Dear Diary... dream hues

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...

It’s a steamy, dreamy 70s inspired haze. We're looking forward to Gary Hume’s show opening at White Cube, Bermondsey in early March! Here's a little sneak preview... it's a dream-pop world.

'Where I live in New York, there’s a wood. I heard an owl in the night. Next day I found one of those “Happy Birthday” balloons caught in the trees. It had almost deflated. I imagined the owl, utterly indifferent, watching the balloon float by as it slowly collapsed. That’s how I see life. I’m the owl, totally disengaged as the balloon bobs by…'

Gary Hume

Gary Hume

6 March – 21 April 2013

9 x 9 x 9

White Cube, Bermondsey

Dear Diary... Le Cabinet de Curiosites

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...

While curiosity shopping on my lunch break I discovered an actual Curiosity Cabinet fabric on Fulham Rd courtesy of Kingcome fabrics and sofas! Leading French fabric house Manuel Canova have created a fabric design, Le Cabinet de Curiosites, complete with bell jars, sculptural coral, butterflies and shells which appeals to the curious in all of us.

Let’s Little Black Book it!

Dear Diary... Welcome to my WORLD

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...  

The Curiosity Cabinet is currently researching its favourite weird and wonderful shops in London. One of our all-time  favourite curiosity shops is actually worlds away in the South Pacific – New Zealand’s WORLD concept store.

Chock full of designer candles, boutique fragrances and antiques, this store provides a delicious buying experience. Accosted by fragrance as you walk in, you are compelled to breath deep and live their philosophy. WORLD is a New Zealand fashion label so cool they call themselves a ‘factory of ideas and experiments’. With such punchy, tongue-in-cheek collection titles as: ‘I need someone really bad. Are you really bad?’; ‘Wasted days. Wasted nights’ and ‘Housework makes you ugly', you can imagine how super-cool the stores are. Each store is designed and styled individually to fit the space from their small central Wellington boutique to the newly built Britomart store in Auckland.

Welcome to a WORLD I would like to live in.

 

 

 

 

The WORLD beauty boutique sells a range of seductive scents including Fracas by Robert Piguet, Tokyo Milk Dark - Arsenic No.17 by Margot Elena and a luxurious collection of candles from Masion Cire Trudon, the French candlemakers for Versailles Royal Court since 1643.

The antiques are all supplied by Auckland based European Antiques & Furnishings Ltd who sell through WORLD and their showroom in a beautifully restored villa in Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand.



Dear Diary... Indoor/ Outdoor

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...  

I was in Sydney recently and stumbled across a cool store in Potts Point which mixes accessories for both the interior and  exterior in one shop. Nowhere has better mastered the combination of indoor/ outdoor living than Australia. The tropical climate and wonderful flora and fauna when combined with decorative objects has the ability to create fantastic displays. It turns out that what I thought was a stylish store for decorative art was actually a florists who provide bouquets in the context of an actual environment. Poho have got the blend of interior and exterior just right.

Dear Diary... Paper Trail

The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...  

Imagine, if cost wasn’t an issue and you could afford for your favourite artist to hand paint the interior of your house. If only dreams could come true! Well, then, I would commission a painter to painstakingly replicate Chinese silks or Japanese textiles behind my bed head and golden bamboo across my bathroom wall.

If this is a dream you share, I'd like you to meet de Gournay. The exquisite interiors company who hand paint wallpaper using traditional artisan methods. They call themselves ‘artistes’ and their work is certainly impeccable: ‘Our artisans are artists. Our wallpapers, our mirrors, our dinner plates are works of art’. De Gournay, who specialise in pictorial wallpaper design, have in my opinion the most exceptional wallpapers I have seen. The brand originated in Paris (surprise, surprise) and they create intricate wallpapers as if they are embroidered textiles or oil painting perfections. Wallpaper is a fabulous way to enliven a wall space, create a feature wall or decorate an interior which needs a creative addition. Getting the balance right between beautifully decorative and simply too busy is fine line to navigate. De Gournay are willing to collaborate with you and tailor your concerns to fit your environment. I am delighted to share with you a selection of my favourite de Gournay designs.   

 

‘Bamboo’ design in Golden design colours on Blue Green dyed silk with Matt glaze. Balfour Castle, Scotland.

Bamboo’ design in Malachite design colours on Pitch painted silk. Photography by Anthony Parkinson.

Abbotsford’ design in standard design colours on Ice Blue India Tea Paper. Photography by Natasha Polskaya.

Askew’ design in full custom design colours on Emerald Green India Tea Paper.

‘Coutts' design in standard design colours on 22 Carat Gold Gilded silk. Bergdorf Goodman Restaurant, New York. Interior design by Kelly Wearstler.

 

‘Earlham’ design in full custom design colours on Verdigris India Tea Paper.

‘Portobello’ design in a special colourway on 22 Carat Gold gilded silk.

 

‘Windswept Blossom’ design in Noir design colours on 12 Carat White Gold gilded paper.

‘Windswept Blossom’ design in full custom design colours on 12 Carat White Gold gilded paper. de Gournay for Mezzanine show.

Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey dyed silk. ‘Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey Organza fabric. ‘Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey Heavy Duchess Satin fabric. Interior design by Candy & Candy.

Let’s Little Black Book it!