blog

9th November 2011

Westfield's Best Kept Secret

The brand new All Star Lanes Bar is the best place to go to for
a break from shopping and there are no queues to worry about!
My favourite Jam Jar is the Honey Pot.

5th November 2011

More photos from the Index exhibition

Sheikh Hamdan and his entourage took a look at our stand at the InRetail Index exhibition in Dubai.

7th October 2011

Tracey Emin exhibition ...Next door

Today saw the launch of a site-specific exhibition by Tracey Emin entitled “The Vanishing Lake”
which features a series of self portraits by the controversial artist.

While Tracey Emin is not shall we say to everyone’s taste, she is one of the most prominent figures
in contemporary art today. Her work is particularly introverted, and therefore deeply personal.
We’re proud to have such a high profile artist exhibiting next door to us.

The temporary exhibition runs from the 7th of October until the 12th of November.

For more details, please visit the organiser’s website.

17th May 2011

Turner Contemporary Gallery

Our latest inspiration outing took us to the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate. The landmark building was designed by David Chipperfield Architects. The opening exhibition i brings together work by the visionary British painter JMW Turner and six contemporary artists. Great day out despite the Great British Weather!

4th August 2011

Mat Lab Games

So a few of us descended to the Mat Lab’s Summer Games last night and completely dominated the table tennis event. Team Lindie and Rachel completely demolished team Ed and Kenny. Yay for the girls! Ed won a few medals in other events though while Kenny excelled at rounders. Laurence won at basketball, but then again, the hoop was hand-height for the tall fella.

12th December 2011

santacon

On Saturday the 10th of December, Santacon descended on the streets of central London. Santacon is a gathering of people dressed as santas, coming together to celebrate the festive season. This was my first year at Santacon, and it was fantastic. I’m already looking forward to next year’s gathering!
Photo from Flickr

9th January 2012

secret cinema

Secret Cinema is an increasingly popular non-mainstream channel of entertainment. A cross between a theatre and a cinema, films are shown in dramatic locations with props, and people in character. Rachel from the London office went to a Secret Cinema showing in an old warehouse close to Smithfield’s. The film shown was “The third man” which is set in Vienna after WW2. The venue even had it’s own currency.

13th January 2012

Mint Velvet opens in Muswell Hill

Today was the grand opening of a brand new Mint Velvet store in Muswell Hill, which KKD designed. Ed Plumb from the London studio went over for the opening, and took some great photos of the event. There was a large crowd gathered outside, waiting for the store to open. It’s a medium sized shop with 100m² of floor space.

19th January 2012

Home / Top drawer exhibition

At the weekend, I went to the Home / Top drawer exhibition in Earls Court London. While it was predominantly a buying event, I was surprised to be given a pass to wear saying which company I was from. This was off-putting because at every stand, a salesperson would come and look at my pass before looking at my face. The sales-people were understandably pushy, but having said that, it was a good show with lots of interesting design on offer. We were not allowed to take photos inside the exhibition, hence the odd pictures below. There was a handy show directory to help navigate the hoards of exhibitors. I’m looking forward to this years Tent exhibition which has a more laid back atmosphere.

30th January 2012

a talk by cheryl durst

On the 25th of January, Verena and Claire from the Dubai studio went to a talk organised by INDEX and IIDA (International Interior Design Association). The talk was on the subject of “Things designers need to know”. Cheryl Durst is the Executive Vice President / CEO of IIDA.

Students and seasoned professionals alike should take note! These are wise words.

1. Get connected. Notjust to gadgets, devices and the elements of technology, but to people, places, things and ideas. Form attachments. Engage, Life is rapidly losing “permanence” and we live in a world of obsolescence. All the more reason to seek permanence in something important to you. It will enhance your life and your career. And becoming a more dimensional person is never a bad idea.

2. Be agile. Flexible. Stretch your mind (and your body). You need it and your clients need it. Not just physically, but emotionally and intellectually. Think about how many times you respond with “Yes, but” which limits your options, and try instead “Yes, and, . .” which expands them.

3, Be right. Right brained, that is. And if you are a designer, you already are. The right-brained will rule the earth. And the Earth will like it, too. The abilities that matter now and in the future include empathy, visionary-big picture thinking, artistry and creativity, the ability to intuit, absorb, predict and anticipate. You want to be this person and you want to hire them, too.

4. Place will always matter. No matter how mobile we are, no matter where work and life happen, no matter whether you cross 6 time zones in one day — “sense of place” is essential to human beings. And if that place is well-designed, has great air quality, is flooded with daylight and enhances your entire self— then so much the better. Bonus points if the lighting makes you look a few years younger

5. Knowledge is momentary. Wisdom is forever, Forget everything you know, and then relearn the new stuff — quickly. The pace of evolution of knowledge is now so quick that entire careers and industries are changing faster than ever before. Medical knowledge is now doubling every eight years; it is said that half of what a student learns in their freshman year in a science or technology program is out of date by the time they graduate. Sixty five percent of the kids in preschool today will work in jobs that don’t exist. The world is moving way too fast for us to know everything. But learn for others. Especially your clients. Your relevancy is your critical edge.

6. Community, culture, content, commerce. Create the first, celebrate the second, and deliver the third. The fourth will follow. If you don’t think any of those things relate to the work of design and designers, see number 2 above.

7. Never forget how to sketch, storyboard or wireframe. You don’t need color, tools or technology, first. Your clients will appreciate, admire and treasure the tangible raw original idea that seemingly came right from your brain to your hand and onto their cocktail napkin. Perhaps a toss-away to you—it is magic to them.

8. l see London, l see France. Manage your online image. Google yourself, see what others see about you. Because those others are current and future employers. Or your next client. Don’t post anything you don’t want your mother to see or status updates that bash co—workers, employers or that future client.

9. E-Commerce. Whether you design product, interiors, a website or a brand, remember what you are really creating is an experience. Human beings revel, delight and thrive in experiences that enlighten, enhance and expand who they are. They also heal, learn, think and play.

10. If you think, feel, lead, explore, discover, delight, agitate, create, innovate, respond, uplift, immerse, revitalize, and improve and uplift the lives of those around you, then never say “I’m just a designer”.

Find Cheryl Durst on Twitter @cheryldurst