Wee Birdy

Best of London shopping: Lapin & Me*

For those who may have missed my story in Time Out, here are some more pics from my latest fave shop in London, Lapin & Me. The newest arrival to the independent shopping haven that is Columbia Road (well, it's actually just around the corner on Ezra Street, but near enough), Lapin & Me stocks a fanciful and French-y range of limited-edition dolls, design-led products, stationery, homewares and children's clothes.

Wee Birdy is also super-chuffed to have served a tiny role in the creation of the real bricks-n-mortar shop. Apparently owner Madeleine James was inspired by the Columbia Road Christmas Wednesdays post last year, and started looking around the area for the perfect premises.

On my shopping wishlist is the hand-stitched "one-eyed" doll (see top pic, £36), Nathalie Lete's illustrated "Parisian shopper", and a Fatina doll brooch (£21). There are also glass jars on the main counter brimming with the most delightful pocket-money goodies, like Alain Gree labels (£3.50), vintage stork & baby sets (£2) and Tooth Mouse boxes (£3.50).

Don't fret if you're out of London - you can dig into this whimsical treasure trove online at www.lapinandme.co.uk.

Lapin & Me
14 Ezra St
London E2 7RG
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Friday 11am-2.30pm
Saturday 11am-3.30pm
Sunday 9am-3pm

Click here for more shops in East London.

* Please bear with me - I'm flying back to my Sydney nest so I'm digging into the Wee Birdy archives for a couple of weeks. Normal posting (and ace new London shops) will resume shortly. xx

For those who may have missed my story in Time Out, here are some more pics from my latest fave shop in London, Lapin & Me. The newest arrival to the independent shopping haven that is Columbia Road (well, it's actually just around the corner on Ezra Street, but near enough), Lapin & Me stocks a fanciful and French-y range of limited-edition dolls, design-led products, stationery, homewares and children's clothes.

Wee Birdy is also super-chuffed to have served a tiny role in the creation of the real bricks-n-mortar shop. Apparently owner Madeleine James was inspired by the Columbia Road Christmas Wednesdays post last year, and started looking around the area for the perfect premises.

On my shopping wishlist is the hand-stitched "one-eyed" doll (see top pic, £36), Nathalie Lete's illustrated "Parisian shopper", and a Fatina doll brooch (£21). There are also glass jars on the main counter brimming with the most delightful pocket-money goodies, like Alain Gree labels (£3.50), vintage stork & baby sets (£2) and Tooth Mouse boxes (£3.50).

Don't fret if you're out of London - you can dig into this whimsical treasure trove online at www.lapinandme.co.uk.

Lapin & Me
14 Ezra St
London E2 7RG
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Friday 11am-2.30pm
Saturday 11am-3.30pm
Sunday 9am-3pm

Click here for more shops in East London.

* Please bear with me - I'm flying back to my Sydney nest so I'm digging into the Wee Birdy archives for a couple of weeks. Normal posting (and ace new London shops) will resume shortly. xx

Best of London shopping: Shop at Bluebird*

I finally paid Shop at Bluebird a long, overdue visit last week, and I’m delighted to report that it’s looking better – and dare I say more accessible  – than ever. But it’s difficult not to be impressed and a little over-awed by the listed art-deco location alone (the former Bluebird garage), let alone the beautifully edited collection of fashion, books, music, homewares, vintage, and skincare products.

While it’s loosely divided into departments, all sorts of found objects, accessories and artworks are scattered throughout the 10,000 square foot space. Here, for example, you’ll find 1950s American glass milk bottles (£18) sitting on an oversized French farmhouse table, next to a rack of glorious Erdem frocks.

I really loved the selection of vintage greeting cards as well as the fabulous brioche mould pendant lights by Sally and Mark Bailey. The range of playful pastel-coloured ceramics by Berlin-based Kuehn Keramik was also a highlight.

The women’s fashion department is extensive and carefully considered, with labels ranging from Jasmine de Milo, Alexander Wang, Peter Jensen to Elizabeth and James, Luella and Richard Nicoll. Shoe-wise there’s Rupert Sanderson and Vivienne Westwood, while the jewellery cabinets are stuffed with Marni gems, vintage fob watches and Nymphenburg porcelain pendants.

There’s also an excellent spa with Micheline Arcier (Prince Charles’ aromatherapist of choice) joining this month along with an exclusive treatment menu. Right now you can pick up skincare products by the likes of Malin + Goetz and Ole Henrikesen, but keep an eye out for Aesop and Bigelow, which should be arriving over the coming months.

What’s most appealing is that the shop is constantly evolving, with new designers and pop-up spaces keeping it fresh and relevant. Launching its international project in the pop-up room this week is French label Kitsune (next stop is Colette in Paris). Then there’s Atelier Abigail Ahern, the new homewares concession which brings Islington interiors (and some rather lovely Jonathan Adler ceramics) to the Kings’s Road. I was also (predictably) excited to discover that Rob Ryan will be curating the Christmas shop this year.

Whatever you do, don’t leave without a twirl around the spacious dressing rooms, which are in the process of being decorated by individual designers. I’m looking forward to seeing the Bobby Dazzler dressing room (think hand-crafted creature feature!), but I rather liked the room with the incredible sepia photo collage.

Shop at Bluebird
350 King’s Road
London SW3 5UU
Tel. 7351 3873
Nearest tube: Sloan Square
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

* Please bear with me - I'm flying back to my Sydney nest so I'm digging into the Wee Birdy archives for a couple of weeks. Normal posting (and ace new London shops) will resume shortly. xx

I finally paid Shop at Bluebird a long, overdue visit last week, and I’m delighted to report that it’s looking better – and dare I say more accessible  – than ever. But it’s difficult not to be impressed and a little over-awed by the listed art-deco location alone (the former Bluebird garage), let alone the beautifully edited collection of fashion, books, music, homewares, vintage, and skincare products.

While it’s loosely divided into departments, all sorts of found objects, accessories and artworks are scattered throughout the 10,000 square foot space. Here, for example, you’ll find 1950s American glass milk bottles (£18) sitting on an oversized French farmhouse table, next to a rack of glorious Erdem frocks.

I really loved the selection of vintage greeting cards as well as the fabulous brioche mould pendant lights by Sally and Mark Bailey. The range of playful pastel-coloured ceramics by Berlin-based Kuehn Keramik was also a highlight.

The women’s fashion department is extensive and carefully considered, with labels ranging from Jasmine de Milo, Alexander Wang, Peter Jensen to Elizabeth and James, Luella and Richard Nicoll. Shoe-wise there’s Rupert Sanderson and Vivienne Westwood, while the jewellery cabinets are stuffed with Marni gems, vintage fob watches and Nymphenburg porcelain pendants.

There’s also an excellent spa with Micheline Arcier (Prince Charles’ aromatherapist of choice) joining this month along with an exclusive treatment menu. Right now you can pick up skincare products by the likes of Malin + Goetz and Ole Henrikesen, but keep an eye out for Aesop and Bigelow, which should be arriving over the coming months.

What’s most appealing is that the shop is constantly evolving, with new designers and pop-up spaces keeping it fresh and relevant. Launching its international project in the pop-up room this week is French label Kitsune (next stop is Colette in Paris). Then there’s Atelier Abigail Ahern, the new homewares concession which brings Islington interiors (and some rather lovely Jonathan Adler ceramics) to the Kings’s Road. I was also (predictably) excited to discover that Rob Ryan will be curating the Christmas shop this year.

Whatever you do, don’t leave without a twirl around the spacious dressing rooms, which are in the process of being decorated by individual designers. I’m looking forward to seeing the Bobby Dazzler dressing room (think hand-crafted creature feature!), but I rather liked the room with the incredible sepia photo collage.

Shop at Bluebird
350 King’s Road
London SW3 5UU
Tel. 7351 3873
Nearest tube: Sloan Square
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

* Please bear with me - I'm flying back to my Sydney nest so I'm digging into the Wee Birdy archives for a couple of weeks. Normal posting (and ace new London shops) will resume shortly. xx

Birdy pick of the week

Animal portrait digital archival prints, starting from US$10, from Berkley Illustration's Etsy shop.

Goodbye London, hello Sydney

Well, it’s an end of an era here at Wee Birdy. I’ve decided to move back to my hometown of Sydney. It was a heart-wrenching decision that I've agonised over for months, and although I'll never tire of this wonderful old town (never, Dr Johnson!), things seem to have come to their natural end. For the time being, anyway.

So what will this mean for Wee Birdy? Well, not much will change as I have been very busy squirreling away loads of London shop reviews, which I’ll be posting about once I’m settled in Sydney. And eventually I’ll introduce you to some of my favourite Australian shops. I guess Wee Birdy will take on a more global feel in time, and I'm already planning regular trips back to London to 'top up' my posts. 

In the meantime, I will be posting “The Best Of’ London shop reviews over the next two weeks, before normal blogging will resume.

But it's goodbye London for now...
Goodbye riding in the front seat up the top of a double-decker bus
Goodbye getting mugged
Goodbye marvellous weekend newspapers
Goodbye hot air vents on the buses in summer (oh why oh why?)
Goodbye Tatty Devine, Rob Ryan and Alex Monroe
Goodbye 2am bagels on Brick Lane
Goodbye foxes crying like tortured banshees in the middle of the night
Goodbye proper afternoon tea with clotted cream
Goodbye Sherlock Holmes tiles at Baker Street tube station
Goodbye eternal queues at Monmouth coffee
Goodbye University Challenge and the ever-excitable voice of Roger Tilling
Goodbye perfectly formed snowflakes that sparkle in the weak morning sun
Goodbye Central Line, you served me well (most of the time)
Goodbye narrow lanes and hedgerows in the countryside
Goodbye Sunday roast dinners with Yorkshire pudding
Goodbye sugar mice and Parma Violets
Goodbye brilliant, wonderful Guardian mini mag supplements
Goodbye wild buttercups growing outside Greenwich park
Goodbye picking over 400-year old clay pipes on the banks of the Thames
Goodbye incredible museums and art galleries
Goodbye Time Out (and thanks for employing me in the middle of a recession!)
Goodbye lazy Saturday mornings trawling the stalls at Broadway Market
Goodbye skidding on icy streets because the council couldn’t be arsed to grit
Goodbye daily repeats of Friends on E4
Goodbye 'three for a fiver' bunches of flowers at Columbia Road
Goodbye dusty old bookshops (and rather odd owners) on Charing Cross Road
Goodbye 4pm darkness in December
Goodbye glorious Knickerbocker Glory at Fortnum & Mason
Goodbye pretty little blue tits in the tree outside my window
Goodbye limescale sludge in my tea
Goodbye sitting in the bar at the Tate Modern watching the sun go down
Goodbye walking up Piccadilly in the rain
Goodbye having ice-creams in Hyde Park on green and white striped deckchairs
Goodbye robins in the snow
Goodbye peat bog man at the British Museum
Goodbye getting lost again in Soho
Goodbye ring-necked parakeets in Greenwich park
Goodbye car boot sales
Goodbye Tunnock's Teacakes, how do they make your marshmallow so soft?
Goodbye some of the shittiest customer service I’ve ever experienced in my life
Goodbye installations in the Turbine Hall
Goodbye Waitrose and M&S ready-made meals
Goodbye crazy tile mosaics at Tottenham Court Road tube
Goodbye Selfridges’ Christmas windows
Goodbye people who don’t move down into the carriage
Goodbye geese and squirrels in St James’s Park
Goodbye London sales
Goodbye coots on Regent’s Canal
Goodbye Charbonnel et Walker powdery-pink champagne chocolates
Goodbye shiny mahogany conkers in autumn
Goodbye pink petal showers in spring
Goodbye cheese, coffee and cake at Borough Market
Goodbye grey squirrels - I know I'm not meant to like you, but I do
Goodbye South Eastern trains coming to a standstill within inches of the platform at London Bridge
Goodbye to all my wonderful, wonderful London and UK friends, hope you all keep reading… maybe I can treat you to a coffee in Sydney some time?

Goodbye London, thanks for having me. It’s been a treat and I'll miss you terribly (sob!).

Wee find: Colporter

Colporter is a new London-based online interiors shop, specialising in vintage items such as Routemaster bus blinds, suitcases, trunks, school maps, antlers, advertisements and European shop signs.

I love the Hungarian grain sacks, which can be stuffed with fillers to make rather lovely bench cushions, as well as the framed Routemaster bus blinds, which start at £125 (I've seen them elsewhere for over £200).

A wee birdy told me that Colporter are currently looking for London premises to open up a real bricks and mortar shop. Exciting news, indeed, considering their competitively priced stock.

A wee trip to Copenhagen, Part 2

Stilleben
Dedicated to ceramics and glassware, this bijou boutique has a strong emphasis on Danish design, representing around 30 local designers. If Royal Copenhagen china isn’t quite your thing, you’ll find plenty of gorgeous alternatives here. I love this rather organic collection of coloured vases - so very pretty.
Stilleben
Læderstræde 14
1201 Copenhagen

Ida Davidsen

A trip to Copenhagen isn't really complete without sampling smorrebord (Danish open sandwiches), and nobody does them better than the legendary Ida Davidsen. Offering a mind-boggling 250 different types of open sandwiches, it's a cosy little restaurant to stop and refuel.
Ida Davidsen
Store Kongensgade 70
1264 Copenhagen
Tel. 45 3391 3655

Christiania

Home to a hippy community since the early 70s, Christiania is an autonomous neighbourhood just south of the city. Tourists are welcome to walk around and take in the markets, street art, galleries and vegetarian cafes (not to mention the heady whiff of weed in the air). I took these pics just outside the ‘no photography’ zone.

Lagkagehuset

Row upon row of fresh pastries and cakes line the shelves of this perfect Danish bakery, which is just past the bridge of a pretty canal. It’s all rather overwhelming, but trade is brisk on the weekends so you will have plenty of time to mull over your purchases. If it all proves too much, just point at the nearest, plumpest, juiciest Danish (the pastry, not a person).
Lagkagehuset
Torvegade 45
1400 Copenhagen

A wee trip to Copenhagen, Part 1

I spent a short but very sweet weekend in Copenhagen last year, which is an exceptionally pretty town with lots of treats for design obsessives. Everything you've heard about it being expensive is sadly very true (no cheapie Georg Jensen/ By Malene Birger/ Arne Jacobsen for me!), but I would have loved to have spent a wee bit longer and explored further afield. Still, I discovered quite a few gems on my travels. Here are some of my highlights...

Crème de la Crème a la Edgar
This utterly gorgeous boutique may be for (very fashionable) babies and children, but that didn't stop me from sighing over the incredible styling as well as the eclectic collection of toys and gifts.

Featuring an excellent (though very pricey) range of own-brand children’s knitwear alongside a selection of niche fashion labels, it’s definitely worth a peep - even if it’s just to catch a glimpse of the vintage wallpaper, floral-print cushions and brilliant ‘70s-style string art.

Crème de la Crème a la Edgar
Kompagnistræde 8
1208 Copenhagen
Tel. +45 3336 1818

Noma
I was just about giddy with excitement when we booked lunch at this double-Michelin-starred restaurant, which is renowned for its Nordic cuisine and innovative use of local produce.

It's been billed as the third best restaurant in the world (behind elBulli and The Fat Duck), but nothing quite prepared me for just how exquisite it all was, from the animal pelts draped over the chairs to the series of ingenious amuse-bouches designed to tickle the senses. A single egg arrived on a bed of steaming straw, followed by crispy pork sprinkled with the prettiest edible flowers and a snowy dusting of powder. Then there was the potted vegetable, which you were invited to pluck from the edible 'soil' in a teracotta pot. It was all rather theatrical and extraordinary.

I had heard that the three-course lunch menu was quite reasonable at around £30 per head (considering its Michelin-starred status and all), but the wine list was unexpectedly astronomical, with prices starting at around £70 a bottle (the average price was double that). I know this is where restaurants really make their profit, but I was quite scared my dear old dad was going to have a heart attack. Should have stuck to the water. Still, it was an amazing and unforgettable experience.
Noma
Strandgade 93
1401 Copenhagen
Tel. +45 3296 3297

FN.92 Vintage

A treasure trove of the finest vintage clothes, FN.92 stocks an impressive collection of frocks dating from the 1850s, as well as costume jewellery, headpieces and bags.I particularly loved the collection of cotton ‘50s day frocks lined up outside the store. But just one thing: mind the (seemingly innocuous) steps on the way down to the shop (don’t ask).
FN.92 Vintage
Larsbjornstræde 6
1454 Copenhagen
Tel. +45 3313 2050

Part 2 coming tomorrow.

A wee trip to Copenhagen

Here's a sneak peek of my trip to Copenhagen last year. It was a just a weekend break, but I somehow managed to squeeze in quite a few lovely things. Check back for some of my highlights tomorrow...

Birdy pick of the week

Bird print leggings, US$45, from Malu's Etsy shop. (Thanks to Beyond the Pale for the tip!)

Wee find: Free downloadable Valentine's cards

Forgotten to sort out Valentine's Day tomorrow? Can't be bothered and/or don't want to buy into the whole commercial nastiness of it all, rah rah rah? If you're so inclined, then you may like to check out these marvellously birdy Valentine's Day designs, courtesy of digital design studio Ollibird. Seriously minimal effort required, too. Thanks to Urban Mums for the super tip.