Etsy List: Penny Dreadful

The second series of Penny Dreadful started last week on Sky Atlantic – we’re avid viewers!

We’ve been hugely impressed by its wonderful, award-winning period costume and set design; the attention to detail of both the interior and exterior scenes. The fantastic oil lamp-lit Gothic interiors are inspiring – the light flickering against dark walls and furniture. Rooms furnished with leather Chesterfield sofas, gilt-framed oil paintings, brass candelabra and mahogany dining tables.

We’ve found a couple of great videos giving details of how many of the sets were devised, developed & built – a wonderful insight!

World Dolls Series: England

So here’s England – the first of those World Dolls Series posts we mentioned last week.

These illustrations are by C. Jones from the Birmingham School of Design.

Each book has doll-like characters to show you round their country – it’s George & Elizabeth taking us on the tour of England.

We start in the capital…

…with some classic landmarks.

We just love the depiction of this busy underground tube station.

We then move to other, diverse areas of the country – rural landscapes, industrial towns & coastal villages.

Elizabeth comes from Yorkshire and the moorland landscape is very familiar to us here in Todmorden. Lots of sheep still live here!

We think these little books are so charming – hope you agree! We’ll be heading to Scotland next week.

George Him matchbook

We’ve tracked down another one of these fabulous & rare, vintage match-books produced for Liberty in the 1960s.

The last example we featured was designed by Miroslav Sasek – this one’s the work of another favourite illustrator, George Him.

A row of guardsmen provides the inspiration – each with their own unique facial expression & medal collection.

The match-book is unused and in very good condition. They really are rare survivors and don’t appear often.

We actually had this one sent all the way from America.

We’ve added it to our collection of quirky London inspired design pieces – they really put a smile on our faces.

Pick of the Pads: Brixton East

We’ve chosen this fabulous factory space for this month’s Pick of the Pads. Dating from the 1870s, the building was disused & distressed when interior designer Andy Luckett bought it 18 years ago. After many years of hardship, discomfort & hard graft he’s created something very special – Brixton East.

The converted factory is featured in the October edition of Homes & Antiques Magazine and now incorporates apartment, studio space & shop.

There are many aspects of Andy’s home that we love. It retains a homely, comfortable feel whilst looking functional & easy to live in too.

The original fabric of the building remains intact with big windows, exposed brickwork & beams. The spaces are now filled with character, colour & texture.

There’s no shortage of unusual, quirky pieces – but it’s very well edited and never enters the realms of being cluttered.

It also looks like it’s evolved naturally over time with antique & vintage finds – some still serving their original purpose, others up-cycled for a new lease of life.

The building is available for event hire and Andy also opens a pop-up shop on the ground floor which should be of great interest to those who share his taste for the enticing antiques & vintage industrial pieces that fill his home – the next sale is in December. For details of the shop, upcoming events and more pictures of the building visit his website at www.brixtoneast.co.uk

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: London

Etsy List: Penny Dreadful

World Dolls Series: England

George Him matchbook

Pick of the Pads: Brixton East