Just over a year ago, I wrote a post on the subject of primeval style and the new Dark Ages. The design world seems to have picked up on this trend. For those wishing to kit out a cave, or adopt a primordial lifestyle, product designers have come up with ... Read More...
Design
In London, almost every other tree seems to have a ‘low trees’ sign. The other day, I was driving along wondering what bus drivers did, not so long ago, before these ridiculously obtrusive signs were erected… Then I thought of an amusing challenge for fellow Dabblers: How about dabbling in a ... Read More...
Here are the highlights… they were twinkling all over the ceiling in 1980s wedding reception style. There was even a DJ spinning disco tracks to buy art to - and the room was rocking. Whether or not they had money to spend, on Thursday night, The Affordable Art Fair was ... Read More...
Postmodernism became enmeshed in the commercial culture it originally set out to critique. Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970-1990 opens at the V&A today – and money is a major theme. The exhibition includes one of Warhol’s famous pop art dollar signs, from 1981, as a testament to this. And a ... Read More...
This post will be short and sweet as I’m rather pressed for time: London Fashion Week, the London Design Festival, London Open House and my birthday party are all happening at the same time this weekend. I've just a few moments to share a some photographs taken at Somerset House, when ... Read More...
In June 1908 the British magazine The Strand received a submission to its ‘Curiosities’ column from one Mitchell T Lavin of Cincinatti, Ohio. Mr Lavin enclosed a calligraphic representation of the word ‘chump’ which, when turned upside down, still read ‘chump’. He added: “I think it is the only word in ... Read More...
Despite the furore over loans, today’s university students are a privileged lot. As recently as the 1980s, we were locked inside our halls of residence at night, had to share bathrooms and make do without the luxury of even a landline telephone. I was in one of the first years of ... Read More...
This time next year it will already be over. So how will we keep our memories of the 2012 Olympics alive? By shopping for souvenirs, of course. On visiting the Museum of 1951 at the Royal Festival Hall recently, I was struck by the high quality handiwork and timeless design ... Read More...
Philip Wilkinson is the author of over 40 books, including The English Buildings Book, and most recently The High Street, written in conjunction with the BBC TV series. Happily for us, he’s also the curator of the English Buildings Blog, a firm favorite here at The Dabbler. In this new ... Read More...
Philip Wilkinson is the author of over 40 books, including The English Buildings Book, and most recently The High Street, written in conjunction with the BBC TV series. Happily for us, he’s also the curator of the English Buildings Blog, a firm favorite here at The Dabbler. In this new ... Read More...
