March 18, 2020

Be Prepared x

The news here in London is that the kids are still going to school, but things are very quiet; it’s like the calm before the storm. Time button down the hatches and prepare. I’m going to see what garden centres are still open, find seeds, little things that can grow into big things and be nurtured, things that will mark the passing of time in a positive way.

The other thing on my list is art supplies: For those already stuck indoors, Carla Sondheim does a series of brilliant art courses that work if you want to invigorate your creative juices, or you’ve never painted or drawn before. There are both pay for options and free, for adult and children alike.

Where I can, I’ll be getting all my supplies from independent shops, not Amazon: If we don’t use them, we’ll lose them.

Laters, Kate x

March 16, 2020

Going Viral x

Here in London, the sky is a birds egg blue, there are buds on the trees and the supermarket toilet roll aisles are empty. If it was a stomach bug, I’d have more understanding, but…toilet roll?? It means they’ll have to close the schools soon for fear of pupils stealing from cubicles and selling it on the streets..All jokes aside, this is the one time we need humour: Enjoy the following… I have.

Laters, not in lock down yet, Kate x

March 11, 2020

Klemens Torggler

This is a post has been recovered from the mists of time, because it’s one that I often think of and was courtesy of the lovely Lia in Brussels who first introduced me, via a comment on this Blog, to the incredible work of Austrian wizard, Klemens Torggler.

There are a rarified group of objects like the London Underground map that have totally fulfilled their design potential – to meddle any further would be to over-engineer or muddy. And so it could be thought with the humble door – opening or sliding are the only two options.

That is until now. Torggler’s design, based on rotating squares, makes it possible to move an object sideways without the use of tracks. Even if the object weighs 200 kg.

There’s also the Evolution door,a door based on triangles that moves at the touch of a finger tip like a piece of living origami.

What I would give for my own flock of steel birds – The perfect marriage of function and Art.

Laters, Kate x

March 9, 2020

White hair, don’t care.

There was this post, about Sarah Harris, the Vogue editor who went grey at 16, who learnt to embrace her natural colour despite being called mad. And then grey became a thing. Peroxide’s been a thing for decades, you only have to think of Marilyn Monroe. But more often than not, it’s been associated with a polished, professional look and a fear of dark roots: Those that want to go blonde, want to convince they really are blondes – maybe they really do have more fun. There’s also issues with length – the unspoken rule that women of a certain age shouldn’t have long hair, like they don’t deserve it, that their hair no longer qualifies. But now there seems to be a change, a relaxing of stance, a recognition of merging grey with white, blonde with white, grey with blonde. And as for length…you only need to see the last pictures of Sarah Harris with her almost waist length, now almost white hair to know power in motion.

(All pics Pinterest)

Walls can be as wide as an ocean or a thin, permeable membrane. They’re a word, an action, a sign, a look, an atmosphere, a perception. And it’s for us to challenge them.

Laters, Kate x

March 6, 2020

Stellar Stella x

I am obsessed by supermarkets. I watch them change, adapting to the demands of society. Their purpose is to fill a need and make a profit, but at what cost? Where does the truth lie? The cynic in me thinks they’re not changing because they have a conscience, but because it’s another tag line to peddle, another profit pocket to plunder, and so I watch with interest the bright, shiny, plastic packaging of their organic and vegan food, designed to appeal. Which means I sigh with pleasure when someone with real clout can dig deeper than green-washing headlines and cultivate, from their rich soil upwards, a brand embedded and held up by sustainable beliefs. But the shining joy of Stella McCartney is not just her glowing ethos, but her vision, because she points to a future away from obvious hippy, home spun stereotypes that says caring can be luxurious; she blurs boundaries, fuses opposites and visibly demonstrates that anything is possible, if we want it enough.

(All pics Pinterest and Vogue)

Bring it on.

Laters, Kate x

March 2, 2020

Style Icon: Zoe Kravitz x

Maybe it started with knowing which kitchen you loved in Big Little Lies; for me, it was always Bonnie’s warm welcoming one…and so it started, because although Zoe Kravitz was just playing a part, part of her natural soul was on show too: the piercings, the tatts, an effortless grace. And then there was her singing the Elvis Presley cover of ‘Don’t’ in the final episode of season 1. I still have it saved to a play list on Spotify…

Authentic, honest and holding a space in the world that is all her own.

Laters, Kate x

February 28, 2020

Tamsin Abbott

From the ridiculousness of my last post to the sublime: There are times when I see an artist, their work, their lifestyle and feel a pull, as if but for a sliding doors moment, I’m looking at a life I could’ve lived. This is the work of stained glass artist, Tamsin Abbott, inspired by the mystery of nature, folklore and fairytales.

Tamsin lives in rural East Herefordshire with her family and works from an idyllic studio in her garden.

(All pics Tamsin’s website and Pinterest)

Is it wrong to say I’m now saving my pennies. And stalking her?

Laters, Kate x

February 24, 2020

Lap of the Gods x

I was drawn to these photos of John Caudwell’s £250m London Mansion because they raised so many conflicting thoughts, like when is a home a home and when is it a hotel? When is a home a sanctuary and when is it an art installation? When does the line get crossed between just because you can, should you? And what about, just because it’s expensive, does it have value? The amount of money on view here is obscene: tens of hundreds of millions of pounds, we’re talking the best of everything. And yet…what went wrong?

(This was probably the room that blew my mind the most: All the space, all the choices…and it looks like a bad taste Las Vegas take out joint with no natural light, no ambiance, no thought about the vital need for people to get up, push their chairs back and move around. But hey, there’s a river running through it. With real fish)

Conference room or sitting room?

(All pics Pinterest)

Porn set or spa?

It makes you very grateful for what you have.

Laters, Kate x

February 14, 2020

Ice, ice baby!

We’re heading to the slopes. Can’t wait! Although this will be the year that the children will leave me trailing in their fast floating ice crystals. But such is the natural way of the world – I will still fight them down the slope with good grace!

But of course, one considers all the cool outfits it’s possible to buy.

But the truth is, on the slopes, anything goes. Because you’re not there as a fashion statement – we’re all effectively wearing portable eiderdowns – but to stay warm and have fun, fun, fun!

I’ve been pulling all our ski gear out of the cupboards in preparation: My Jacket and salopettes are a cast off from The Husband and are over thirty years old, we have ski socks and thermals of a similar vintage. The Husband’s set marks thirty years. The children are now in my discards at a youthful twenty years. We’re given the message that technology has moved on and we need to move with the times, that this is progress…. but lets be honest, apart from when we were living in Italy, despite their age, none of these clothes has yet seen a years wear. And we schlepped all this gear to Finland last year, skiing in minus eighteen, minus twenty…it can’t be that bad: It proves buy well, buy once.

So whilst the above pictures look great and dandy and represent my dreams. This is more the reality.

(All pics Pinterest)

As is this!

Laters, Kate x

February 10, 2020

Oscar night x

A few of my personal faves from the 2020 red carpet. In my dreams, the gorgeous Billy Porter is giving me deportment lessons and teaching me how to walk in heels. I managed to see Parasite, the winner of the best film award last week, and whilst I enjoyed it – there are some gasp aloud moments, I actually preferred the subtler but brilliant Chinese, ‘The Farewell’ which didn’t even get nominated. Life will always remain a conundrum.

(Love this dress, the shape, the pocket, the colour. I always like the ones that subvert just enough. But the shoes? Is it just me or do they look like something from the geriatric aisles of a pharmacy??)