Room 2 Think

I’m still recovering from the extensive Top Drawer coverage I was doing in the last couple of weeks so this will be just a mini update from me. I’m now back in Exeter and ready to start my second year of university. One of my favourite things about studying in Exeter is that there is a real sense of local pride and community in the city itself (and not in a gross nationalistic way). From farmers markets to craft fairs; Exeter locals are conscious that the community needs to come together to support and nurture local produce and talent. My favourite example of this is The Fore Street Flea market that takes place on 4 Sundays across the year, where local businesses line the street with their wares, artwork, vintage goods and food. This Sunday just gone marked my second visit and I was delighted to see how much it had grown since I stumbled upon it at the end of last term. Organisers claim that there were over 140 stalls on the day, which is incredible! I picked up a few bits and piec...

Last but certainly not least (albeit slightly late due to wifi problems), it’s time for me to bring my Top Drawer A/W 2017 appreciation series to a close with my highlights from my favourite section from this year’s exhibition - Craft. Showcasing the up-and-coming textile artists, ceramic artists, jewelers and mixed-media artists; Craft was a recent addition to the exhibition, and an essential one in my opinion. Here is a selection of my highlights: a) Abalon Star - Stand CR807 Combining two of my favourite things in the world (ceramics and candles), London-based Ana Bridgewater, along with her team, create handmade beautiful porcelain vessels to contain their hand-poured candles. b) Agata Nowak - Stand CR204 With many of the Craft exhibitors being ceramic artists (not like I’m complaining), it was refreshing to see some mixed-media art thrown into the mix. One of the most memorable collections I saw all day; Agata Nowak’s Historical Portraits collection is comprised of iconic portrait...

2 down, 2 to go! Now it’s time for me to share my favourite stands from the Spotted section of Top Drawer A/W 2017. Spotted showcases an eclectic mix of upcoming (normally UK-based) designer makers and companies, with wares extending from kitchenware, luxury soaps and textiles. I was delighted to see that the presence of ‘Spotted’ exhibitors had grown so much since the concept was first launched - they only used to have small podiums/blocks to display their goods, now they get full stands! It was hard to pick out just a few highlights from such a strong selection, so here are ten exhibitors that I really adored: a) Anatole Design - Stand SP202 Launched just last year, Lizzie Weir was showing her range of colourful and vibrant cushions, upholstery, tea towels, aprons and a variety of other bespoke objects at the exhibition. The goods are hand-printed and each is unique. b) Epping Smith - Stand SP205 Epping Smith was founded by two friends, artist Emma McClure and interior decorator Ca...

Time for part two of my four-part ‘series’, showcasing my highlights from Top Drawer A/W 2017! In case you missed it, here’s part one. The plan was to post these every other day and so far, so good! Let’s see how long I can keep this up for... Today, I will be listing my highlights from the ‘Home’ section, which showcased the finest up-and-coming homeware companies and designer makers, as well as new ranges from more established brands. I tend to favour emerging talent and smaller businesses so that’s very much the theme I’m going for here. a)  ANIMACONTEMPORANEA  - Stand H-17 ANIMACONTEMPORANEA, more so than any other exhibitor this year, proved to me that you don’t need to have a large stand to stand out. There's a real elegance to their products, which would look fantastic in any space. My favourite products they had on show were probably their 'LUNO' storage jars. b)  Birdie Fortescue  - Stand H-K24 Birdie Fortescue LTD was born out of a love and appreciation ...

Firstly, thanks for the overwhelming response to my post about the CLT housing campaign. It’s something I’m very proud of so seeing the response over the past week has made me very happy indeed! Yesterday marked one of the my favourite events of the year - Top Drawer (Autumn/Winter). For those who don’t know, Top Drawer is an exhibition held in Kensington Olympia that showcases the finest up-and-coming products and designs from a range of sectors, from homeware, to fashion, to art and everything in-between. I’ve been attending for over 7 years now, so it has now become an integral part of my September. With hundreds of fantastic exhibitors, I struggled to whittle my highlights down just to one post. I have therefore decided to divide my favourite exhibitors into the sectors they were showcased in and then post them throughout the week. I will start off with ‘Gift’, which is the broadest of the 6 sectors, covering a range of different products including homeware, accessories and cosmeti...

I’m sure I don’t need to turn this into yet another think piece about the housing crisis, especially if you’re a Londoner (like me). However, what you might need to hear is some good news about the housing crisis - that there are solutions floating around and people are being proactive in trying to address the issue at hand. But before we get onto the positive stuff, I’m gonna attempt to simplify this highly complex issue for the purpose of framing. SO, the main driving forces behind the worsening housing crisis in London are: the lack of homes/supply not keeping up with demand, the lack of quality social housing that hasn’t been flogged off by the Right To Buy scheme (thanks, Maggie!), long waiting lists for social housing and foreign investors buying up property in London and creating demand for luxury apartments that no one actually lives in. However, as I said, the issue is deeply complex and so there are other factors at play. I personally feel that London-centricity pl...