Open House London

This past weekend was Open House London, a showcase for architecture and design throughout the city, and as my friend B, an architect, was here for the weekend visiting from Berlin, we went to see a lot of things. I wouldn't have known about it if she hadn't been here!

First, in my neighborhood, we went to this building which I had always assumed was offices; but no, it's a gallery space:



We also went to a design-y furniture on Curtain Road, the name of which I can't remember.

The next day, we met up in Notting Hill, on Portobello Road, and then walked and walked, til we came to a somewhat desolate looking street, where there were lots of little Portuguese cafés, and we had a lovely breakfast.



Behind us, we could see this 31-storey building, which I don't mind as part of the landscape, but I'm not sure I find it as amazing as the German architects did; they love it.



It's the Trellick Tower, by Hungarian emigré Ernö Goldfinger. It's a council estate, but apparently the uber-cool are buying up flats there. Inside, it looks very 1970s modernist, very much parts of East Berlin. Maybe this is why my German architect friends were so impressed by it? Here's the view from the 18th floor.



From here, in West London, we got onto the canal - a different part of the same canal that's in my neighborhood in East London. And we walked and walked. This part of the canal is called Little Venice:




Wrong turn:



Back on track, the canal meanders through Regents Park, and through the zoo that's in Regents Park. On one side, there were hyenas and warthogs (not together!), but I couldn't get a picture, they were running around, and refused to stand still long enough and / or in a spot where I could take a picture. On the other side, there was a gigantic cage with ibis:



Now I would like to go to the zoo for real.

And finally, my new project, the Harvest Mittens from vogue knitting. I really love them, the picture doesn't do them justice.



I finished the Luna Dress, it's drying in the kitchen, I'll post photos of it as soon as it's dry! I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the flouncy sleeves. I might have to rip them back and give them straight sleeves... We'll see.