Feature Friday - The Transport for London Museum

Congratulations to Prince William and Princess Catherine! Celebrations are in full swing so why not feature something traditional. As much as I loath London Transport for its train delays and service I do like their iconic interior accessories and its history. If your love for iconic London Transport interiors is one of your guilty pleasures then check out a few of my faves...

All these items can be brought online or at the museum which is worth a visit!

Transport for London Museum

Covent Garden

London WC2E 7BB

Tel: 020 73796344

Inspired By Coco Chanel

So the other day I sat down after a relaxing day to watch my copy of 'Coco Before Chanel' which had been sitting in my DVD collection for about a year. Having been moved by the journey of Alexander McQueen I was intrigued at how Gabrielle Coco Chanel became CHANEL.

The film blew me away! Coco was an orphan at a mere twelve years old and through sheer passion and talent she carved out this phenomenal career as a hat designer and couture power house. If I learnt anything from the film it was that it doesn't take money to get you the career and opportunities you want, it's all about good old fashioned passion and talent! Unless you're actually the heir of an empire, a career such as this does not fall into your lap and even so those empires started off small with passion and talent. Throughout the film you learn that Coco learned her trade through learning to sew when she was an orphan and through her life used and developed those skills. Along the way she met some wealthy but skilled 'mentors' who helped to enhance her talent for sewing. What I admire is that she had her own style and went against the grain to push her own 'Masculine Style Philosophy'.  In 1910 Coco opened her first hat shop only a few doors down from No.31 on Rue Cambon - a fashionable street in Paris.

Later on she opened the chic emporium boutique that is No.31 Rue Cambon where she created and developed her clothing collection and where she also had her apartment.

I am captured by the buildings beauty and elegance. The iconic black and white of CHANEL embodies the chic, timeless and classic yet traditional element of Coco. I aim to visit the boutique this summer and look forward to seeing the exterior and interior up close and personal.

Liberty of London

I love the Liberty of London store and couldn't resist blogging about it. They have one of the most creative and innovative window displays in addition to a wonderful architectural structure.

This is one of my fave displays at the moment as well as some of my fave items...

Royal Wedding Tote Bag, Simeon Farrar £85
(Great for housing all your key items on the go)

Union Jack iPhone 4 Case, Paul Smith £90

Londoners I Met and Liked Notebook, Archie Grand £10

All items can be purchased from Liberty of London now.


Images: Credited: Liberty of London

Feel The Spirit of Summer

I don't know about you but I cannot wait for the summer! We've already had a little summer hit/ taster of what's to come and in preparation for it I've been checking out the upcoming interior shows and events. One of the more unique and hidden treasures of the interior events world is 'Spirit of Summer' which is sponsored by House & Garden.  

At the fair you will have the opportunity to discover the trends which are influencing summer 2011 and can venture to the Summer Lifestyle Workshop. Michelin-starred chefs including John Campbell will also provide inspiration for light and easy alfresco dishes. You can also learn how to make beautiful ‘nosegay’ posys with Simon Lycett, and gain advice on what to wear and how to wear it with Red Leopard. There is so much to do at this fair and one of the elements I'm so excited about this year is the new interior and garden workshops. Here you can gain professional advice from some of the greats including William Yeoward, Joa Studholme, International Colour Consultant to Farrow & Ball and garden designers including Richard Miers and Marcus Barnett.

Tickets are now on sale and start from £15. However you can win a pair of tickets on my blog by answering this question;

"What does the spirit of summer mean to you?"

Just post your response in the 'post a comment' box on this blog below including your contact email address and the best one will win a pair of tickets. The competition closes on May 3 so get your answers in!
N.B: Email addresses will not be posted on the blog! Please note that this is a London event therefore you will need to be in the UK and able to attend between 11-14 May 2011.

Feature Friday: The Park Hotel - Amsterdam

Feature Friday has arrived!

Each Friday I will be featuring something wonderful and creative which has caught my beady eye. From hotels, to interiors, accessories to food I will cover it all. To start off the holiday season and the first edition I have picked this A-MAZING hotel. It's The Park Hotel located in Amsterdam - The Dam. I love this hotel for it's sleek clean lines and chic boutique style.

 If you fancy taking a trip there I think its well worth it!

The Park Hotel

Stadhouderskade 25
1071 ZD Amsterdam
The Netherlands

T +31 (0)20 671 1222
F +31 (0)20 664 9455  info@parkhotel.nl

The London Graphic Centre - 15% off

As if Easter couldn't get any better the London Graphic Centre (one of my favourite stores for interior course supplies) are offering a 15% discount on EVERYTHING (with the exception of computer consumables, PANTONE guides and products already on offer)!

This offer only lasts from 3pm 21st April - 9am 26th April and is only available in-store. The discount will be calculated at the till point.

I say get down there for a bargain!

Make your Dream a Grand Design - Grand Designs Live 2011

It's April, spring has sprung and we have indeed sprung forward! With the royal wedding edging ever nearer and all those wonderful bank holidays to enjoy why not start that interiors project on the right track with a trip to Grand Designs Live 2011.

The S/S11 interiors collections across the board have launched and the best way to see new collections, express great ideas and find solutions to your key interior, garden, technology, bathroom, kitchen or indeed build queries is to come along to this fantastic show. Grand Designs Live 2011 commences on April 30 through to May 8.

Grand Designs Live Theatre

This unbelievable show has so much to offer. If you're in the trade, are passionate about design or simply have a DIY project that has failed to get off the ground you can take advantage of the free expert advice! Yes I did say free. Just head to the 'Ask an Expert' section sponsored by VELUX for a free 30min consultation with an architect. The best thing is, you can also bring your plans along for perusal.

I went to the show last year and it's 'A-mazing'. With 7 show sections all under one creative roof (Grand Build, Grand Gardens, Grand Kitchens, Grand Village, Grand Bathrooms, Grand Technology, Grand Interiors) you will definitely have plenty to see, do and discuss.

House of Paul's Top Five Things to See & Do

1. Free Seminars - Kevin McCould, Phil Spencer and Naomi Cleaver will lead a packed schedule of talks. Great for top tips from the best!
2. Free Expert Advice - If you have a technical query or are just stumped with a design idea then this is a must. You can get expert advice from an architect.
3. Design Interiors - Let's Colour Studio (Sponsored by Dulux) - The 'Let's Colour Studio' allows you to use different tools to choose that perfect colour for that interiors project. Whether its a green sofa or a wonderful wallpaper that you just can't colour match - why not find that perfect colour here.
4. Shopping - There is so much to see and buy at the show. You'll find some really unique and stylish products in the design arcade showcasing the best in British design.
5. Grand Restaurant - After an exciting, creative day at the show why not rest those weary feet and dine in style at the Grand Restaurant with John Burton-Race.

Tickets for the show are on sale now and you can save 20% if you pre book! Kids also go free. If you're worried you can't cram all that there is to see in one visit, relax... you can book a multiple day ticket for only £20 - bargain!

At Home with Mulberry

One of my favourite British lifestyle brands is Mulberry. For those who are unfamiliar with Mulberry - Welcome. Mulberry is a British luxury lifestyle brand renowned worldwide for its craftsmanship and quality and now...Home Collection. Being partial to the Bayswater and the over sized Tillie bags I decided to mix my love for all bags Mulberry with their luxurious home collection.

If like me you adore the brand then it is a complete must that you delve into the S/S11 trends within their home range. Mulberry, taking its inspiration from its traditional roots of exceptional quality and craftsmanship, has infused these traits with a modern presence.

The Mulberry Home showroom is based in The Design Centre Chelsea Harbour - London and definitely deserves a visit over the Easter break.

Images Credited: Mulberry Home

Design in Komfort

Ever wanted to design your dream office? Crackling log fires, a playroom equipped with wii's or a powerful dynamic office to get your creative juices flowing? Well Komfort Workspace launched a competition late last year to make one persons dream office an augmented reality.  

The brief was to design the workspace of your dreams. The judging panel consisting of Theresa Dowling of FX Magazine, Nicola Osborn of MoreySmith, Colin Watson - BCFA, Justin Haylock - AR Developer, Jules Quested Williams and Celine Terry from Komfort had the tough task of choosing the winning entry. There were some amazing entries and I even had a go at creating a wonderful workspace design. However after much deliberation the successful creative winner of the prize consisting of a feature in this months April edition of FX Magazine, a new iPad 2 and their concept developed into augmented reality was....

Peter Karn - Senior Designer - Met Studio Design.

Top: Winner Peter Karn. Above: Peter's winning design

Peter developed his concept from the realisation that no two days at the office are ever the same. Monday morning you might want to relax, Tuesday you might have that dynamic energy and by Friday you might just want to have fun as the weekend looms.

As you can see above, the office floors are divided between, calm, dynamic, fun, luxurious, immersive, peaceful and if you want some fresh air an awe inspiring sky floor. This was such a wonderful unique well deserved design which all of us can relate to.

Want to find out about the other winners and see the winning design in AR for yourself? Then grab this month issue of FX Magazine where the winners access card is enclosed. All you need is a computer and a webcam!

AR of the winner workspace design

Swiss Design at Muralto

April 6th saw the launch of an exciting interiors competition and the new beginnings of the wonderful interiors showroom - Muralto on Seymour Place part of Portman Village - London. Built on a strong family work ethic and exquisite product design Muralto offers chic, high end Swiss design. I took the chance to pop along and discover more.

The design and manufacturing is based in Cape Town and each piece is handmade to an exceptionally high standard. Key sought after items have also been featured in this years forthcoming series of 'Britian's Next Top Model'  in July.  The Muralto designs can be adapted to any interior designers bespoke requirements to suit the most sophisticated of spaces which is fundamental - this is one of Muralto's unique services offerings.  The underlying thread of this company is that it is a family run business. You can clearly see that through the owners Jane and John Buckley, their love and passion for interior design truly shines through in each piece within the showroom.

The accessories have been sourced through Europe with exclusivity to the Muralto showroom. This ensures the designer will find a unique exclusive piece for their interiors project.

This event also saw the launch of the BIID Graduate Product Award sponsored by Muralto. The award is in support of emerging talent and to celebrate excellence in product design. The award is open to students in their final year of study and those that have graduated in the last 12 months.The winner of the award can look forward to a £2500 cash prize. In addition to this Muralto ZA will make your design a reality by producing the winning design to be sold in the store. BIID President and Principal of The KLC School of Design Jenny Gibbs gave her full support at the event. Forms for the competition along with how to apply can be found on the BIID website.

All images courtsey of Muralto

Why not come along and see for yourself! 

Muralto UK
Address: 6 Seymour Place, Portman Village, London, W1H 7NA
Tel: 0207 724 3750