Design Debate

I still don’t believe it – do you? These cardboard-looking vases, pots and pitchers, apparently held together with strips of tape, are actually ceramic. They’re part of the Carton series by French potter Jacques Monneraud . The detail is so spot on. Something that looks relatively simple took many hours of experimentation, mixing three different stonewares and testing glazes until he found just the right effect for the tape. He totally nailed it. Monneraud often explores those little ‘what if…?’ ideas. You know the sort – when your mind wanders and you suddenly think, could I make that? With Carton , he was playing with the idea of not trusting appearances. Cardboard is something we associate with being temporary, fragile and disposable, so he liked the thought of creating ‘unalterable cardboard’ – objects that look makeshift but are actually substantial and permanent. The illusion gets even better when you realise these ...

Such a sympathetic and warming renovation I stumbled upon today, I wanted to share it with you. Peter and Rachel Harford-Cross, architects from Glasgow, decided it was time to renovate a prized family abode. This fisherman's cottage once belonged to Peter's grandmother and now passing to his parents, he wanted to carefully introduce some creature comforts without compromising the integrity of this remote island shelter.   The small space has been thoughtfully restored using, where possible, reclaimed items that totally feel at home in a traditional Scottish bothy.  What I particularly like is the clever hide away kitchen, the downstairs is all open plan but having the smooth honey plywood conceal the little kitchenette allows the lounge to feel calmer, tidying any mess away. All the cooking and heating comes from one little stove, a lovely focal point for the room.  The main bedroom has a hidden rail so a curtain can sweep it away for privacy. Up a restored wooden la...