Designy goodness

The first weekend I was here, it was Open House London. This week, it's the London Design Festival, and a very old friend from Singapore is in town to present YOLO at Designersblock London 2010. At the preview last night, we kibbitzed about design, Singapore and London, while visitors circled the YOLO installation curiously and squatted to add their scribbles to the piece. I said to him, "Wah, you got black balloons ah? Not pantang?"

Today we wandered the Brompton Design District, beginning with a delightfully mushroomy tea at Brambles Cafe, part of the Super Natural project. It was somehow apt on the first day of autumn, to be sitting in a converted garage space that had been curated in the spirit of a living forest. Or maybe I was just high on the woodland scent concocted by Francis Kurkdjian for the occasion.

My friend asked me if the designy stuff I see winds up in my writing. I responded promptly, "No" --- then added, "It's more like ... part of the environment ..." Was that the right word? It'd have to do. "... ya, the environment." I gestured vaguely around my head. No, not like a crazy person.

Speaking of writing, I was gleeful that I snagged a ticket to see Simon Schama speak at the London School of Economics last night. He rambled, as you'd expect storytellers to do, and particularly extolled the virtues of William Hazlitt (while acknowledging the latter's foibles as well). More things to add to my personal reading list ...