Our sensory experiences guide our choices and taste. What may be wonderful to one person may be unbearable to another.
Inspiration can be fed by our sensory experiences. I am a visual person and what surrounds me I either love or am offended by. But I look for inspiration in my surroundings, whether a beautiful autumn leaf, a bird in a tree, or a tea pot with cup and saucer...
The teapots in this photo (by brilliant photographer Beth Evans) were used as props for Ruth Cross' tea cosies on my website. The silver teapot is very dear to me as it belonged to my great grandmother. Originally English, it has spent the best part of a century in Australia, before returning to these shores.
I love the way it feels in my hand, the way the silver has tarnished in places, it reminds me of where I have come from, and where I am going to. More importantly, it inspires me. It is this link between old and new that I am trying to achieve, a rekindling of old crafts in a modern context. This is exactly what Ruth Cross' tea cosies do. The marriage between old and new.
Today is the most inspiring day in London. The sky is blue (for once), the birds are tweeting, a lawnmower is humming in the distance, the sound of planes (of which there is no escape)...and it is a Friday - the most skiving yet inspiring day of the week. The promise of a sleep in and a drink at the pub.
On the business front? I think I've had enough for this week. Time to crack open the wine and surf for the perfect dining chair to accompany my beautiful new dining table, made by Keith Skeel....any suggestions greatly appreciated
