Chandeliers and staircases inside ONE Marylebone

As well as admiring all the loveliness from the makers at MADE London I couldn't help but take some time to admire the venue, ONE Marylebone. In its previous life it was the Holy Trinity church and was built in 1826-28 to the designs of Sir John Soane to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon. Sir John was England's finest architect in the Neo-Classical style; his works are renowned for their clean lines, simple form, decisive details and clever use of light sources.

He designed only three of London's churches, and this is one of them; it was the most expensive and is now considered to be the most architecturally distinguished. You may have heard of him, his best known work was the Bank of England in Threadneedle Street, a building that it's said had a widespread effect on commercial architecture and there's also a museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields.

It was only in 1956 that the Holy Trinity church was declared redundant when it became the headquarters of the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. Interestingly Penguin Books started life in the crypt in the 1920s.

From the outside it's pretty impressive, but inside it takes your breath away.

Well it did mine.

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As you enter, there's a staircase on each side of the building leading to the galleries. 

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There was plenty here for me to like. The chandeliers. The large arched windows showing glimpses of London at night. The balustrades and their decoration, but most of all the hand pointing the way painted onto the stonework.

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Once I stopped taking pictures of the stairs, chandeliers and windows we made it up to the galleries which are the most contemporary and bright part of the building. They form a U shape around the Soane Hall downstairs, but had the most decorative ceiling roses - and the chandeliers here too, looked completely right for the space.

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Back downstairs, we went into the Soane Hall which is rightly described as the "jewel in the crown." It's over eight metres high and is an impressive size as well with mosaics and stained glass windows, but it was the ceiling that got me.

The green, the simplicity, but oh the effectiveness. 

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But it seems we weren't quite done with chandeliers. It seems there's always place for another one in a building as grand as this.  We spotted this one as we left the Soane Hall and made our way towards the staircase to the Crypt.

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It wasn't the only thing we saw as we made our way there. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted this very gold corridor. It seemed such ornate wallpaper and such a rich colour to be hidden away, so I decided to investigate.

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And guess what I found?

Yes, the Ladies!

So not only is this a spectacular venue, it's one with some pretty fancy toilets too.  

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Love This #63: Coin jewellery by Rachel Eardley

Shortly after stepping through the doors at MADE London I found myself in front of some of the most exquisite jewellery I've ever seen. I know that's a big statement, but just look:

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The more I looked, the more I saw. And I started to wonder...

And yes, each of the pendants above are made from cutting the design from a coin. Rachel uses real coins and turns them into the most stunning jewellery. I wanted to dig out my purse and check just what designs were on the coins I had, but I resisted well, until later anyway.

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before and I love how an everyday object - and one that's so functional - becomes so beautiful with Rachel's craftsmanship. I've since looked on her website and she says

"I am inspired by the simple day to day objects in our homes..."

Truly stunning work Rachel.

 

Disclaimer: I was given free entry to MADE London, but all words and opinions are my own

Love This #62: A Christmas tree Turkey from Fine Cell

This is another post from my visit to MADE London, and this time it's about the one thing that I bought that evening. Yes, I bought a turkey!

Last night at MADE London, I bought a turkey...

A photo posted by Stephanie Robinson (@lifeat139a) on

And despite the comments that it wouldn't feed many, I do think it's rather cute. There were plenty to choose from and in the end I went for the one above with the tweed body.  I want to tell you about the organisation that's behind this and much more.

"Fine Cell Work is a social enterprise that teaches needlework to prison inmates, enabling them to learn a useful skill, make beautiful objects and re-enter society with the independence they need to stop re-offending."

The text above is from their website and it was interesting to hear more about their work that evening. It seems odd to encourage crafts like this, but I know just how calming I find crafts so I can see why this would be a good thing in this type of environment, for all inmates. And I can't help but think it's more conducive to a calmer prison life than other activities, knives and hot, steamy and potentially fraught kitchens spring to mind.

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As well as the turkey ornaments I fell for, there were christmas puddings and acorns. And that wasn't all; the SWAG bags raised a smile and the cushions were just beautiful.

This takes place in prisons all across the UK. Inmates are taught and supported by volunteers from the Embroiderers and Quilters Guild and the creative needlework is undertaken in the long hours spent in their cells, and aims to foster hope, discipline and self-esteem. 

The prisoners are paid for their work, which is sold around the world. Some like those I saw at MADE London are perfect for unique handmade gifts, others are pieces for interior design commissions and others heritage pieces for organisations such as the V&A, English Heritage and Tate Modern amongst others.

This year I'll be proudly hanging my turkey on my tree.

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