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Handmade at Kew x In The Window | Interior

handmade at kewHandmade at Kew x In The Window

Kew Gardens is one of my favourite retreats in London (as you may know). However it’s quite a trek to get there, so I often need an excuse to go. Whether that’s friends inviting me, a photoshoot etc. Last weekend I was given the perfect excuse for my second visit in 3 months. An invite from In The Window, to visit their Handmade at Kew stall.

Handmade at Kew

Meeting designers in person is always eye opening. In The Window’s stall at Handmade at Kew allowed me to meet several of their designers, as well as learning more about their creative process. I met with Daniel Heath, Frame & Cover, and Peaceable Kingdom Cushions. For me, a product/brand truly comes alive when I can feel and see the passion behind it. So I loved hearing the stories behind the designs, products and brands. Of course it always helps if you have the designers on hand to show you.

Live The Story

This time I was able to do some screen printing with Daniel Heath – always a pleasure. As well as Peaceable Kingdom Cushions – gorgeous designs, on organic fabrics. Whilst we learnt more about In The Window’s new Press Spaces (for bloggers & press), whilst lounging in Frame & Cover chairs. Corinne (the founder) is so passionate about organic materials, and UK production. I loved that her outfit on the day mirrored her patterns – now that’s keeping to an aesthetic!

Handmade at Kew really reflected the values and concept behind In The Window, so it makes a lot of sense that the two would pair up. I loved interacting with the designers, as well as learning about all the exciting new projects coming from ITW. Definitely a day worth making the trek for.

You can find out more about all of the designers featured at In The Window.
Follow #LiveTheStory on Twitter and Instagram to find out more.

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Interior Design | In The Window

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As a child I loved wandering around showrooms and home stores with my parents. I would make imaginary wish lists in my head, choosing pieces for my dream bedroom. As a little girl, that was as far as I got. As an adult moving away to university, I started taking interior design a little more seriously. Although I still hadn’t quite found my style yet – my uni dorm was a jumble of pink bed sheets and Korean boyband posters.  After university the next big move was London, and my own little apartment. No more house sharing. However a small flat in Stoke Newington doesn’t really offer up much of a blank canvas. Still, I decorated the walls with art prints, and the tables with carefully placed trinkets. I had so many ideas of what I wanted to do to the flat, but realistically I knew it wouldn’t work. So when we moved in April this year to a bigger, brighter apartment, I was over the moon. I went into interior design overdrive. Luckily I had a little friend to help me – In The Window.

In The Window enables designers, makers, and brands to share their stories and collections in a uniquely visual way. It is about giving the designers and their products the spotlight. I personally prefer this to a company whose goal is only to sell to you. Of course if you like what you see, you can click through to a stockist where you can purchase your object of desire.

But the real point of In The Window are the stories – delving into the worlds of the designers. Each window showcases the work and story behind the designer, maker or brand. Users can take part too. In The Window’s community can discover, experience, and meaningfully interact with the content via curation, sharing, and conversations. My favourite aspect are the labels. By simply selecting any product or window, you can add them to custom labels you have created under your account. Other users can view these and comment on them, or add them to their own labels. You can even interact with the designers themselves. For creatives, and those who just adore interior design, In The Window is an innovative way to discover via a new, unique social network.

You can view my labels at In The Window.

Thank you to V.A who took the photos of me.

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A London Life… at The Basics Store Pop-up

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Finding a brand that encompasses your personal style is not easy. Why would it be when there are stores aplenty? I personally prefer to stick to shopping in a few quality stores though (coucou Sandro & Claudie Pierlot). Maybe my time in Japan influenced me, but once I fall for a brand I stay loyal. So being able to find a store with a concept that suits me is a miracle.

Enter The Basics Store.

The Basics Store is a curated concept store for everyday essentials, with a focus on craftsmanship and luxury. Brands include: Marina London, Danielle Foster, Dear Frances, Blake LDN, Clarice Price Thomas and Jessie Harris. I knew of all of the brands before visiting the store, which is certainly a good sign. Blake LDN and Marina offer up beautifully crafted garments, whilst Danielle Foster, Clarice and Jessie provide exceptional accessories. The Avery Perfume Gallery has also taken up residency, to keep you smelling as good as you look. Honestly I hadn’t heard of any of the perfume brands, however I instantly fell for ROADS fragrances (in particular Cloud 9). In a nutshell, it’s easy to see that The Basics Store has chosen a handful of high quality brands and designers. Expertly curated, this is one store I dare anyone not to love.

The shop is open for one month, from 13th June – 13th July. Located in the heart of Shoreditch at 30a Redchurch Street, the pop-up will be offering free talks and workshops throughout the month including ear-piercing, live music, style consultancy and juicing demonstrations.

Thank you to Eva who took the photos of me.

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If you liked this, check out the rest of my A London Life series.

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East London Jewels at Parla, Boxpark

Jessie Harris
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Clarice Price Thomas
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Smith/Grey
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If you’ve been reading my blog since my move to London then you will know my background is in jewellery. Well that love goes back a long time. As a child I would buy jewellery making kits with my pocket money; creating necklaces and bracelets for myself and my friends. I wish I had continued with my jewellery making during my teenage years, but instead photoshop and html took over. Naturally I have a lot of respect for those who design and create their own jewellery.
Parla is one of the latest additions to Boxpark in Shoreditch. A jewellery boutique offering sustainable Scandinavian styled creations by British, Swedish and Norwegian designers. Put Scandinavian in front of anything and I’m sold. Minimalistic yet distinctive, that’s my kind of style. I headed to the store last week for a press night where I was able to meet my favourite designers (of those stocked at Parla) – Jenny Sweetnam and Clarice Price Thomas. Both were incredibly lovely and talked me through their collections and the inspiration behind their work. Their pieces are minimalistic and modern. Both work in sterling silver and gold, meaning the pieces are of the highest quality. I could go on and on, but instead I plan to talk more about both of them in my ‘Designer Spotlight‘ series.

If you like what you see, you can browse all of the designers and pieces at Parla.

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Designer Spotlight: Elena Saraceni

I really feel like up-and-coming designers aren’t given enough love, so when I happened upon Elena Saraceni at the Red Vatican press launch I knew I had to dedicate a post to her work. Elena’s designs called out to me personally as I loved the intricacy that had gone into her pieces. Not only are her designs painstakingly hand-embroided but they call out to the woman who prefers something with a bit more attitude. The woman who grew up being called a ‘tomboy’ when really she just felt sexier in an oversized leather vest. Biker jackets, skirts with skulls on, studs and one effortlessly chic clutch bag. Need I say more?

I contacted her and asked if she wouldn’t mind telling me a bit about herself and her designs.

DESIGNER NAME: Elena Saraceni

ORIGIN: Born in Argentina, raised in Venezuela with Italian, French, Argentinian and Venezuelan heritage.

DESIGN BACKGROUND: Graduated from Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion and Instituto Brivil. Holds a BA, Graduate Diploma and an Masters in Fashion design. She has worked between Paris, London and Caracas with Oscar Carvallo, Consuelo Zoelly, Maria Grachvogel, Alexander McQueen and her own brand and projects.

DESIGN SIGNATURES: It would be more a language than a stamp. Balance between contradictory elements, making sense out of a paradox.

BRAND PHILOSOPHY: Find potential in the ordinary, find beauty in the unexpected.

CULTURAL INFLUENCES:  Music, art, travel, everything. And there’s also cinema, a movie has art, photography, style, philosophy, attitude, music and video all in one.

LATEST COLLECTION: The Amish Outlaw Collection ’14

“An Amish girl gets shunned by her family after she falls in love with a biker that was passing by and runs away with him. Now, she’s trying to figure out how to belong to her new family without letting go of her religious beliefs.”

Inspired by Amish country and outlaw motorcycle clubs, the collection features hand-embroidered themes taken from the artisanal Amish quilts and Biker visual identification and adornment, to create quilting for textured leather and workwear cotton. Mixing textured and flat fabrics, handwork and machine work, leather and quilting and melting them with a concept that joins antagonistic elements together. The magic happened in the in-between as always. Making sense out of the senseless. Looking for similarities in apparently different ideas. Making sense out of a paradox through the alchemy of concepts diluting them in a bricolage of styles and materials.

Browse and shop The Amish Outlaw Collection at Elena Saraceni, and in-store at Red Vatican.