Animal instinct and curiosities of human nature

Us humans have a strange affinity with animals – on the one hand we keep them as pets, but on the other, we eat them. Still, we like to think of animals as our friends - after all, they are our distant relatives – and this is increasingly evident in our treatment of all creatures great and small, especially in design art and home furnishings.






Along with our recreations of wild beasts in wood, clay and papier mache, come those in cotton and wool – yes, animal inspired clothing and accessories are appearing everywhere too.











An even more curious trend is our growing desire to share our homes with dead animals in the form of vintage taxidermy.











If you’re a little squeamish, you may prefer something a little less realistic, like this curiously collectable Japanese style, blue-glazed, retro ceramic monkey family from ShopCurious (below).








Alternatively, you may wish to feast your eyes on the fine collection of stuffed animals at the Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris, reviewed in my post today at The Dabbler.










Do you?

Carnival magic and fairground fun

With the carnival season upon us, and Mardi Gras coming up in a week or so, I thought I'd take a look at some of the curious carnival inspired creations appearing in fashion, art and design.

The FAS Contemporary Gallery will present the Trinidad Carnival inspired work of artists Che Lovelace and Zak Ove at the cutting edge Volta art show in New York from 3rd – 6th March.







Theatrical styling, influenced by street celebrations, circus clowns and magicians is very much in evidence in contemporary interior design. However, retro fairground memorabilia, puppets and old fashioned circus ephemera are also highly collectable as items of ‘modern’design art.












Surreal, carnivalesque costumes in bold, primary colours are also appearing on the catwalks, along with masks and other magical accessories.






Talking of which, we’ve a pristine pair of vintage hallmarked silver cufflinks at ShopCurious, featuring suits of cards…

I can't guarantee they'll bring you luck at the poker table, but they're great for adding a touch of magical fun to your attire.

Will you?

British bulldog days

London Fashion Week got off to a sparkling start today, with everyone really curious to see what the brand new venue looked like.






The size and grandeur of the Natural History Museum was always going to be hard to beat, but the awesome backdrop of the River Thames and the London Eye from Somerset House is simply breathtaking. The sun shone too, which made it even better.

Delicious canapés were served by pretty and polite waitresses - though some hip, happening folks (see left) took the less healthy lunch option.


The furnishings had a retro feel. Seeing this TV took me back in time to the days when I watched Andy Pandy in front of a flickering black and white screen. I can’t ever recall seeing a Bush television quite this large, though – could this be a newly assembled imitation version … oops, sorry, a quirky piece of design art?



This 1960s table, right, looks pretty authentic though, in fact my parents had one almost exactly the same.



The courtyard is a fabulous location for the LFW tents – whilst you’re waiting for the shows, you can also indulge in a spot of al fresco champagne quaffing – it’s simply de rigueur daaaahling! But best of all, in my opinion, is the view of the river - I was constantly drawn to it, despite the clothes .





Even though the hedonistic days of the bull market are long gone, there’s still the odd doff of a hat to the good old days (see above right). As well as the new generation of designers, I was pleased to see that there were some old faces too - including one of my all time favourites, Zandra Rhodes.





However, it tends to be eco-friendly fashion that attracts the most attention these days ... and the Chairman of the British Fashion Council, Harold Tillman, launched Estethica - the ethical exhibition - this afternoon, to a flurry of interest from the press.

Whilst I’ll miss the old LFW site, I’m really impressed with the new setting – it somehow seems a touch more homely and inviting than before. It’s slightly academic though, as I’m off to California for a few days tomorrow.





I might even meet up with Timmy Woods, the Beverly Hills based designer of this limited edition British bulldog bag that’s now available at ShopCurious. There are only ten of these original hand-painted bags in the whole world … and Michelle Obama has one of the other nine. I think the Swarovski crystal studded Union Jack is very appropriate, though I have a feeling that our Great British bulldog days may be numbered.

Do you?

The curious art of investing in modern design

The market for quirky modern furniture and home accessories has rapidly become a focus of attention for art aficionados and professional investors alike. Gareth Williams, the curator of the V&A’s Telling Tales exhibition says, “Suddenly almost every object conceived within a spirit of enquiry and experiment can be passed off as ‘design art’, even if it barely registers any fundamental test of design (functionality, for example, or appropriate use of resources) …within a few years, an entirely new ‘design art’ market has arisen as an adjunct to the mainstream market for contemporary art, fed by the rivers of corporate and personal wealth that course through art.”


I’d agree that, just because something is a little bit unusual and different from the norm, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s of any more value. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and prices in the art market can fluctuate dramatically, according to popular demand and personal taste. When an artist becomes a ‘celebrity’ things can get completely out of hand – as in the case of Damien Hirst, where, in my opinion, the media hype far outweighs the talent involved and the actual worth of the pieces being sold.




I’m curious to know if ‘design art’ is headed in the same direction as the financial markets. How can one possibly know what’s worth buying? How can these sorts of items be accurately valued? When is the right time to invest: now, later, or never at all? Based on my own experience and intution, I’ve devised some sensible suggestions for how to decide on whether or not to invest in a piece of arty designer furniture:





Firstly, there are practical considerations that you should take into account, for instance, can you actually use the item in question and roughly how much might the piece have cost to make in terms of materials and labour? Is the piece unique, or one of a limited edition? What is the quality of the craftsmanship? If you’re buying to sell, then do you have evidence of the highest (and lowest) price that someone else is likely to pay for this sort of work? Be realistic, what if there’s financial Armageddon – is your purchase really practical, strong, built to last …or could it be recycled to create something useful like a barbeque or some firewood?



Do also bear in mind that the purchase of creative design is best made as an investment in your own personal wellbeing (after all, you’re the one who’ll be sharing space with your purchase) – and, of course, it’s also an investment in the talent pool of the design art market (so a form of patronage). Other subjective considerations worth making before you buy are:







What is the value of the ‘design’ to you – do you actually like it and could you live with it in your home for the rest of your life? Does it fit in with the style of your home, the rest of your furniture, or other key pieces in your collection? What does the piece ‘mean’ to you – is there an emotional reason as to why you are drawn to this particular item, does it hold memories, suggest a story or have a special significance?



By the way, at ShopCurious, we’ve some beautifully hand crafted, eco-friendly furniture, made by young designer, Ali Chapkin - inspired by her travels in Mexico. To my eye, the natural materials, the bold, earthy colours and curved lines are aesthetically appealing – plus, these are all practical, usable items. What’s more, they're the sort of pieces that I feel would look good in many types of setting: from modern apartments and modernist homes to ski chalets, holiday villas and cutting edge bars.








As to whether or not these will prove to be a good investment, well that’s up to you to decide …so let the buyer beware.

Will you?

Sao Paulo - city of colour

If you love colourful places, you’re bound to be attracted to the bright lights of Brazil. I was totally wowed by the wonderful colours of Sao Paulo, when I stayed at the Hotel Unique earlier this year.









The hotel has been described as “an urban work of art”, “an architectural landmark” and a “reference in global hotel design”. The Unique was designed by Brazilian architect, Ruy Ohtake – and the unusual apartment style rooms were decorated by Joao Armentano.


Key features are the round porthole style windows (left), Brazilian wood floors in the rooms - and an incredible rooftop terrace, where you’ll find the most amazing crimson coloured swimming pool (right). The hotel is also very eco-friendly, with self-sufficient energy and a private supply of pure water.





The restaurant and bar are colourful by day, but at night, they come into their own as a showcase for the city’s beautifully illuminated skyline.




I asked Brazilian jewellery designer Marcelle Lawson-Smith to recommend some fashionable places to visit and soon discovered that colour abounds in other parts of Sao Paulo too. The popular Jardins area houses some stunning shops and restaurants, including Galeria Melissa – famed for its quirky plastic shoes, here displayed in futuristic plastic bubbles set against an African inspired backdrop – complete with life size models and photograhs of big game animals.

Brazilian style green foliage even extends indoors, with many restaurants housing a plethora of plant life. These include the romantic Figueira Rubaiyat, with its ancient, gigantic central fig tree and the modern Arthur Casas designed restaurant, Kaa, where tropical vegetation even grows on the walls.




If you’re big on design art then Sao Paulo’s also the city for floor to ceiling cocktail bars and amazing oversized handmade wooden furniture.





The old part of town is just as colour-infused – like the bustling municipal food market, with its exotic fruits and magnificent, huge stained glass windows.







Emerging areas, like the Italian suburb of Vila Madalena, (a bit like London's Notting Hill before it became world famous), have amazing character and curiously cool graffiti that would put even Banksy to shame.






This is the place to find great home furnishings, retro accessories and colourful clothing - like Farm’s Brazilian beach and casual wear (unfortunately no photos allowed). The outside of this hippy-chic boutique is also swathed in greenery, and there's a rather magical butterfly tree in the courtyard.






Food in Sao Paulo is as vibrantly vivid as the rest of the surroundings. The sushi at the Hotel Unique is highly recommended, as is the seafood at the Figueira restaurant. By the way, did you know that Sao Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan?





Finally, an enormous, brightly painted statue of St George and the Dragon takes pride of place at the Unique hotel entrance. I discovered that it’s probably not just beacause Saint George is the patron saint of Portugal – he also happens to be the patron saint of the Corinthians of Sao Paulo football team (in fact their ground is called St George’s Park).















So, if you’re into delicious food, stylish fashion, design art, football and fun, ShopCurious highly recommends a visit to this city of many colours.

Will you?