Inspired by nature...

He may not be the first and certainly won't be the last person to be inspired by nature but Greg Hatton inspired an entire roomful of Brisbane designers when he spoke about his work at the recent DIA Bubble and Speak breakfast I attended. With a background in environmental management and clear passion for the environment it was probably only natural that Greg's design pieces followed the same pattern. Even so, it was great to hear, in an industry where so much is about production, consumerism and the latest injection moulded plastic techniques, about someone whose work is truly sustainable and reliant on nature. Most of his pieces are from found objects, pieces of local timbers or local rocks...
This got me to thinking about other parts of the world where the only way to build is with what is local and indigenous to them... A trip to Morocco last year illustrated this perfectly. Driving through the low Atlas mountains I noticed that each village was a unique colour that perfectly reflected the colour of the desert soil around it. Built from mud bricks, the dirt collected on site, the villages appear to rise up out of the ground, a product of their immediate environment. Villages high up on rocky ridges were red and dusty, in the more fertile valleys the villages were a darker brown that reflected that... Time for more of us to start thinking, using and acting locally I think!
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Thanks Family and Friends!

Wow, from spring to autumn... From London to Brisbane and back... and then back again... It has been a mad few weeks, but I have made the move back to Brisbane to be with my family and friends. The support and love from our entire extended family and from friends all round the world has been just amazing. It really makes you think about how lucky you are to have a support network who are there for whatever is needed.
Without going into things too much the pic of cranes is a gift of 1000 paper cranes folded by my aunt and her beautiful Japanese student and friend, Magumi, to help my younger brother, Ferg, get through the tough times ahead and bring him long life and recovery from illness. A thousand thanks Magumi, and everyone who has helped make the last few weeks easier... l.l.x

spring in the hood

My favourite Sunday activity- the walk from my place in Bethnal Green, East London along to the streets of the Columbia Rd flower market, the top end of Brick Lane and down through the chaos of Brick Lane itself. It always reminds me what a wonderfully diverse neighbourhood I live in. The cockney voices calling out the best deals on flowers, the colour of Brick Lane, the smells- BBQs at Vibe Bar, Bengali curry and the international flavours of the Truman Brewery market... add in a bit of sunshine and it doesn't get much better in my opinion!
Today I spent quite a bit of time poking into the shops in the area. Some of my faves...
Hetty Rose had a lovely pair of handmade shoes that definitely appealed to the spring in my heart... the shoes even have a blog!
The other place that I've always admired- for their local attitude and cool craftsmanship is unto this last. They do really cool pieces in plywood- their stuff just feels good in your hands- with a warmth that you don't get in so many products...
I'm off to make travel plans... more later! x