Design Debate

Such mesmerising curves are found on the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre by Zaha Hadid. Located in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan. I love the sweep of tiled roof. Actually the whole thing is roof as there are no walls as such.  The fluid form allows the entrance of natural light. Not a single straight line was used throughout the 12,027 composite panels that create a skin over 90 linear km of metal beams.  The structure does encourage you to look to the sky, think bigger, aim higher. Perfect for a cultural centre. I stumbled upon this architectural treat at Design Boom .  What do you think? Are these curves sensual or nauseating!?

You may have heard of Welsh artist Peter Fowler, famous for his psychedelic album art for band Super Fury Animals. Well he is branching out into the craft scene with cross stitch. This is a concept I love, giving the traditional crafts a dose of modern mayhem. The title of the exhibition is perfect with that music connection 'The Needle and the Damage Done'.  Showing from August the first to September the first, at Beach, London.  If you think about it cross stitch is a medium full of possibility. The geometric grid allows an element of structure but also the variety of coloured threads provide many psychedelic possibilities. Van AudiOrlax ( 2012, vinyl toy with electronics and synthesisers) Fowler is also known for his World of Monsterism, toys based on his cartoon characters. And his artwork has been used in music videos for The Super Fury Animals, The Horrors and Clinic.  His album for the SFA in 2005 involved making models, a reminder, Fowler said, of...

I was very blessed to inherit both my Granny's and my Nanny's wardrobe, and it was a veritable treasure chest of delights. My Granny loved colour and print, bold 40's tea dresses that graced the figure in cottons and silk. My Nan on the other hand was a siren with flame red hair and Hollywood curves. She wore black velvet with stilettos and teal satin blouses nipped in at the waist.  This fashion inheritance meant that I adore vintage styles. I think where we are today with design means we have a visual feast of design history to dive into and delight in. When I turn the pages of my Vogue magazine I see influences from every decade, culture and movement. And that is just the way I like it. Even our futuristic fashion to me seems like a nod to the 1960's concept of space exploration.  So brands that unashamedly present vintage styles but made for modern mindsets, I adore. Today I found Attic and Barn , an Italian label who do just that. The lab...