out and about :: tent

I rushed back from the West Country on Saturday and headed straight over to the East side of town for this year’s TENT, and boy was I glad I did!

Hosted in the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane; Tent London is one of London Design Festival‘s edgier events…… featuring forward-thinking design across all disciplines, including contemporary and vintage design, architecture and interiors.

Here are my best bits:

20age have covered this vintage Parker Knoll in over 5000 Brazilian luck charms. The lucky riboons are traditionally tied around the wrist, with a wish made for every knot, which will come true when by the time the ribbon falls off. Here they create a fabulously fun and quirky chair design.

Inspired by folded paper sculptures; this gorgeous folding chair is suitable for outdoor use and folds flat incorporating a carrying handle. I’m always happy to see some aesthetic appeal injected back into useful objects.

Furniture Magpies‘ rather lovely pieces of furniture are made entirely from… pieces of furniture – I suspect Martino Gamper thought of the idea first, but nonetheless, these are quirky and charming examples of my favourite type of recycling.

I’m a sucker for a bit of felt!

Another wonderful example of reusing rather than recycling; Zoe Murphy promotes the idea of ‘loving what belongs to you’ by printing images inspired by her seaside hometown, Margate, onto vintage furniture and textiles. She’s my top tent pic – to quote Will Farmer “grab her designs while you can afford them”.

Further reading for the especially geeky:

• The Gipsy Furniture Collection by A+Z Designers (design-milk.com)
• Lab Craft Exhibition at Tent London (design-milk.com)
• London Design Festival 2010: The emerging design nations (telegraph.co.uk)