things I’m loving today
3rd November 2015
I’m loving so much stuff today I just needed to share some of it with you……………my first is the
‘Hoxton Mini Press’ because they have two books I love at the moment and saw for the first time in a shop on Exmouth Market last week. My fascination with East London and beautiful craftsmanship has come together in one perfect book. Local people making immaculate things from ballet shoes to violins to globes to neon lights (the Dalai Lama has bought one of the neons, I’d love to know what it said!). Strangely, ‘D’ our lovely new showroom lady and all round ‘font of knowledge’, marked this book for me in the latest Elle Deco, obviously thinking I would like it and it would be a good seller in the Mill. Great minds think alike!!
Hoxton Mini Press was founded in 2013 by Martin Usborne and Ann Waldvogel and is an independent publisher making collectable art books about East London. They think that Hackney and its surroundings are the city’s most exciting and vibrant areas.
They also think that art books should be accessible. They work with the best photographers, illustrators and writers (both established and upcoming) to make books so beautiful and charming you’ll keep them for your grandchildren.
The second book is pictures of babies and their mums on the first day of their lives. I love the idea of this book, it’s so simple and its contents are so current for us all at deVOL, with the birth of two babies within a few days of each other last month. Jo our senior designer had a beautiful little girl called Martha, and Robin our managing director and his wife had a beautiful little girl Flora just a few days later.
My next love of the day is…………..
‘Mauviel M’ saucepans
I saw them for the first time on our Sebastian Cox photoshoot last week. Classic yet contemporary French saucepans that were so beautifully made and simple. Available from the best cookware stores and websites they will set you back a few hundred pounds but they look so strong and beautiful it’s worth the arghhhhhh. My favourite kitcheney place is David Mellor, a traditional designer based in the Roundhouse in Hathersage, Yorkshire. A place I have visited many times and certainly an inspiration and a reminder that really great design and quality is never out of fashion and anything you buy from here will always be a keeper.
Finally for today I’m loving…………..
‘Jam Jar Salads’
The first time I saw someone do this was Emily the manager of our London showroom, I was so impressed, she had created a pot noodle in a mason jar!! it not only looked healthy but it looked pretty and how often can you say that about the food you take to work? – Easy cook noodles, beansprouts, and shredded vegetables with soy and Chinese flavourings it looked so good and when she added hot water at lunchtime it even smelt great. I was looking on Instagram last night and noticed Jamie Oliver had posted an image of a Jam Jar Salad, it had over 20,000 likes!!! I was going to put up the link to his you tube video on how to make them but then I thought how much more fun it would be to just try. It’s so cool, you can literally do it with anything, just remember to keep the runny stuff at the bottom !!!
I told you there were loads of things I was loving today so I have to just add one more to list that I completely forgot I was loving all morning and hopefully for the whole winter
‘Ponchos’
Today I am rocking (well maybe just wearing!) a vintage DKNY poncho bought in New York about 15 years ago, I dragged it out of the cupboard to cheer me up and it did, it’s cosy, easy and apparently right on trend this season.
