Tiles and style at the Curious Pig

We’ve been to the Curious Pig in the Parlour in West Sussex a couple of times now for Sunday lunch, and I think we’ll be going back. it’s a great name for a pub, but it’s also a great place to eat, and the interiors are pretty special too. It’s a much bigger space than we realised on our first visit, and the interiors often had a quirky touch.

The stripey deer picture was above our table, the colours and its simple frame makes it work. And looking at it again it would be relatively easy to replicate with a stencilled cut out and washi tape. Hmmm, now there’s an idea...

But it wasn’t just the artwork that appealed. Look at that flooring, tiles that wouldn’t look out of place in Portugal, wooden floors, comfortable banquette seating for our alcove table, which was generous for just the three of us, but very welcome as we felt connected but cocooned from the general hubbub of a busy pub.

So I had high expectations of the loos, and I wasn’t disappointed. The simple, but effective, grey-green tiles were the scene stealer.

The hooks were pretty special too though.

And it’s a Ladies with towels to dry your hands on. Way preferable, and much more hygenic and sustainable than the hand dryers you often find.

And yes, more pictures of the tiles. Though it seems a closer look shows some gaps in the grouting. And an even closer look (and yes I did) they may not be as unique and irregular as you first think, as the ‘pattern’ in the glaze repeats. That said, they’re still pretty and despite MOH not being a fan of this shape of tile (too municipal lavatory, apparently) I’d be willing to put my case forward for these.

Finding inspirationally decorated loos, is always a win. What do you think, are you a fan of this decor, or is your style something different?

Silken pottery

It’s been quiet on here the past week or so, and that’s because I’ve been on a bit of a mission and something had to give. Turns out it was this space which I love, but now the mission is mostly accomplished I’m expecting to catch up with myself, or a least a bit more than i have recently. The mission - more on that on Monday, as it really is quite dull - involved photos and this post is as a direct result of some of the photos I’ve rediscovered.

Some like these, I intended to share here but somehow never got around to it, and others I’ve wondered why I’ve kept, if not why i even took in the first place. But that’s the joys of digital photography, I guess, though I’m pretty sure I’ve some actual photos that fit into the same category!

But anyway, back to today’s post. These photos are shamefully from 2016 and my visit to the London Design Festival, and they are amazing. Well, not the photos, the content.

They are fragments of pottery covered in silk, and then put together again to reform the original item, or part of the item. And they are exquisite.

It’s not so obvious with the items above, but the photo below shows the amount of work, and very neat stitching, to cover each fragment. The items fit together again so well, as they’re broken specially to create these beautiful pieces.

I know that I was totally mesmerised by these, and we spent quite a while speaking to the creator of these. Sadly though, along the way and over the years, I’ve mislaid (or not found again yet) the details of the maker. I wish I had them to hand, because all this time on I still think they’re great, and knowing this now, I’d happily part with some cash (and no doubt a fair amount of it) to own one of these.

Sleepers two ways

For today’s ‘flowers on Friday’ post we’re back in the pavilion at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show making a short stop at the Daisy Roots display. The flowers are in full bloom as you’d expect, but look more closely and you’ll see that the sleepers and their versatility that also shine.

The first is the less common way of using sleepers in gardens, but one that’s effective nonetheless. Standing them on end to form a retaining wall was our original intention for where we eventually ended up placing our gabion seating area. Our change of plan wasn’t because we didn’t like the look, but more because of the amount of work, and digging out, that would be needed. And for us it was the right decision, especially as we now know how many tree roots we’d likely encounter.

I think it’s a good look, and an effective way of creating a retaining wall, but I think I’d go for a more level top so that it could more easily double up as an impromptu place to perch. In fact it was the challenge of cutting the sleepers that also put us off, research told us that cutting sleepers wouldn’t be an easy feat. When we installed sleepers in our garden a couple of years ago, where we bought them from also cut them to our measurements for a small fee, which was well worth it.

You’ll remember that it quickly became a favourite spot for a cuppa. And it seems I’m not the only one, as there’s a cup and a book on sleeper bench in the photo below, so now it seems this post really should be titled ‘sleepers three ways!’

The second - or perhaps third - way of using sleepers on this stand was as sunken ‘stepping stones’ in this gravel garden. I like the look, but it’s not a way that ever occurred to us for our garden. But it’s a great way to get up close to the flowers isn’t it?