’s not a time for socialising or other peoples opinons, as my mother can attest. The great places seem to be Village Fetes, I can not get enough of them, but obviously, they are not for the more serious collector – for the TAT collector they are perfect – homemade lemonade with a victoria sponge – not much more you could ask for. 

Whose interior style do you love and why?

There are loads. Here are a few off the top of my head – Robert Kime is undoubtedly one of the tops (Robert Kime Interior Design below), along with Chester Jones, Jaime Parladé, JR Design, Axel Vervoordt, Gert Voorjans. Due to my work at House & Garden, I have been lucky enough to work with Interiors experts Gabby Deeming & Ruth Sleightholme.  They continue to introduce me to brands & designers that I have never heard of. Helping my tastes expand and even now I surprise myself with what I like! 

Who are your top 5 people to follow on Instagram?

@pino3bravo, @_percaline_ , @nicolefabredesigns, @casajosephine & @cupofmeat

You write on your website that you hope that Tat will become something more than just an antique store.  What would you ideally wish for?

All In all, I would like Tat to be able to help people as well as being a commercial enterprise. The time I spent at Kids Company affected me hugely. I don’t think I could work in a charity again. I am not strong enough. Those people go through the mill and have very little thanks at the end of it. I want TAT to do something for the greater good, but at the moment it would feel like running before I can walk.

Tell us a secret place or something to do in London that most people don’t know.

I am not sure how secret it is, but one thing that still delights me is – Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park, with it being just around the corner from Leighton House you’re in for a pretty beautiful day. 

Posted on

3 February Talks to Book Now

There are so many talks taking place in London that it’s hard to choose what to attend. Here’s our hand-picked selection of London’s best talks next month:

Celebrating Lee Miller: Whitney Scharer and Alex Peake-Tomkinson

We have long been fans of the twentieth century icon Lee Miller, so this event discussing the first novel written about her life immediately got our attention. Miller was a model, photographer, war correspondent & gourmet chef and led such a fascinating life it is a surprise that it has not been the subject of fiction before. Whitney Scharer’s dazzling novel The Age of Light skilfully evokes the period, transporting the reader to the smoky cabarets, opium dens and Surrealist parties of 1930s Paris which were Miller’s stamping ground. Scharer will be discussing Miller’s life, the fascination she continues to exert, and her role in the often-macho Surrealist movement alongside our very own Alex Peake-Tomkinson. The book has been praised by no less than Madeleine Miller, author of the Women’s Prize-winning The Song of Achilles, as “a powerful, sensual and gripping portrait of the forging of an artist’s soul”. A glass of wine or soft drink is included in the ticket price. We will see you there.

Thursday 21 February, 6.30pm at Waterstones, 82 Gower Street. Tickets £10 waterstones.com

The Food Talks Feast: Joe Trivelli at Honey & Co

It sounds like something of a fable but Joe Trivelli learnt to cook by watching his Italian grandmother transform simple ingredients into something mouth-watering. Now co-head chef of the River Cafe, Joe’s latest book The Modern Italian Cook shows you how to do the same. Rustling up some of the recipes, Joe will be in the kitchen with Honey & Co founders Sarit and Itamar for this special Food Talks Feast. Tickets include a drink on arrival, a chat and Q&A with Joe before sitting down to a share a three-course lunch. Yum.

Sunday 10 February, 2pm at Honey & Smoke, 216 Great Portland St. Tickets £85 including signed copy of the book, welcome drink and three-course lunch. shop.honeyandco.co.uk

Leïla Slimani discusses her new novel, Adèle with Sam Baker at the Southbank

We were great fans of Lullaby, the haunting first novel by Leïla Slimani that went on to win France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Prix Goncourt. We’re first in line then, for this talk, an exclusive UK appearance with the  author before the release of her new book, Adèle. Again the scene is set in Paris, and our lead character is the woman who appears to have it all, working as a journalist and living with her surgeon husband and their young son in an idyllic apartment. Yet beneath the surface Adèle’s boredom compels her to pursue a string of one night stands and affairs, ensnaring her in a trap of her own making. At this evening event Slimani will be in conversation with Sam Baker, journalist and founder of The Pool, discussing her writing about sex, addiction and the dark side of domestic life.

Monday 4 February, 7.15pm in the Purcell Room at the Southbank. Tickets £15. southbankcentre.co.uk

Posted on

Caroline Issa Masterclass Series at Eccleston Yards

We all start the year with the best of intentions, but keeping these up is the difficult part. Lucky then that Eccleston Yard’s are hosting a series New Year’s Revolutions masterclasses curated by Caroline Issa. Tickets are all free, including one-to-one life coaching (book you slot here) and an interesting program of talks. Highlights include:

‘Can Balance Exist in today’s tilted world?’ – a talk with Caroline Issa about channeling passion and commitment into building a brand in a sustainable way, 17 January 6.30 – 7.30pm

How should we approach nourishing our bodies and minds in 2019?’ – a talk with Country and Town House’s Lucy Cleland on work/life balance. 24 January, 6.30-7.30pm

‘How to succeed in 2019’ – a talk about living the life you love with broadcaster, writer and psychotherapist Lucy Beresford, 30 January 7 – 9pm.

For the full program and to book your slot at any of these events click here.

Posted on

The UK’s Dreamiest New Hotels

Looming Brexit, lurking drones and environmental responsibility mean holidaying in the UK has never been so appealing. Not to mention the plethora of new openings to entice us:

The Fife Arms, Braemar, Scotland

They turned a ramshackle farm in rural Somerset into the megawatt Hauser & Wirth Gallery. Now co-founders Iwan and Manuela Wirth have opened their next venture – this time a coaching inn in Braemar, up in the Highlands of Scotland. Home to the Braemar Gathering highland games, it was Queen Victoria who put the area firmly on the map when she bought Balmoral Estate just up the road. The railways brought crowds of holidaymakers following in her wake who might have lodged at The Fife Arms. Today of course it looks a little different; with a dazzling cast of architects, designers, craftspeople and artists aiding an extraordinary renovation. Find 46 bedrooms and suites – each individually designed – a jewel box bar, restaurant and on-site pub as well as 12,000 works of art about the place including a Steinway piano creatively reimagined by contemporary artist, Mark Bradford and ‘cubistic’ frescoes by Guillermo Kuitca. If the pennies allow book a Royal Suite that comes with your own sitting room to relax after a day on the hill, or we’d choose a Nature & Poetry Room where Scottish poet Alec Finlay’s words are carved into the headboards.

The Fife Arms, Mar Road, Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Opening rates from £250 for guestrooms and £795 for suites.  thefifearms.com

The Standard, King’s Cross, London

Unkindly referred to as ‘the egg box’, this grey monster on the Euston Road is currently under transformation into the UK’s first Standard Hotel set to open in spring 2019. Just across the road from St Pancras, this adds yet another string to the King’s Cross bow, joining neighbours Google, LVMH, UMG and Coal Drops Yard. Anyone who has ever visited the Standard Hotels in New York, LA or Miami will be excited for the first overseas outpost arriving in London. Pulling crowds of locals to the Meatpacking District, the rooftop bar (and loos) boast the best views in Manhattan – something that will be replicated in London with a top-floor destination restaurant accessible via an exterior lift with views over the city.

The Standard, 10 Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG. Opening spring 2019. standardhotels.com

Heckfield Place, Hampshire 

Last year’s most exciting hotel opening, everyone wants an excuse to visit Heckfield Place. The incentive to wait a little longer before booking is the arrival of the Bothy Spa that’s due to open later this year. A 16,000sq foot space with a 17m indoor pool will add to the heavenly Little Bothy experience where there are all-natural treatments and Bodyism classes on offer. Londoners can visit for lunch and a spa treatment without being a hotel guest. Co-inciding with the spa opening will be the launch of the Heckfield Place members clubs, although further details have not yet been released.

Heckfield Place, Hampshire, RG27 0LD. Rooms from £350 per night, 60 minute massage at the Little Bothy £125, available for guests and non-guests. heckfieldplace.com

The Pig at Bridge Place, Kent 

There is something undeniably lovely about The Pig – as welcoming and low key as staying at a friend’s country house, but with the treat-y hotel part thrown in. The five properties in the New Forest, Dorset, Devon, Hampshire and Somerset call themselves ‘restaurants with rooms’ – with emphasis on the menu revolving around produce from their own gardens. Three piglets are joining the litter this year. Most excitingly for Londoners is The Pig at Bridge Place (above). Just a stone’s throw from London, the 17th century manor house sits in the Nailbourne valley – three miles south of Canterbury and will open in May. The bonus about this Pig is that it’s accessible with or without a car via Canterbury station, an hour and a half from London Victoria by direct train. Bookings open in early February – sign up here to be notified when they do – availability will be gone in a flash. Harlyn House near Padstow in Cornwall will open in the autumn and The South Downs Pig will open in 2020.

The Pig at Bridge Place, Bridge, Kent. Rooms from £155 per night thepighotel.com

Eilean Shona, Loch Moidart, Scotland

Vanessa Branson’s Scottish island, Eilean Shona isn’t new, but it is endlessly appealing. Take the Caledonian Sleeper from London and book a stay in the romantic Shepherd’s Cottage – it’s just been re-done and is taking bookings for 2019. The perfect place for a digital detox there is no electricity in the off-grid cottage, cooking is by gas and lighting is by gas lamps, with hot water provided from the stove and drinking water from a private spring. Car-free and utterly remote – access is via a 45 minute walk along the coastal path from the island jetty.

Eilean Shona, Acharacle, Argyll, PH36 4LR, Scotland. 7 nights from £900, eileanshona.com

The Talbot, Yorkshire 

If you’ve ever looked longingly at the instagram accounts of Alice Naylor-Leyland and her husband Tom and the idyllic pictures of North Yorkshire where they live, then the opening of The Talbot in Malton provides the perfect excuse to visit. The 17th century coaching inn has been in Tom’s family for many years but is being refurbished in collaboration with Sam and Georgie Permian (previous owners and founders of Cotswold pub and hotel group, The Lucky Onion).  There’ll be a cosy bar, restaurant and 26 bedrooms and suites with four-poster beds, rolltop baths and large sash windows. Tom has been working hard to put Malton on the foodie map; The Talbot comes with a new Head Chef, Robert Brittain who will champion local suppliers in the restaurant. Get the full experience by booking a stay during Malton Food Festival which runs 25-26 May 2019, or take a course of food tour with the excellent Malton Cookery School, in new premises from February this year.

The Talbot, Malton, YO17 7AJ. The Talbot re-opens on 4 February, with rooms available to book soon after, from £150 per night B&B. talbotmalton.co.uk

Posted on

How to see the best theatre this Spring (even when the tickets are sold out)

There is much to see this year, with many celebrities treading the boards.  Here are our top picks on what to see and how to get tickets when productions have already sold out.

When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other, National Theatre (16 January – 2 March 2019)

With Cate Blanchett and Stephen Dillane, directed by Katie Mitchell, based on the novel Pamela in a new play by Martin Crimp.  The production has sold out but on the day of each performance, a limited number of cheap day tickets are available in person from the Ground Floor Box Office when the National Theatre building opens at 9.30am.

My Name is Lucy Barton, Bridge Theatre (23 January – 16 February 2019)

Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout’s best-selling short novel has been turned into a haunting dramatic monologue which will be delivered by Laura Linney. Directed by Richard Eyre with lighting by Bob Crowley.  Very few tickets left but do note that as the website is frustrating to use – it’s difficult to see what’s available – it’s best to call the booking office directly.

Betrayal, Harold Pinter Theatre (From 5 March – 1 June 2019)

Featuring Tom Hiddleston in what many consider Pinter’s greatest play and directed by Jamie Lloyd (former Associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse), tickets are selling out quickly.

All About Eve at Noel Coward Theatre (from 2 February – 11 May 2019)

Ivo van Hove’s stage production of the 1950 Twentieth Century Fox film stars Gillian Anderson and Lily James, with music by PJ Harvey.  Previews from 2 February but best availability for seats is late March onwards.

Grief is the thing with Feathers, Barbican (25 March – 13 April 2019)

Adapted from Max Porter’s Award winning novel by Enda Walsh, Cillian Murphy stars as the Crow, a sentimental bird drawn to a grieving family.  Tickets sold out quickly for this short run but we suggest contacting the Barbican for daily returns.

All My Sons, Old Vic (15 April – 8 June 2019)

Sally Field, Jenna Coleman and Bill Pullman star in this production about the souring of the American Dream in the 1940s.  Tickets during preview time start at a bargain £8.50.

Death of a Salesman, Young Vic (1 May – 29 June 2019)

Arthur Miller’s classic play is directed by Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell, with Wendell Pierce (from The Wire) as Willy Loman.

The End of History, Royal Court Theatre (27 June – 10 August 2019)

This play about a family reunion for dinner is written by Jack Thorne and directed by John Tiffany.  Their previous collaborations include Let the Right One In, Hope and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  Say no more!

And looking further ahead to autumn:

Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre 

First the new film comes along and now the musical returns to London this autumn fourteen years after it original opened.  With Richard Eyre directing alongside choreographer Matthew Bourne, set and costume designs by Bob Crowley and even an accompanying book written by Julian Fellowes, expectations are high.  Sign up here for early access to tickets and more information about start dates.

Dear Evan Hansen, Noel Coward Theatre 

Winner of six Tony Awards in 2017 and a Grammy Award in 2018, this musical about a nobody who becomes a somebody after a tragic event, is being keenly awaited.  Start date has not been confirmed but if you want to get early access to tickets before the general public, then sign up here.

 

Posted on

5 Flower Classes to Book Now

It might not feel like spring is around the corner, but give yourself something to look forward to with a gardening course that brings the promise of flowers:

Best for Tiny Gardens and Balconies: Petersham Nurseries 

In London many of us haven’t got much in the way of a garden, but most people have a window ledge or the space and time to manage a few pots at the very least. With even a small effort the results will be incredibly cheering come the spring. This class is the first in a series on planting seasonal containers – in spring that means colour and learning about bulbs of every variety.

5 March 2019, 11am – 12.30pm, £40. Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane, Richmond TW10 7AB. petershamnurseries.com

Best for Growing Cut Flowers: The Land Gardeners 

There could scarcely be a more inspiring setting for a workshop than the beautiful Wardington Manor in Oxfordshire where the spectacular cut flower garden is the work of Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy AKA The Land Gardeners. Learn how to design, plan and manage your own cut flower garden whether you’re working with a small patch or large space – and see the results later this summer. These day-long classes always sell out well in advance.

30 April 2019, 10am – 4pm, £245 including morning tea and an organic lunch – and a handbook to take home. Wardington Manor, Banbury, OX17 1SW thelandgardeners.com

Best for Creating a Meadow: Common Farm Flowers

Georgie Newbery is reassuringly down to earth and makes no bones about the challenges of creating a wild flower meadow – something many falsely assume is just as simple as a sprinkling of seeds and letting nature take its course. The 3/4 acre wildflower meadow at Common Farm Flowers in Somerset has been twelve years in the making, but it looks completely breathtaking buzzing with bees and fluttering with butterflies in mid-summer. In this class take a tour of the flower farm and then learn how to create a perennial meadow of your own.

11 June 2019, 10am – 1pm, £85. Common Farm, Charlton Musgrove, Somerset.  commonfarmflowers.com

Best for Picking and Arranging: The Flower Appreciation Society 

How to create a cutting garden in Hackney? Follow the lead of The Flower Appreciation Society, the professional florists who grow most of their own flowers from a small urban space. Their Flower Masterclass shows you how its done with a tour of the garden followed by an arranging workshop in the studio. In spring the tulips are flowering, some like feathers, others frilly. Belle Epoque, Angelique, Flaming parrot to name a few. As well as narcissi, allium and hellebores.

13th April 2019, 2-4.30pm, 25th May 2019, 2 – 4.30pm, £145. 72A Southgate Road
London, N1 3JF. theflowerappreciationsociety.co.uk

Best for Pressing Flowers: Jam Jar

Make your own framed pressed botanicals at this workshop at Peacock Yard. Learn how to select and prepare your stems for pressing – the flower press is yours to keep at the end of the class for future use. There will also be pre-pressed flowers that are used to demonstrate how to mount and frame your flowers, also yours to take-home at the end.

6 March, 8 May and 7 August 2019, 6.30-8.30pm, £125. 7A Peacock Yard, Iliffe Street, SE17 3LH. jamjaredit.co.uk/workshops

Posted on

A lot of Lovely Art

One of the activities that my kids and I like doing best is crafts.  So when we were sent a box by Lots of Lovely Art (LOLA for short), the girls fell on the glittery cards and fluffy balls whilst I admired the clever way famous artists had been woven into the themed materials. Each box contains three artist-inspired projects revolving around a central theme with a selection of materials and instructions to enable children (aged 4-12) to be independently creative at home.  Inspired by the work of well-known artists, kids can weave like Anni Albers, paint a portrait like Frida Kahlo or make paper cut outs like Henri Matisse.

Alara and Selina, who set up LOLA, are sisters-in-law who are both creatively inspired mothers.  Alara set up her own studio in Istanbul doing art workshops with children before moving back to the UK in 2017.  Selina studied at St Martin’s and the Royal College of Art before becoming a graphic designer. They both feel passionate about the importance of children learning art and, frustrated by the arts cuts in the UK, decided to set up a company that did workshops and through the boxes, enabled them to have a greater reach for art education.

The boxes are great gifts either for your own kids or somebody else’s.  They also make a great idea for parties (you get discounts for bulk buying). You can buy a one off box, subscribe for 3,6 or 12 months plus at the moment if you sign up before 1st February 2019, you can get up to 20% off.  Happy crafting!

Posted on

Quo Vadis & St Leonards Supper Club

Nobody wants to go out and nobody wants to stay in either; that’s Valentine’s night in London. This year take away the pressure and book tickets to a Quo Vadis supper club instead. Quo Vadis & Lovers: St Leonards is part of the Quo Vadis and Friend’s series where QV invite chefs from some of London’s most exciting kitchens to come and cook at their 2nd Floor Club. Straight from Shoreditch, St Leonards was one of 2018’s top new restaurants, and its chefs Jackson Boxer and Andrew Clarke will be bringing a menu that showcases their innovative style of cooking, which incorporates both an open wood-burning hearth and an ice bar for raw fish and seafood. Rather than two-by-two tables in rows, the supper will be served family-style at one large table in the 2nd floor private dining rooms and welcomes singles, couples and groups to feast together. After dinner, guests are welcome to move down into the QV Club for the evening to continue the fun.

Later this year expect Henry Harris (13 March), Sardine (3 April) and Ducksoup (1 May). Their supper clubs tend to sell out fast and are open to member and non-members, so book ahead.

Posted on

Laura Von Behr Vintage

Vintage clothes are easy to love in theory but the reality can feel like hard work. Small sizes, lack of changing rooms, not knowing where to look…Enter Laura Von Behr. The savvy stylist does the hard work for you, sourcing beautiful vintage pieces and offering one-to-one consultations in her North London studio. Specialising in party dresses, Laura’s instagram feed is full of clients dripping in beautiful clothes – her steadily growing fanbase includes Dolly Alderton – here we find out how she does it:

Where’s home? 

Canonbury, near Newington Green. I love the trees on Petherton Road, Clissold Park and definitely the pubs.

How did you get into the vintage clothes business?

I started out selling online and at fairs. About 6 months ago I decided to start taking appointments instead. It is a personal and relaxed way of shopping, especially when vintage can be overwhelming.

What do you look for in clothes?

I always look for natural fabrics, silk, cotton, wool. You can’t really get that quality on the high street, which led me to vintage.

What’s good about vintage as opposed to new?

Vintage is more sustainable. When you wear a vintage dress to a wedding, nobody else is going to be in the same. Garments were made with love and care when fashion wasn’t fast like it is today.

Vintage clothes are often tiny. How do you get around this problem?

I shop with a tape measure and consciously try and buy in a range of sizes. Antique dresses can be difficult to find with a wearable waist size, but other eras are easier to fit in to.

Any styling tips for vintage on how to achieve a contemporary feel and not looking fancy dress?

I tend to buy vintage with a nod to what’s on the catwalks. Personally I always like a little printed silk 80s dress for a party. A 30s slip dress with a velvet blazer or chunky knit for the winter and a Hungarian blouse on holiday with denim.

What does style mean to you?

Style to me is being confident in what you are wearing and doing something a bit different.

What’s the most precious thing in your wardrobe?

An antique silk kimono with tassels that I found in my Granny’s dressing up box. The lining is ripped to shreds but it is so beautiful.

What’s your favourite shopping street and why?

Camden passage for its antique shops and market.

Best place in London for a date?

Jones and Sons, Dalston

What are you looking forward to in 2019?

I am looking forward to dressing more women!

Follow Laura on Instagram @lauravonbehrvintage. For appointments and more info go to www.lauravonbehr.com.

It’s goodbye for now…

The team at A Little Bird are taking a break to recharge and make some exciting changes behind-the-scenes. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

CONTINUE TO SITE

A Little Bird Told Me…

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO STAY IN-THE-NOW. ONLY LANDING IN YOUR INBOX ON THURSDAY MORNINGS AT 11AM.