Around London Town

Now that I have recovered from the airplane croup that is inevitable on very long flights these days, I can get back to recording my observations. Also to helping Cemil with the finishing touches on the house. We are 3 weeks away from completion and this is where the beauty of green finishes will become evident. But I tease you, as that will be the next blog.

A side note, I heartily recommend No Jet-Lag, a homeopathic remedy. This was the I first time I used it and I did much better than my boyfriend who depended upon his prescription on Ambien. (www.nojetlag.com)

I wanted to share several more interesting observations that came from my week in London doing green discovery.

Love it:

Noticed that they are using more and more “wooden” disposable cutlery than plastic. I think they are so much more compelling and given that they are generally made from “leftover” pieces of veneer, they are easier on the planet than all that plastic stuff.

Recycled glass dishes that were made in Spain at a store in Notting Hill called Ceramica Blue (www.ceramicablue.co.uk). I found similar ones from www.vivaterra.com. Sadly there was a fabulous copper colored one in London that I can’t find at Viva Terra.

Discovery:

I had read that some interesting design is beginning to happen in Brick Lane (the main artery of what has been called “Banglatown” in London’s east end). I did find some wonderful quirky boutiques, many of vintage clothing, original jewelry, and some groovy home furnishing stores. I also discovered a wonderful organic restaurant, Story Deli, where I had a delightful flatbread. I particularly like their innovative ways for storage in a very small space. They had these interesting stools made of heavy waxed paper that also doubled as storage bins under the “tops.” They told me that they were available at a shop in the area but it is only open on weekends. I’ve included a photo, as they would be easy to replicate.


Kudos:

A friend of mine from San Francisco introduced me to Nina Campbell, a world famous designer (www.ninacampbell.com). So since Nina is based in London, I rang her up to see if we could get together. Well, she generously invited me around to her new home off Fulham Road and hosted a luncheon with some of her friends. It turns out that she has a great deal of interest in green design and invited several of her designer friends to view a presentation I pulled together of some of my favorite products. The group included Susan Crewe, editor of English House and Garden and John Lees, a local architect who has been doing green work for sometime (www.leeassociates.com). I enjoyed meeting these “tastemakers” and hope that I was able to contribute in some small way to their considering more green products in their work.

I promise to share my some of my picks with you in later blogs.