Dirty Dishes are just that. Smut on a plate. This is as far from the traditional ornamental plate as your granny could dare to imagine. Quite where the idea to place soft-porn on a plate came from we can only wonder, but the outcome is as witty, brave and – dare we say – stylish as you could possibly imagine. Of course this is no triple X-grade imported in a brown paper bag malarkey from deepest, darkest Amsterdam; it’s a splendidly soft focus throw back to the sort of thing, gulp, your dad may have enjoyed as a young teen, and with names like Roxy and Ingrid, Mel and Steve and Leslie and Denise, they’e actually every bit as kitsch as the aforementioned Charles and Di commemoration plates. But so, so much more cool…

Each tray features a sphynx cat in posed for a portrait in his or her Sunday best. A biography for each cat gives you an insight into their character and starts to build a picture of the family dynamics…

“Discreet, loving and benevolent, Hermance always remained in the shadow of her husband, Isidore…”

“Irina directed her workroom of apprentice seamstresses (‘little hands’ in the French version)… with the utmost rigour… and supposedly even frequented the same social circles as Coco Chanel at her debut.”

“Following in his father’s footsteps, both ambitious and widely travelled, Edgar made the family business prosper. He even took great pleasure in having singlehandedly brought the sharkskin up to date.”

“Her piano and art lessons not only taught her good manners; in the privileged position of the youngest child, she adopted Sarah Bernhardt’s famous motto “despite all” to exert her audacity and total disregard for social convention.” (Victoire)

I love the dark sense of humour and surreal aesthetic of iBride’s work and this new launch is no exception. What surprised me is how quickly cats in suits on tea trays become perfectly normal as you get drawn into this quirky family saga.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art – LACMA to you and I – recently unveiled a mammoth exhibition celebrating Californian midcentury design – the first of its kind, with some 300+ objects representing all areas of design. Appropriately named – California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way” – the title references a quote from Swedish designer/architect Greta Magnusson Grossman – who brought with her a very Scandinavian minimalist approach when she arrived on the United States’ west coast in the late 1930s – and, in doing so, lays the foundations for the unique sun-kissed Scandi-style that iconic designers like Charles and Ray Eames became so famous for.

Whereas European countries so easily slip off the tongue when prompted for celebrated design aesthetics, the ‘sunshine state’ may not be as instantly synonymous; but – as this exhaustive collection so effortlessly reveals – California’s glamorous fusion of classical design conventions with its own fresh, bold and inimitable style deserves its dues as an iconic international design philosophy in its own right…

California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way” runs at LACMA’s Resnick Pavilion until June 3rd, 2012

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
© Airstream, inc. Reproduced by permission
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Richard Neutra, Kaufmann House, Palm Springs, 1946.
Photo by Julius Shulman, 1947
© J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive.
Research Library at the Getty Research Institute (2004 R.10)

Mary Ann DeWeese (1913-1993, active Los Angeles)
Catalina Sportswear (Los Angeles, 1907-93)
California Lobster Bikini, Man’s Shirt and Trunks, 1949
Lastex, cotton
Collection of Esther Ginsberg/Golyester Antiques
© 2011 The Warnaco Group, Inc. All rights reserved. For Authentic Fitness Corp., Catalina Sportswear
Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA

Charles Eames (1907-1978, active Venice)
Ray Eames (1912-1988, active Venice)
Herman Miller Furniture Company
ESU (Eames storage unit), c. 1949
Zinc-plated steel, birch-faced and plastic-coated plywood, lacquered particle board, rubber
69 x 47 x 16 in. (175.3 x 119.4 x 40.6 cm)
LACMA, Gift of Mr. Sid Avery and Mr. James Corcoran
© 2011 Eames Office LLC (eamesoffice.com); Herman Miller. Inc.
Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Straub & Hensman Buff
Recreation pavilion, Mirman House, Arcadia 1958
Photo by Julius Shulman, 1959
© J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography
Archive. Research Library at the Getty Research Institute

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Charles Eames (1907-1978, active Venice)
Ray Eames (1912-1988, active Venice)
Molded Plywood Division, Evans Products Company (Venice, 1943-47)
Elephant, 1945
Molded plywood
16½ x 30¾ x 16¼ in. (41.9 x 78.1 x 41.3 cm)
Eames Collection, LLC
© The Eames Foundation. Courtesey Eames Office LLC (eamesoffice.com)

Carlos Diniz (1928-2001, active Los Angeles)
Ladd & Kelsey, Architects (Pasadena, 1958-80)
Monarch Bay Homes, Laguna Niguel (outdoor dining terrace). 1961
Screenprint
20 1/8 x 26 in. (51.1 x 66cm)
LACMA. Gift of Gilbert Ortiz and Edward Cella Art + Architecture
© Carlos Dinz Archive
Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA

Paul Lâszió (b. Hungary, 1900-1993, active Beverly Hills)
Paul Laszio’s European Group textile, 1954 or before
Rayon, cotton
105 1/2 x 48 5/8 in. (268 x 123.5 cm)
LACMA, Gift of Peter and Shannon Loughrey
© Paul Lâszió Estate/ADAGP, Paris/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

With show director and co-founder of 100% Design and TENT London, Ian Rudge, at the helm, you’d expect nothing less. It’s a small show, but rather than feeling like it lacked anything, it just felt incredibly well edited.

And the atmosphere was almost serene; calm yet inspiring – what more could you want from a design show?

Here are a few of my favourite things…

Soft, comfortable and cosy is definitely a key trend for these recessionary times, and warm winter blankets were everywhere. Grey is clearly still a big colour too – or maybe I just see it everywhere because I love it!

1. Selection of three grey blankets from Foxford
2. Bronte blankets
3. Donna Wilson’s new blankets for SCP
4. Zeena bird motif blanket (I spotted Zeena’s work at Craft Central a few weeks back, so it was great to see her here too.)

Bright, happy colours and things designed to make you smile were prominent too – perhaps also in reaction to all the doom and gloom out there in the real world. For now, I’m more than happy to inhabit this little world instead!

1. Rainbow brights from Koziol – and you can’t argue with a strap line like “better design, bigger smile”
2. Another new product from Donna Wilson; launched at the show. With an invitation like that, who could refuse to help with the drying up?
3. More lovely products from Zeena
4. And you couldn’t have a ‘colourful and happy’ selection without including Jonathan Adler – on fine form as always.

There was also a lot of retro glassware around and these products from iittala and wireworks particularly caught my eye. I hadn’t come across wireworks before, and their products seem really well thought through in terms of functionality and aesthetic, so definitely worth a look.

1. iittala glass bowls (stocked at Skandium)
2. wireworks glass domes with wood or metal base
3. wireworks storage jars that can be opened with one hand – genius!
4. More iittala glass bowls, viewed from above (stocked at Skandium)

Finally in no particular order, I also loved…

1. Rob Ryan’s height chart for SCP “the village grew into a town and the town grew into a whole city…”
2. wireworks again, this time with a gorgeous Scandinavian-inspired bathroom accessories set – I love the combination of wood, grey and white used here
3. More Scandinavian style, this time from Design Stockholm House, stocked at Skandium
4. And just a little bit more from Donna Wilson – sorry! But it was my favourite stand, and I do love her work.

Overall I was very impressed with Home and look forward to it becoming a regular event on the design calendar.

The internationally renowned duo – who have worked for the likes of Apple, MTV and Nike – were commissioned to transform the space by the owners of the award-winning residence in Sydney’s Darling Point (designed by architects Marsh Cashman Koolloos), with the brief to leave larger wall spaces free for potential future commissions…

Photography: Katherine Lu

I discovered them in a rabbit warren of faux Victorian rooms at last year’s Designersblock – part of the London Deign Festival – and haven’t stopped thinking about them since. Their macabre, slightly unsettling aesthetic just stays with you somehow.

Describing themselves as “the new movement in collaborative ceramics design,” they work with designers from disciplines as diverse as fashion and architecture, with product designers, artists and even a lingerie designer!

They’re heavily involved creative education programmes and marry fresh blood with old hands to create the perfect balance of new ideas and experience.

The results speak for themselves. Production is in Stoke-on-Trent using the finest bone china, putting the ‘English’ in The New English. And with ranges inspired by everything from Alice in Wonderland to Victorian taxidermy, there’s something for everyone… well, if you like that sort of thing.

Rendering of final construction

Photography: Joy von Tiedemann

And Young & Norgate, a small group of designers and craftsmen based in Devon, are clearly not immune to its magic; “Spending a lot of time outdoors is good for the spirit. We’re all outdoor types and Devon offers loads to do outside the workshop; whether it’s surfing on the North Coast or paragliding over local cliffs. Maybe this freedom reflects in our work” Dave Young told me.

Perhaps it does. Their work has a simple, understated aesthetic. It has a certain calmness to it. It also has a real sense of integrity that is in keeping with their natural surroundings.

We want to make pieces of furniture that will be cherished and passed on through generations…

“As a business we’re very much ‘hands on’. Everything we do is by hand, from the design creation to the shaping of the timber. It’s a human approach, which hopefully reflects personality in our work. We are keen to carry on the tradition and heritage of making furniture, using these time-honoured techniques to make contemporary pieces. We want to make pieces of furniture that will be cherished and passed on through generations.”

Having met at college, Dave Young and Ross Norgate were grilling sausages over a camp fire in North Devon when they realised that not only were they both seeking a more hands on approach to designing and making furniture, but that between them they had the skills to combine a design studio and workshop under one roof, enabling them to control the entire design process from initial idea right through to end product.

We want to work within our capacity – we don’t want to turn into manufacturing robots…

Their products are made from locally sourced FSC certified timber; and leather for finishing touches comes from Scotland. Each item is made to order in a limited edition of just 100. “I think people like to be individual. By offering something unique in design and limited in production we are making something special. We also want to work within our capacity – we don’t want to turn into manufacturing robots – and if we were to start outsourcing our manufacturing we would lose efficiency and potentially quality. For us, that’s not what it’s about. If it’s not right it doesn’t go out the door. And we are fairly fussy.”

And why the fox? “Generally hangs out in the woods, often seen in Devon and reasonably crafty – it just made sense.”

Darkroom, Lamb’s Conduit Street, London

We featured your store just after it’s opening in late 2009. How’s everything gone since and what’s been your highlight?

It’s been an amazing year – we’ve really been blown away at the response both by the press and customers. You could say that we took a large risk opening a concept store such as ours during a recession, and we were definitely nervous about whether people would be intimidated by such a full-on interior space, and a new way of merchandising [we mix men's, women's and interior accessories and present them in quite sculptural still life's]. It’s been quite the opposite, and people from all walks of life come into the store and are really excited at what we offer – it’s a great feeling, and we are so glad that we stuck to our original beliefs, and tried to do something differently.

There have been many highlights – being voted as one of London’s top shops by Time Out, our first product [a range of hand mirrors] being nominated for the Wallpaper magazine Design Awards, and being featured in so many great international publications – it’s a strange feeling to know what we have done in our little shop has reached out so far! Also of course, our lovely customers have been amazing and we are lucky to already have a loyal and supportive bunch. We are constantly inspired by their willingness to go for the most ‘statement’ necklace over the few ‘safer’ pieces we hold. Our customers really understand the concept of fair-trade, investing into well made, interesting objects over the throw-away.

Can you tell us a little bit about your spring/summer collection’s obsession with the ancient civilisations of Central America?

Our inaugural summer season was themed ‘Into Africa’ – it was a chance to showcase what we like to do here at Darkroom, mixing modern, crafted items with tribal and indigenous works. We collaborated with many designers to produce one-off and limited edition ranges that were inspired by African processes, colour palettes, materials and pattern. The season was a great success, and we have themed subsequent seasons in a similar way – it helps us focus the collections, especially as we are not label or trend led.

Our new season Aztec Camera explores the art, architecture, materials and symbolism of the ancient tribes of Central America. This idea started when we were out sourcing new work and noticed that we were getting drawn to modern jewellery made from old metals. It sparked the idea of working in this area which is so rich with intense colours, vibrant pattern and incredible textures.

You’re presenting your first range of Darkroom bags and leather accessories, alongside prints and other collaborations. Do you feel the Darkroom brand is taking on a life of its own in the last 15 months and are there any plans to stock your own products elsewhere?

It has always been our plan to build on our own collections, but to always present them alongside other people’s work that creates dialogue and contrast. Our first year was spent concentrating on getting the retail space [both the shop and online] up and running properly. Bar the odd Saturday job when at college, we have no previous retail experience, so it has been important to spend time getting that right. Now we have a wonderful platform to build on and a big part of our 2nd year is going to spent working on this – the pieces we are presenting as part of the Aztec season is the first of the bunch. Long term, we do plan to start selling through other like-minded shops around the world.

You recently opened a Christmas pop-up shop at Le Bon Marché, Paris. Any more pop-ups, collaborations and the likes in the pipeline?

Due to the success of Le Bon Marche we have been contacted by other departments stores both internationally and nearer home – we are definitely open to the idea of doing another pop-up soon! Darkroom has such a strong visual identity, it’s great to see it working so well when recreated in different environments.

Can you introduce us to the new names you’re showcasing in this season’s collections?

Simone Brewster is a London-based jeweller who works in wood and base metals. Her work is extremely ornamental and references architectural forms.

Elke Kramer is an Australian jeweller who’s sculptural work in resin and precious metals evokes pieces collected by a 1920′s traveller on their Grand Tour of Central America.

Atelier Polyhedre are French ceramicists. Their work is quirky and brave, using strong angular forms.

Lizzy Disney is a London-based designer who used to design clothes, but now specialises in leather accessories. Her work is so pleasing and clever.