London Lisbonite

Bathtubs in the garden

2011-07-10T13:42:00.003+01:00

When I think of a bathtub in the garden, it's usually in a "oh, that's a good idea for mint, the roots wouldn't spread" sort of way. But having spent a sizable portion of the morning being chased from my own garden by the rain, it occured to me that sitting in a roll-top tub in a scented garden and getting rained on would actually be rather a pleasant experience. Until I convince Mr Lisbonite that removing the bathroom roof and planting extensively around the tub is a good thing, I suspect that this is a dream that will remain forever on this blog. Still, one can hope!

Pics via La Paix Herb Farm, Good Long While, Coastal living and Bali Villas Rent.

I'm seeing stripes

2011-07-09T14:40:00.004+01:00

Painting the ceiling is often the most boring part of redecoration. Although the use of light colours can obviously open a room, I'm becoming increasingly intrigued by the idea of stripy ceilings. What do you think? They certainly draw the eye upwards and the grey version in particular looks very peaceful but makes the room look completely finished.

Pics via KC Interiors, Simple Creative Inspiration, Project Nursery and Decor Pad.

Custom pet furniture

2011-07-07T13:35:00.004+01:00

Regular readers will know that London Lisbonite towers is soon to be blessed with the patter of tiny paws. That's right, our two ragdoll kittens will be born at the end of August and will move in with us in November. We simply can't wait! However, finding minimalist cat furniture that is a) not covered in day-glo orange carpet and b) not made of the kind of plastic that will dominate whatever room it's placed in is turning out to be harder than I thought. I've become an avid reader of the brilliant moderncat blog and have happily found a few design friendly pieces from the Refined Feline. Moderncat also featured Argentinian design firm Cedel recently. I'm quite sure that Mr Lisbonite's usually indulgent smiles would disappear and the eyebrow would be raised if I suggested having beds (complete with bedside tables) made for our cats. This really is extreme interior design!

Soft monochrome from Jorge Cassio

2011-07-04T19:38:00.004+01:00

It was the company name that first snagged my interest. "Casa comigo" has two different meanings in Portuguese. The first, literal translation is "house with me". The second, more plausible, is a version of "marry me". Both are cosy and upon visiting Jorge Cassio's luxe website (he's also based in Porto), I fell in love with the warm and soft monochrome look of this apartment that he designed. This isn't sharp modernist minimalism but a cozy and sophisticated city look that I adore. Black and white walls with a soft hue. Now where's that paintbrush?

Dig for victory!

2011-07-03T12:32:00.003+01:00

No design posts today but just a quick hurrah that my garden has yielded it's first crop! Proof positive, if any were needed, that it's possible to grow your own summer produce in a tiny city garden if you use a multitude of pots. Most of the food will be ready about a month from now but Mr. Lisbonite and I couldn't resist sampling the first pieces that were ready. Gardening is good for the wallet, the waistline and the soul! PS: The carrots really are meant to be that small, they're spherical carrots designed for salads.

Black walls - not just for angry teenagers

2011-07-01T15:39:00.004+01:00

Wallpaper magazine called the Portuguese architecture and interior design firm Oito Em Ponto the "princes of Porto" and they weren't far wrong. I've been flicking through their back catalogues and came across this 2004 private residence in their portfolio. I love the use of visual tricks (like the bust at the end of a black corridor in front of a mirror) and they way that they perfectly pulled together rooms are blackened, creating an art gallery sort of ambiance that lets the art itself take centre stage. I particularly like the white piece in the hallway where the eye is drawn only to imperfection against a muted backdrop. I'm sure that it's the "house's own" but it's perfectly placed. A perfect city pad for a city gentleman.

Vertical gardening in a small city garden

2011-06-30T14:10:00.005+01:00

The only thing, in my mind, that can compare to a lovely picnic on a hot summer's day, is to be outside gardening. Having long ago decided that one of my life's aims is to grow my own fruit and vegetables, I took the matter in hand this year and tried to create a vertical allotment in my tiny city garden patio. Outdoor space is at a premium in London and I'm lucky to have a garden at all. This year I'm trying to grow: lettuce, beans, spinach, peas, peppers, yellow courgettes, green courgettes, three types of tomato and pumpkins. I'm also growing strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, redcurrants, gooseberries and blueberries. I wanted to show that it's possible to eat well in the summer from your own garden, however small it might be. I bought a set of outdoor shelving and used it to maximise my space by stacking the pots vertically. Watch this space for progress - so far only the courgettes, beans, strawberries and blueberries are really growing fast but I'm hoping that'll change! Everyone should grow vegetables, it's good for the soul!

Cloth candlesticks

2011-06-27T10:21:00.002+01:00

I'm just potty (ahem) about these beautiful new ceramic candlesticks from Portuguese designers Goncalo Campos and Maria Bruno Néo. They have come up with a collection of candle holders in porcelain, made in a very unusual way, called Pano (the Portuguese word for cloth). They've cleverly dipped fabric in ceramic. They use cotton fabric as the temporary structure to hold the porcelain and at the end of the process the fabric is burnt away remaining only the delicate porcelain. By using the fabric rather than a mould, they make totally unique pieces. I want, I want, I want!

Another habitat vanishes..

2011-06-24T15:15:00.004+01:00

...but this time it's nothing to do with wildlife. Habitat has just confirmed that the chain has been sold and all stores nationwide except the three London stores will be closing. Habitat has struggled financially for years now: although the concept of fresh and unusual design was completely unique to the British high street upon launch in the 80s, mass copies have undercut them in price (although not quality). I'll be sorry to see it disappear but I have to admit to a feeling of vulture-like excitement that's making me feel disgusted with myself. Voila, my shopping list for the "closing down sale"...
Marcel Li coat rack (£150)
Terracotta chicken brick (£30)
Tivoli tagine (£22)
Two of these "Tiffany" breakfast in bed trays (£22)

Perle light fitting (£30)
Emmanuelle pendant light (£50)

Adventures in glass

2011-06-23T07:27:00.002+01:00

Check out this rather unusual cake stand by Portuguese designer Catarina Carreiras, doesn't it look fluid? I also love the "optical wand" catching china dragonflies in a glass bubble. They both look extremely fragile - not the kind of thing you'd want to leave lying around on a table top - but for all that they're extremely original.

Styling in the garden

2011-06-22T19:34:00.007+01:00

So it turns out that this styling lark is a lot harder than it looks. Not only do you need the right light and the right background (small city gardens with a vertical allotment being annexed by the snails are less perfect than I originally thought). So here is my first attempt at being a homewares stylist, what do you think? Any hints and tips gratefully received! This is all in aid of a very exciting Portuguese project that I can't wait to tell you about, watch this space!

The (chalk) writing on the wall

2011-06-21T07:24:00.001+01:00

We've got a problem. It's a large, ugly, boiler-shaped problem. I'm going to box it in and paint the front with blackboard paint so that we've got somewhere to put the shopping list. I'm deliberating whether to try for something a little more impressive like some of these rooms, what do you think?

Photos via Daring Ideas, Sense and simplicity and Hey, Lady Grey

A frame within a frame - or how to paint a rented apartment

2011-06-20T21:01:00.000+01:00

I really like the way that white walls are brightened up by double framing prints and painting the backgrounds different colours. It'd work brilliantly with modern monochrome prints and if you used the backboard of the largest frame to mount the smaller ones upon, it'd be a brilliant way to add colour to white walls in a rented flat. This example is taken from the Portuguese rental company The Lisbonaire.

Steel mousse

2011-06-17T08:05:00.000+01:00

Stainless steel furniture can be so cold and clinical but there's something warm about this beautifully bubbly table and sideboard made by Portuguese artisans Riluc. It's the perfect roundness of the circles on the top that just beg you to draw your fingers over them.

Bye, bye birdie

2011-06-16T18:59:00.004+01:00

Everyone has a favourite place in their house. Mine is certainly my garden but on days like today, when it's pouring with rain (unseasonable in June everywhere but in the UK), it's got to be this part of my bedroom. The picture is one that I took of a dancing otter in Cornwall and the candlesticks were a gift from my sister. I'm going to have to remove the bird sticker before I leave this apartment so I wanted to share my favourite nook with you before I do so.

# Another contemporary chair

2011-05-12T00:21:00.000+01:00

How many chairs can there be in the world? Barely a day goes by without another international name revealing the next big contemporary chair. How many different places to place our bottoms do we really need? Portuguese designer Joao Valente came up with a slightly different tack with his # Another Contemporary Chair by covering it with mirror, forcing the user to analyse their relationship with the chair itself rather than just collapsing down on top of it.

Tralhão Furniture: A hit in Milan

2011-05-11T10:47:00.004+01:00

Usually when I think of MDF, I am plunged headlong into ghastly recollections of home improvement shows in the late 90's where they'd cover everything in the stuff and spray stars onto it and so I quickly change mental channels. However, Portuguese design group Tralhão Furniture have completely changed my mind about it. They scored high with critics in Milan this year with their MDF cabinets. Using everything from silver leaf to glass feet, you would never guess that a material commonly associated with flatpack furniture provides the frame for these creations. IKEA eat your heart out!

It's owl in the details

2011-05-08T17:28:00.002+01:00

Presents are always hard to choose, even when you know the recipient well. I usually go for something the person probably wouldn't splurge on themselves which is also, hopefully, something rather unique. My little sister hit the ball right out of the park when she gave me my birthday present this year. She'd been given an old Singer sewing machine (when I say old, I mean old; you have to wind a wheel to make it sew) and since then she's been happily absorbed in sewing everything she gets her hands on into beautiful quilts and cushions. This handmade quilt is easily one of the best presents I've ever received, not just because it's covered in owls (my somewhat obsessive love for all things owl is well documented) but because it was handmade and she must have spent weeks on it. Handmade presents are the way forward - any suggestions for what to name the owls?

Thought on blogging rights

2011-05-08T16:43:00.003+01:00

Like hygge nook, where I found out about this, I don't usually right about blogging issues. However, the problems that shoeperwoman is experiencing (namely, that some ghastly woman has copied her branding and is trying to steal and trademark the shoeperwoman name for a new shop) really upset me. Plagiarism is such an ugly practice in the blogging world and for that reason, I wanted to post this link to show my support for the ORIGINAL shoeperwoman. Accept no substitutes!

The spirit of the Portuguese, distilled into a hat...

2011-05-05T20:05:00.005+01:00

Friends, I've neglected you again, for which I am truly sorry. But I've been up to my eyeballs in a very exciting project that's soon to be announced. Next week in fact. Watch this space! In the meantime I wanted to share the newest project to come out of the studio of the very talented Portuguese designer Catia Sul. She created these nifty hats as part of a design project with fellow Portuguese designer Suzana Rezende (watch this space for more!). The project is called "Cada cabeça sua sentença" (Each head has a destiny...) which can be found on sale at Aguas Furtadas in Porto. I'm fascinated by these hats. It's like she took the very essence of the Portuguese people and made it into headgear! I can't tell you how much I want the birdie hat... By the way, as part of this project, please be aware that the London Lisbonite blog is moving to a new home so please bookmark http://www.londonlisboniteblog.com/!

And the winner is...

2011-04-28T11:23:00.002+01:00

The results are in and the winner of the hand-made sign from RAMSIGN is (drum roll please!) Mellysocks! Mellysocks we'll be in touch to get your sign started ASAP. Thank you everyone that too part!

London gets ready for the royal wedding

2011-04-21T12:48:00.003+01:00

The Royal Wedding is generally perceived as A Good Thing by the British, even those that aren't monarchists. Whilst the cynic in me suspects that this is because they get an extra national holiday this year rather than actually caring, nobody can say that they haven't noticed the thing is happening at all. London has gone mad, with the faces of Prince William and Kate Middleton sprayed all over the place. My father was asking me to buy him some wedding-themed tack for a report he's doing and so I plunged headlong into the terrifying world of Royal Wedding memorabilia. Overshadowing the soaps, the towels, the mugs, the armchairs (I kid you not) and the custom-named beer however, is this installation at the Stephen Friedman Gallery. It's a life-size waxwork of Prince William by artist Jennifer Rubell called "Engagement". The model of the prince, complete with a replica of his fiancee's sapphire and diamond engagement ring attached to its forearm, will allow royal fans to pose as would-be Kate Middletons for photographs. Regardless of your opinion on the Royal Wedding itself, you have to admit that this is pretty hilarious!

Hotel review: Casa das Pipas at Quinta do Portal, Douro Valley, Portugal

2011-04-20T11:34:00.009+01:00

As Mr. Lisbonite is fond of saying, there's nothing that a recent holiday-maker likes more than to bang on about a hidden gem they've uncovered. We stayed at Casa das Pipas on the Quinta do Portal estate, a lovely little home that's been turned into a guest house with a lot of luxury features such as an amazing restaurant, an award-winning tasting installment and truly spectacular views over the whole of the Douro valley. The house has been lovingly redecorated using traditional Portuguese furniture in a modernised setting (consider the double-height sitting room with a modern fireplace or the re-worked dresser with antique pelicans on top). Every single feature, from the hand-upholstered satin dining chairs that are artfully mis-matched though to the simple but hand-carved four poster beds, is perfect. The wine cellars look like a scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as the lights flicker on and look out for the decorative corks that suspicious tourists have pulled from the walls believing wine to be stored behind them (bizarre).

There really is nothing like spending an evening looking up at the stars and out over the vineyard as you drink a bottle of wine made from the grapes in front of you and the Douro gets very few wine buff visitors compared to, say, the south of France or Italy. In short, go now before the world discovers this wonderful place. Turning family homes into luxury guesthouses is quite fashionable at the moment and provides an excellent way to tour Portugal and stay in touch with the "real" country rather than the bleached same-ness of a Mariott. Try Solares de Portugal for listings and expect to pay €120 or less for the best room in the house. Go now, the chilled Moscatel is waiting!

London Lisbonite giveaway competition: personalised RAMSIGN signs

2011-04-19T10:50:00.004+01:00

I'm back sports fans, with a lot of exciting news to share over the next month. However, given my shameful neglect of you during my holidays (I have now calmed down enough to be able to think sadly of my possessions rather than simply fuming and plotting all of the nasty things I'd like to do to the thieves). So, to celebrate LL's return to life, we've teamed up with the lovely people at the Danish company Ramsign to offer one lucky reader a personalised, old fashioned, hand stencilled sign! All you have to do to win is to leave me a comment below telling me what number you'd like on the sign and why, be it house number, lucky number, your date of birth etc. You can also get an extra entry for each of the following (so please mention which you've done in your comment):
1. Following London Lisbonite (use the google friends app on the right)
2. Following the London Lisbonite twitter account
3. Re-tweeting or re-posting about this competition on your own blog / feed

Good luck!
Competition terms and conditions:
1. This competition is available to readers worldwide
2. There are signs available from 1 digit and up to 5 digits and with five different styles.
3. The competition ends this Saturday the 23rd of April at midnight (GMT) and the winner will be randomly selected and notified by email.

Property put into perspective

2011-04-08T10:48:00.002+01:00

Forgive me friends, I've neglected you. As you know, I had q whole schedule of blog posts planned for you while I was on my road trip around Portugal. Unfortunately I've had to take a break. A couple of days ago, mr Lisbonite and I were merrily on our way when we stopped at the local cemetery to lay some flowers on my mothers grave. In the twenty minutes that took, someone broke into our car and stole everything we owned. Cases, passports, the lot. Robbing someone anywhere is bad enough but there must be a very special place in hell for people that rob mourners distracted by grief. Anyway, as you can imagine, the last couple of days have been pretty hectic. Although I'm naturally sad to lose my nicest clothes, what really upset me was losing the gifts I cant replace. My great grandmothers earrings, the cosmetics case mr Lisbonite gave me, the birthday gifts (that were so perfect) from my family. It has made me think though. We bloggers crave beautiful things and surroundings and that's all well and good (and I'll be back on form next week!) but I can't tell you how little I care about the rest of the possessions. Something like this just makes you realise how bad this could have been. My father and sister were robbed at gunpoint a couple if years ago: at least we weren't hurt. That said, if you ever come across a woman wearing a 40's owl pendant in Lisbon, rugby tackle her first and ask questions later. I'll be back next week dear friends, take care of yourselves until then.