100% Design, and Some Art

A full and busy week was spent in London, kicking off with a weekend in Balham (see previous post) and some time in the big smoke. We woke up on Sunday morning to gorgeous weather so we grabbed the opportunity to enjoy brunch outdoors at a local Balham café.

We made our way into the city to visit the grand Royal Academy of Art to see the exhibition, Impressionists By the Sea.



In its final weeks, the exhibition pays homage to the Impressionist painters and their fascination with the French coast. The curation of artworks had a broad appeal from dark and moody shipwrecks to the colourful and whimsical landscapes that the Impressionists are most well known for. An Impressionist exhibition cannot be an Impressionist exhibition without Claude Monet, and the Royal Academy did not disappoint as we found about a dozen priceless Monet’s hanging in the last room.

Seeing an art exhibition was not a bad way to start off my week in London as I was down working at the Design Council again and attending some of the London Design Festival Events. I got to spend a day out at 100% Design, a huge exhibit of design-related products, projects, talks and ideas.







In the evening we went to see the Deptford Design Market Challenge. An exhibition of second hand products that challenged a team of international designers to breathe new life into objects bought at the Deptford Markets. Some of the most impressive ideas included a jigsaw puzzle of a picture of jigsaw puzzle pieces (somewhat confusing).



Piecing together broken crockery with colourful glue to make unique patterns.



And chucking out the chintz of old-fashioned plates...



... and turning them into minimalist clocks with some paint. We loved the innovative ideas and the transformation of trash into treasures.



But all the action was happening down at the Super Design Market. Flanked by colourful ribbon and Swarovski crystal chandeliers, more than a dozen stores had for sale the innovative products of up and coming designers. Some of the quirky ideas included stickers that looked like scratches, to stick on your car or bike to make them less attractive to thieves (brilliant).



A week in London is never complete without catching up with old friends. We got to enjoy great Spanish fare at the popular and packed Brindisa with Mike. We had drinks at a quirky pub across the road afterwards. Here's a shot of the interior...



We got to satisfy more Thai food cravings at Mango Tree with Wendy and Will and enjoy the lively atmosphere of Giraffe at Southbank.



I got to catch up with an old friend, Arthur, who is traveling through the UK. It has been about 5 years since we have seen each other so we crammed a catch up over coffee in a satisfying 2 hours.



Rounding up the week, I was granted access to the brand new London Design Embassy on the top floor of the Southbank Centre.



The Embassy provides a stylish meeting place for designers to met local and international buyers- quite literally, where design meets business!

A Place Called Balham

In the south of London stands an amiable suburb called Balham. After a week together there, both of us are hooked on this little haven that Geoff now calls home.



Accessed easily by the Tube from Central London and the above-ground rail (National Rail) from West London, both of us could get to our respective offices in 35 minutes door-to-door. While one can view London as a massive urban jungle, we are both constantly surprised by how quickly we can get around the city. London is surprisingly compact and the Tube is so efficient, that the two-minute interval between trains really does shave heaps of time off travel.

Hopping off Balham station one lands in the middle of Balham High Street lined with trees, cafes, little bars, shops and the Hildreth Street Markets. During the week and over two weekends, we sampled numerous cafes, a pub, shops and the markets on a sunny Saturday morning.

Our first stop (and now our current favourite Balham stop) was The Nightingale café on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We scored a lovely table outside and tucked in a healthy serving of food, coffee and friendly service.



To walk off our meal we explored what Balham had to offer and this is what we found...

A pretty Church



Boutique stores



Book stores



The easily accessible Tube Station



The Hildreth Street Markets



An independent cinema



Some pubs



and many more cafes



We think Geoff will be pretty busy and happy here for the time being.

A Jam-packed Trip to London- Day 2

Wednesday in London was another sunny day so after breakfast we took a cruise down the Thames to Greenwich. We hopped on a boat, which pulled up at a wharf a short walk from our hotel. It was our lucky day as we got to glide under Tower Bridge as it opened for another vessel on our trip.



Forty minutes later we found ourselves at Greenwich Pier. While it had only been a month-and-a-half since I was last there with my cousins, it was a totally different experience going on a weekday, at the tail end of summer, where there were fewer crowds. It meant that we got to see so much more of the museum at the Royal Observatory.



And also grab some highly sought after shots in front of the Prime Meridian!



It was fascinating to be taken through the concepts of time, navigation (longitude and latitude) and astronomy. It makes one stop and think about the importance of these discoveries and the profound impact they had, and still have, on daily life.

After our educational tour, we popped into Greenwich village for afternoon tea. Greenwich is a fabulous place to visit. It has a village-y atmosphere, with lots of cafes and boutiques and the lively Greenwich Markets on the weekend. It has many attractions such as the huge and leafy, Greenwich Park where there is lots to explore including the Royal Observatory, Prime Meridian and neighbouring National Maritime Museum.



And the great thing about it all, is that it is basically free, so it’s definitely worth the spend (and time) on buying a ticket for a cruise down the Thames before you get there. Being on the water provides such a different view of London city too.

From Greenwich, we popped back into the city to visit the decadent Harrods at Knightsbridge.



We strolled though the concession stores of the luxury brands and found ourselves in the dazzling Food Hall to admire the produce, teas, chocolates and food bars. Geoff vowed to be back one day to indulge in a Harrods gelato sundae, which comes in the biggest glass sundae cup you have ever seen! As for me, I would love to visit Laudree the French luxury patisserie which is famous for inventing the macaroon as it is today. Though, I think that should be saved for a visit to Paris.

For dinner we decided to dine on the riverbanks of the Thames, enjoying the lively atmosphere and glittering lights as dusk settled upon the city. We revelled in the thought of London and England being home for the next few years.