2013 – Page 2 – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | Christmas Gift Ideas 2013: Fashion

Snowy Owl scarf by Nkoyo

Snowy Owl scarf by Nkoyo.

In the first of my Christmas gift round ups I give you the best ideas for lovers of bespoke high end fashion from a selection of talented up and coming designers. All of them will be selling on my new website when it launches in the New Year, but in the meantime you can buy from their own websites, I do hope you will support them and buy your loved one something special to treasure for years to come (or perhaps hint to your loved one what you would like…) Here are my recommended picks: be quick, Christmas is not far off now.

Ever Rêve - Vida dress

The Vida Dress by Ever Rêve features a stunning geometric print in soft flowing silk crepe de chine. Michelle Urvall-Nyren developed her trademark patterns through a fascination with her grandmother’s batik dresses, and I love the way she mixes strong lines with flattering shapes. Order yours for a bargain £175 quick! Read more about Ever Rêve here.

Nkoyo snowy owl silk scarf

If you are looking for an accessory rather than a garment how about an illustrated piece from Nkoyo? I am just a little bit in love with this Snowy Owl scarf which comes in a cosy winter mix of wool lawn and silk with a fringed edge, and is yours for just £120. Read more about Nkoyo in this interview with designer Alice Nyong.

Jano_Jumper_Anna Popovitch

The Jano silk jersey jumper by Anna Popovich has a luxe lace sleeve detail and makes perfect winter wear for lovers of all things bespoke and beautiful. Order it now for a reduced price of £195 until January, and with free shipping in the UK. In fact the whole collection is beautiful, so I urge you to check it out. I will be interviewing Anna Popovich soon.

Beautiful Soul AW13-Mi Playsuit

Beautiful Soul is offering free worldwide delivery up until Christmas. I recommend the cute and sexy Mi Playsuit which comes in silk georgette in the Ladybird Black statement print of big blossomy hydrangeas. The plunging neckline means it can be dressed up or down for day to night wear: what a stunning outfit for a loved one. It costs £360 here. Read more about designer Nicola Woods in this interview from 2012.

Vita Gottlieb lizard scarf

Finally, Vita Gottlieb‘s Lizard scarf comes in a subtle beige and brown colour and features a hand painted watercolour design that is printed in Como, Italy. Como is the centre of printed textiles in Italy where I spent 3 months working in a small studio during my degree (random fact). This scarf comes in a micromodal wool mix so it can be worn in all seasons, and costs £195. Read my recent interview with Vita Gottlieb here.

Next up, my recommended jewellery gift ideas. Stay tuned!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday December 5th, 2013 6:25 pm

Categories ,Alice Nyong, ,Anna Popovitch, ,Beautiful Soul, ,Como, ,Ever Rêve, ,Everreve, ,Italy, ,Jano silk jersey jumper, ,Ladybird Black, ,Lizard scarf, ,Mi Playsuit, ,Michelle Urvall Nyrén, ,Nicola Woods, ,Nkoyo, ,Snowy Owl, ,Vida Dress, ,Vita Gottlieb

Amelia’s Magazine | Tent London 2013 Preview: Best of Tent London 2012

Tent London Oct 2012
It comes on hard after London Fashion Week, but I always make sure to get along to Tent London at the Truman Brewery: for this huge and sprawling exhibition is a great place to find the best in design, from homeware and lighting to furniture, wall art, rugs and beyond. Even though I have run individual blogs on some of my favourite discoveries I was most remiss in writing up our usual review last year, so as the 2013 edition rolls around I bring you a further selection of the best things I found in 2012. Make sure you check out my listing for more details of this year’s event.

Tent London Oct 2012 Jon Male
Upcycled lights by Studio Jon Male.

Tent London Oct 2012-tamasyn gambell
Cushions by Tamasyn Gambell.

Tent London Oct 2012-rug
Tent London Oct 2012-lights
Fab rug and lights, not sure by whom!

Tent London Oct 2012-Anthony Hartley
Furniture by Anthony Hartley. Read my interview here.

Tent London Oct 2012- Zoe Murphy
Cushions by Zoe Murphy.

Tent London Oct 2012-wallpaper by Rachel Powell
Wallpaper by Rachel Powell.

Tent London Oct 2012-beautiful wooden object
Sadly I don’t have any information for this beautiful wooden object, but I think it could be used as a decorative wall hanging or as a pot mat in the kitchen.

Tent London Oct 2012-Claire Anne O'Brien
Knitted furniture by Claire Anne O’Brien.

Tent London Oct 2012-venus by cupertino
Scott Eaton‘s Venus of Cupertino ipad docking stations.

Tent London Oct 2012-Laszlo Tompa
Sculptural wooden furniture by Laszlo Tompa. Read our interview here.

Tent London Oct 2012-Réka Molnár, Moringa, Hungarian
Heat sensitive mug designs by Hungarian designer Réka Molnár of Moringa.

Tent London Oct 2012-Magnetic rings by Grace Hancock
Magnetic rings by Grace Hancock.

Tent London Oct 2012-Front rug monster
Front rugs: monster.

Tent London Oct 2012-Ginger and Jagger
Stools by Ginger & Jagger.

Tent London Oct 2012-CYMK lamp by Dennis Parren
CYMK lamp by Dennis Parren.

Tent London Oct 2012-Candlesticks by Victoria Delaney
Candlesticks by Victoria Delaney.

Tent London Oct 2012-Architectural miniature by Chisel and Mouse
Architectural miniature by Chisel and Mouse.

Tent London Oct 2012-Milena Kovanovic
Necklace by Milena Kovanovic. Read my interview here.

Tent London Oct 2012-Lars Beller Fjetland for Discipline
Wooden birds by Lars Beller Fjetland for Discipline.

I wonder who I will discover this year? Make sure you follow me on instagram to share in my favourite finds first.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday September 11th, 2013 12:03 pm

Categories ,2012, ,2013, ,Anthony Hartley, ,Chisel and Mouse, ,Claire Anne O’Brien, ,Dennis Parren, ,design, ,Front rugs, ,Furniture, ,Ginger & Jagger, ,Grace Hancock, ,Hungarian, ,Lars-Beller Fjetland, ,Laszlo Tompa, ,Lighting, ,London Design Festival, ,Milena Kovanovic, ,Moringa, ,Rachel Powell, ,Réka Molnár, ,review, ,Scott Eaton, ,Studio Jon Male, ,Tamasyn Gambell, ,Tent London, ,Truman Brewery, ,Upcycled, ,Venus of Cupertino, ,Victoria Delaney, ,Zoe Murphy

Amelia’s Magazine | Tent London 2013 Review: Best Soft Furnishings and Homewares

Bone china plate by Louise Wilkinson.

As usual there was a plethora of new and exciting designers to discover at Tent London 2013, showing alongside some familiar favourites that I look forward to catching up with each year. Here is my round up of the best soft furnishings and homewares brands I found. Wall art, furniture and lighting will follow in my next blog, though this delineation is pretty arbitrary since many brands happily encompass all aspects of interior design.

Tent London Cushions Melanie Porter
This outrageous outsize knitted cushion is by Melanie Porter, who was trained at Central Saint Martins and turned her hand to soft furnishing design after ten years working as a designer for international fashion brands. Melanie became a mum in July, so good on her for staying up to speed and putting on such a great show at Tent this year. Those of us running our own brands don’t get much time off!

Chocolate creative cushions Tent
Geometric prints were everywhere at Tent London this year. I love these cushions by Chocolate Creative.

Tent London Melody Rose plate boxing
Tent London Melody Rose plates
I spent some time chatting with Melanie Roseveare of Melody Rose ceramics whilst Snarfle marvelled at her new collection of printed plates. Melody started out upcycling vintage fine china – adding her own designs on top of vintage ones such as the blue plate above (which features a picture of her dad, an amateur boxing champion). Now she has launched her own bespoke range that includes this artfully placed classical nude. I love the way she has arranged these plates to make the most of the design.

These honeycomb geometric print cushions are by Petra Green of Room 39, a Slovenian designer now settled in the UK who excels in the use of bright colours and eye catching prints on unusually shaped cushions. Some of her designs are made up in a family run factory in Slovenia, some are made up by the Working Well Trust (which provides opportunities for those with mental health difficulties) and some are manufactured in her East London studio space. She aims to marry craft techniques and modern technology in as sustainable a way as possible – I like her production style!

Tent London Sian Elin Thomas abstract cushions
Tent London Sian Elin Thomas cushions
I first admired work by Sian Elin at New Designers this year, but didn’t cover it at the time because my photographs did not do the collection justice. Her wonderful cushions feature abstract designs (and the fab peacock patterned design above) in a range of luscious colour combinations.

elephant print cushion Rachel powell
Since I discovered her at New Designers in 2011 Rachel Powell has gone from strength to strength, and it’s so nice to see a recent graduate doing well commercially within a few years. My favourite thing in her new collection is this bold retro inspired elephant print that would look lush in a kid’s room. The design also comes on fabric that can be purchased by the metre – what a brilliant idea for all those crafters out there!

Magnetic porcelain train - Reiko Kaneko
What fun – this magnetic porcelain train for eggy soldiers is by the Japanese born designer Reiko Kaneko. Having graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2007 she set up her own studio in London’s east end, but has since relocated to Stoke-on-Trent in order to integrate design and production in the home town of English bone china.

The Staffordshire University Flux ceramics
Speaking of fine bone china, the Staffordshire University student collaboration Flux Stoke-on-Trent continues to impress with beautiful ceramic designs. This project is an example of collaboration between a teaching establishment and industry – forging new bonds that will lead to viable careers in an industry which can be notoriously difficult to infiltrate successfully.

These beautiful brushes by Mikael Lofstrom of Lofstrom skilfully make use of the natural shape of tree branches, which are paired with upcycled thistles.

Etelka Meixner of Hungary; pearl embellished chinaware
Etelka Meixner of Hungary has tapped into a very current theme with her luxuriously decorative pearl embellished chinaware.

Townscape design by Maxine Sutton
I had a long chat about the joys of living in Thanet with Ramsgate based designer Maxine Sutton, who has recently overhauled her shop in the centre of the newly vibrant Margate to become a stand alone store for her homewares range. This graphic townscape design perfectly showcases her style.

Kristine Five Melvaer -Norwegian design showcase
Over at the Norwegian design showcase I was most taken by these jewel coloured stripe pots from Kristine Five Melvær. Kristine works in glass and china to produce objects of exquisite beauty.

Ceramic jug by Louise Wilkinson
Finally, I am just a little bit in love with fine china by Louise Wilkinson, an illustrator and fashion textile designer turned homewares designer who is inspired by Japanese design. I think her unique creations also owe a slight debt to the cute animals so often featured in 40s and 50s children’s book design: no wonder I find them so delightful. In fact we promptly bought a jug and matching mugs for some soon to be married friends and I am just a little bit envious.

You can share my discoveries as I find them by following me on instagram here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday October 7th, 2013 4:03 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Bone China, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Chocolate Creative, ,Etelka Meixner, ,Flux Stoke-on-Trent, ,Homewares, ,Hungary, ,japanese, ,Kristine Five Melvær, ,Lofstrom, ,Louise Wilkinson, ,Margate, ,Maxine Sutton, ,Melanie Porter, ,Melanie Roseveare, ,Melody Rose, ,Mikael Lofstrom, ,New Designers, ,Norwegian, ,Pearls, ,Petra Green, ,Porcelain, ,Rachel Powell, ,Ramsgate, ,Reiko Kaneko, ,review, ,Room 39, ,Sian Elin, ,Slovenia, ,Snarfle, ,Soft Furnishings, ,Staffordshire University, ,Stoke-on-Trent, ,Tent London, ,textiles, ,Thanet, ,Upcycled, ,Working Well Trust

Amelia’s Magazine | Tent London 2013 Review: Best Soft Furnishings and Homewares

Bone china plate by Louise Wilkinson.

Chocolate creative cushions Tent
Geometric prints were everywhere at Tent London this year. I love these cushions by Chocolate Creative.

These beautiful brushes by Mikael Lofstrom of Lofstrom skilfully make use of the natural shape of tree branches, which are paired with upcycled thistles.

Etelka Meixner of Hungary; pearl embellished chinaware
Etelka Meixner of Hungary has tapped into a very current theme with her luxuriously decorative pearl embellished chinaware.

You can share my discoveries as I find them by following me on instagram here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday October 7th, 2013 4:03 pm

Amelia’s Magazine | Tent London 2013 Review: Best Wall Art, Furniture and Lighting

SPW additions lampshade
Lampshade by Parris Wakefield Additions.

I’ve already brought you the best soft furnishings and homewards from Tent London 2013 at the Truman Brewery, and now here is a round up of wall art, furniture and lighting, with a toy and notebooks thrown in for good measure.

Parris Wakefield Additions sofa
Parris Wakefield Additions is a new brand from husband and wife team Howard Wakefield and Sarah Parris, busy graphic designers once based in central London and now living in rural Norfolk, where they have enough space for an in-house studio. They are inspired by a combination of colour palettes found in the natural world and those of favourite paintings (a huge pastel rug design is based on a famous Hockney painting), resulting in eye catching pattern and colour combinations. Their computer generated abstracts appear on lampshades, wallpaper and fabrics. I love the ethical side to the Parris Wakefield Additions business – this upcycled 20′s armchair (above) was reupholstered by Out of the Dark, a charity that trains youth in new skills.

Rebay lighting installation
This super fun lighting installation by Rebay attracted a great deal of attention on instagram, though I still haven’t figured out it’s purpose since all attempts to Google information bring up ebay.

Geometric prints on lampshades by tamasyn gambell
Cockpit Arts based textile designer Tamasyn Gambell has been busy expanding her decorative offering: her geometric prints now appear on fabulous big hanging lampshades.

Blown glass pendant lights - curiousa and curiousa
Once again I was wowed by blown glass pendant lights from Curiousa and Curiousa.

Tent London Furniture Magpie lighting
The Furniture Magpies breathe new life into discarded items. This year they have turned their attention to old lampshade frames to create these pretty knitted lights that come in a range of jewel colours.

Lizzie mcullen at work on a mural
Illustrator Lizzie Mary Cullen was at work on a chalk mural when I walked past. This prolific artist creates bespoke imagery for many big brands.

Designer KSW studio
Kristjana S Williams has launched a new range of wallpapers featuring her instantly recognisable patterns; combinations of bold natural imagery and stark colourings.

Bear wall art by Kosmos Project from Poland
This 3D bear wall art is by Kosmos Project of Poland, a design studio set up by Ewa Bochen and Maciej Jelski.

Fibre glass stool inspired by an apple juice bottle, by Sit furnishings
Snarfle inspects a fibre glass stool that features tactile nobbles inspired by those on an apple juice bottle. Sit Furnishings is a new brand from Katherine Blamire and established designer Timothy Sheward, creating industrially forged products with a distinctly human touch. I was most impressed by their offering.

wood seat by Ruskasa from Taiwan
At the Taiwanese showcase we both loved this super smooth woven wood seat by Ruskasa.

Wooden magazine stand and stool by Moissue of Taiwan
This tactile wooden magazine stand by Moissue was also a winner: it neatly doubles as a stool.

horse shaped toddler stools by tamasine osher
What a clever idea; I so want one of these ergonomic easy-to-mount horse shaped toddler stools for Snarfle when he gets a bit older. Multi talented designer Tamasine Osher trained in architecture before taking an MA in furniture design whilst also working as an art director at a gallery.

Norwegian wooden toy by Permafrost
On the subject of things for children, this wooden toy by industrial designers Permafrost is utterly Norwegian and bloody brilliant: an oil rig with helipad and detachable helicopter: oil tankers also available in this prototype collection.

Sukie recycled books
Rescued paper notebooks made an attractive wall display at the Sukie stationery stand. The designer behind Sukie is a man, which goes somewhat contrary to expectations. Apparently most people expect him to be female and Japanese.

Next up: my review of the Three Four show further up Brick Lane. Read it here. Follow me on instagram for a first sneak peak at the design discoveries I make.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday October 8th, 2013 9:41 am

Categories ,2013, ,Brick Lane, ,Cockpit Arts, ,Curiousa and Curiousa, ,Ewa Bochen, ,Furniture, ,Furniture Magpie, ,Howard Wakefield, ,Katherine Blamire, ,Kosmos Project, ,Kristjana S Williams, ,Lighting, ,Lizzie Mary Cullen, ,Maciej Jelski, ,Moissue, ,Norwegian, ,Out of the Dark, ,Parris Wakefield Additions, ,Permafrost, ,poland, ,Rebay, ,review, ,Ruskasa, ,Sarah Parris, ,Sit Furnishings, ,Snarfle, ,stationery, ,Sukie, ,surface design, ,Taiwan, ,Tamasine Osher, ,Tamasyn Gambell, ,Tent London, ,Timothy Sheward, ,Truman Brewery, ,Upcycled, ,Wall Art

Amelia’s Magazine | University Arts Bournemouth: Dot to Dot Illustration Degree Show 2013 Review

Snarfle at Dot to Dot
The illustration degree course at Arts University Bournemouth held their stand alone Dot to Dot graduate exhibition in mid July at The Rag Factory just off Brick Lane. I visited during the day, accompanied by Snarfle, who loved running around the big white galleries and attracted the distracting attention of a young man who chased us around the show, waffling at me about babies and his imminent arranged marriage even when I very politely explained that I was trying to work: I think fatherhood must have been on his mind but it did make it rather hard to concentrate. Maybe some people just don’t really believe it’s possible to be a mother and work at the same time: well hey, I’m the living proof.

Watercolour plate stack by Becca Corney
Becca Corney - tom yum
First mention must go to the super talented Becca Corney, whose lovely watercolour plate stack attracted a great deal of admiring attention when I posted it on instagram (and led to an invite to be involved in an upcoming exhibition). She then contributed another lovely food illustration to my review of The Art of Dining event at Fenton House. Get involved graduates: this website is a brilliant place to showcase your work! Becca’s great love is food and she has produced a wonderful illustrated recipe book called Plateful that you can find here.

Following on with a food theme, I enjoyed pun-tastic images such as Lettuce Celebrate by Jeanette Slade.

This Maggie Thatcher decorative paper plate is by Emma Harrison, who specialises in idiosyncratic portraits of famous people.

Emily Gilbert Bournemouth
Emily Gilbert‘s surreal monochrome landscapes are created in simple washes of black ink: see if you can spot the tiny figure in the centre of this one.

Little worlds, by Hannah McIntyre
Hannah McIntyre world inside a bottle
These colourful alternative worlds by Hannah McIntyre are absolutely wonderful.

Patrizia Imozzi - monster stirring a cauldron
Patrizia Imossi created this cool monster stirring a cauldron.

Snake by Mat Waudby
Man riding in a shark kayak. By Mat Waudby
I thought iconographic paintings on slabs of wood by Mat Waudby were really rather marvellous, including a snake and a man riding in a shark kayak.

bird business cards by Katie Macon
I do love all these birds by Katie Macon, and I particularly love her brilliant handmade bird business cards, each featuring a cheeky character.

Lydia Hannah Thomas - lady wearing fruit on her head
Lydia Hannah Thomas‘s lady wears a wonderful basket of fruit on her head

Becca Paterson fabric
This fabric design by Becca Paterson was inspired by a love of thrifting.

Francesca Calabrese put colourful photographic collages on shiny glass.

Anna McNee used pen and ink to create detailed decorative illustrations inspired by the British countryside.

Felted glow worm character to go with a children's book by Becky Hill
This felted glow worm character features in a children’s book by Becky Hill.

Hannah Jane Nicolson is inspired by the oddities of her surroundings – here a plethora of woodpeckers hammer away in a strange little forest.

Louis Wood had created a series of strange creatures fit for a folk tale. I can imagine these beguiling beings intriguing a child.

Wanted posters by @jaybarnham
These fun ‘Wanted’ posters are by Jay Barnham.

Kate Bishop of Kroma 2
Kate Bishop of Kroma had fun with shapes and luscious combinations of colour.

Laurel Turner stitched over photographic screen prints to unnerving effect.

This Pom Pom lady by Harriet Schofield showcases a beautiful style that would be well suited to fashion illustration.

Fay Huo
Finally I shall finish off with a selection that caught my eye at both New Blood and Dot to Dot. Above is a close up of bizarre but beautiful artwork by Fay Huo – in which she analyses the role of phobias.

Jonny Clapham potion master
Jonny Clapham zoo
Jonny Clapham bee parade
mascots dotted around the walls of the Rag Factory jonny clapham
This pixelated Potion Master is by Jonny Clapham, whose idiosyncratic computer game inspired artworks really stood out as unique and utterly unlike anything else I have seen of late. He was also responsible for the simple but fun Dot to Dot mascots that were ‘dotted’ around the walls of The Rag Factory.

This neon screen printed man is by Elliot Coffin.

Marina Muun new blood

Glorious subtle work by @marinamuun
Finally, I had no idea that the illustrator Marina Muun was still at college! She already has a super professional presence in print and online (I’ve been following her on instagram for awhile) and creates the most marvellous and instantly recognisable illustrations. For her degree show she concentrated on a subtle range of colours to create surreal worlds populated by elongated ladies and prehistoric plants.

Overall Dot to Dot was a brilliant show, and one of my absolute favourites from the whole of the 2013 season. I have no doubt that many Bournemouth illustrators will do well over the coming years.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday August 3rd, 2013 9:44 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Anna McNee, ,Arts University Bournemouth, ,Arts University College of Bournemouth, ,Becca Corney, ,Becca Paterson, ,Becky Hill, ,Brick Lane, ,Dot to Dot, ,Elliot Coffin, ,Emily Gilbert, ,Emma Harrison, ,Fay Huo, ,Fenton House, ,Francesca Calabrese, ,Hannah Jane Nicolson, ,Hannah McIntyre, ,Harriet Schofield, ,illustration, ,Jay Barnham, ,Jeanette Slade, ,Jonny Clapham, ,Kate Bishop, ,Katie Macon, ,Kroma, ,Laurel Turner, ,Lettuce Celebrate, ,Louis Wood, ,Lydia Hannah Thomas, ,Maggie Thatcher, ,Marina Muun, ,Mat Waudby, ,New Blood, ,Patrizia Imossi, ,Plateful, ,Potion Master, ,Rebecca Corney, ,review, ,Snarfle, ,The Art of Dining, ,the rag factory