We also really enjoy Covent Garden (where the Design Council is based and minutes from Geoff’s Deloitte office on The Strand). We seem to spend copious amounts of time there outside of work hours. There's a great energy about the place, loads of great eating places and also excellent shopping (my favourites are Muji, Paul Smith, Jack Wills, Zara and Radley. Geoff loves the Stanford's Maps and Travel Bookshop).
On Saturday, I was on my own with exploring London as Geoff was doing overtime for a crunching deadline before we were off to Spain. I took up the opportunity to visit the Design Museum, a whitewashed building located on the banks of the Thames.
There were two exhibitions on:- a collection of work by architect Zaha Hadid and the colourful world of fashion designer Matthew Williamson.
Hadid has recently become a big name globally for her innovative and futuristic work in architecture. A strong angular style dominates her concepts and buildings of which she communicates through models, paintings, fine and complex paper models, furniture and objects. Her visionary thinking and futuristic elements are highly sought today, reminding us to look forward to what the world could be like.
I loved her interpretations of the city through paintings, especially this one of Hong Kong, which she did alongside a concept for an apartment complex on The Peak, inclusive of a night club overlooking the glittering city.
Matthew Williamson celebrated a decade in the fashion industry this year, renowned for his colourful fabrics and garments.
The exhibition traced a brief history of his rise to fashion fame and also displayed several pieces of his work, including some stunning dresses of fine fabrics and intricate and elaborate detail.
The rest of my afternoon I spent walking all over London. I popped by the Tate Modern to check out the book store and the installation in the Turbine Hall, Doris Salcedo's huge crack in the floor. I don't think anyone has figured out how the big crack got there and the artist is yet to disclose that information. The crack is definitely a spectacle, starting as a hairline and widening to a gap so big that Tate staff and signage need to warn parents to supervise their children.
On Sunday, Wendy took us out to brunch for my birthday, at the palatial Orangery, just behind Kensington Palace. It’s a wonderful space to experience- light, airy and surrounded by the trimmed gardens of the park.
Afterwards, Geoff was off to work and Wendy and I headed to Harrods for a browse, and tea and macaroons at the famous French tea salon Laduree.
On Monday night, I met up with London-based old school friends, Kristy and Andrea, whom I have not seen in many, many years! We feasted at the Moroccan restaurant, Souk Medina, and had a long catch up, reminiscing about our school days at Meriden and updating each other on life today.
