While trawling the web for a client in search of Arts & Crafts resources I came across
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/london/trails/TRA46697.html?ixsid=mPpBLLUG5R5
MP3s also available for those preferring to set upon their trail with earphones rather than clutching a printout.
Friday, May 25, 2007
PETER JONES' BUYERS
"Never knowingly undersold". PJ has been reassuring us with their price matching and their excellent warranties for decades. SW London inhabitants invariably elect to pay that little bit extra for the sake of that warranty. The extra money PJ makes from all those yummy mummies must go towards recruiting A1 buyers. It's only logic, as that in turn will keep PJ from loosing a fortune honouring those guarantees. Hence... the overall highly respectable quality of stock. When making a decision on a kitchen appliance or on hi-fi I must confess to often double-checking my conclusion against the PJ buyers'. Chances are they bypassed products with known technical or delivery issues. Chances also are that they have a lot more inside info than I do!
This time however it's worked the other way round. I spotted this lot years and years ago. I have admired Turnstyle Designs since they first appeared on the market http://www.turnstyledesigns.co.uk/ All I will say is that I have been able to use their door handles, drawer and light pulls and much more in every style of home. Quality is always extremely versatile. PJ buyer obviously thought so too....
This time however it's worked the other way round. I spotted this lot years and years ago. I have admired Turnstyle Designs since they first appeared on the market http://www.turnstyledesigns.co.uk/ All I will say is that I have been able to use their door handles, drawer and light pulls and much more in every style of home. Quality is always extremely versatile. PJ buyer obviously thought so too....
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
DECKING - MORE GARDENING!
Two people asked me about top end of the market garden decking this week. I don't actually do gardens but I asked a man who does. Adam at http://www.bls1.co.uk/ gave me the bottom line.
1. Hardwood v. softwood: hardwood seems to be an allround winner, with the only possible exception of Cedar (which Adam says looks better in rustic/country environments).
2. Grooved v. flat: although the arguement originally was that grooves allow better drainage of rain water, Adam's take is that the grooves reduce the amount of foot grip and may therefore be more slippery; grooves also tend to collect dirt making it harder to clean the deck.
3. Types of hardwood: it's no conincidence that teak is mostly used on boats. Iroko and Greenheart were also mentioned. Clearly, the higher the content of oil the more durable the wood when exposed to the elements.
4. Reccomendations: great preparation prior to laying the deck will ensure lack of movement and absence of weed re-growth.
N.B. This is all fairly expensive stuff. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the trated softwoods and, somewhere in the middle, Ipe, Massaranduba, etc.
1. Hardwood v. softwood: hardwood seems to be an allround winner, with the only possible exception of Cedar (which Adam says looks better in rustic/country environments).
2. Grooved v. flat: although the arguement originally was that grooves allow better drainage of rain water, Adam's take is that the grooves reduce the amount of foot grip and may therefore be more slippery; grooves also tend to collect dirt making it harder to clean the deck.
3. Types of hardwood: it's no conincidence that teak is mostly used on boats. Iroko and Greenheart were also mentioned. Clearly, the higher the content of oil the more durable the wood when exposed to the elements.
4. Reccomendations: great preparation prior to laying the deck will ensure lack of movement and absence of weed re-growth.
N.B. This is all fairly expensive stuff. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the trated softwoods and, somewhere in the middle, Ipe, Massaranduba, etc.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
CHELSEA FLOWER . . . RICKSHAW 2007
True Chelsea residents are divided in two categories when it comes to the Chelsea Flower Show: those who put up with the week of confusion because they are garden enthusiasts (and will attend) and those who passively support the Spring fixture (but won't attend). Scenes of evening mass exodus await us: something vaguely resembling anarchy creeps onto SW3 pavements. This year the scramble has an eco-twist: the rickshaw. Wonderfully British vignettes were enjoyed by all on Royal Hospital Road around 8pm this evening (pictures record beautifully English fashions statements). 
"What about the gardens?" you may ask... They have been accurately and repeatedly documented by terrestrial TV, Freeview, Sky, radio, websites, podcasts and all kinds of publications. But.... maybe you live outside the little tringle squeezed between the Thames, Chelsea and Pimlico!? I guess you might, so here is the BBC link to most of the above: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/flower_shows/chelsea_2007/videopodcast_index.shtmlGARDEN DESIGN WEBSITE
Everybody takes up tennis during Wimbledon just as we all go shopping for plants when the Flower Show is on. Well...it's on! It might be an idea to let the professionals lead the way. Even if you are only looking for inspiration you'll enjoy a wander through this site
http://www.mylandscapes.co.uk/
http://www.mylandscapes.co.uk/
DOES MY BUM LOOK BIG IN THIS? What happens when a house asks you?
You've had your first meeting with the client. The house is nice, you could do something really special with it. The budget is there, at least potentially - you're only guessing at this stage, and you would really like to do the work. Edwina (you though she was a man when she signed the initial email "Ed") is telling you how much she looks forward to working with you and then, just as you are leaving, she drops the bombshell. "Is there anything in the house you think we should get rid of? Please do tell me if you think any of my furniture would not fit in with our plan...".
You go into automatic pilot and say that you need to think it all over: you'll get back to her. As you are driving home you have your first out of body experience. Yes! The tightness in your stomach, the cold sweat, surely these belong in another body. Maybe to a rabbit caught by the headlights of a speeding Range Rover or to an inexperienced young man whose first girlfriend asks for the second* time "does my bum look big in this"?
You've asked that same question yourself many times. This feels like nemesis: serves you right! Now what do you do?
You know perfectly well that 90% of the contents of Edwina's home have got to go. You know perfectly well that if they don't she is better off not hiring you as there is nothing you could possibly do to make the house look smart. BUT IS TELLING HER
a) right for her (she really did want to know... that's why she asked) but wrong for you (the whole job is riding on this answer and you must stop being your own worst enemy)?
b) right for her (she gets an honest and unbiased opinion) and right for you (you've given yourself a fair chance, an opportunity to do a good job: if she backs off because of your integrity it simply was not meant to be)?
c) wrong for her (she only wants to know truths within budget, her question was relative not absolute!) and wrong for you (being a good designer is not only about being creative but also about being professional: that also means giving clients what they want and not necessarily what you know to be best)?
d) wrong for her (she does not need to be pushed into questioning the last 20 years worth of taste and furnishing decisions) and right for you (the time has come for you to decide whether you are a contracts manager or a designer: if you are the latter then good design is the one thng if you cannot do without).
Seriously... Have you ever asked the question and did you want the honest answer? I'm referring to the houses's bum... not yours. We both know you asked that question and I think we know what you did NOT want to by answered.
* The first time Inexperienced Guy answered the question truthfully. No churning feeling preceeded his reply, just a week of no sex. This time he knows: the DMBLBIT question leads to unavoidable churning, whether higher or lower, minutes long or days long.
You go into automatic pilot and say that you need to think it all over: you'll get back to her. As you are driving home you have your first out of body experience. Yes! The tightness in your stomach, the cold sweat, surely these belong in another body. Maybe to a rabbit caught by the headlights of a speeding Range Rover or to an inexperienced young man whose first girlfriend asks for the second* time "does my bum look big in this"?
You've asked that same question yourself many times. This feels like nemesis: serves you right! Now what do you do?
You know perfectly well that 90% of the contents of Edwina's home have got to go. You know perfectly well that if they don't she is better off not hiring you as there is nothing you could possibly do to make the house look smart. BUT IS TELLING HER
a) right for her (she really did want to know... that's why she asked) but wrong for you (the whole job is riding on this answer and you must stop being your own worst enemy)?
b) right for her (she gets an honest and unbiased opinion) and right for you (you've given yourself a fair chance, an opportunity to do a good job: if she backs off because of your integrity it simply was not meant to be)?
c) wrong for her (she only wants to know truths within budget, her question was relative not absolute!) and wrong for you (being a good designer is not only about being creative but also about being professional: that also means giving clients what they want and not necessarily what you know to be best)?
d) wrong for her (she does not need to be pushed into questioning the last 20 years worth of taste and furnishing decisions) and right for you (the time has come for you to decide whether you are a contracts manager or a designer: if you are the latter then good design is the one thng if you cannot do without).
Seriously... Have you ever asked the question and did you want the honest answer? I'm referring to the houses's bum... not yours. We both know you asked that question and I think we know what you did NOT want to by answered.
* The first time Inexperienced Guy answered the question truthfully. No churning feeling preceeded his reply, just a week of no sex. This time he knows: the DMBLBIT question leads to unavoidable churning, whether higher or lower, minutes long or days long.
Monday, May 21, 2007
KICKSTARTING A BLOG
Blogs blogs blogs. Funny ones, useless ones, celebrity ones. Every shape and size of blog is now online. Since turning the first virtual page of this blog a couple of years ago I have been wondering whether the world really needs another bLOG. The answer, clearly, is NO! But then again... the world doesn't need another Prada collection or another series of Lost and yet... we want more. Far from lining myself up with such pilasters of modern life, I do however think that some of my long suffering clients and a few of my friends might enjoy dipping in (and probably swiftly out) of the evening musings of a London interior designer.
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