Last night I had the pleasure of meeting Kate from
An Artful Life at the opening of her London pop up shop at the Folly!
"An Artful Life studio and shop was set up by Interior Architect Kate Whitfield. Kate designs and sources creative items that are beautiful, imaginative and on-trend to help customers create their own stylish environments to enjoy spending time in.
The eclectic collection is constantly changing and being added to. Many items are one-off vintage finds, some adapted, or hand-crafted in the studio, others are new and chosen for their beauty and modernity."*
*extract from the AAL website
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| Vintage school chairs, customized by An Artful Life Studio's |
This was a first, for many reasons for me: my first experience of a pop up shop, my first face to face meeting with someone I've got to know through "blogworld"...and my first night out, solo, since having little miss moo!
And I must say: I picked a good one!
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| Wooden stool with painted legs by An Artful Life Studio |
In a relaxed atmosphere at the beautifully, trendy
the Folly bar, Kate's collection fitted right in...and that themed with her friendly demeanor, made this nervous, small time blogger feel at ease straight away! Of course it helped that her collection of upcycled furniture and handmade home accessories pared with handpicked items from a variety of designers, is right up my street!
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| CUBE cushion from A MIND'S EYE |
In fact: if I could, I would fill my home with her collection ....and it would be so me!
So I felt at home!
(albeit a perfectly styled home...filled with things I love, heaving with stylish, merry people, where I was greeted with a glass of champagne!!....so, nothing at all like my real home then.....more like the home of my dreams!! LOL)
I adore the creative initiative Kate shows in her collection: Handmade macrame planters, upcycled wooden candlesticks, made from a vintage set of children's building blocks and hand painted retro furniture, from
An Artful Life Studio, sits in perfect harmony with graphic print cushions from
a mind's eye and hand picked home accessories from established interior lines, such as House doctor...All beautifully supplemented by original artwork, such as the Angela Morris-Winmill canvas below, and modern prints from smaller graphic artists, like Letters on Love.
Kate's online shop is just bursting with eclecticism and original and unusual home decor....and I am pleased to tell you: All at affordable prices!!
Kate has certainly got an eye for not only aesthetically pleasing , modern design, but also for quality craftsmanship...something that shines through her collection!
So if you are after something a bit different for your home, I would highly recommend that you check out An Artful Life...not only will you be supporting the very talented Kate Whitfield in these early days of setting up her new business, but you may also find, and support THE next big thing in design, before they hit the mainstream!!
Here's my picks from her collection, for our new office/workspace (more on that coming soon...hint hint!!):
From top Left :
Geometric make-up bag £4.50
Wooden stool with painted legs £130
White fade clipboards, set of 3 £17
"it always seems impossible..." framed print £36
Set of 3 wooden trays £15
Vintage wooden filing cabinet £150
House Doctor vase with handle £18.50
Vintage school chair £47
Of course, I didn't come home from my night out empty handed....here's my loot:
As mentioned above, I probably would've come home with half her shop stock, was it not for an annoying lack of money and arms for carrying!! (I did try my luck with a scratch card earlier in the day, but with no luck.....as for growing more arms: No chance!! (Maybe for the best, that last one....??)
This is NOT a sponsored post, but an honest appreciation for Kate Whitfield's taste in home ware design, and a big respect for her talent and aspiration!!
I wish you the best of Luck with An Artful Life, Kate....you deserve it!!
(OOOh ...I sound like such a fan....(which I totally am!!)
Go on...
