Auction news of the week: A collection of mugshots dating back to 1905, and originally issued as forms to warn Dundee pub landlords of drunken locals, has just sold for £1,500. Mate, you’re barred.

Each form contains info about the Dundonian in disgrace – name, address, occupation – as well as helpful descriptions about their physical features: ‘awanting a left eye’ and ‘wanting teeth’ for example. What examples.

Fish dealer John is he of the awanting eye, but more charmingly is also described as having a fresh complexion.

(more…)

Birth place of the hipster

While Ros was diligently covering one of the biggest interiors events of the year I was on holiday in New York. It was an admin error, seriously. I last went to New York in, I think, 2004 when Sex And The City was still in full swing and all the bars and shops those ladies […]

Trend or travesty: Plaster ladies

‘If they’re original I love them. If they’re fake I hate them.’ Readers, we need your help again. This time, on behalf of my friend Mia, she of the expensive mega trend and of the above quote. It relates to her new house in South London, an amazing building site early Victorian Coach house – yeh with […]

Address book: Wine crate flooring

Feature flooring – flooring that has a decorative element strong enough to carry a whole room – is big news right now. We’ve already covered lots of exciting geometric tiles on the blog, plus the inventive ways you can use black and white tiles to create an op-art look. But at the affordable end of […]

Milan 2014: San Gregorio district

The last day in Milan, and it was off to explore the latest ‘design district’ established for the fair, set in San Gregorio, an area once known as ‘Petit Paris’. Arriving on Sunday morning it looked pretty unpromising, but it in the end I think it was my favourite district of all. Despite half of […]