An Eventful Weekend

My weekends usually involve freelance work, catching up on design blogs and creating a bum sized sinkhole in the sofa. So this, and last weekend, have been absolutely mental by comparison. WARNING: picture heavy post.

As I mentioned last week, we had Olympic tickets for wrestling. It was...an experience.

The atmosphere was fantastic as expected, but despite the brilliant MC and pop anthems blaring out of the surround sound, it was just a bit, well, dull. Thank God for my iPhone and a fully stocked bar at the venue. Together, they were a sort of refuge from the repetition.

I can only, for a certain amount of time, observe grown men trying to tackle each other to the floor before my eyes begin roll to the back of my head.

I'm watching the closing ceremony as I write this though, and I can't help but feel a pang of sadness that it's all over. It's been an amazing 2 weeks, an I'm so appreciative that I got to be a part of it.

After the wrestling, we headed to the cable cars (the queue was huge, but the wait was only about 30 mins) which we took across the Thames to North Greenwich.

Hmm, not sure I want to do that again. The view was breathtaking, but I was slightly uneasy with the height. I'm not afraid of heights per se, but swinging in the breeze from a wire in a glass pod made me nervous.

But the fun didn't end there folks.

You may or may not have heard of Bompss & Parr. They're the duo who brought London a Willy Wonka inspired chocolate waterfall, a pool filled with 4 tonnes of Courvoisier cocktail, and a walk through mist of vapourised gin and tonic.

Initially founded as English jelly specialists, Bompas and Parr became a household name when they were rumoured to create a glow in the dark alcoholic jelly for Mark Ronson's birthday party. They have been unstoppable ever since and are renown for their creative events. They're also personal friends of ours and time after time I'm amazed with their projects, which is why this morning, I woke up like a kid on Christmas Day excited about the day to come.

The latest Bompas and Parr event, crazy golf, opened on the roof of Selfridges earlier this summer. The course features models of London landmarks as obstacles and even a waterfall, on top of the famous department store.

It was absolutely brilliant.

After 2 rounds, we grabbed a table at the Daylesford organic cafe which sits adjacent to the course. One drink somehow turned into a bottle, and of course, jelly made an appearance. We sat there for ages, drinking prosecco and basking in the sunshine.

So there you have it, the entire fun filled weekend. If you get a chance, you must check out this event! As for me, I may just need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

The Big Rooftop Tea & Golf Party runs until 2nd September. 
http://style.selfridges.com/whats-on/big-rooftop-tea-golf-party-selfridges-london

Trending in Design : #Wood Paneling

I would hardly be surprised if the first thing you thought of when I mentioned "wood paneling" was -

a. A winter cabin
b. Knotty pine
c. Your nan's house

Much like it's compatriots from the 80's, brass and neon, wood paneling has made a huge resurgence lately. It's like there's been a reunion and they're all hanging out again.

But don't be fooled, this is hardly your nan's paneling.

Photo | House to Home

Photo | House to Home

Photo | Merrypad

Photo | Freshome

Photo | Regines Kreativiteter

You can pull this off on the cheap as well, using salvaged wood (tutorial here).

Photos | The Lettered Cottage

Photo | Design Sponge

Photo | Sasufi

I think this trend works best when combined with clean lines - teaming with furniture too fussy or traditional makes the danger of veering back to an 80's aesthetic all too real.

If you do want to try this, why not...

 
Also, if you're thinking of installing paneling, be mindful of the tone of the wood. If the colour reads as too yellowy-orangey (yes, that is a technical term), once again, it can look dated.

Heed my warning...or you may just end up with a room resembling this one -

Photos | Ugly House Photos

2004?! Wait, what?  Whoa.

Olympic Fever

When I found myself glued to sailing of all things on the television a few days ago, was the moment I realised I had totally been sucked into the Olympics.

Don't even get me started on the trampolining. I have already found a place that offers sessions and I can't wait to try it!

I honestly fear that when this is all over, I may spiral into a post Olympics depression.

I was lucky enough to see 2 events this weekend: football at Wembley and synchronised swimming at the Aquatics Centre.

Football (Senegal v Mexico) started off rather slowly, with Mexico scoring 2 goals in the first half. However Senegal then equalised in the second half, and the match transformed into a full on, edge of your seat battle that went into overtime. Mexico won in the end (4-2).

As for synchronised swimming, I was SO excited! Not only did I grow up watching it on TV in the Olympics, but I also used to always try the moves in the pool and at the beach (to no success). My excitement was only stoked by the fact that the architect of the acclaimed Aquatics Centre, Dame Zaha Hadid, is a personal hero of mine.

As a woman, and a muslim, Iraqi born Hadid has broken many barriers in a field that is very much still a boys club. The first woman to ever win the Pritzker, she is also the holder of the RIBA Stirling Prize, for the second year in a row.

The centre, which loosely resembles a wave shaped space craft from the outside, is flanked by two wings which extend the seating capacity for the games (these will be replaced with glass once the games are over).

Unfortunately for us, our seats were in the nosebleed section of one of these wings. The feature I admired so much from the outside, the dipped roof line, was the very feature that somewhat obstructed my view of the inside...

 The view of the Olympic Park from the building was spectacular at least.

The swimmers were amazing, however after about 15 minutes of snapping photos, they all started to look exactly the same - lots of water, limbs in the air.

We left a few minutes early to beat the crowd, with Russia leading at that point.

The whole experience was a surprisingly stress free one (even with the downpour), and interestingly enough my favourite thing about the park is the flowers! There are wild flowers and trees planted in abundance, which slightly takes the hard edge off the landscape.

I am going to one more event next weekend. Wrestling.

Yes, wrestling.

Although I have no clue what to expect, I'm still very much looking forward to soaking up the Olympic atmosphere.

Trending in Design: #Neon

When I was at uni, I owned a pair of (deep breath) yellow, red and orange trimmed neon pink pointy flats (and exhale). They could only be described as a secret love child of this + this. I wore them with everything, and because it was art school, they barely registered a glance.

When I moved back to the Bahamas however, I got stares....accompanied by finger pointing and/or laughter. I didn't care though. I wore my "artsy fartsy" badge proudly and on a small island, ridicule came with the role.

I've since toned it way down, yet not only does my love of bright colour remain, but it is also now bang on trend. Neon my friends, is BACK.

Photo | Unknown

...And this isn't just an interiors fad - it's on fashion runways and can be uber chic, as documented by Luxe Report.

I think neon is best executed in small touches, for example a cushion, lamp, or single piece of furniture, in a neutral setting.

Photo | House & Home

Photo | SA Decor

Photo | Apartment Therapy

Photo | Architectural Digest

Photo | NY Times

Photo | Houzz

 If you want bold, an accent wall is the way to go. After all, it can be easily repainted at any time.

Photo | House Beautiful

Photo | Bungalow 5

I ended up chucking those shoes out a couple years ago in the midst of a de-cluttering rampage. And now of course, I want them back. What can I say, I'm a sucker for trends.

Photo | House & Home