I’ve only ever paused outside the library  / gallery 72 Rivington Street to note its brilliant book-stack window display. This week the window display was gone, but I ventured inside and found this modern take on the librarian’s trolley. Yes, basically a set of shelves on wheels, but as mentioned a few times, we love a good book display here. I’m picturing it in my house as a hallway table or a chest for the spare room. On top of it are library cards and application forms. Do I have use for a display clip board in my house? I want to say yes.

The library was also selling these Light Up Your Mood switch stickers by London illustrator Henrietta Swift – cute for a kid’s room (and only £6) if the rest of your house is too grown up. Do I need to hang anything with pegs from a piece of rope in my house? Again, I want to say yes.

Finally, this is the polystyrene installation by the library door, which may or may not make you want to start sculpting old packaging for a wall in your own home. Clumsy me shouldn’t even try this one.

Anyway, cool place and worth a visit if you can.

The real Ron Arad

Just back from Ron Arad at the Barbican. The Israel-born designer (architect, artist etc) started his career in the 80’s in London’s Covent Garden and was hailed back then by Blueprint magazine as one of the most exciting designers of the time. His unconventional work, which includes many shiny, colourful, ribbed or just darned unusual chairs, […]

Vintage-on-sea

I return from the only seaside town that has served as muse to both TS Eliot and Chas and Dave. Yes, it was tea from polystyrene cups and a turn along the prom for me in Margate, and the exciting news is, there’s a retro-home revolution going on in the town. Forget Siralun’s recent attempts […]

Trailer park in the sky

I want to go to the Grand Daddy. Words I never expected to say, but get a load of this. A hotel in Cape Town with a gussied up trailer park on its roof overlooking table mountain. Wow. There are seven Airstream suites, each one interior decorated by different local artists (in a slightly crazy fashion, but […]

In love again…

It’s been a while, but I think I’ve had my head turned by another wallpaper. My eyes gleamed when I saw it, my pulse beat a little faster. I tried not to, what with the number of rolls of wallpaper I own outnumbering the number of walls by 10 to nil. But this 1930s Swallows […]