Last week we featured StudioXAG’s turquoise explosion for Future Map’s window at Selfridges’ annual Bright Young Things showcase. Well, we’ve had pictures through for all of the windows that were dressed by the cream of the country’s young creatives – and, quite frankly, we could do a detailed feature on pretty much every one. They’re mind-bogglingly good.

From Tinker and Tailor‘s full on recreated studio to Oliver Ruuger‘s elegantly surreal scene; the acute detail, creativity and sheer artistry on display, is enough to put most major retailers to a great deal of shame. Bright young things? They sure as hell are…

Alex Mattsson

Sorcha O’Raghallaigh

T.Lipop

Tinker and Tailor

Archie McLeish

Astrid Anderson

Becky Sloan

Nuha Razik

Future Map

Oliver Ruuger

Jack Coleman

Maarten van der Horst

MASC

Shaun Samson

William Richard Green

Adam Andrascik

Alice Lee

Group Window

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…

February 7th – 10th, 12–6pm at Slupskjulsvägen 32, Skeppsholmen, Stockholm

Photography: Jonas Lindström

As much out of necessity as design – the renovation was dealt a terrible blow in 2009, when a fire razed the hotel just before it was due to open – the entirely new interiors offer a dramatic juxtaposition to the property’s surroundings, and the choice vintage furnishings – that so elegantly contrast the stark modernism of the cubic, concrete rooms.

The breathtaking accommodation, in the up-and-coming Cedofeita district of Portugal’s second city, is a spectacularly ambitious project, fusing art, literature and architecture with absorbing equal measure. As the name suggests, “tales” are at its heart. Six authors have created these narratives of the city and its architecture, which have then been “spatially distributed” and carved in bas-relief by the architects, Pedra Líquida, and the house’s owners are committed to engaging in cultural activities and promoting Porto’s creativity.

Bold and contemporary, but so obviously in touch with its history, Casa do Conto is a brave – and profoundly beauteous – rebirth of a project that was so nearly halted by disaster.

© Véronique Huyghe / ENSCI

© Véronique Huyghe / ENSCI

Adam Goodrum ‘Birsdmouth Table’: inspired by the ‘Birdsmouth Mast’ used on ships from the mid-nineteenth century. The unique construction gave it significantly more strength. The legs are constructed in the same way, with the motif carrying through to the brass handles on the drawers lined with kangaroo skin.

Launched late last year, The Broached Commissions are limited edition collections of bespoke designs telling stories from Australia’s history. Founded by Lou Weis and Vincent Aiello, the program has 3 permanent design members – Trent Jansen, Adam Goodrum and Charles Wilson – joined for each edition by a curator and guest designers. The first commission, ‘Broached Colonial’, looks at the early years of European occupation.

Charles Wilson ‘Tall Boy’: taking its cue from Wilson’s rural upbringing, Tall Boy references “makeshift craft traditions of bush furniture and agricultural structures such as windmills and water tanks.

“Overwhelmingly Australia is an importer and synthesiser of design aesthetics not a creator and exporter of them,” explains, Creative Director, Lou Weis. “Therefore what is important to consider is not what is an identifiable Australian aesthetic but how does Australia change what arrives here? How does design take on a parallel evolution to its evolution elsewhere once it arrives and gets stuck on that massive island.”

Lucy McRae ‘Prickly Lamp’: draws on notions of survival in the harsh conditions in which colonial women often found themselves in Australia. The “protective skin” is made of painstakingly died wooden spikes.

The collection features 6 designs informed by individuals, materials and other influences from the colonial period; from Trent Jansen’s Briggs Family Tea Service, which uses porcelain, bull kelp, wallaby pelt, copper and brass, to the simple forms of Max Lamb’s Hawkesbury Sandstone Collection.

Trent Jansen ‘Briggs Family Tea Service’: represents the marriage of George Briggs, a free settler to Tasmania, to Woretermoeteyenner of the Pairrebeenne people, and the four children they had together. The materials used bring together two distinct cultures with porcelain – British tea-drinking – and bull kelp – used by aboriginals for carrying water.

All the designs can now be purchased, and Broached Commissions is also accepting private commissions for installations and spaces. The collection should be touring the world in 2012, including a visit to London, while the second edition (under wraps for now) is planned for late in the year.

Max Lamb ‘Hawkesbury Sandstone Collection’: taking the iconic sandstone of the Sydney Bay area and his colonial research, English designer Max Lamb travelled to Australia to create his Hawkesbury Sandstone Collection, featuring stools, steps a table and a bench seat.

Chen Lu ‘Dream Lantern’: “modeled on curiosity objects of the late eighteenth to mid nineteenth centuries” this lantern comes with 4 different ‘shades’ inspired by the life of convict escapee Mary Bryant.

Formerly the Great Eastern, one of the original London railway hotels, the building dates back to 1884, and there’s a definite feeling of that history – even if it has been given a 21st century sheen. It’s that 21st century sheen that may put some off. Andaz is Hyatt’s “boutique” brand, but the spectre of ‘corporate business hotel’ is still most definitely there, it’s in the city – it can’t escape it. But what the Andaz does do, is use that ‘corporateness’ (yep, just made that one up) to its advantage. Sure, there’s a sheen – but it’s one that just feels luxe. The furniture and fittings in the rooms are heavy, the doors solid, and the walls thick. It’s got a weighty 5-star feel but, with their commitment to art and design, you feel less guilty about shacking up in a business hotel, in fact you positively embrace it.

Their USP is bringing the ‘small’ hotel service to a big chain. There’s no check-in desks, instead you walk straight into the “Andaz Lounge” – where drinks are free and smartly-dressed, well-mannered types check you in with iPads (oh-so modern). There’s a complimentary non-alcoholic minibar, and there’s complimentary serving of wine in the lounge come evening time. It’s quite obviously a big brand cherry-picking the best components of a stay at a truly boutique hotel, but it works. And it’s impeccable – you’d think you were in America the service is that good.

Where the Andaz really excels is in its food and drink offerings. It’s like a whopping great American resort-hotel – but a stone’s throw from Spitalfields and Hoxton. There’s exceptional Japanese at Miyako, exceptional fresh seafood at Catch, exceptional pub-grub at George, British à la carte at 1901 and a brasserie menu at Eastway. It really is exceptional. And seemingly, somewhat of a secret – only half the London-based (and East-end types at that) people I asked actually even knew the hotel existed, let alone of its ridiculously diverse food offerings. The resplendent halls and history-packed spaces that these bars and restaurants inhabit are just the icing on an already scrumptious cake.

Of course there’s high-end leisure facilities too, all the business malarkey of course, and there’s the location – it’s next door to Liverpool Street Station, and as mentioned, a stone’s throw from some of London’s hippest spots. There’s no individual designer rooms, there’s no quirky amenities and the bar isn’t a hipster graveyard – but if you want to be in the hub of all East London has to offer and you want true, true 5-star luxury – but without the faceless conveyer belt experience of big, ugly business hotels – I really don’t think London has a better alternative…

Whether hot-desking, getting out of their bedsit cum studio, or meeting and greeting; societyM – which debuts at the aforementioned Glasgow hotel – lavishes its people with all the trappings of a swanky member’s club. There’s wall-to-wall designer furniture – Tom Dixon, Vitra and Moooi providing some serious eye-candy – there’s “creating rooms” with audiovisual shenanigans and wipe-clean walls for brainstorming your next social networking masterpiece, there’s a bar, thinking spaces, and a 50-seater screening room.

They really have got it all covered; and – as with the hotel itself – it’s been designed by superstar Amsterdam agency concrete, and therefore it’s a bloody good-looking space in which to while away your working day…

Photography © Ewout Huibers for Concrete

The hotel has 70 individually designed rooms but if you’re looking to score some major brownie points with the Misses there really are only two options; either of the Penthouses or one of the Salt Loft Marina rooms. We were lucky enough to bag one of the Salt Loft Marina rooms with a freestanding cooper bath at the side of the bed and complementary massage oil for added spice – ooo eeer! The rooms continue the fashionable theme with modern patterned wallpaper, pieces of art and all the home comforts you need from a hotel room. Fluffy robes, a Bose sound system, Temple spa products, rain shower, the all important under floor heating, cafeteria coffee, luxury teas and Emma Bridgewater mugs (nice touch) – a hotel with style and substance, we like.

Once you’ve taken full advantage of the room amenities we suggest you head all the way downstairs to the lobby, grab a space on the comfy chairs with a nice glass of vino from the extensive wine list – no lie it’s huge! If you are staying at the hotel it would be rude not to try out the restaurant – which is rumoured to be the best in Ipswich – serving seasonal British dishes made with local produce. The restaurant housed in the original warehouse building features exposed brick work, more art, leather booths and a central bar.

After dinner we retired to our room to find housekeeping had completed their turn down service, leaving a bottle of relaxing pillow spray for our use – we’re glutens for these luxurious added extras and the Salthouse is full of them!

Breakfast is served in the restaurant or in bed, the menu offers a good selection of dishes but we’d suggest you go all out on the Suffolk Grill or Bacon Sandwich, quite possibly the biggest we’ve seen (we’re pretty sure it contained at least a whole pig!).

If you’re looking for a short break in a chic hotel with fabulous food and attention to detail you can’t go wrong with a stay at the Salthouse Harbour. Ipswich? Who’d of thought it…

Sure, Union Jacks is a potentially divisive concept – Worcestershire sauce braised oxtail pizza (well, he calls them ‘flats’) is enough to give any Italian a heart attack – but the interiors, courtesy of award-winning agency Blacksheep – are where the Brit-theme really takes shape. With unabashed tongue-in-cheek nostalgia, the design concept offers up tea-cosies, vintage tellies and 1950s colour palettes, all centered around the retro cinema-board menu and open kitchen. It’s not big, and it’s not clever – but it’s bloody good fun and, most importantly, it looks a treat…

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

Comprised almost entirely of enamel shelving, the store is as crisp and clinical as the branding, and there’s a nostalgic ‘laboratory’ feel to it all – that’s so intrinsically linked to their identity. We were down for the recent opening, and I can tell you it looks even better in the flesh than it does on these shots; simple, yet so thoughtfully considered, those delightfully stylish Antipodeans have done it again…