Friday 26 October 2012

autumn: the first orlando and the fountain t-shirt

I'm very pleased to announce that the first Orlando and the Fountain T-shirt is available to buy. This design, entitled Autumn, is an ode to my most beloved season. Screen printed by hand in Somerset onto ecru organic cotton. Available in sizes S/M/L. £35. Available to buy here, or by contacting luke@lukeedwardhall.com.

the new bathroom: part four

I first posted about the redecoration of our bathroom back in July, and at that time we were already several months into the project. Three months later and well, we're finally there! The beautiful wallpaper is from Trustworth Studios - the design is called Apothecary's Garden, and is a reproduction of a pattern by C.F.A Voysey. There are just three things left on the shopping list: a showstopper of a mirror, a Persian rug, and ferns. Lots of ferns.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

the kitchen diaries ii

Nigel Slater is my favourite food writer. I could barely wait for his latest book, The Kitchen Diaries II, to be released, and when I finally got around to picking up a copy this week, I couldn't have been more pleased. His beautiful volumes are inviting and a delight to behold; his way of writing gentle, warm and poetic. The design of his latest book is just jaw-dropping. From the yellow gold of the bookmark and the marbled end pages to the richly coloured photographs and elegant type; Slater has most certainly done it again. I absolutely love this Guardian review by William Leith, which seems to sum up the book quite perfectly:

'Sometimes with Slater, you'll be reading about some amazing dish he's making, and you'll imagine the kitchen, and the people sitting in the garden, through the French windows, and you'll feel like you're almost tasting the food. And then you realise it's something simple, like bacon and avocado salad. Slater's trick here is to "scrape up the pan-stickings with a wooden spatula and tip it over the avocados". In other words, it's not rocket science. Slater loves cooking because it's about people. And that might be the best thing about this book. It tells you that good cooking is about enjoyment. "I cannot pretend I don't enjoy putting something I have made for someone on the table," says Slater. "To this day, it still sends tingles down my spine."'

Saturday 20 October 2012

the patrick melrose novels

For more than twenty years, acclaimed author Edward St. Aubyn has chronicled the life of Patrick Melrose, painting an extraordinary portrait of the beleaguered and self-loathing world of privilege. I bought the complete set of novels after an enthusiastic recommendation from a trusted friend, and have just started on the first of the five books, Never Mind. Charming, hilarious, yet impossibly cruel; I am already fixated. I'm also quite obsessed with the elegant design of the books - each slim volume is a delicate shade of coral, mint, duck egg blue...

Monday 15 October 2012

from sweden with love

I most certainly do not wear this Acne scarf often enough. A dire shame really, considering its beautiful antique map design. (A map of Sweden, naturally!)

feu de bois

Diptyque's Feu de Bois 'recalls the warm, familiar, sophisicated accord of rare woods throughout the long winter days'. My favourite scent for autumn.

Saturday 13 October 2012

marvellous kale

to have & to hold

A Study of a Candle’s Shadow I, a piece by the artists James Plumb, currently on show as part of the couple's new exhibition, entitled To Have & To Hold, at the House of St. Barnabas in Soho. A real must-see.

Monday 8 October 2012

wet, windy wales

I spent a few days in Wales last week. (You know, I've only ever been to Wales twice in my life.) The weather was grey and cloudy, and it was pitch black outside when I woke up both mornings, but it felt positively magical. In fact, I'm rather fond of the short days and long nights at this time of year. Dark navy skies at 6am, the rising sun, crisp, cold mornings...

Oh, and we had porridge with these freshly picked raspberries for breakfast.

double, double, toil and trouble

I am absolutely taken with this illustration, which is currently being exhibited at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter. (We paid a visit a couple of weeks ago - I spent most of the trip in hysterics due to an incredible level of overexcitement.) This drawing shows Dumbledore's lectern, complete with owl and candles. It was designed for my favourite HP film - The Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso CuarĂ³n.