Friday 27 January 2012

Q is for Quote...

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"We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words - to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.

That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses and nymphs and elves — that, though we cannot, yet these projections can, enjoy in themselves that beauty, grace, and power of which Nature is the image. That is why the poets tell us such lovely falsehoods. They talk as if the west wind could really sweep into a human soul; but it can't. They tell us that "beauty born of murmuring sound" will pass into human face; but it won't. Or not yet.


For if we take the imagery of Scripture seriously, if we believe that God will one day give us the Morning Star and cause us to put on the splendour of the sun, then we may surmise that both the ancient myths and the modern poetry, so false as history, may be very near the truth as prophecy. At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in." ~
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Maria S.C. Test Tube lamp

Inspired by Nobel prize winning scientist Maria Sklodowska-Curie aka Marie Curie, Polish designer Pani Jurek at GangDesign created this versatile lamp out of plywood bands and wait for it.. detachable test tubes which can be dressed up with a variety of decorative fillers. Flowers, vines, sand, multicolor liquids, beads, crystals... your imagination is the only limit! Too clever. Definitely going on my 'Gimme' list.

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all images via gangdesign

Sunday 22 January 2012

I want to go to there..

Booktree at Lloyd's of Kew Booksellers

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
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Heaven on earth.. or close enough.


From Ulrike Bulle, former owner of Lloyd's: 

"I commissioned the booktree for my bookshop in 2006 and it was designed and built by Tim Vincent-Smith - Isn't it lovely?
 

The tree stems came from an island in the Thames nearby, where Tim was living on a boat. They were covered in little wood worm holes but we assumed that they would have died in the water... Wrong! They came crawling out in the comfort of my shop! We had to coat the thing in woodworm poison for a few weeks. Now my own house is full of books of course and I'm dreaming of installing a booktree there..."

*swoon* I wouldn't mind one myself! minus the wormy invaders of course. Vintage books make me happy-clappy!


images via Ulrika Bulle
Booktree design by Tim Vincent-Smith.