We Heart: Essential Lifestyle Guide

Zog House, London

We Heart — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:01:56 +0000

Employing Solidspace’s revolutionary new housing typology, London’s Groves Natcheva Architects have designed a truly unique space for their client. Solidspace’s groundbreaking internal structure is a split section structure that breaks the boundaries of traditional Victorian and Georgian terraces – to “meet the demands of contemporary lifestyles”. Essential a prefabricated, concrete interior structure – from which the exterior can be suited to it’s surroundings – the Solidspace typology results in a fluid, flowing internal space where the concrete acts as both structure and industrial-chic internal finishing. Progressive, exciting and wildly innovative… expect to see many more Solidspace homes…

Photos: James Brittain

Peter Saville x England

We Heart — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:42:29 +0000

Manchester’s finest, Sir (OK, perhaps not yet, but it’s certainly deserved) Peter Saville, is a designer of the highest calibre… his back catalogue of work is unrivaled in it’s influence on modern popular culture. From the iconic Factory Records sleeves of Joy Division’s Closer, New Order’s groundbreaking Blue Monday 12″ and the beautiful cover of their 1983 album Power, Corruption and Lies, through his collaborations with the world’s leading fashion houses and to his work as Creative Director of the city of Manchester, Saville’s designs have always held an elegance, simplicity and sophistication that have seen him stride above his peers – becoming a true design icon of his time….

The England football team, on the other hand, have lurched from one crisis to another – culminating in this Summer’s dismal showing in South Africa. Perhaps then his latest fashion collaboration, with Umbro, will see some of his magic rubbing off on the national team… “inspired by English tailoring heritage”, the shoulders of the shirt are coated with Saville’s reinterpretation of the St George’s cross – a statement that represents the “increasingly diverse fabric of England”. With an accompanying campaign that features England’s young blood – and even a selection of the country’s top female prospects – and carries the slogan “The New Fabric of England”, it looks that Umbro are hoping, like the rest of us, for a new dawn in English football. Yet, unlike shirts designed by modern pop culture icons, how many of those have we been promised before?

Foot Patrol, London

We Heart — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:44:26 +0000

Designed by Wilson Brothers and Brinkworth, the layout of Berwick Street’s Foot Patrol is every bit as unique as the perfectly curated stock inside. The understated, street-side façade paves way for a brilliantly conceived ’store within a store’ – all recycled scaffold board and satin black steel fixtures – that seemingly floats within the ‘outer’ store. As for the stock, it’s high grade, sneaker-geek stuff… SMU (special make-up) versions of new and classic sports shoes, along with unique Foot Patrol products are handpicked by Michael Kopelman, original Foot Patrol owner and current Creative Director – needless to say, the fusion of cutting-edge interiors and top quality stock will ensure this is THE sneaker destination store for years to come…

The Salad Shop, Singapore

We Heart — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:57:05 +0000

With a slogan that reads ‘for herbivores, carnivores, and everything else in-between’, Singapore’s The Salad Shop is a new Raffles Place fast-food/ready-to-go restaurant that, you guessed it… majors heavily in all things salad. Of course it’s not the grub, nice as it may be, that’s caught our eye – it’s the rather splendid interiors, courtesy of the supremely talented Singapore studio, Asylum – they who also designed the brilliant Chocolate Research Facility that we featured last year. Brilliantly oversized forks and spoons act as window masks, whilst an array of illustrated, bespoke designed stools add colour and character. The space itself is all streamlined industrial and the finishing touches to this eclectic interior are those wickedly hip ’scenic’ fabric lampshades. Modern, vibrant and endearing, Asylum have created a playful, inviting space that’s sure to be a success…

Daydreaming with… James Lavelle

We Heart — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:48:36 +0000

Always one for the amalgamation of music and visual arts, James Lavelle has endeavored to blur these boundaries since the early 1990s… from bringing Futura’s work to a wider audience in the early days of Mo Wax, through Jonathan Glazer’s iconic video for Rabbit In Your Headlights, right up to John Hillcoat’s Ray Winstone starring promo for UNKLE’s latest. It’s no surprise then, that Lavelle is taking his dual passions into an exhibition space, and from Friday 27 to Monday 30 August London’s Haunch of Venison will play host to a unique exhibition where an inspired selection of contemporary artists will create a brand new artwork inspired by new music composed for the project by UNKLE. Innovative, challenging and multi-sensory… it’s all Lavelle knows.

Photographed by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones, art direction by Ben Drury

Futura

Rabbit In Your Headlights, Dir. Jonathan Glazer

Temple by Faile

3D aka Robert Del Naja

Directed by Warren du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones

Kai and Sunny

Jonas Burgert

Simon Birch

Nathan Coley

Summerill & Bishop

We Heart — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:37:52 +0000

Trends come and go, but there’s one room in the home where a little traditional and class can go a long way – and that’s the kitchen, or, the “heart of every home” as longtime friends June Summerill and Bernadette Bishop call it. There’s a reason why AGA cookers will never go away, and why the likes of Jamie Oliver’s kitchen accessories tend to hark back to classic styles – and it’s the same reason why both Tricia Guild of Designers Guild, and Ruth Rogers of The River Cafe have declared Summerill & Bishop’s Clarendon Cross shop their favourite kitchen store. It’s that, sometimes, cutting-edge just doesn’t quite cut it in the kitchen… and, whilst Summerill & Bishop may have modern styles amongst their classic lines – the care and attention with which their stock is carefully curated, and sourced from around the world, ensures a warm, characteristic feeling consistently runs through their charming collection…

Hoxton Hotel’s New iHox Area

We Heart — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:14:51 +0000

It was only last month that we brought you the scandalously stylish new designer rooms at Shoreditch’s unique luxury-budget sensation, the Hoxton Hotel. Owned by Prêt A Manger founder, Sinclair Beecham, the hotel have added free use of iMacs – and most excitingly – iPads to the list of guest freebies that includes Wi-Fi, phone calls and Prêt breakfasts. Located in their new ‘iHox’ area, we believe they’re currently the only London hotel to offer totally free use of Apple’s latest gift from the gods… the others offering them with rates, deposits or executive suite perks. And don’t you just love the accompanying security signage?

Lazy Oaf ‘In The Mix’ Rucksack’s

We Heart — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:58:56 +0000

We’re big fans of East London’s super-cool creative/fashion label, Lazy Oaf, and have long been admirers – we featured their Southend-on-Sea, trashy seaside SS10 Look Book back in May – of their wonderfully bright graphic tees and über-kitsch stationery and accessories. It’s no surprise then, that we’re suitably impressed with the latest additions to their collection, and our favourite by far has to be this wonderfully over the top, rainbow coloured rucksack. If you really couldn’t give two hoots whether or not brown is the new black and are yet to look up the dictionary definition of refined – and let’s be frank, that’s just no fun is it? – then this super statement of happiness and easy-going attitude is most certainly for you…

Cielito Querido Café, México

We Heart — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:24:46 +0000

Drawing upon Mexican design heritage and inspiration from Latin graphic design of the late 19th to early 20th century – Latin-American sign making fused with the product labels of old grocery stores – Mexican studio, Esrawe – in collaboration with Ignacio Cadena – have created a wonderfully diverse interior for this newly conceived café that, whilst steeped in nostalgia, has it’s very own unique flavour. We’re loving the bold use of pinks and blues, the beautiful fabrics used on the seating, and the splendid fusion of typography that adorns the walls, ceiling and products throughout…

Freecom CLS by Sylvain Willenz

We Heart — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:01:46 +0000

Maybe it’s just age, but at times we dearly miss C60s with tape all over, the inevitably broken off, write-protection tab, multiple sticky labels layered on top of one another and the total randomness of whatever you choose to scrawl on the cover. Upon being commissioned by German storage specialists, Freecom, Brussels based practice Sylvain Willenz clearly harboured the same wistful emotions for personalised data – giving their new CLS range of mobile drives a touch of the retros, with a little touch of modern sophistication on top. With 250gb drives from £70 and a 3-drive dock for just £16, Freecom’s CLS range has instantly installed itself as our backup method of choice, now where have those felt-tips gotten too…

Courtesy of iamafriendofthesquirrels