Monday 30 July 2012

to the lighthouse

I am spending a few days with my family on the North Devon coast. We are staying on the edge of an ancient harbour; the dark sea rages around us at nighttime.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

united kingdom

Thoroughly recommended: United Kingdom by James O Jenkins. This charming book documents Jenkins' recent tour of the UK, and is an ode to all things British, eccentric and folkloric. Absolutely glorious. Designed by my friends at Birch.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Sunday 22 July 2012

kenzo!

iPhone case from the brand new Opening Ceremony store in London's Covent Garden.

Thursday 19 July 2012

keats house

Keats House is a museum in a house once occupied by the English Romantic poet John Keats, in Hampstead, north London. According to Keats' friend Charles Brown, Ode to a Nightingale was written here under a plum tree in the garden.

the new bathroom: part two

We're putting up tongue and groove wood paneling in the bathroom, as well as wallpaper and tiles, but what colour to paint it?

Clockwise from left: Farrow & Ball Down Pipe, Card Room Green, Pigeon, Green Smoke

the new bathroom: part one

A few months ago we decided to completely rip out our old bathroom and redecorate. Many moons later, and we might just be getting there. Possibly. Well, we have a bath and a floor, at the very least.

Monday 16 July 2012

latitude festival

We arrived at a beautiful (but rather damp) Henham Park in Suffolk on Friday afternoon, ready to enjoy this year's Latitude Festival. I was there to present a few looks from my graduate menswear collection at the Storm Graduate Fashion show, hosted by Made in Chelsea's Jamie Laing and the blogger Big Ling. We spent the rest of the day exploring the delights of the festival - we watched Lana Del Rey perform quite spectacularly in the evening, and took part in a Pagan parade at midnight. Saturday was spent in the nearby seaside town of Southwold, where we decided to escape from the miserable weather and eat lobsters.

Monday 9 July 2012

hollow crown

The willow crowns I had produced for my graduate menswear collection Endymion were handmade specially for me in the Lake District.

Sunday 8 July 2012

a creature i don't know

I went to see Laura Marling perform at the Royal Albert Hall last night. She was mesmerising. A truly perfect evening.

Friday 6 July 2012

Thursday 5 July 2012

this afternoon

Haeni in sunhat.

Homemade lemonade with mint and raspberries.

A very retro lunch of prawns and avocado.

celotocaulis

Today I am making cushions. I am making cushions with beautiful fabric from the Swedish design house Svenskt Tenn. This pattern is called Celotocaulis, and was originally designed by Josef Frank in the 1920s for his company Haus und Garten in Vienna. Caulis is the Latin word for flower stalk and Celoto comes from an Asian flower species characterised by a plume-like flower cluster.

astier de villatte

Stunning ceramics from the French lifestyle powerhouse Astier de Villatte, produced in collaboration with the decoupage artist John Derian. Available from Liberty.

podding beans

I've been podding borlotti and broad beans for supper, and luckily, pink and green is one of my favourite colour combinations.

Tuesday 3 July 2012

endymion

Behind the scenes at the Luke Edward Hall AW 2012/13 Endymion lookbook shoot.

rochelle canteen

Rochelle Canteen resides in the converted bicycle sheds of an old school in Shoreditch. The small, bright dining room looks out onto the grassy playground and the trees of Arnold Circus beyond. This is where, today, we enjoyed a delicious Birthday lunch of roasted chicken, tomatoes, potatoes and aioli. This was only my second or third visit, after my first, some three years ago, but the Canteen remains one of my favourite lunch spots in London.

i am listening to...

Of Monsters and Men - an Icelandic Arcade Fire, if you will.

henley royal regatta

Myself, Duncan and Charlotte, pickled in Pimm's at Henley this past weekend.

cos

New t-shirt from Cos. I'm enjoying deep blues and dusky pinks right now.

the bride valley

We spent a glorious weekend in the heart of the Bride Valley, Dorset, at our friend Ben Pentreath's Old Parsonage back in May. His house resides in the most perfect spot, nestled deep in the valley, where the changing light is wondrous. Look at his marvelous black roses.

Folk Tales of Wales, picked up from an antique book shop in Bridport.

We spent Sunday afternoon at the nearby country house and estate of Kingston Lacy, now owned by the National Trust, but originally the seat of the Bankes family.

Monday 2 July 2012

niki and the dove

Ten minutes before Malin and Gustaf took to the stage at XOYO, London, 28th May 2012.

how i live now

I finished reading How I Live Now not so long ago, after several fierce recommendations from friends. I had to spend a little time hunting down the Penguin Celebrations edition, of course (I can't resist the cover designs and typography). Such a delightful, heartbreaking read. I'm terribly excited about Film4's adaptation, starring Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones, Hanna), for which principle photography has just begun in England and Wales.

prior's

I first read about Prior's butter in Jasper Conran's Country, and I then discovered it in person at Neal's Yard, Borough Market, a few Tuesdays ago. It's made the old-fashioned way by Barbara Lake in Cornwall, and is probably the most yellow thing I have ever seen.

highlands

We took a trip up to the Highlands in Scotland a few weekends ago. This was taken at four o'clock in the morning, when the mist was still clinging to the lochs and the light was bright and silvery.

This foal was just a few days old.

improvised brunch