Danish design and BODW

Asia’s leading annual design event is back from the 3rd to 8th December, 2012. The Business of Design Week (BODW) conference will again stage exhibitions, seminars, forums and outreach programmes to explore the growing business of design, innovation and branding.

Organized by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) since 2002, the week long conference brings the best of the global design community to Hong Kong. This year’s forum will include a showcase of Danish design with numerous experts and executives from the Scandinavian country set to appear and speak. As special guests, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Frederik will attend the opening ceremony.

EC is definitely heading out there…As you know we are great fans of Danish design and  I am looking forward to listening to some of the speakers.

Here are the highlights for me but I have to confess- it will be hard balancing this and the store….

Thursday 6/12

Ron Arad and Richard Sapper from 10.45 to 12.10

StudioIlse 16.30 to 17.00

Friday 7/12

Architects Winy Maas from MDRV and Daniel Liebeskind from 11.30 to 13.05

Komplot from 16.30 and also John Hardy from 16.30 ( that’s a hard choice)…

Saturday 8/12

Thomas Heatherwick from 11.50 to 12.20

Hopefully, I will see you there.

Cool…the coveteur

Okay, this site is a bit voyeuristic and usually takes itself a bit too seriously.   It even manages to make my very extensive wardrobe look paltry…and that could be only a bad thing as we should only surround ourselves with stuff that we love and use.   However, the girls at the Coveteur surpassed themselves this week to cover the wardrobe of one of the most glamorous stars I know…Miss Piggy.   I have always wanted to know what she has in her closet and how she manages to  look as young today as she did when I was a child.

And she does have a great taste in men- who wouldn’t be a little bit in love with Kermit- he is just so nice & I do love green (though I have heard it’s not easy…).

You can read the full post here.

Joanne x

Cool… Designer, Suzie Stanford

Australian designer, Suzie Stanford, has been fascinated by the stuff that other people throw away as long as she can remember.   Last week, she visited Hong Kong as a guest of Lane Crawford for Fashion’s Night Out event.   While we stitched away on a tapestry design that Suzie drew for me, we had a great chat about her designs and design process.

Suzie is most known for her tapestry and tea towel chairs.   All the components of her designs are made up of found objects, rescued and revived and then made new and fresh.   Suzie does all the work herself by hand- from the stitching of the tapestries to the upholstery of the chairs.  She gets up early each morning to scour the markets and auction houses to pull together the components of her designs.   Luck seems to play a great part in her designs- if she wants a particular piece, eventually she will find it!

Her new collection of upholstery pieces. entitled ‘Hide and Seek’ is a combination of traditional tapestry imagery mixed with a more sedate fabrics- so that you can change the look and feel of the piece at will and according to your mood: serious times call for the grey to be exposed, or if you are feeling more playful- you can show off the wild combinations of hunting scenes and flowers.

I love the brass lamps which are completely constructed with found pieces.  Suzie was once a jeweler so welding and metal construction are second nature to her.  Even the lampshade is lined with gold foil, creating a glittering effect even when the lamp is switched off.

More photos coming up soon…and, of course, a pic of my finished tapestry piece!!!

Cool…St Georges, Hanover Square, London

One of the best things about a place like London is that you stumble upon the most unexpected gems on a simple walk from A to B.

St George’s, Hanover Square is one of those places.   I have heard this church mentioned so many times in novels- Sherlock Holmes, Pygmalion  as well as countless Regency romances were set in this place.  This was ‘the’ wedding chapel of the 18th to 20th century.  So much so it was humorously called the ‘Temple of the Hymen”.

I love the simplicity of the structure which has at its heart a lovely painting by William Kent in the  style of Poussin surrounding by carvings by a student of master carver, Grinling Gibbons.  All in all a lovely place to be married or even to pass a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of London.

St George’s Hanover Square

St Georges Street

Mayfair, London

Cool…Sherlock Holmes Museum

When you get off the tube at Baker Street, you can’t help but enter into the world of Sherlock Holmes. The tiles lining the station give you a good clue about what you will find in the museum. Deerstalker hats, pipes and magnifying glasses all about- quite different to the harder edged Sherlock we know and love from the more contemporary representations.

With the Victorian bobby guarding the front door, throw all your cynicism away because though corny, even I temporarily forgot that Holmes was a fictional character. The museum does seem like a snapshot in time, with all the displays having that very authentic moth eaten look.

The first two floor had displays of Sherlock’s, Dr Watson’s and Mrs Hudson’s rooms which were full of papers, books and artifacts that could have conceivably been owned by them. These were quite a bit of fun to look at-everything from his Baedaker of Switzerland to his medal presented by the French government was included.

The only let down were the unrealistic wax tableaus of famous scenes from his cases, but even this was kind of fun.

If you are a Holmes fan- this is well worth a visit. If you are not, it is a pretty authentic representation of a middle class Victorian boarding house.

Sherlock Holmes Museum
The Sherlock Holmes Museum
221b Baker St. London NW1 6XE

Open every day of the year (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am – 6pm

Cool…heirloom

Heirloom Eatery is one of the most hip places to have a casual brunch in HK and I have to say those fish tacos are to die for.   But almost better than the food is the interior design by local creative, Candace Campos.

We share a contractor who hastened to introduce us- saying our styles are so similar that we were sure to like one another !  I am happy to say this is true.   Like me, she likes to dabble in everything- creative direction, interiors, styling, jewellery (sound familiar?).

Heirloom is situated with a frontage on Hollywood Road, opposite an outdoor sitting area ( as they call a built up park in HK) and is part of the very cool Ilse Crawford designed TwoTwoSix building.

Heirloom’s interior fits very nicely with the exterior design- the brightness of the interior contrasts with the dark tile lining the exterior walls.   Pale woods have been chosen, mixed with carrara marble and white tiles.   The foliant balustrade emphasizes the freshness of the ingredients and leads you to the upper level where the wall colour echoes the greenery of the park opposite.

The effect is of a very sophisticated &  charming tropical environment- that is HK to me, down to a tee!

I will be interviewing Candace as soon as she will let me take a pic of her!  Watch this space…

Heirloom Eatery

226 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Cool…Peggy Bels Interiors

Those of you who live in HK will probably be familiar with designer, Peggy Bels’ interior  in the most stylish HK kids’ store, Petit Bazaar in Gough Street.   Using a palette of greys, punctuated with a bright fluoro pink, Bels’ design is hip and sophisticated but still retains its appeal to children.

Since arriving in HK 4 years ago from Paris, she has made her mark on its interior design scene, creating designs that  all have  common elements of a neutral grey palette mixed with strong brights, graphics and a very refined industrial aesthetic.   The use of metals in her interiors are particularly distinctive, characterised by metal framed windows and milled steel detailing, used for everything from cocktail tables to cabinetry.

Peggy describes herself as ‘contemporary’ with a vintage industrial aesthetic.   She loves the challenges of HK’s small spaces, creating comfortable interiors using a combination of light and dark.

She uses HK’s light to advantage. HK is reknowned for its grey, smoggy days- there is plenty of light, but the light is filtered to create an almost smoky atmosphere.   Peggy’s interiors soften this light: the semi matte surfaces reflect without glare and give the interior a warm glow.  Soft, natural textiles, timbers and metals such as copper and brass  are used to add  luxurious texture.

You can see more of Peggy’s work in Hong Kong on her website here.

MY HONG KONG- SUZY ANNETTA OF STUDIO ANNETTA

Suzy Annetta’s interiors are blend of luxury and sophistication.  Her use of high quality materials and attention to detail meld together to create some of the richest interiors around in Hong Kong.  Among some of her interiors that she has had her hand in include The French Window in IFC and Brat in Soho.   Suzy also writes an great interiors blog based in HK which you can check out here.

In addition to all of this, she is busy opening her new studio in Wong Chuk Hang and is about to launch a range of luxe bronze lighting later this year.   I will be sure to give you a sneak peak and am hoping that Suzy will consent to have a few pieces in the EC store.

Copenhagen here I come….

Some of you may have noticed that I stock a lot of Danish design,almost to the point that customers ask me my Danish collection.  No, I’m not Danish  and ( I am ashamed to admit) I have never ever been to Denmark. However, this huge gap in my travel experiences is soon to be rectified.

I am off to Denmark this time next week to visit suppliers and check out the design scene.  But before I head off, I want to explain why it is that I love all things Danish so much.   Check the slide show to find out!