Lots of Art, Furniture & Electronics for Sale

A friend of mine here in London has recently realized that he has "managed to build up a far bigger collection (of good stuff and junk) than he will ever be able to put on my walls/put on the floor." That means BARGAINS for the rest of us! His collection includes lithos of works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Chagall, Miro, Dali and more ... furniture by Eames, Bertoia and more ... and lots of A/V and electronics goodies. Visit my Tiki Chris Presents blog for a full list and contact details.

Creativity Gives London a Leading Edge

London creative sectors 'strong'
London's creative industries are the key to the city's continuing economic success, according to a new report.
BBC News
Last Updated: Thursday, 20 September 2007, 15:56 GMT 16:56 UK

"Our lead in the creative industries helps ensure London remains at the global cutting edge, attracting all kinds of companies to choose London to do business because of the strength they can draw on in design, advertising, PR and many other creative fields."

Click here for complete article.

Photography courtesy of alistairh's photostream on Flickr.

London Design Festival 2007

It's almost that time of the year again! Last year's London Design Festival was great and judging from the looks of this year's website, the 2007 event should be just as worthwhile.











London Design Festival 2007
the most exciting and diverse yet
15-25 September 2007

Established in 2003 to celebrate and promote London as the creative capital of the world, The London Design Festival has grown rapidly to become a fixture on the global design calendar and one of the key constituents of the UK’s burgeoning creative festival season, along with London Fashion Week, Frieze Art Fair and the London Film Festival.

Read More

Olympics 2012 Logo "evolves"

Mocked Olympic logo ‘evolves’
Dipesh Gadher and Ian Pocock
The Sunday Times
July 1, 2007

Now, after a month of protests, designers have devised a less controversial version of the logo. One image, featuring a child taking part in martial arts, is already being used on the side of an Olympics bus touring Britain to promote the Games.

Click here for complete article.

Olympic logo plans speeded up
By Maija Palmer
Financial Times
Published: July 2 2007 03:00 Last updated: July 2 2007 03:00

“We had originally planned to establish the design for a couple of months with just the block colours but because there was such international publicity, the logo established itself pretty quickly, and we are now filling it with pictures slightly quicker than planned,” said a spokeswoman for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.

Click here for complete article.

Visuals 'evolve' London 2012 logo
Freelance UK
Jul 3, 2007

The logo for the London 2012 Olympics, which was publicly attacked for being ‘meaningless’, is to undergo a revamp that will incorporate images of athletes.

Click here for complete article.

Surreal Things at the V&A

Surreal Things
Surrealism and Design

March 29 - July 22, 2007

Daily 10:00-17:45 (last ticket sold 16:45, last entry 17:00)
Fridays 10:00-22:00 (last ticket sold 20:45, last entry 21:00)

Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7
020 7942 2000
Nearest Tube: South Kensington Station
Buses: C1, 14 and 74 stop outside the Cromwell Road entrance








Surreal Things is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see 300 of the most extraordinary objects ever created, in a spectacular theatrical setting. This exhibition is the first to explore the influence of Surrealism on the worlds of fashion, design, theatre, interiors, film, architecture and advertising. It shows how artists engaged with design and how designers were inspired by Surrealism.

Click here for more details.

Take Away

Fried to perfection by experts

COLLECT: applied and decorative arts galleries at the V&A

The international art fair for contemporary objects. Presented by the British Crafts Council.

8 - 12 February 2007

The only international art fair of its kind in Europe, COLLECT presents a selection of prestigious applied and decorative arts galleries from around the globe within the distinguished setting of the V&A.

Click here for more information and to find out about COLLECTion, a programme of special events and exhibitions taking place around the UK to coincide with COLLECT 2007.

Alvar Aalto at Barbican

Alvar Aalto
Through the Eyes of Shigeru Ban
February 2007 - 13 May 2007
Barbican Art Gallery

Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), is one of the masters of modernism, ranking alongside figures such as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. In his first UK retrospective, Aalto’s work is presented through the eyes of contemporary Japanese architect Shigeru Ban.

Click here for information.

Box Bears

Just in time for the holidays ...

















At the Clerkenwell Green Association's recent Made in Clerkenwell event, I met Sharon McCormack and her little creations - the Box Bears, which seem like sweet gifts to consider for newborns and collectors.

All Box Bears are original designs and made od the finest English or Schulte Mohair with English glass eyes, wood wool, poly-fibre, and pre-bagged steel shot and either cotter pins or nuts and bolt joints. Each is named after a city, town or place in the UK and comes with a “box bears” label sewn in and a swing tag with the bear’s name and edition number, signed by McCornack and contained in a lovely wooden gift box.

Box Bears are not suitable for children under 14 years.

Visit BoxBears.co.uk for more details and more photos

London Design Festival 15-30 September 2006

I was perusing the Official Guide to the London Design Festival 2006 last night and was astounded by the list of venues and events, which are all over town, all over the design-spectrum, and mostly free and open to the general public. Among the truly many highlights, are the following events:

New Designers Selection
Thursday 21: 10.00-21.00 Friday 22: 10.00-22.00 (18.00-20.00 invite only) Saturday 23: 10.00-18.00 Sunday 24: 10.00-16.00
Brick Lane 95 Brick Lane London E1 6QL
New Designers SELECTION is an event that showcases an outstanding group of 50 young designers to have emerged from the New Designers exhibition in July 2006 at the Business Design Centre. New Designers SELECTION is an exclusive opportunity for you to see inspiring design from the freshest thinkers of today including furniture, lighting, ceramics, glass, product and more.

Saddle with Attitude
Friday 18.00-21.00 Saturday 10.30-17.30
21 Clerkenwell Green London
One Hand Clapping design & communications celebrate Vespa's 60th Anniversary by creating a customised vintage scooter show room installation. Prints and designer upholstery capture the essential essence of modern chic, eternal romanticism, classic 1960's Italian style and the ever increasing pragmatism of economic and eco-efficient scooter transport in today's society.

United nations of Scandinavian Design
Monday to Saturday 10.00-18.60 Sundays 11.00-17.00
86 Marylebone High Street London W1U 4QS
Skandium presents a selection of classic modern pieces mixed with new, contemporary items such as furniture, lighting, rugs, fabrics, wallpaper, accessories to show the vibrant, timeless mix of Scandinavian Design.


Vitra and Eames: An Exhibition
Monday to Thursday 9.00-17.30 Friday 9.00–17.00
30 Clerkenwell Road London EC1M 5PG
To mark the opening of Vitra and Eames: an exhibition and the 50th Anniversary of the Eames Lounge Chair, Vitra is hosting an informal lecture presented by Eames Demetrios, director of the Eames Office, film producer and grandson of the acclaimed design duo Charles and Ray Eames. Eames Demetrios travels the world delivering lectures on the seminal designs of the Eameses from a very personal perspective. His intimate knowledge of the personalities behind the designs brings a new dimension to our understanding.
Ticket information: Free but booking is essential and numbers are limited. Send reservations to rsvp-uk@vitra.com

Click here to visit the LDF website.

And the logo of the century award goes to ... ARGH!

West Cornwall Pasty Company has the coolest logo this blogger's seen in a very long while. Their pasty's ain't bad either (I recommend the "best-selling" traditional: a steak, turnip, potato, and onion combo).

With outlets at practically every major train and tube station in London, I see that that goofy-looking patch-eyed pirate all over the place, and he always brings a smile to my face.

Click here to visit the West Cornwall Pasty Company online.