Cath Kidston

 

Cath Kidston is one of Britain’s favorite designers and best known for her vintage inspired homewares, clothing and accessories. She began her career as an interior designer before opening her first retail shop in London in 1993. In her new book ‘Coming Up Roses’, she tells her story of highs, lows and learnings that saw her business grow to become one of the country’s bestselling brands. It's a great example of a self-taught, female entrepreneur who built something amazing out of nothing. The book takes you on a journey of how she came to be a household name starting with Kidston as a little girl playing shop at home, to her growing up and searching car boot sales to find beautiful treasures to sell in her actual shop.

http://www.cathkidston.co.uk

British package design

I love the design and packaging of British products in the supermarkets.
From the Design Council: Packaging on a supermarket shelf has less than three seconds to grab the attention of a consumer. Those three seconds are exceedingly important when you consider that more than 70% of purchasing decisions are made at the shelf. Add to this the fact that supermarkets can contain on average 40,000 packs to choose from, then that pack has got to work hard.

Packaging’s role is threefold:
To sell the product
To protect the product
To facilitate the use of the product

http://designmuseum.org
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/packaging-design

http://lovelypackage.com

International Contemporary Furniture Fair

Just saw the ICFF today in NYC. From their website: North America’s premier showcase for contemporary design, the ICFF annually lures those in determined pursuit of design’s timely truths and latest trends to an encyclopedic exhibition of up-to-the-moment offerings, as well as a series of fascinating, fun, and edifying programs and a packed schedule of supplementary exhibits and features.

I was most impressed with the various rugs and wallpapers. So many colors and textures! Check out the recycled jeans rug, the hot pink fur rug and the yellow sparkle wallpaper! Fun!

http://www.icff.com/