Journal
Whilst in town for last week's Interiors UK at the NEC, we dropped in on Birmingham's "cultural quarter", the aptly named Custard Factory - the 5-acres of riverside factories it occupies were built some 100-years ago, by custard's inventor; Sir...
Journal
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art - LACMA to you and I - recently unveiled a mammoth exhibition celebrating Californian midcentury design - the first of its kind, with some 300+ objects representing all areas of design. Appropriately named -...
Journal
The 25th anniversary of renowned dance company Tere O'Connor Dance at New York's Danspace Project was celebrated at the end of last year by the choreographer's latest show; Cover Boy. The set - constructed by Aptum Architecture (Julie Larsen and...
Journal
Aimed at "stimulating dialogue" between rare, exclusive and cutting edge objects, Béatrice Saint-Laurent's Galerie BSL is an intriguing Parisian space where the former French Minister of Foreign Affairs speechwriter (amongst other distinguished...
Journal
Ah, 80s teen films. Time travelling Deloreans, basketball playing werewolves and the coolest bedrooms known to man. Boy those American kids sure had awesome bedrooms. And now, it seems - as we fast forward a few decades - Brazilians have them too....
Journal
We're a bit uncomfortable featuring churches. All that queer religious stuff going on inside - the thought of them alone usually results in an hour or two of death metal (Deicide or Mayhem will do nicely, thanks) just to cleanse our souls. But -...
Journal
One of my favourite London landmarks has to be Battersea Power Station. I have been lucky enough to get a look up-close and inside this incredible monument and to attend a lecture from the 20th Century Society about its history, so I thought I’d...
Journal
Woop. What better word to start the New Year with. A sheer expression of joy. And what more appropriate name for a design studio who came together over a shared love of collective nouns – that’s off the scale on my geekometer!...
Journal
Playful Portugese design collective, Dose, came up with a cunning plan to deal with the problem of restricted budget and space for a temporary bar at Porto's annual academic festival. Debuting their 'TUBE-IT system', the team - António Martins,...
Journal
The Westcountry is an inspirational place. Whether it’s the light, the air, or the water, there is definitely something in the South West corner of our fair isle that fires the creative spirit. And Young & Norgate, a small group of designers...
Journal
We must confess to having let this one slip through the net when it won a New Designers Designersblock Award for “Outstanding Creativity and Original Thought” back in July, so apologies if you've seen it before, but we couldn't let Patrick...
Journal
Thanks to financial news giant Bloomberg, and the creative vision of architect Akihisa Hirata, Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art (MOT) has a rather impressive new pavilion to stand beside its main entrance. The mysterious yet graceful white box,...
Stuff Crush
Weirdness is a notion long entwined with the concept of creativity. Mocked by the strait-laced confined to their boxes of conformism, celebrated by the bold and the brave who pursue the outré as a means of pushing beyond the banal. In Weird...
City Notes
In Montreal’s Little Italy, a new arrival is making waves with a fresh take on Italian dining. Pasta Pooks, which opened in March 2025, is a compact five-seat takeout counter serving pasta and natural wine in a space that marries Old World charm...
City Notes
A once-forgotten 19th-century residence in Savannah’s historic district has been brought spectacularly back to life, reincarnated as The Douglas; a refined 16-room boutique hotel at 14 East Oglethorpe Avenue, where design meets old-world...
Dispatches
In a country where club floors open with Buddhist chants and Ladyboys offer dawn alms in corsets and stilettos, Elizabeth Waterman has found a world of contradictions too vivid to ignore. Over the past three years, and across four extended trips,...
Dispatches
There's a paradox about self-care, which is that those who need it most are probably the least likely to practice it. If you're one of those people, you might even be put off by the term self-care. Maybe it sounds too self-indulgent to you. If...
Dispatches
Looking for a Japanese tutor in Chicago without breaking the bank? You’re not alone. Whether you’re aiming to order ramen with confidence, ace a language exam, or shape your skills for business or travel, one thing’s clear: good private...
Dispatches
If you’ve ever looked at your balcony and thought, “What a wasted space,” you’re not alone. Many of us live in homes where every square foot counts, yet balconies often remain underutilized. Whether it’s too small, too plain, or simply...
Dispatches
Recognising the world’s most inspiring work across design, innovation and creativity, the A’ Design Award & Competition stands as one of the most respected and far-reaching international design accolades. Each year, a diverse panel of academics,...