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Bespoke lights for Anna Karenina
One of Collier Webb’s latest commissions was to supply hanging lights, wall lights and door handles for the new Anna Karenina film with Keira Knightley and Jude Law. Many of their products were featured prominently in a variety of scenes in the film, which is set in 1870s Imperial Russia (but was filmed at Shepperton Studios). In all they manufactured six pairs of large fretted door handles, fourteen of their Empire style Colza hanging lights, thirty bespoke wall lights, six sets of Empire espagnolettes and several bespoke casement handles, all to a very tight cost and time schedule.
Decorex ’12 highlights – part 3
Here’s our final round-up from Decorex 2012….
Giovanna Ticciati‘s elegant ‘Duomo Table’ in stained and polished ash was inspired by the gothic towers of the Milan Duomo. Above it is Cox London‘s Venetian glass mirror, made up of over 1,000 hand-pulled glass leaves.
Decorex ’12 highlights – part 2
Fromental flew in their head artist, Master Wang from China to Decorex and will be auctioning his Chinoiserie panels painted throughout the show. All proceeds go to Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres. There are four panels, measuring 3.6m x 2m in total (and worth about £3,000). Go to stand B68 to leave your bid in the silent auction.
Decorex ’12 highlights – part 1
Back from day two at Decorex and here’s our round-up of some of our favourite stands and products so far…
Lapicida‘s stone and marble gallery deservedly won the Decorex Best New Exhibitors Award and the World of Interiors Award For Excellence.
Decorex 12 – Little Greene’s 8000 brushes
Decorex International opened today. We’ll be posting round-ups of our favourite stands and new products, but to whet your appetite, here’s a wall on the stand of paint company Little Greene. Made up of 8000 brushes with their tips dipped into their colours, it’s a real labour of love…
New Sanderson HOME range
Sanderson HOME, a new and affordable diffusion line, has just been launched.
The first collection, Maycott, is a range of prints and wallpapers with a fresh floral theme, bringing the essence of the English garden into the home. The designs draw their inspiration from flowers, woodlands and hedgerows, a subject close to the heart of the Sanderson design team. The medium scale of these charming designs makes them suitable for all sorts of interiors – from large houses to small cottages. There’s also a range of simple ticking stripes and plains in co-ordinating colours.
CUSHIONS FROM TOP Lamorna 221952, Hamble 231838, Amy 221935 with Lusso DLUSLU305 backed in Brook 231852, Angel Ferns 221925, Dancing Tulips 221951, Lamorna 221953 with Amy 221934.
Rare 1950s shop sign
SkinFlint Design specialise in original reclaimed and salvaged lighting from the 20th century. One of their latest finds was this original ‘Ilford Films’ point of sale signage from the Finley McKinlay’s Chemist in Glossop, Derbyshire. The chemist was established in 1912 and this signage dates from the 1950s.
The exterior of the shop in 2005 (photo by papalamour on Flickr). We’ve looked it up on Google Earth and it seems to have become Cohas Chemist – and they could still do with a window dresser!
The Ilford sign has already been sold, but go to SkinFlint Designs‘ website to see their stock of clean-lined (mainly 1900-1960) retro and industrial light fittings. They ship items on a next day timed delivery service to anywhere within the UK and internationally via a variety of tailored delivery options to over 250 countries worldwide. www.skinflintdesign.co.uk
Garden ‘bonfires’
With the weather cool and the timber wet, if you want to sit outside and keep warm this summer why not commission your very own ‘bonfire’ from artist Cathy Azria of B&D Design. Built to special commission, her fires can form the heart of an ‘outdoor room’. Running on mains or bottled gas, they can be designed into a chimney or built into fireproof/frostproof boxes or set on a slab.
This one is called ‘Planes’. Tapering steel plates are stacked and leant against each other to define geometric planes through a sculptural form. Added drama is created by the stack’s apparent (but not actual!) instability.
Bisca’s staircases
These dramatic staircases are some of Bisca’s latest one-off creations…
Their commissions are truly bespoke, designed and manufactured to each client’s specification and preferences. A sleek, stainless steel staircase works well in lofty spaces and buildings with a high-tech, contemporary style whereas a very grand home with an impressive entrance hall requires something more majestic. Aesthetic and structural implications need careful consideration and each staircase has to be planned individually. Designs must be beautiful as well as practical and safety is of paramount importance. And of course, all new staircases and balustrades must conform to building regulations.
Bisca’s brief here was to create an elegant and sweeping staircase flowing seamlessly from ground floor onto the first floor landing. Cantilevered dark walnut treads are complemented by a simple white painted plastered balustrade capped with a dark Havana hand-stitched handrail.
Shed of the year
You may not have noticed, but this is National Shed Week! We’re showing you our favourites from the dozens of entries for the Shed of the Year 2012 competition sponsored by Cuprinol.
The owner of ‘The Water Shed’, Geoff Hill, describes this as ‘a floating pavilion of all things sheddy’!
