THE NEW CRAFTSMEN SHOP IN MAYFAIR, LONDON

Monday 27 July 2015

A few weeks ago I finally made to The New Craftsmen shop, a place I have been meaning to visit for a long time. What a beautiful and well curated space this is, dedicated to showcase high quality craft from British makers. They represent a network of makers, showing their work, skills and processes. I think it is very refreshing to see a place/gallery such as this, where people can appreciate and buy handmade sustainable products.

As a designer/maker myself I am tired of constantly being presented by high street brands with version/copies of our products being mass produced to target a much wider audience. I am not naive to think that everybody, (including myself) have the spare budget to purchase these gorgeous but rather expensive products; but I wish we all made a more conscious decision when purchasing things. The realisation that less is better, and that buying handmade products by independent designer/makers is more sustainable in a long term. I rather save and save to get a piece that I really love, and I know I will treasure for ever, than buying cheaper similar options.


The New Craftsmen shop is a gorgeous shop, well worth a visit. A very inspiring space, surely you will fall in love with many of the things on display. Here are some of my favorites pieces.
(Photos by thenewcraftsmen)

SEVEN SISTERS CLIFFS WALK AND A FITNESS CHALLENGE

Monday 13 July 2015

Las Saturday I joined a nice group of people and headed to the East Sussex coast. The plan was to walk from Seaford to Eastbourne along the Seven Sisters cliffs. The total walk is 14 miles, and I must admit that I struggled a bit, specially some of the paths, going down the hills is not my favorite thing to do…but we all managed the walk well and arrived to Eastbourne, where a nice fish and chips was awaiting for us.
We took the train from Clapham Junction to Seaford, and then started to walk towards the cliffs. We first stopped at Exceat for lunch (there is a pub you can sit outside). and later on stopped at the Birling Gap (national Trust). A very nice place for resting, enjoying the beach/sun, and some nice cream tea. Oh yeah that break/stop was much needed, by them my legs were quite sore…You can also take a bus from there to Eastbourne, as there are around another 6 miles to finish the walk.
This was a tough walk (lots of up and down hills), but I am glad I went along, as the landscape is impressive and I really enjoyed the nature, scenery and fresh air very much –things you need when living in a big city, such as London. The weather was perfect, (very windy, but you actually appreciate it on a very sunny day), and the company was great! 

Get outside and explore the world, discover new places and do things you really like and enjoy. Life is more than just paying the bills! Thanks Lynne for inviting me along, where do we go next?
Photos by me

Black and White children's room decor inspiration | NEW chocolate creative's products

Monday 6 July 2015

It has been a while since I last posted in here, back in April. I have been a bit slow in coming up with new designs and updating the website, marketing etc…but now that I have gained some more energy, I am hoping to get back on track and push my little business with the same passion and commitment that I used to have.

A few weeks ago, Piero (the photographer) and I got together to shoot some photos of the new products. I was hoping to work on a location space, but as it turned out, we did it at my house, meaning, reduced space, a good decent floor, (my house has an ugly laminated floor), and other lack of resources.
 
As a small independent designer I can only work/launch a small number of products per season. If I only told you how much work, resources and money are involved in doing so…you will understand. 

So the NEW products are all hand-made in Spain, by a small team of two brothers Gassy and Artemi. I design and work closely with Gassy on developing my ideas that later on they will produce and ship to London and all over the world. The result is a small production that is sustainable and quite unique. The NEW wall shelves, paper clip magnets and wall hooks are now available in my shop online. For the gorgeous knit knit grey duvet cover, please head over to Room 39 website, as well as for the small town cushion from Roddy & Ginger for prices and stock.



Wooden pencil holder £32 | Landscape lampshade £65 | Knit Knit duvet by Room 39 from £24 
Moon wall hook £16 | Small town cushion by Roddy & Ginger £35 
Cat paper clip magnet £18 | Wall shelves £22 | Wall hooks £15/£16

I styled a Black & White theme for this children’s room idea. You can create this eclectic look by mixing different patterns, and furniture pieces, like the ercol side table with the more vintage children’s chair. You can unify the style by reducing the colour palette to the same tones, in this case neutrals and the use of wood to add some warmth to an otherwise rather cold and minimalist look.

When it comes to my home, I follow my heart, I don’t do rules, only what feels right for me and my space, the above are only suggestions based on my personal taste. I believe that there is not right or wrong when it comes to decorating your own personal space!!
Photos by Piero Pierini | Styling Margarita Lorenzo | Props Roddy & Ginger