Young Bright Things (YBT) which opened last night and runs until May 13th features ten artists – a mix of  sculptors,  jewellers,  graphic, textile and fashion designers. Above are Petra Palumbo, Annie Morris and Jordana Yechiel. Ages range from 19 year old potter Tancredi di Carcaci – who was influenced by a trip to Cordoba,  icons of the Virgin Mary and 18th c. Baroque decorations …

– to the cool and coquettish 32 year old shoe designer Charlotte Dellal. Mondrian, Lichtenstein and Picasso give Dellal’s Charlotte Olympia brand heels an arty kick . The painted velvet tote bag is also by  Charlotte Olympia.

All the works in the show are either one-off’s or limited editions for David Gill

W’s Contributing European Editor and curator of  YBT Gianluca Longo says the show is about craftsmanship.

I come from Italy and I love stuff that is hand-made with a lot of passion and history behind it.

He adds that the idea for the show came to him and gallery owner David Gill at a wedding.

David and I were at a wedding last year surrounded by young creatives. He said ‘Oh my God, I would love to have them all in my gallery’. And I said, ‘Why don’t we just do it? And that’s how it started.

Pretty straightforward? Only if you can overcome dealing with chilled millennials.

Oh, you need it now? imitates Longo of his relaxed participants. ‘But I’m skiing in Gstaad’ or ‘But I’m with my grandmother.’

Luckily, Longo prevailed, the artists delivered and the show looks fab.

Fresh-faced illustrator and textile designer Luke Edward Hall

created a dinner set for six inspired by Greek mythology …

Longo with Palumbo below who makes hand-painted inspired embroidery for her family label Tapisserie. She collaborated with artist Rhys Coren and designer Francis Sultana to make these stools below.

Longo with Tudor-mad jeweller Yechiel …

Yechiel’s JY Shields get a  Rock n’ Roll twist

I love the Tudor period, the court life, the richness, the extremities. They were so bling, these women with their outfits, their dresses and bodices. It was just so decadent…Shields are not only protective armour, but symbols of who you are and where you come from.

Or go for something softer, delicate and very wearable with Noor Fares’ delectable chains below …

If a modern take on a classical marble bust is your thing, Nick Hornby is your man….

Walk around the bust and observe the different profiles as they appear.

Going to a show of Post-Modernist works? Brazilian-American designer Alexander Lewis’s lilac PoMo sweater is  the one to don.

Be bold with this pigment stack sculpture by Annie Morris …

Or blow your friends away with a hand-blown sensual work by  French-Lebanese artist Flavie Audi …

April, 2016

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The old San Francisco  in the 1970’s and ’80’s was a sleepy town with little traffic, a few good restaurants (French and Italian), and Union Square was about the only place to shop. If I told people  that I was from SF, they’d ask me about the gay Castro, or maybe some religious cult or nudist beach. No longer.

Last weekend I was in the Bay Area for my cousin’s wedding. Every time I visit my hometown I get nostalgic. So it was with surprised relief that I rediscovered the Sunset, a part of town that has barely changed over the years.

I visited this forgotten foggy tip of the city on the suggestion of my old college friend Tom (pictured below with my friend Isabelle who came along for the adventure).

We drove out past the avenues with the sunshine behind us and the vast coast ahead. The Sunset is still populated by an interesting mix of surfers and multi-generational, immigrant families. It looked just the same to us.

Seal Rock is still there.

And so are the surfers…

And the weird vegetation that thrives in the Sunset’s cool microclimate.

But if you dig a little deeper there are some interesting new shops and places to eat. Isabelle and I began at Woodshop, a collective of 4 craftsmen where the makers are as easy on the eye as their creations. Here’s Josh Duthie and Luke Bartels, two of the foursome. Josh reinvents old chairs and Luke makes furniture from locally salvaged hardwoods.

Danny Hess (who wasn’t there) makes beautiful custom wood surfboards, skateboards and hand planes for body surfing. The shop isn’t really a retail shop so you need to either bang on the door or book an appointment.

Luke wrote down on a spare piece of wood everything we should see in the neighborhood.  All the action happens on a few streets, namely Noriega and Judah between 45th and 46th streets. Streets are organised alphabetically so navigating is simple.

Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club is  a small, odd coffee shop credited with starting the $4 thick-sliced toast craze that’s been covered by NPR, the New Yorker and the Guardian (i.e. prepare for expensive toast to pop out of London toasters soon).

Journalist John Travois wrote a touching article about Trouble and how he started out cynical but after meeting Trouble’s tattooed, Bipolar founder Guiletta Carrelli – who opened the cafe to save herself – changed his mind.

The brief menu features “Build Your Own Damn House”, which consists of a cappuccino,  a whole coconut and a fat piece of cinnamon toast. No cell phones are allowed in the shoebox-sized spot with its extremely limited menu, space, and seating  (i.e. a piece of driftwood outside.) And yet, people love it.

Mouth-watering cinnamon and peanut-butter slices of toast are stabbed with a butter knife to make the butter drip inside the bread.

Other popular foodie highlights include the crowded Devil’s Teeth where the most popular dish is the Breakfast Sandwich comprised of scrambled eggs, cream cheese and bacon.

Or on a cold foggy day, take refuge in the all-wood Outerlands restaurant. Delicious food and cocktails, says my local on the spot – Tom who loves to surf and lives nearby on Ocean Beach.

No visit to the Sunset is complete without a stop in a surf shop. Check out Mollusk Surf Shop with its handmade boards, art, photography and cool t-shirts.

I like the new San Francisco, but I miss the old one.

May, 2015

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The new Curzon Bloomsbury is perfect date-night material. With its gold bar, sleek lounges, minimalist look, “The Canyon” curving corridor, documentary bar, your date will be impressed. Trust me. And don’t miss the gleaming white loos with their seductive pink lit cubicles.

A short stroll away is The School of Life on Marchmont Street with its life-enhancing lectures.

Better yet are its one-liners. Buy a box for that witty someone. I have a friend’s birthday this week (no, not the Queen of England, just the Queen of Chelsea), and think this box of aphorisms will really strike a chord.

Yes Melanie, I like having that special place in your heart.

Then, there’s the Gavin Turk & Project Beard. Tomorrow sees the opening of The Other Art Fair on Southampton Row where oddball selfie king and celebrated YBA artist Turk poses as Rodin, Morris, Cezanne, Matisse, Man Ray and Dali. Talk about a man with a split personality.

An edition of 250 posters of the selfie master will be exclusively available for £50 each at

Other must Bloomsbury-sees are charming Lamb’s Conduit and neighbouring Rugby Streets.

I love this playground pavilion across the road.

Shopping opportunities abound. I didn’t walk into Maggie Owen’s fun faux accessories shop with these ear rings. But I did leave with them. (Could double as nifty Christmas tree ornaments)

I was tempted some more by these Murano glass statement pieces but held back.

Next door is equally tempting…

Or next door again at…

 Can’t have too many aprons…

Craft lovers take note: Its Open Studio weekend May 8-10. Cockpit Arts (just around the corner) will be showcasing lots of textiles, jewellery, ceramics  from 170 talented makers as part of London Craft Week.

April, 2015

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The New Craftsmen started out as a pop-up shop two years ago, and now has a real home in a light and airy Arts & Crafts building at 34 North Row.

North Mayfair, once the neglected Cinderella of Mayfair, is having a real renaissance with Selfridge’s massive £300mm makeover,  the stunning new Beaumont Hotel and come spring British designer Erdem is opening its flagship shop on South Audley Street. Landlord Grosvenor Estates has big plans for this forgotten section of swanky Mayfair.

Leading the trend is The New Craftsmen which works exclusively with British crafts makers (75 at the moment) showcasing objects that are intrinsically tied to culture and place.

I spoke with Catherine Lock, one of the shops three founders, who explained to me that after working at Habitat and Sainsbury’s she felt there was a growing desire for shops with more provenance, meeting the makers.

“People are willing to pay a little more to get a little more, ” said the inspiring redhead.

Works can be bought off the shelf, ordered bespoke or individually commissioned.

I love these lights –  a collaboration between glasswares artist Michael Ruh  and mixed media embroidery designer Aimee Betts.

This cushion by textile designer Rose de Borman is fab. Lock thought de Borman would be happy to make a customised whimsical cushion for someone’s beloved pet. I started imagining my pug Antoinette having a new embroidered life as a unicorn.

These autumnal throws are made by Catarina Riccabona in her south London studio.

The perfect Christmas pressie for the culinary at heart – Potter Silvia K  uses the simple beauty of agrarian vessels as her starting point.

The fair lasts one day only. See you there.

November, 2014

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