Window Shopping - London

With Christmas fast approaching, London city is being transformed into a shopping wonderland with amazing window concepts popping up in all areas of town.

Here is just a taste of what's in store this festive season...

Everything is so 'larger than life'. And I'm not just talking about the oversized objects but the way in which the entire window is executed. Every time I walk past one of these displays I discover something new...

This last image is definately a favourite. I can't believe that an entire piano was completely reconstructed out of old cassettes! I can only imagine how long that would have taken to put together...and all for only a couple of weeks on show. wow!

Environment vs Economy

This months edition of Wallpaper Magazine is making us all rethink "The New Sustainability". Inside, there is a completely to-the-point, non cryptic article that reiterates the effectiveness of the cradle to cradle approach of reusing old objects and materials to create new products.

The writer here, John-Paul Flintoff, delves into the past and looks at how we have evolved from a world where 'frenzied consumption' was encouraged to create a productive economy - seeking satisfaction both mentally and physically when embarking on a ritual to spend.

For manufacturers, planned obsolescence was the key. First they would design their products to eventually fall apart and then they moved to altering the aesthetics in order to entice customers in buying the gadgets with all the latest features. But now that we are all so consumed about the well-being of the planet, where does this leave the economy?

Today, all of our emphasis seems to fall on conservation. As designers, and even consumers, we are all far more conscious of the impact our choices make. If we stop buying though, we will be pushing ourselves further into debt. But if we continue to manufacture with the intention of creating products with a short life span where does that leave the environment?

Just a little something to ponder as you head to the shops this weekend...

London's Design Mecca

As a designer in Australia, I always found it a challenge to source the latest European products for my clients. Our stores and international reps are somewhat limited and mentioning a 16 week lead time to a customer never really went down well!

After stumbling across Chelsea Harbour Design Centre the other day, I have realised that this is what all designers back home have been craving - a one-stop-shop that houses only the best in Interior Design and Decoration.

When you visit Chelsea Harbour, you will be able to flick through fabrics at Fox Linton, Chase Erwin, Lelievre and Pierre Frey and enjoy the furniture eye candy that awaits you in Interior Supply, Anna Casa and Clive Christian just to name a few.

Shopping with my client was definately a lot more stress free knowing that everything we needed was right at our fingertips.