Fig1.2 - Opening Our New Shop

Designing and building our second shop has been a personal creative journey for me. 

The process of opening our second shop has been quite an exciting journey. We first took a look at a new unit at Bristol's Wapping Wharf back in August. Wapping Wharf is a unique development. It's in the docks in Bristol on a previously little used piece of land which has now been opened up as a walk way from South Bristol to the city - a route that takes you into the historic harbour to some of the best of Bristol. More than that, though, and more than other developments of a similar nature it has embraced Bristol's independent and creative spirit, from the metal work detailing by local craftsmen on the buildings to the now bustling selection of completely independent businesses in the area. The man who runs the development company for Wapping Wharf, Stuart Hatton, has been clear from the start that he wanted to create an independent and sustainable community here, not a run of the mill estate. Some of the best of Bristol has gathered at Wapping Wharf and so it was with great excitement that we looked into opening our second outlet there.

For me in particular it has been an opportunity to build something new on to what we already have. Creativity, making new spaces and new businesses are all part of my DNA - my Mum and Dad had several businesses when we were growing up and my Dad was a carpenter. Some of my first interests in interior design were born out of working with the family and so it feels in many ways that Fig2, as we now call the second shop amongst ourselves, was the culmination of years of experience. For me it was like we had a chance to take all the best bits of what I've learnt over the years of running Fig1 and make them sing: a chance to take apart and reassemble the business to really show off what it has become.

I love the process of planning, designing, imagining and building: of learning and creating. 

It's a long and sometimes tiring journey but it is filled with creativity and that is the really good stuff - the stuff I thrive on and love. Nothing beats the satisfaction of getting to the end of  a long and carefully planned project; being able to look at your work and say "I made this".

The process began by redesigning our branding for Fig1 - updating our logo, and developing some brand patterns and styles for our graphics. I worked on the brand update with my sister who is an illustrator. It was a learning process for both of us, but we wanted to do this work ourselves so that what we came up with was a set of graphics which really speak about Fig1 and which are appropriate to the business. What we came up with married design elements - geometric hexagons and rhombuses, an asterisk motif - tied together with more natural elements - paint splodges, textures and pen lines. To us, it's a frame work in which we can speak visually about the creativity and design we love.

This graphics work was first as we wanted it to inform the interiors. I've worked many times with my Dad on interiors projects, helping him design and build furniture for a delicatessen as well as working on the original Fig1 shop. He's retired now but you never truly put down your tools and so, for the shop build, I had the great pleasure of working with him again. A much bigger space than the other shop, we wanted to keep the design elements clean and clear, to use the new branding and to allow space for lighting and furniture.

Part of the process of designing and building is learning. We wanted to work with new materials - plywood with a laminate finish, scaffold pole, industrial lighting but softened and made flexible enough to change with the business. Bringing all these elements together took research, planning and a hard graft with the final build being done in just 4 weeks so we could open before Christmas. We're thrilled with the results and really enjoying meeting new customers and colleagues at Wapping Wharf.

Fig1 Wapping Wharf opened the Saturday before Christmas but will be having a full launch soon.

To Celebrate opening we have a 15% Discount code active until 1st May 2017 of MyOpenShop to use in store or online - download the voucher!

On Trend with Bloomingville and House Doctor Vases

Find a selection of Bloomigville ceramic
vases on our site.

The natural textures and shapes of ceramics are all the rage this season. Despite a surface sheen to both ceramics and glass, one of the beautiful things I find about them is that the material is natural. I used to work a lot with glass making pieces of stained glass, often kiln firing small pieces. In glass you find small bubbles or seeds, light catches the imperfections in blown glass and refracts light in imperfect ways. Ceramics, similarly, show texture and colour where the glaze has pooled on unusual shapes - thicker in places creating variations - or where the process of firing in a kiln has caused unusual blooms. These small inconsistencies are something to be treasured and celebrated to me. They make each piece unique and unusual - like well worn faces they can each tell a story.



These vases by Bloomingville are a case in point. Collect them and fill with succulents or flowers, a selection on the table is like a landscaped miniature garden full of sculpture, shape, colour and texture and inviting the eye to linger. The retro glass "LID" collection by House Doctor compliments it well and if you buy the brass lid component the vases can become candle sticks. Mix and match shapes and sizes for a truly stunning centre piece.

And if you ever get a chance to work with a kiln and either glass or ceramics I would recommend it. The excitement of not quite knowing what will come out is a joy.

The House Doctor "LID" collection

Stay at Fig1

The kitchen of our new Airbnb with some colourful finds from the shop

My sister recently had a baby boy - a big, bouncing and boisterous baby boy who was so keen to come into the world he was born, as if auditioning for an episode of call the midwife, on a bathroom floor in a terraced house in Totterdown. A true Totterdowner. 9 years ago we decided to start a bright and colourful business in this bright and colourful corner of Bristol - we always loved our area and wanted to bring new facilities to it, but like many in Totterdown we moved here, we weren't born here. However our business was, and like my nephew, it grew and changed. Each time I see him he's a little grown. You can still see the changes but, like the changes to our shop, you really realise when you stop and look back at the first photos just how significant those changes are.

I made this origami shirt from some double
sided paper by Rosehip mounted in a Nkuku
frame

So after 9 years of our little shop in Totterdown growing, doing well on line and becoming a stockist of many different Danish and British brands, we realised we needed to make a few changes to the property we were based in. We've redone our shop layout to allow a much bigger storage and packing area, and this, in turn, has freed up the space above the shop. Excitingly we're now renting this out on as short term lets on Airbnb. It's a self contained flat with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom which can sleep up to 4.

It was a great chance to decorate up the space with some of our favourite finds from Nkuku, Rice, House Doctor and other great stockists. We've had real fun making an eclectic space full of small works of art, finds and trinkets from the shop. We've used simple postcards and graphic art in Nkuku frames, together with some home made art to decorate the place. The kitchen is full of colourful Rice kitchen items, and of course we've used a mix of lighting from House Doctor, Rice and Nkuku to really set the flat off.

Now we've finally finished decorating and the first few guests have stayed with us we'd love you to look at what we've done. Our very first guests were my brother inlaw's family, come to see the baby, already setting down memories so in years time we can all sit down and marvel at how he's grown. It seemed fitting.

Find our Airbnb listing here.

A Warm Welcome After the Rice Spring 2015 Preview in Malmo, Sweden

Colourful, welcoming, bright, bold and a little bit crazy - not a list of adjectives you associate with Scandinavian crime drama. However Malmo, where we have been invited to preview Rice's Spring 2015 stock, is just over The Bridge from Copenhagen airport. Yes - the bridge from The Bridge. Øresund Bridge. For two Brits abroad it's an interesting start to the day, to be driven across the hugely long span between Denmark and Sweden, the low coast lines of both countries barely seeming to break out of the water amidst forests of eerily silent wind turbines. We islanders are not used to such international mornings - at least on the ferry to France there's time for a nice cup of tea.

Kristina's home near Malmo is full of
welcoming spaces for socialising

Luckily for us, the lingua franca between the Danes and the Swedes is English so we don't have to get too far outside of our comfort zone. Over dinner later that evening one Swedish blogger asks me if I'm Danish. I tell her that no, I'm English - did I look Danish? and she says maybe and that she just thought I had only been speaking in English for her sake - "we can't understand the Danes, they sound like they are speaking with porridge in their mouth". The Swedes generally seem to consider the Danes to be extremely laid back - a way of being which they think extends to their lazy way of talking - so many written sounds are dropped or half pronounced that, although the two languages are closely related, they cannot understand the way the Danes speak. Certainly the time we have spent in Denmark recently shows them to be a very informal. hospitable and friendly nation.

But if this Danish laid back and homely style is supposed to be in contrast to the Swedes, then the
particular Swedes we met have definitely caught a dose of the Danish. After the preview day we were lucky enough to be invited back to Kristina's beautiful home in the Swedish countryside together with about 12 other Swedish bloggers and buyers. Kristina works for Rice in the south of Sweden but definitely lives her work - her house is stylish, colourful, beautiful, eclectic, welcoming and just a tiny bit crazy, but of all these adjectives the most important for Kristina seems to be welcoming. To invite colleagues and customers to your house is one thing, Kristina was actually hosting 5 or 6 of her clients overnight and had decided to feed us all a beautiful feast too. "I just love to have visitors" she told us, as we helped ourselves to salads, pulled pork, dips and pita breads which she managed to conjure from nowhere. 

And her house reflects that welcoming hospitality - there are plenty of areas to sit and chat, with

An inviting, open and welcoming kitchen greets us after the preview day

The scene already set for us includes a warm and welcoming table

chairs facing each other, not solitary or facing a TV screen. Places which have been designed for chat and socialising. The kitchen is abundant and open, with dishes stacked high in vibrant blobs of Rice colours - inviting you to help yourself, to be happy, to eat, to drink. Visiting that house made sense for me of why we love working with Rice - that kitchen made sense of it. We have always loved feeding people, socialising with people, talking and eating together more than anything else. If there isn't food in the fridge and a drink in the cupboard to share with friends who happen past then home isn't home for me. And apparently this is a sentiment shared by all around the table that evening. It's a sentiment which Rice as a company is built on, from its strong ethical values to its bright and welcoming style. There are quirky and unusual finds including many lamps and candles dotted around invitingly and most of the pieces Kristina has chosen seem to be picked to make you smile. And that, in turn, makes you comfortable and relaxed. 

Below are some more pictures of Kristina's fabulous house and a preview of the some of the Spring
2015 finds from Rice. I hope you enjoy them.

by Mark Fletcher

---

The Rice Spring 2015 collection is peopled with quirky, bright and colourful creatures. Living life in glorious Technicolor seems to be raison d'etre of all Rice products. The creatures on board this colourful life journey are fun and playful and bring a smile to your face. A full album of finds can be found on our Facebook page. 

But see the way Kristina styles her home with these colours and creatures and you'll see that as well as playful and fun, it can also be sophisticated. Below is a selection of some of the amazing lighting pieces Kristina uses in her house. The cosiness of using so many low lights and candles, together with her use of pattern, shows a great way of working with Rice and other designers to produce a colourful but sophisticated effect. Once again, a complete album of images used from Kristina's home can be found on our Facebook page.

Colourful Christmas Inspiration

Owl Candle Holder by House Doctor

I've become obsessed with my camera of late. In the Spring I treated myself to a Canon 70D and it has become my constant companion, my friend and my plaything. I may even be a little in love with it. Remember when you were young how certain presents at Christmas invaded your imagination with their newness and you couldn't stop playing with them? I was like that with every set of Lego Technics I was ever bought and I'm like that now with my Camera. And like Lego, it keeps it's newness because there is always another bit you can bolt on - lenses, lights, flashes and tripods - and always new things you can make with it.

Last week I had the opportunity to help style a Christmas photo shoot for a magazine with a friend of mine - Kirstie Young - an inspirational photographer. It was a great opportunity to combine the visual styling side of my day job with some practical experience and learning from a great photographer. The day left me inspired to put together my own Christmas shots for Fig1.

Below is a sneak preview of some of the Christmas table ideas I've been working on. We have a collection of more traditional decorations in the shop too, but this was a chance to experiment with colour. Working so closely with the Danish company Rice for the last few years has been a shock treatment in the possibility of quirky and unusual colour combinations - I love throwing different colours into the mix and seeing what combinations take flight in my imagination. Some combinations come alive when you put together, seeming to tug at you invitingly. So why not? While I have the chance to play with colour and experiment with my camera, why not build, make and create something different?

_________________

by Mark Fletcher

In the pictures: I've taken some of the geometric and metallic influence from our other Danish companies House Doctor and Bloomingville and added in some crazy, quirky Rice-style colour combinations - mostly thanks to their beautiful ceramics - to get a non-traditional Christmas look. For me, a neutral background is essential to any bold use of colour to keep a sense of calm and to make the colours you want sing out. 

The presents in these pictures are wrapped in House Doctor double sided wrap, again with unusual quirky geometric patterns, the double sided nature of the wrap means you can turn back an edge to reveal a stripe of the pattern on the reverse of the paper. 

Character, fun and playfulness: characters like the Owl candle holder, bird and gnome candles add a sense of fun to an otherwise sophisticated setting. I like having something in the room which makes people smile when they see it. The photo below is my favourite from last years Christmas photo shoots and it still brings a smile to my face.

Keep an eye on our Facebook fan page for more Christmas ideas as we get closer to the big day and check out our Christmas section of the site and the Rice ceramics section for most of the products used in these photos.

Competition Coming Soon....

We have a competition to win 2 Rice kids storage baskets arranged with the Green Parent Magazine - out on 7th November - grab the magazine off the shelves or keep an eye on our Facebook fan page or our blog for more details around that date.

Summer Moods 2 - Indian Summer

The Indian sub-continent has had a huge influence on decorative arts across the globe, particularly during the 19th Century when plant motifs common in Indian design since the 17th Century became the height of fashion in British society. But whereas modern production techniques, modernisation and globalisation has changed the way decorative objects are made, and indeed appear, India is still the home of small-scale artisan production. Our favourite fair trade company Nkuku taps into this wealth of skilled craftsmanship which India epitomises, including the hand-decorated Eva enamel range and much of their mouth-blown recycled glass. The second of our mood boards puts together an Indian theme for the summer, not strict in provenance but with a feel of Indian influence on design. We hope you enjoy it.

As with all our mood boards, we have 15% of selected items from the theme our our site.

1. Etched Glass Pot - Clear and Antique Brass by Nkuku
2. Mint Hand Painted 3 Arm Metal Candle Holder with Birds and Flowers by Rice
3. Melamine Side Plate in Assorted Bird Prints by Rice
4. Hoopla Glass Bottle by Nkuku
5. Laboni Silk & Linen Scarf by Nkuku
6. Plastic Glitter Picnic Glasses by Rice
7. Hand Painted Eva Enamel Tiffin by Nkuku
8. Background - Paper by Nella

Summer Moods 1 - The Village Fete

Strawberries and cream, Pimms and lemonade, hay bales and the tombola ... the Village Fete was the highlight of life in every Cotswold village for miles around when I was growing up. It wasn't summer unless you were batting a rat or racing with three legs, a spoon and an egg - in a sack whilst singing along to the Wurzels. In celebration of summers past and this summer yet to come, we've put together the first of our "summer moods" selections. And to get the party started, they're all in our summer moods 15% off offers on our site together with a few other choice summer party bits.

We're developing some other mood boards so watch this space for more ideas and offers.

1. 10 Cake Decoration Sticks Assorted Designs by Rice DK
2. 10 Paper Cake Decoration Cones 5 Assorted Prints by Rice DK
3. Kids Sequin Masks 6 Assorted Designs by Rice DK
4. Small Paper Lantern Available in 2 Assorted Prints by Rice DK
5. Original Bunting by Engel
6. Melamine Bowls in Assorted Prints with Lid - Set of 3 by Rice DK
7. Carnival Set of 3 Cake Tins by BlissHome
8. 6 Picnic Plastic Wine Glass with Glitters Assorted Colors by Rice DK
9. Paper Cake Stand in 2 Assorted Prints by Rice