the coolest dump!

This gorgeous Georgian house on Bow road has been my the most curious place (if you consider it as a dwelling)I wanted to explore for long time!  I've passed it many many times and wondered 'is anybody live in there? if so what kind?!'  One day, while we're on the bus. Evbaby spotted its gate opened, so we decided to jump off to discovery the place.  I thought this is absolutely a treasure!  The house is such a mess,well better say like a dump site and also irresistibly cool!  Richards Leeman, carpenter, artist, carnival prop maker and whatever that you can think of, has been lived here for 6 years with his artist wife and their baby girl.  Two giant carrousel horses, I mean a real one, sit elegantly front of the house as though they were a door guard.  Walking trough the door, I's amazed by piles of portrait on the wall, carnival stuffs hanging down the ceiling and more and more stuffs. Everything that you can imagine at the car boots sale, they are all here.  Everywhere you look, it's so unorganized but somehow look organized.   Richards said that he want to open the house doing art class or workshop. yeah, please do it'd be fun!   Sadly, that this house's been sold and they're leaving within 6 months.  If you live nearby or just want to visit I highly recommend!  it's just not like anywhere else that you'll find again. 
address 5 Bow road E3 2AD

who don't want them in your own garden!

Richards' studio

there are stuffs everywhere

garden fulled of random things

Coffe Monday

I know most of you love coffee and also enjoy making coffee at home yourself.  With many different way of brewing, such as coffee press, manual drip, espresso machine or siphon.. whatever you prefer. I use stove top from bialetti and quite enjoy it.  I found this 2 vdos from Square Mile, favorite choice coffee roaster of most indie cafes in London, and I think it'll introduce you, who already got a French Press at home, how to brew your coffee properly.  Sorry if some of you already knew, however, I still believe that it's no harm than entertainment.  enjoy!


Videocast #4 - Stove top/Moka Pot from James Hoffmann on Vimeo.


Videocast #2 - French Press Technique from James Hoffmann on Vimeo.

Coffee Sunday

So exhausted from the rugby game....so,I think it'll be more relax if I post something I've been falling in love with for long time. coffee  I want to introduce you two of very good coffee carts which serving in London.  First is Dark Fluid, which I accidentally found at Chocolate Festival months ago.  Dark Fluid is an independent roaster and brewer, which co-founder by Neil Le Bihan, won Best Cappuccino in the UK 2011 from UK barista championship and Lawrence Sinclair, roaster.  Neil's been trained and worked at Monmouth coffee before.  I admire their passion and quality of the coffee they serve.  Another cart is Indie Coffee at Church Street Market. I never tried it myself but just because an obvious reason that he used to work at the same cafe as mine so... if you're around just grab a cup from Peter Duggan and let me know how it's like. enjoy Sunday

dark fluid at Southbank. Try their own blend it's very nice if you love a quite strong coffee (like those Kiwi)

Indie coffee, image from here

Latte from Tapped & Packed, image from here

   

Rugger!!

Today is my 1st time watching rugby live from the stadium! so excited, even I'm a football fan.  Sport is always one of my favorite thing I enjoy watching.  It's a final premiership match between Leicester Tiger vs Saracens (who cares who they are!)  As they say rugby is a game of middle class, unlike football game of working class. So I's quite impressed by people wearing suit/smart outfit come watching the game.  The game was great, a bit of shouting and lots of beers. I's overwhelm by the size of stadium, which packed 80,000 people. Having seen players played in real life was amazing. Even while i'm typing this post I'm well pissed off about the result of Champion League game....Man-united just lost.  never mind, it's still a good day for me. Tomorrow we still got tickets for another game of rugby, England vs Barbarian.  Fun!  

we're late!!  runnnn

the Champion moment to Saracens

and Guinness

 

Clerkenwell Design Week2011

it was sunny, stupidly I presume outside's going to be hot. So just short and flip-flop that I put on was a silly painful!  never mind as my heart was flying ahead to Clerkenwell road already.  I would say Clerkenwell design week is more for designer & architect. It's a good opportunity to visit big design studio,that open for this event, in town, like humanscale.  Showrooms where they present their new products & collection, such as InterfaceFLOR launch 'once upon A tile'. All day talk session & workshop, party, music and market. At CDW market, handcraft products are sold by designers. Honestly, you might find it's just same-old same-old stuffs. not quite exciting but something for the week day I suppose.  the lack of signage made it's quite difficult to find, or just me being silly, even they hand you a map.  I recommend that you should spend at least half a day, following the map, which cover whole Clerkenwell road area to finish this task. it would be more fun if I bloody wore coat and shoes!  Don't forget that it's still on for another 2 days.  Enjoy!

LULU pin up. what a playful and clever idea!  basically, you just push yourself against those pin and here we go!

From Creature collective, Supafrank. under the concept that the few simple components can be interchanged using just one tool- a mallet- to make up a stool, a hook and a light.

a map

some cool postcard i collected from the event

Caren Garfen, contemporary textile artist. her work is inspired by women and their housework!

one more time with British design event!

We love summer!!  it brings all cool stuffs to town! my summer lists this year are Love box weekend, BBQ at Victoria park, BBQ at London Field and more BBQ&Beers! be a bit more productive, shall we?  and tomorrow is the 1st day of Clerkenwell Design Week 2011!  I'll post all images up as soon as I've been there.  Now for you,who interested, register at their website to get a free ticket (I suppose it's free, however, registered is required)  Clerkenwell Design Week is on from tomorrow 24th-26th May, in various venue but around Clerkenwell road.  Hope to see you there!

Shopping for gifts

It was a long long day for me today. We went to Caffe Culture event to get all inside information we need for open our coffee shop! it's very exciting, even we still are on a long way to go and don't know what is going to happen. finger cross!  In the East End, you'll find lots of independent shops selling cloths, furniture or a little thing like gifts.   Maiden on Shoreditch hight street is one of them, if you're looking for present or even get yourself a Japanese lucky cat. yes, this is the place!  Simple display, that you don't have to dig through piles of stuffs to get a piece you want.  Small little things in this shop are handily picked by Noah, the owner.  Modern design, quirky and a sense of humor are the concept behind products you'll get from Maiden.  Noah also keeps his price affordable, which absolutely what we're looking for!  I hate looking at stuffs with ridiculous price!  Maiden also hold an occasional event at their basement, like vintage sale or royal wedding exhibition.   So, keep up with their website to see what's new in.  

blue & white stripe created its own character of Maiden. Fun and sweet like a candy

various design of postcards, like 1920's and pop-art

fancy donuts & popcorn?

I love those masks! for fancy party

on your right is a scratch map, which you scratched out what country you've been.

foxy cup anyone?

Last month with Royal wedding theme, which was my 1st post!!

this is a fun sticker to make-up your lighting switch

       

Grantchester

On Easter weekend, we went to Cambridge to see friend which was ages ago. I thought that I wont write about it, however, this morning while going through all images I shot I changed my mind. Grantchester is one of my favorite place so far in the UK. Nothing too fancy, just countryside, tea house and apple tree!  Grantchester is a small village on the River Cam in Cambridgeshire, which is said to have the world's highest concentration of Nobel Prize winners.  Generally, students from Cambridge will punt here for picnic in the meadows or have their tea at The Orchard.  Imagine having your tea & scone under the apple tree in the sunny day...arrrr  my mind's just blown away.  one thing I'd complain is I want to have my tea in a lovely tea pot&cup!!!

lovely building, cottage-style, everywhere

River cam,that you can punt from Cambridge town to here, takes about 30 mins

Victoria sponge, Coffee walnut and scone with tea. yum yum

big chunky scone

apple orchard

                the cow gang we found on the way back

Urban-country kitchen

hello Monday from the country! when I'm not in London I feel like doing nothing, which I shouldn't. small town just gives me a holiday sort of feeling I assume.     right. Here is a lovely family home of Brindle,which included Warran, Tara and the girls, up in Shrewbury where we went last weekend.  If you got a family, I suppose everyone would say the kitchen is the heart of the house.  Space which mum is cooking while the kids are doing homework and out there at the garden, dad is planting!  Their kitchen got an urban-country look, which I like.  modern but warm.   The country style gives you all the touch of warmth and homey.  However,of course, the young professional like the Brindle don't want their home look like an old granny. So, mix-match with urban design items easily created the modern look to the house. The way to create a country touch without using all those old-scary country furniture is apply materials like wood and brick-tile pattern to its space. Simple as that! 

it's all about tea towels!

check hunkydoryhome, inspitalfields for urban-look stuffs 

quirky Korea

Another time that Asian food comforted me, both spiritual and familiar taste. We went to little Korean restaurant having lunch, which well cheap and yum.  To be honest, I prefer the one next door because of variety in their menu but not today. my friends rather eat in the place that serves you fun than taste... who cares about taste we need somewhere cool! (just only joking)  This little quirky Korean at Tottenham Court road allow you to post your comment on their (actual) wall, sound like facebook. Also loads of, well I got to put 'cute', stuffs like stickers for your notebook, paper dolls and more.  Their foods were good just not many choices to choose, maybe that help to make your order easier.  Shame that I was too hungry, so shot just atmosphere of its place none of food images.