SIOBHAN CASEY

I'm in the Press....woo hoo...

2011-03-09T21:40:00.000+00:00

I am just so super excited to be lucky enough to be featured in this months idFX as an "Up-and Coming Designer".

IdFX March 2011 - Rising Stars

Thanks so much Amelia.

Talisman has a new showroom...

2010-09-23T19:24:00.000+01:00

How exciting is this?! Talisman is one of my all time favourite treasure troves... Sadly I don't get to visit nearly as often as I want to, as the HQ is over on the new Kings Road, it's way down in Parson's Green and I just don't get to go that way very much.

But NOW....ooooo..... they have a brand spanking new store on Ebury street which is a 5 min bus ride from Victoria station...Yay yay yay.

They are known for having an eclectic mix of mid 20th century designs and 18th century continental furniture, statuary and accessories.

Pair of Nickel Plated Armchairs by Milo Baughman

Lucite Rocking Chair designed by Charles Hollis Jones

1970s Small Lucite Stool

French 1940s Steel Cabinet

1980s Waterfall Shaped Stone Console Table

Pair of 1950s George Nelson Designed Cabinets

My favourite piece is this jade chesterfield sofa. I can see it looking just fab in a minimalist white contemporary space.

Howard & Son Designed Chesterfield Sofa English ca. 1870

Discovering .... Isabel Le Roux

2010-09-20T00:09:00.000+01:00

Wow..... I'm blown away! I've just come to be aware of her as of yesterday. We were round at a very good friend's place last night for the most exquisite dinner. In their recently redecorated dining room, we were privy to experience the fabulous colours and ambiance that an Isabel Le Roux projects. This was purchased at the The Gaze Gallery which is collaborative gallery in conjunction with The Waffle House in Ramsgate, South Africa.

Her use of colour is just so vibrant and alive. I'm a sucker for abstract and impressionism and her work speaks so eloquently. I've already been on the hunt to see if any galleries supply her work here in the UK. If anyone is the know about this - I would be very grateful indeed if you could drop me a line.

The Colour of Autumn

The 6th sense of love 60 x 80cm Oil on Canvas

Waterfront Reflections

Rue Moufetard

The Sixth Sense of Love

The Colour the Time

Love love love this one......can you just feel the romance?

Music in the Garden

Stainless Steel Chandeliers......surprisingly sleek!

2010-09-17T11:40:00.001+01:00

Yes, another exert from my adventures at Maison et Objet..... Thierry Vide creates some really funky sculptures but I was really taken with the lighting. Just a hint of retro intermixed with industrial edges....LOVE it!

Bespoke design printed light switches.....

2010-09-16T12:09:00.000+01:00

Alypower is offering something different.....switching products for various enviroments.

The Dye Sublimation printing process is:

thermo-cured with specially developed inks
infused into the plastic surface between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm
far superior to any contemporary surface coating
ensures unbeatable wear resistance stability and durability
three dimensional surface (wrapped around the edge of the switch)
UV rating 5/6 (does not fade in sunlight)
single mould production

Crystallized range

Using only genuine Swarovski crystals, Aly offers a range of handcrafted, jewelled switches and sockets. Bespoke designs can also be made to order.

Chapter from Maison & Objet......How FABULOUS is this rug?!

2010-09-15T00:58:00.000+01:00

I discovered DIACASAN recently at Maison & Objet. The above rug was on display at a grand scale and I couldn't help but smile when walking past. These guys were so friendly and had so much to show. I can't wait for the day when they have a showroom in London.

Jungle

Cassala

Jewel

New York

Topkapi

Tsar

This is above all my absolute favourite! The colours remind me of warmer days in Morocco.....

Bangalor

Loving Tom Faulkner's Capricorn Oval Dining Table

2010-09-09T16:38:00.000+01:00

The design is just classic elegance and although the base comes in a variety of finishes....I think this polished stainless steel is by far the most striking.

Something a bit different! For more inspiration, please see Tom's website.

Porcelain Sculpture's by Alice Riehl

2010-09-07T16:53:00.000+01:00

Alice Riehl designs and creates porcelain blended with textile fibers in her studio located in the center of Paris. Her sculptures and vases with aerial shapes evoke a feminine universe, between weaving and vegetation. The capturing of movement gives an ethereal life to her pieces.

BOWLS

Pleats

Corolla 2

Pleated Shell with underlined pattern

SCULPTURES

Flame

Shrebbery

Laying Wing

Wave

Flames

Sea Foam

First Timer's review of the Maison et Objet 2010 in Paris

2010-09-07T14:00:00.000+01:00

We headed over to Paris on the Friday evening in the hope that we would be reasonably refreshed for Saturday and Sunday. After some fun with the taxi driver who didn't know where our hotel was, promptly got lost, proceeded to charge us €20 and then looked expectantly for a tip, further fun was had by us then discovering he'd dropped us off at the wrong hotel. We then waited for a shuttle to take us to the correct hotel, which upon arriving at appeared as though it was about to close up for the night. The room was compact and clean. I have to express some reservations over the receptionist's assurance that it was indeed a "non-smoking" room as the cigarette burns on the furniture and the bathroom sink insisted otherwise.

However, that being said we slept like the dead! We woke on Saturday and experienced exactly what a €4.80 breakfast can buy. This was the only option by the way.....

Again, some fun was had trying to figure out the bus system to the Parc du Exposition centre but we got there around 9am and happily made our way along with the throngs of others...

WOW was my initial reaction! To an interior designer - this is honestly a little bit of heaven for sure! THANK HEAVENS hubby agreed to tag along... was my second reaction as this exhibition is simply enormous and the poor man really did me proud acting as my wee pack horse while I was gathering all sorts of info. There are 8 halls which all make the London ExCel Centre feel like a tiny elevator....although I confess that after touring 6 of them, I was seriously losing the will to live.

I'd gone to this expo with the intent of sourcing new and interesting suppliers and manufacturers - basically I was looking for anything that I'd not seen or heard of before. ....Living in London, I am lucky enough to be exposed to new and upcoming trends as they come along. But, having recently been fortunate enough to be able to do internships at 3 top interior design companies, I discovered that my sourcing database had a few weak areas and I was aiming to top this up. In this current job market, as a recent design graduate, one can not afford to not be as knowledge as possible about anything design related.

Now, strictly speaking, you are not allowed to take photo's inside the exhibition, but I soon discovered that if you asked nicely, most exhibitor's did not mind. In fact, I think I was only refused once, which was fine.

This is a taste of what I along with 1000's of others experienced, please excuse the photo quality - I'm an enthusiastic amateur:

I truly had the most fun! I managed to catchup with a friend from college for lunch at a lovely place which name escapes me right now, but there was a piano playing nearby, which was soothing to a weary soul.

There were a few disappointments, which me being me I feel should be aired. The first being that it is sadly apparent that ethics is a dirty word among some suppliers. I made a point of asking each supplier (leather / wood / textile etc) where their product was sourced and then manufactured. One Dutch leather supplier (of rabbit, fox, hides etc) replied "Who cares! It's beautiful!" I'm not a fur person myself, but I'm in the industry where I should be aware of where to source such things. Should I one day have a client who wishes to have a silver rabbit throw across their bed....well, I plan to be as informed as possible in order to advise and hopefully make the best ethical decision possible. Such attitudes as above just make me feel sad. I only hope that more suppliers feel the need to be responsible suppliers. You can only be responsible if you are informed.

The second disappointment was the shocking number of wood (furniture, decorations, etc) suppliers that when asked if the wood was FSC certified, they replied, "What does this mean?" or "No, it is too hard..." or gasp!! "What is the point?".

For those of you wondering, FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council and is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC’s 10 Principles of Forest Stewardship is the first step if the planet is to regain control over how wood is farmed and then distributed, it is critical that designers and manufacturers really think about where the wood actually comes from.

It was founded in 1993 in response to public concern about deforestation and demand for a trustworthy wood-labelling scheme. There are national working groups more than 50 countries including the UK. FSC UK is a registered charity. It is supported by NGOs including WWF, Greenpeace and the Woodland Trust.

OK, that's enough of me ranting....onwards and upwards I say.

It was with a (slightly reluctant) sigh of relief when hubby called time and advised that we really had to head back to the airport.

So, now I'm back in London and my feet are on their way to recovery...and I'm working on sorting through all my newly acquired info into various categories. I will do my best to share various items that I think might be of interest.

Stay tuned.....

David Harber's Sundials, Sculptures and Water Features

2010-07-24T11:52:00.000+01:00

I've known about this chap for some time and I think his work is just amazing. There is quite simply nothing else like it on the market and to be able to have one of his exquisitely special pieces in your environment, be it home or work....well it would be a timeless talking point!

The pebbles have been washed completely smooth from centuries of gentle erosion in river water. As twilight beckons, this "Dark Planet Garden Sphere" is elegantly mysterious with tranquil gleams of light emanating from the interior of the sphere.

My FAVOURITE sculpture, in fact of all his pieces has got to be "The Portal", a dramatic (and substantial) garden sculpture comprising an amalgam of oxidised steel and mirror polished stainless steel. These two metals have been interwoven creating random organic petals, designed to mimic and reflect the patterns found in nature itself.

This stainless steel Armillary Sphere Sundial is made from surgical grade stainless steel, mirror-polished to ensure lifelong brilliance. This comes in a variety of sizes from 50cm to 100cm wide.

The BEROSUS can be made in copper or stainless steel and is inclined to its latitude. The hourlines or markers are all hand-engraved onto it's inner atmosphere. Quite simply a most striking piece of garden furniture.

All of David Harber's items can be personalised for gift or memorial purposes.

Stunning.... stunning ....stunning!

In the spirit of Morandi - Objekt Magazine Issue 50

2010-07-20T23:48:00.000+01:00

This is one of my favourite magazines. They take a slice from all aspects of the design world (from ALL over the world) and compose a delicious read every time.

I thought I'd share one of their recent articles that caught my eye. If there are any typo's or grammatical strangeness, I should mention that this is a Dutch magazine which is then translated.....who cares right?!

AJ Lamp - Love it or hate it!

2010-07-20T09:14:00.000+01:00

After a busy weekend, I finally got to put my feet up on sunday afternoon with my Times Saturday mag, tore through Slummy Mummy and went straight to the design section to see what was potting........hubby LOVED these lamps and wanted to order straight away....I can't help thinking they remind me of little aliens from a horror movie long ago.....

You make up your mind....

Exhibition Banner displayed at RIBA July 2010

2010-07-13T19:44:00.000+01:00

Exhibition Banner