Small shop focus: The Future Kept

With only 8 more weeks until Christmas (!!!) I am starting to turn my thoughts to organizing this years holidays...And a big part of this is obviously planning my Christmas present purchases...

And this year I've decided to, as much as possible, shunt the big retailers, and buy my presents from small, local and independent shops.  

Being a self employed maker myself, I know how important every sale is to me, and without the people who buy my stuff, I would not be able to keep going...So I think it is so important to support all those little shops and makers that have been brave enough to follow their passions and set up a business in a world dominated by corporate consumerism.

So I urge you all to support your local shops: The fantastic local florist down the high street, The bakers who sells homemade cakes, the markets and fairs... and the neighbor that sells handcrafted jewelry online....lets give our hard earned money to individual people, and not feed the multi national companies money making machines...

Of course I realize that in this day and age, a lot of us (my self included) , with our hectic working , everyday lives, will be buying most of our Christmas presents online. 

But we can still apply this principle and support the little people, and with this thought in mind I thought I'd do a mini series of blog posts in the run up to Christmas, and  put the spotlight on some of my favorite small independent online shops, that offers hand made, locally sourced and unique products...

....in my mind the perfect, out of the ordinary Christmas gifts!

So, I am going to kick it off today, by introducing you all to an online shop that I feel empitomises this ethic entirely:

The Future Kept is an online purveyor of well designed, durable, meticulously chosen goods for you to cherish and keep, run by husband and wife duo Jeska and Dean Herne.

Based on the south coast of England,they design and carefully source items from independent designers, makers, artisans and entrepreneurs who are creating products that are better for our world, becoming part of your life story, forming an intimacy between you and your belongings. 

Jeska and Dean, image courtesy of The future Kept

I met Jeska and Dean yesterday, as they are currently to be found at West Elm, Tottenham court road, where they are having a 4 day residency pop up shop. So if you find yourself in the London area over the weekend I highly recommend that you visit them there to see their lovely curated collection of lifestyle products... 

With beautiful and unique products such as the hand thrown ceramic mug and coffee dripper, made exclusively for TFK by Scottish ceramist Julia Smith (Top picture), the gorgeous smelling , naturally crafted perfume oils from Swedish company Vilda vexter (pictured above) and Hand crafted wooden kitchen accessories from London based Forest and Found (pictured , below)....

The Future Kept's range of products focuses on creating a simpler life....where the quality of the product we surround ourselves with on a daily basis adds to our lives in a more meaningful way... Things that are lovingly made to last, and will not fuel the throwaway nature of the modern world.....Things that you are proud to own.... heirlooms of the future!

"Our primary goal with The Future Kept is to lead and inspire more people to think carefully about the items they have in their lives, by putting together a collection of best in class products all with a story to tell."*

With beautiful British handmade throws, (two pics above),vintage pottery (pictured above), eco friendly , washable paper storage bags (above and below) , hand printed bags by French artist Amelie Mancini (below)....

...recycled vintage china necklaces by British designer Stay Gold Mary Rose and quirkily pretty little limpit shell dishes made by Oxford based ceramist Katie Coston of Illyria Pottery (Both pictured, below) ...there is a unique gift for anyone available on The Future Kept website....

But the Future Kept is much more than just a quirky online shop...They promote the kind of slow paced life championed by the lifestyle magazines they stock, such as Kinfolk , focusing on life quality and enjoying each moment....

Image from A Future Kept on instagram

"Creating and seeking beautifully considered, functional items for others to enjoy is our passion, by sharing these items that we celebrate, we aim to connect and form relationships with like-minded folk, whilst having a positive impact on the environment.

We hope to inspire a curiosity and desire within people to make more sustainable and ethical choices. "*

Have a look at their gift collection for more inspiration for your Christmas gift shopping this year, and make this the Christmas where your gift choices really makes a difference!

*Extract from the Future Kept website

design junction 2015

Over two weeks ago, one of the most innovative and creative design shows in the world, Design junction took place in central London. A specially curated design platform that exhibits commercial and cultural design within the unusual and industrial spaces of the old Central Saint Martins college of Art and Design and Victoria House.

With "26,000 visitors through the doors over 5 days during the London Design Festival. With more than 180 cutting-edge brands and shops, a host of striking installations, 10 mouth-watering eateries and flash factories across two Central London locations, design junction 2015 was the most ambitious, challenging and successful edition to date."*

Of course I was there....albeit on a flying visit before heading off to Norway for the WHAT WILL THE WORLD DO NOW charity event...I mean: I had to, not only did I have my own concrete home wares exhibited there (more on that next week) but, with it's reputation for displaying the most innovative of design, I was curious to see what it was all about!

It seems like a lifetime ago now, but better late than never...right? So I am finally sharing the bits and pieces that caught my eye....and maybe some of these will be THE next big thing??

From the wonderfully bizarre sculptural lighting by award winning Arturo-Alvarez, that makes bespoke, handmade lighting ,using handcraft techniques to create a new language with innovative materials....

To the more retro, industrial lighting, so fitting for the old college building by British home ware store  Dyke and Dean...I love that their own brand products encourage British manufacturing and small creative based industry...

Then there was the super modern and super stylish furniture from French label La Chance

La Chance’s ambitious purpose is to provide a contemporary interpretation of the French ornamental and decorative furniture tradition. And I loved how the modern design juxtaposed with the industrial settings....

One of my favourite displays in the old college was the String Shelving....Swedish company String has built its brand around an ingenious but simple modular shelving concept that has long been top of my lust list for the home...

...And of course it helped that the String display was styled by one of my favourite interior stylists of all time, Swedish  Lotta Agaton...

Fun an quirky, and most definitely different from anything else, I also loved the colourful collaboration between UK doodle artist Jon Burgerman and modern textile brand Kirkby Design  for the contemporary design company Ligne Roset....Known for its 

collaborations with the foremost talents in contemporary design, 

Ligne Roset is a creative and innovative brand after my own heart...and wouldn't these cool designs look great in a teenage bedroom??

Over at the Victoria House location of this years Design Junction, where more than 80 independent retailers and designers was exhibiting , there was also a lot of inspiration to be had...

...Of course I have to briefly mention T&Shop, a lifestyle concept shop based in Newington Green, who also happens to be a stockist of my own Concrete home ware range..

I adore founder, Emily Grace Wright's functional and minimalistic aesthetically curated products...but more on that next week....

There was plenty of things to catch my eye, and the geometric handcrafted wooden home ware designs by Another studio, was definitely one of my favourites, displaying just the sort of quirky creativeness that I adore...

I've been a fan of UK based home ware company HAM's cute rabbit and pig illustrations for some time...and was pleased to see their range exhibited at DJ.

It wasn't all home wares and furniture at DJ's market hall in Victoria House...and I fell head over heals with Tom Pigeon's simple and geometric jewelry designs (I also adore his prints)...

And these graphic, mixed media necklaces by Nylon Sky.

My love for the Danish brand HAY is no secret , and I just had to share this super-cool tool caddy  I spotted at Nest, who's entire collection would fit nicely in my dream home ....

Lastly, I wanted to show you these ingenious ceramic planters from London based home ware shop On and On...aren't they just the coolest?? On and On curates products like ceramics, glassware, contemporary furniture, modern lighting and bespoke commissions, among others. But they also strive to find new ways to promote design and  are passionate about introducing new creative talents to brands, the retail industry, interior architects and culture initiatives, providing support for creatives through exhibitions, presentations, sponsored events and publications... A company after my own heart!

There was so much stuff at Design junction that I loved, and would've loved to feature here, but for now, this was my highlights...

I have discovered new brands and shops, makers and designers, found loads of inspiration and got to know some people I just know is going to be the next big thing...

Visiting Design Junction is now a definite MUST for next year!!

*Extract from the website

WHAT WILL THE WORLD DO NOW??

SOME THINGS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS

We have all seen the iconic picture of little Aylan (3) on a beach in Turkey. Photographer Nilufer Demir made a statement by choosing to capture this sad sight...And it changed everything!!,

Suddenly the world realized the humanity of the desperate situation these Refugee's are in and the consequences of the war and it's subsequent crisis happening RIGHT NOW all over Europe!

Where are these people supposed to go?

Or in the words of Aylan's father:

WHAT WILL THE WORLD DO NOW?

I am not usually one to get involved with politics and I have never before posted about such matters here on Nostalgiecat....But I have been hinting at this for the last couple of weeks, as this is a project very close to my heart, and will probably be THE most important project I will ever do:

In the municipalities of Fjell and Sund in  Norway, where I am from, the response to the refugee crisis in Syria and the surrounding areas has been overwhelming. 

So head of culture in Fjell, Lennart Fjell set up an initiative to raise money to help the refugees through this most difficult time: Using our privileged cultural resources, like music and Art...

Or, like he put's it: 

" using the power of culture to make a difference"

WHAT WILL THE WORLD DO NOW is an initiative to help the victims of the current refugee crisis all over Europe. We are organizing concerts and Art exhibitions with auctions, to raise money for THE RED CROSS and the NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL to help with the practical aid they are providing in the affected areas...and we hope to encourage others to follow our example. We urge you to give a concert, organize an auction of art or set up a play at your local theater. 

Create the feeling of community, solidarity and join us in funding different refugee-organizations dealing with this catastrophe!

This is a way that YOU can make a difference - wherever you are! Culture knows no limits, and culture is powerful!

Caricature drawing especially made for WHAT WILL THE WORLD DO NOW 

   by the world renowned caricature artist Hani Abbas.

Regardless of your views on the matter of immigration, this is surely not a political issue, but a matter of compassion and solidarity .

We're all part of the greater community of planet earth, and surely, if we can, we should help those who have fallen on hard times....it is a matter of morality!

These people are fleeing from war, conflict and poverty ,their lives are in danger and they have lost everything...their only hope for survival and a future for their children is to escape . On a daily basis more than 5000 people risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean to the safety of Europe.

The journey is treacherous, and , as we all sadly know, not everybody makes it, and the ones that do HAVE NOTHING!

Organisations, like The Red Cross is working hard to provide practical assistance in the places where the ones lucky enough to make it end up... They are working with the various governments in the nearest countries to set up shelters the refugees can stay in and to better the facilities and conditions in the temporary refugee camps. They provide much needed psychological help for the people as well as help them reconnect with lost family members etc.

They're present all over Europe, providing vital medical Aid, medicines and hygiene essentials , water and food, clothes and blankets, baby equipment and care for the pregnant, elderly and ill or injured.

Without this help, these people, that have already been through so much, would not survive.

So here's how I've been getting involved with WHAT WILL THE WORLD DO NOW:

I have been working hard these last few weeks contacting Designers and Artists, asking them to donate some work for the Auction...and the response has been fantastic:

So today I want to showcase some of the art and design, the makers themselves have so generously donated to the cause:

APHELIA OPUS:

APHELIA OPUS HAND KNITTED CUSHION

Large Chunky handknitted cushion by Aphelia Opus in Limited edition colors: Grey and mustard

100% UK grown Cheviot wool

Hand dyed

Aphelia Opus is a contemporary new designer based in Northumberland, UK, who uses locally sourced wool, that is custom hand dyed, then hand knitted using giant knitting needles. 

Their current collection is all about geometrics.

RUBY LEWIS :

"WINDOWS", OIL AND MIXED MEDIA ON GESSO​

Ruby Lewis strives to capture the universal and emotional connections to landscape that are embedded within our memories. To create a feeling of nostalgia and escape. A seductive reminiscence and metamorphosis of imagined landscapes and forgotten memories.

She mostly paints using oil on gesso panel, a surface that has been used for hundreds of years. 

Ruby Lewis studied at Chelsea College of Art and went on to exhibit in London, Hertfordshire, Oxford, Sicily and Barcelona. Has a passion for landscape and it's changing forms. Often find inspiration by taking long walks and just breathing in the beauty, colour and rawness of nature.

GICLEE PRINTS BY PHILLIPPE DEBONGNIE :

"MARIE" art print

"Josephine" art print

"Gaston" art print

Philippe Debongnie is a Belgium Illustrator and artist. 

He love depicting the human shapes an humanity in a nostalgic way.

These prints are from his current project called THE FAMILY, where he's exploring the diversity of the human family, by blurring the lines of reality and fantasy: Making the viewer question: What's old, what's real and what's added? You have the old photographs, the prints and patterns, the colours and the animal heads...the artwork is meant to confuse in an endearing way.

LORNA SYSON HOME ACCESSORIES :

CUSHIONS AND LAMPSHADE by LORNA SYSON

Design: Warwick Red sky, digitally printed on 100% Organic cotton.

Lorna Syson is a pattern designer and printmaker that makes high quality home wares, from cushions to wall papers.She is inspired by Nostalgic memories of the UK nature and countryside..

TWO FOR JOY :

THE THIRD PHASE LIMITED EDITION SCREEN PRINT

Signed and numbered limited edition of 100, hand pulled screen print in pale blue , entitled "THE THIRD PHASE" by Two for Joy

"Taking inspiration from looking at the past, appreciating the present and looking towards the future."

Two for Joy is a paper cut artist and illustrator that dreams up charming stories, full of magic and adventure, for each of her creations.

LADY MUCK CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY :

 SPOT NECKLACE and bracelet set, acrylics and metal

A selection of acrylic spots in 2cm 

Inspired by Damian Hirsts spot paintings -share 'the joy of colour' - wear spots! 

This piece fits snugly round the neck sitting on ones clavicles.

Esa Evans is the designer and founder of Lady Muck of Whitstable, creating high-quality hand-made jewelry and accessories from her seaside studio on the North Kent coast. Esa studied Fine Art from Sheffield Hallam University.

Her fun an quirky designs, made from lazer cut, enameled metals or acrylics , add an exciting edge to day- as well as evening wear.

SCHOONY "BEAUTIFUL WORLD" :

 ONE OF A KIND PRINT
This is a one of a kind A/P artist proof print, in Olive green and copper.

Pulled screen print on 300gsm metallic art paper with 2 x varnishes, signed stamped and numbered.

Entitled "Beautiful world" it is an extension of Schoony's most iconic life cast sculpture “Boy Soldier” first unveiled outside the houses of parliament as an anti-war protest, is now a household name, featured in Hollywood blockbusters and collected internationally...

Schoony is a multi-talented urban artist whose unique aesthetic and technical brilliance has brought the art world by storm. His Hyperrealist sculptures question war, mortality and contemporary society.Schoony’s works has been exhibited widely throughout Europe and the US; he has permanent representation from the Guy Hepner Gallery in NY and from the Unit Gallery London. His work has won him critical acclaim from the Times, The Independent and ArtNet News, he is also featured on Artsy.

ESPERGAERDE "MR.JACKDOORS" BEECH DOORSTOPS :

"Mr Jackdoor sits patiently on his base when not in use but can be tipped up in the flap of a wing to become a handy door wedge. The simple abstract bird shape is toy-like yet engaging, so people won’t want to hide him away even when not being used! Made on the Isle of Wight with ethically sourced beech and finished with beeswax polish from Mary Case - a renowned local beekeeper."

Espergaerde is a back catalog of projects by Philip Crewe, a London based designer/maker who spends his time peppering the world with curious things.

And lastly, my contributions to the Auction:

JUNE OLSEN CONCRETE HOME ACCESSORIES:

Medium handcast concrete bowl with copper leaf

Trio of Origami handcast concrete candlesticks with copper

I make rough and decorative, handcast, concrete home accessories.
 I use a variety of techniques, including origami, and love working with mixed materials. Each piece is individually made and unique.

My latest collection is juxtaposing the roughness of the concrete with the opulence of metallics.

This is just a fraction of what we've so far managed to get artist, designers and makers to donate to WHAT WILL THE WORLD DO NOW, and my colleagues in Norway has been working hard to set up 2 concerts and an exhibition featuring artwork from both Norway and the UK, with a simultaneous Live auction of all these donations , happening next week.
I am flying out to Norway on Tuesday morning with all the donations from here in the UK, so they can be featured in the exhibition and on big screens during the concerts, and all the proceeds from both ticket-sales for the concerts and what we manage to raise during the auction will go towards the cost of the RED CROSS's aid efforts around Europe.

We are painfully aware that this does not solve the problem about where these people should go, but whilst the European countries try to come up with a solution to this, the money we raise will help improve the living conditions in the temporary refugee camps and provide much needed practical help on the front line of this Crisis.

Without this help, these people, that have already been through so much, will have a very bleak future, and some may not survive.

SO THIS IS A CALL!

If you can, do something to help....get creative: Let's start a movement...Lets show the world that humanity is still alive and that we are all in this together....
...Let's show everybody WHAT THE WORLD WILL DO NOW!

We are hoping to extend our efforts to help, by setting up a global online auction site for art and design, directly donated by the makers themselves....But this is still in very early planning stages, so I will keep you updated if we can make this happen...in the mean time, please support our efforts by following and sharing the
‪#‎WHATWILLTHEWORLDDONOW‬
hashtag, and hopefully you, and many more will feel inspired to create your own cultural events to help raise money for people in crisis!

Or, you can donate money directly to the red cross to help fund their Aid resources here(the page is in Norwegian, but Google translate should fix you up, if needed)

and you will also find some great information about the work they do there.

Do it now - and make a difference!

household cleaning essentials

Image from An angel at my table

Today's subject for my beautiful utility post series is Household cleaning.

I've lost your interest already, haven't I??

But wait!

Nobody likes cleaning, ok, I get that...and if you are anything like me, your cleaning tools and supplies are not what you want to spend your money on, right?

But in all honesty, doesn't your arsenal of cheap plastic brooms and buckets, ugly, branded bottles of cleaning products and your old, washed out cleaning cloths kind of ruin the aesthetics of your home? 

I've been stuffing all that crap under my kitchen sink for years...outta sight , outta mind, right?

Only, the truth is : Housekeeping and cleaning is an ongoing job...never ending (Uuuurgh!) and inevitably all that stuff will be found laying around the house as it's being used...or not put away, like little eyesores in my otherwise well thought out interior!

Image found on Elements of style

I'd love to have a separate room to house all my cleaning and laundry tools and supplies...a Utility room! But in our tiny Victorian terraced cottage, space is at a premium, and unfortunately such a luxury is in-achievable...And I'm guessing that I'm not alone!

So in terms of storing my cleaning supplies, I have to get creative, as the little space under the sink is quite frankly insufficient...I mean, it may be fine for housing a few bottles of bleach etc., but this does not help me hide away the hoover, buckets and brooms and other large things needed around the house....things that I quite frankly do not want to feast my eyes upon whilst eating at the kitchen table, or trying to relax on the sofa.... Their bright and ugly plastic-ness only serves as a reminder of all things not done in a day!

Image from Kitchen source book

Just a little area, a spare nook in our home would have been great, as keeping all those household essentials i one place would be ideal.

Image from A beautiful mess

I'd love to have a peg-board covered wall to organize my cleaning supply storage and I'd use wall hooks to hang dusters and brooms from....

Even just a few shelves on a wall where I could keep everything handy but out of sight would be great...

Image from BHG

I'd use pretty storage baskets to house unsightly washing paraphernalia and decanter all my cleaning liquids into pretty jars and boxes to make it visually more pleasing...

Image from Ollie and Seb

But unfortunately I have not got any such spare nook in my tiny home . At least not in a suitable space....

The only option I currently have, is to convert the little cupboard under the stairs, which is currently being used as a general dumping ground for stuff, into a designated storage station for all things household...
And quite frankly, it is not a bad option at all, and I count myself lucky to have such a space...
It will be my next project in the house.

If you have not got the luxury of having such a space to your disposal, why not try to convert a free standing cupboard in your home into your household supply station, like below:

Image from Kitchen source book

To convert such a small space to hold things like the hoover, mops and buckets and other necessary cleaning supplies, will take a bit of planning, and a few clever ideas to maximize the storage potential of the space, like using the back of the door, as pictured, below....
And if you'd like to follow along at how I do mine, sign up to my weekly newsletter by entering your e-mail in the bar at the bottom of this page, as I will be posting updates on my cupboard design and makeover over the next few weeks...

Image from Kitchen sourcebook

But, even with a great storage space for all my housekeeping and cleaning equipment, there is still the element of the ongoing nature of keeping a home tidy and fresh to consider, and as mentioned above, this stuff inevitably becomes a part of a home's make-up...

Image from House to home

So my solution to prevent garish eyesores in the form of cheap plastic dusters etc. laying about is to pledge to invest in some well designed, functional but good looking cleaning tools and other household essentials, along with the aforementioned stylish storage solutions...

Here's a few nice examples:

1/Brooklyn Storage trug 2/Perigot bamboo mop 3/Iris hantverk table brush set 4/House doctor bamboo duster set 5/galvanized bucket 6/Brabantia Orla Kiely retro bin 7/Iris hantverk tall dustpan and brush 8/cleaning and drying cloths 9/Brooklyn surface cleaner

A handy cleaning caddy ,will mean that I can carry what I need for the job around the house in style, and a nice looking bin is top of my wishlist for the kitchen. The idea of having beautiful tools, like a good-looking mop (did I just say that??) and bucket appeals to the glamour-puss in me (I have been known to clean my floors wearing high heels whilst dancing to loud music....I mean: Making the best of a dreary situation, like cleaning, has got to be a good thing , right??) And I've recently replaced my broken plastic duster with a gorgeous ostrich feather one, and quite frankly, I now proudly display that thing in my kitchen. I've also been on the look-out for a nice long-handled dustpan and brush to replace my "get-on-your-hands-and-knees" plastic set for ages, and love the one in my collage above.

When researching for this post, I must say that John Lewis has the most stylish range of cleaning and household products out there, and they are NOT paying me to say that! I adore the packaging on their Brooklyn range of cleaners...in fact their entire Brooklyn home range  is beautifully designed, and I'll be sharing more from it next week when I tackle the subject of Laundry!

Image from Garden trading

In my recent series of posts, labelled Beautiful Utility, I have been investigating my own theory that your home's everyday essentials should be equally stylish as your interiors to become a more integrated part of your home and thus improving the aesthetics and quality of your home-life.

Considering design as well as functionality when purchasing tools for housekeeping, will make your home feel more pulled together and maybe even make the jobs around the house seem a little less of a chore (Optimistic, I know)...At the very least, if your duster is as gorgeous as mine, you wont mind taking it for a spin every now and then!

Pop back next week to see me trying to bring some style into doing the Laundry!