Sculpture and texture at the Soap Yard

October 18, 2022

There’s nothing better than a sunny, lazy Sunday and our trip to Parrillan in the newly opened Borough Yards will take quite a bit to beat. Not only was there great food and a relaxing space, but there was also a visit to the nearby Neal’s Yard Dairy, a great unexpected sculpture and of course, time to check out the loos.

Painted sign on brickwork - black text on a white background saying Soap Yard this way and an arrow pointing right

It wasn’t until we were through the bricked arch that I turned round and spotted the painted sign to the Soap Yard - the brickwork, and the neon signs pulled me towards them, but I soon backtracked to admire this too. Both are from different times, but both are equally design classics aren’t they?

A brick archway looking through to a new building with decorative brickwork and neon words in a grid (some of which are lit) on the corner

Once through the arch and after taking a photo of almost every brick, I noticed the globe sculpture titled The World Reimagined - Stolen Legacy: The Rebirth of a Nation, which is by Alison Turner. It’s one of 103 unique globes across the UK which explore the history, legacy and future of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans.

Alison Turner is a mosaic artist who uses recycled vintage bone china, broken and discarded pottery, glass, ceramic tile and porcelain ornaments to create unique artwork. Her globe at Borough Yards was fantastic, and it’s the sort of piece that not only has deep meaning, but one that every time you look at it you’ll spot something different, and be enchanted again.

A large sculptural globe made from mosiacs at Borough Yards — The World Reimagined - Stolen Legacy: The Rebirth of a Nation – Artist: Alison Turner

We were early for our lunch reservation so took some time to wander around the space admiring yet more brickwork, and the structures they formed. I couldn’t help but notice and admire the curved reception desk at Parrillan which I’m sure was chosen to echo its surroundings.

The entrance to Parrillian which is under the arches, with a curved reception desk complementing the smooth lines of the arches curves

The courtyard is softened by olive trees and other plants all of which have a backdrop of brick buildings which surround the area

It soon became clear though, that texture had been given a lot of thought. Even the lemon meringue pie - which was as tasty as it looks - adopted the brief.

A portion of lemon meringue pie with a scorched meringue top, alongside is a sorbet resting on a biscuit crumb

And in the loos it was once again evident, with the panelled metal sheet on the ceiling, the smooth sink surrounds and the curves and symmetry of the mirrors and wall lights, demonstrating again that you can be adventurous with texture in a relatively small space.

In the loo, the sloping almost corrugated ceiling covering painted an olive green

A snip of the symmetry of wall lights between two curved wall mirrors

Black taps inset in the wall above the sink, the sink inlaid into the same cream stone top

A toilet selfie also showing the curve of the thinly edged black mirror

Back outside we moved from our table to a less formal space to end our meal. There were a few discoveries there, not least the heated seat pads (not pictured). Who knew, what an invention though sadly we had no need for them on our visit, but definitely something to try on a future, slightly chillier visit!

The modern wooden bench also caught my eye for its simple elegance, and the texture it too brought to the space. Alongside it the planting introduced more, the needles of the pine and the underplanting of soft mossy mounds. That’s how you do texture.

A birch 3 seater bench with decorative detail - slits - adding texture to an inviting spot to sit

Alongside the bench is a large pot containing a large evergreen, the photo focuses on the surface of the plant which is also potted with mounds of soft, bouncy pale green moss

Looking down on a pot of succulents potted up with a softer almost clover-like leafed plant

But also, succulents and small frothy ferns. What a combination.

Cheese, wine and hummingbirds

July 7, 2022

Isn’t it always the way, that something almost on your doorstep is often not somewhere you go as much as you should. You mean to, but never quite get there. And that’s true for us and the wine bar in our London village. It’s been there a while now, and may even have changed hands, but we finally went along and had a relaxing evening.

It was a busy night there though, with live music which added to that. Thankfully we’d booked which was just as well as the people arriving in front of us were turned away, or at least had a bit of a wait for a table to become available. Our table was towards the back of the wine bar, which was great as it meant we had a good spot to watch the to-ing and fro-ings from the kitchen and were able to soak up the atmosphere of the live music but still manage a conversation.

Rather than opt for a ‘proper’ meal - and by that I mean a main course we decided on a more informal approach choosing cold cuts, a bistro salad, bread and a cheese platter - and a bottle of wine or two. It made a pleasant change to sit and chat, and reminded me of nights gone past spent in a wine bar in Covent Garden, which is probably no longer there - and probably hasn’t been there for a while.

But of course, I couldn’t leave without checking out the loos - which weren’t quite what I expected. In my mind’s eye, they would be typically French matching the atmosphere and decor from the wine bar downstairs. But they weren’t, they were full of hummingbirds with a modern touch - and I loved them.

hummingbird tropical wallpaper with an oak door with black wood surround

looking up to two statement ceiling lights

me against the oak door as a backdrop in front of the white sink unit with the hummingbird wallpaper wallpaper

The cheese alone is worth going back for, and I’m pretty sure this won’t be our only visit. Somehow drinking wine and eating cheese feels so much more relaxing when you’re out, maybe it’s as simple as knowing you don’t have to do the washing up!

Three cheeses and a chutney on a black slate

Tropical loos in the City

April 7, 2022

I’ve realised that the past couple of posts have a bit of a tropical feel to them, and yes, here’s another. I’m not sure what this means - is it that tropical things are having a moment, or am I just being drawn to them? Does that mean I need to head to a jungle, or decorate in the same style? I’m not sure, but I know that the lushness of each of the posts is definitely appealing - and if you scroll back, you’ll see that while there’s the tropical theme, each of the posts are pretty different.

And this one’s different too, after a fair break thanks to the pandemic, I’m back visiting loos. Or rather I’m sharing the well decorated loos with you - these tropical loos were in Browns in Old Jewry, right in the City of London. I was there meeting friends, one of whom I was due to meet a week or so after lockdown and we’ve only just managed it.

As everyone is discovering for themselves, it’s great to start catching up with each other again even though everyone appears more cautious and perhaps a little out of practice.

A row of six white sinks on chrome legs, a black and white geometric floor

These loos are a little unexpected, but were a very pleasant surprise. You’ll know a standard loo won’t feature here, and this is far from a standard loo. It’s a great mix of styles - classic and more modern, geometric and tropical, brass and chrome - and yet it just works.