{Design} At Design Junction 2013 with Simon Jones

I am pleased to share that this evening I went to this year's DesignJunction. In it's 3rd year only, it is one of the newest design shows taking part in London Design Festival. I love how they showcase a few well established designers together with emerging talents. 

VIA DesignJunction

One of which is my friend Simon Jones, he has a stand there, showing his latest furniture designs for the first time this year. Simon Jones Studio design architecture, exhibitions & furniture is a young talented London practice. Their work is practical, economic and space conscious, often evolving as refinements and adaptations of existing typologies. 

Here is a general overview of the work exhibited this year: new tables and seating made in their Kentish Town workshop. All the pieces shown share a common theme of folding, stacking or self-assembly. I will post some more about his work soon. In the meantime, you can take a look at his portfolio here.

DesignJunction is there until Sunday, so go and check it out for your design fix. Lots of interesting designers showcasing their newest innovations, pop up eateries and bars. Make sure to visit Simon Jones at stand S16 on the 2nd floor.

VIA Simon Jones Studio

{Design} Royal System modular shelving

I went into twentytwentyone today on Islington's Upper street and was pleased to see that they now have the recently relauched Royal system shelving system. It is amazing to see that this minimalist design dates back from 1948. Danish designer Poul Cadovius created the Royal System for the furniture brand dk3. You can customise the Royal System to your own needs: bookshelves, media storage, workstations, kitchen storage... It offers great possibilities to extend and reconfigure to follow the user's needs. I look forward to seeing more interiors with these gorgeous, modular and lightweight units. It comes in oak, walnut veneer on MDF or in laminate.

 

All via Twentytwentyone

{Design} Corner Ladder by Company & Company design studio

Check out this clever ladder design by Barcelona based, Company & Company design studio. The corner ladder is a space saving take on the cumbersome utility tool. It folds into a single pole by folding the rungs of the ladder into slots in the rails. It can be leaned against the wall or used freestanding. The Corner Ladder is a smart ladder storage solution for small spaces.

The designers used a set of clever folding techniques for the most space saving collapsible ladder I have ever seen!

Check out the video to see it in action!

Via Dzgn

{Design} Million year perpetual calendar

I love the minimal Million Year Calendar. This perpetual calendar is usable forever, simply by rotating each vertical post. No yearly waste! 
Keep an eye out for more perpetual calendars to come.

Via

Materiality

I have been off for the entire summer holidays, and school has now started again in rainy London. I wanted to share these gorgeous images of materials I picked up on Pinterest. I love the copper, brass, marble... So tactile!

Check out more of them on my Pinterest!

Via Maryyys

Via Ffffound

Via travellingwares

{Kids} our summer bucket list: 25 ideas for summer 2013

Summer has clearly begun and I am loving it. No school for 8 weeks! I love the lazy mornings of our un-scheduled days.

Although we are going away for 3 weeks, there will also be plenty of time to take it slow.

So today my kids and I sat down and had a go at writing our first ever summer bucket list for 2013. I have seen a few in the past around the blogs and I think it is a great idea to get the kids thinking about what they want to do by the end of the summer.

Here are our 25 ideas to make summer 2013 memorable!

[] make scones

[] make ice lollies

[] star spotting

[] meet daddy at work for diner

[] make a movie

[] go for a hike

[] swim in the sea

[] go to whipsnade zoo

[] read 5 books

[] BBQ

[] watch a sunset

[] go to a workshop

[] have a sleepover

[] go around thd world in 80 days

[] carve my name in a tree

[] carboot sale

[] have lots of naps

[] have a summer party

[] go camping

[] go fruit picking

[] ride a horse

[] climb a tree

[] watch a movie outdoors

[] finish a project started this year

[] try new food

I am so excited and can't wait to get started. I'd love to hear about what you would  have in your bucket list.

{Kids} Summer craft idea: plaster of Paris statues

Temperatures are heating up, and school is out for the whole summer! My daughter is finally off school and exhausted. So we need a few quiet indoor activities to get her started, so we had our first craft session of the summer. We created plaster of Paris animals and decorated them. 

It was so easy and fun. you pour your plaster mixture in the moulds, leave it to set for 20 minutes and the figurines are ready to decorate. 

The kids just loved it! And it kept them both busy for a couple of hours. Result! 

Are you looking for some ways to keep the kids entertained? Getting crafty with your kids is a great way to keep them busy on those lazy summer days. Here are some links to similar little projects to keep your budding artists busy. Enjoy and don't forget to share!

{Kids} A party fit for a Birthday boy!

It seems like such a long time since I last posted... I have had such a busy time lately, but school is finally of for my eldest and summer has arrived in London.

Giant Silver Foil Balloon

One of the many things in the diary in the past few weeks was my boy's 2nd birthday. Last weekend, my baby boy turned 2! Since he is a July baby, a picnic in our local park was obligatory, and will be for years to come. We were very lucky with the weather, as summer decided to arrive just in time for the party.

The first thing we did, was the all important Birthday walk! It is a tradition that my daughter's school has started for us, and I love it! Every year, we make a poster for the Birthday person through the years. It is a great way to see how baby has changed: newborn to 2 years old.

After a long breakfast at home, we took the party to our local park, where many of our friends came to celebrate with us. I loved chatting to everyone and catching up over a glass of wine and some cherries.

The birthday boy was so happy with the celebrations and all his amazing presents. Thank you all for coming and helping us celebrate in style!

Here are a few of my ideas for the party:
1. Healthy Bento boxes: a hit with both parents and kids.

2. Brownie tower, decorated with icing sugar, colourful sprinkles and Legos. He loved blowing the candles so much, we had to do it 3 times!

3. Potted succulents as party favours, since the birthday boy is a keen gardener these days.

Jad was so happy with the celebrations and all his amazing presents. Thank you all for coming and helping us celebrate in style!

There are so many cute ideas that you can find these days to make your child's party a little bit more personal and crafty. Check out my Pinterest board on Parties for my selection of more great Party ideas.

Has anyone been planning birthday parties recently? I'd love to hear some more ideas...

{Kids} Revisiting the past

Last weekend my baby boy turned 2! It made me want to revisit a few photos from when he was just born. So cute! I really need to start on this photo album that I have been meaning to make. Soon he will be able to realise that we don't have any printed photos of him around the house. Ouch!

{Design} Iphone Alarm Dock by Jonas Damon

For all you Iphone addicts, check out this clever Iphone Alarm Dock by designer Jonas Damon. It is made entirely out of wood, and has no electronics in it. The wooden box works like an amplifier to make the wake up call louder. I love it. So clever, The perfect mix of nostalgia and electronics that make it retro. Get it here.
Just download the Flip Clock Iphone App, et Voila!

VIA