Bars – sublime to ridiculous

As may be apt for a friday, the following is a brief tour of Glasgow bars. Two reasons for the this: 1. I am in Glasgow taking a holiday from my usual blogging routines. 2. I’m in recovery from a bar crawl, during which I saw some sights that affected my mind enough to share them with you. Let’s start with something lovely – the original Art Deco Variety Bar on a corner of Sauchiehall Street. Part dive part interior landmark, it’s just down the road from the Art school, which means it’s full of lovely artsy people as well as other, erm, ‘real’ barflys.

Photo from LindaKuster on flickr

I’m afraid I couldn’t find a single shot of the interior so you’ll just have to enjoy the signage for now. Take my word for it, inside has remained untouched. Next, the oldest bar in Glasgow, Sloans, which started out as a cafe sometime in the 1700s… The bar now runs an ‘eat film’ night in this ballroom for £14. Bargain. The rest of the Grade A listed building is all impressive original tiles, stainglass windows and mahogony stairs. Plus some less impressive furniture.

I leave you with this extraordinary vision of the Hummingbird bar on Bath street. The most outlandish design I’ve seen in some time. Though I have to say these photographs do not fully do justice to the Bavaria-meets-Morocco-meets-dungeon-meets-beach club conconction. A mash-up that I drunk in from the comfort of one of those hanging basket chairs. The glamour!

Colour coded rooms

Years and years ago, when I was still reading my parent’s Times on a Sunday morning, I saw an amazing photo story series where a photographer had got people to put everything – everything! – in their house out on their front lawns for an overhead photo. Wish I knew who it was… Not showing […]

Time piece

One of us here at My Friend’s House is a clock hater. The other one of us spent design-week-in-a-day spotting nothing but clocks and can’t resist sharing the findings. Clockwise from top left: Bias Clock by Rich Brilliant Willing from Areaware; clock2, which was broken when I saw it, by Useless Rethinking, who were unphased by that. The designer present from UR […]

Wallpaper round-up

Is it possible to have a three day hangover? I’m just emerging from the fog that has engulfed me since attending a party for Timorous Beasties and Brinton’s collaboration on Thursday. The main event was for their huge carpets in petrol blues, greys and ochre – yes maybe my friend did drop a slice of […]

Warning: this product contains vermin

I too am, how did you put it MF ‘a bit squeezed’ this week so have just done design week in a day, mainly in the rain. I’ve got one sodden trainer to prove it. Going on a road trip to Scotland tonight, so my highlights of the east end shows will have to wait. […]