Charles Lutyens - Outraged Christ Sculpture

At Icon Interiors, we are constantly looking at the art world for inspiration, and this powerful installation by Charles Lutyens at St Paul's Church Bow Common in London is an inspiring piece of work.

Named the “Outraged Christ”, this wooden sculpture of Christ crucified stands 15ft tall and is made of soft and hard ‘found’ wood beams and planks, split by axe and intuitively applied to the body of the sculpture by drilling and dowelling, using a construction adhesive and shaped largely by chainsaw and broad chisel.

Lutyens created the head 30 years ago and held its image and intent in his mind for most of this time. 5 years ago he began to explore the sculpture further.

More generally Crucifixions depict suffering, wounded or dead, ‘sleeping’, sweet and beautiful or apparently forgiving Christs. However, in the course of work Lutyens’ sculpture has grown into an “Outraged Christ”. For him this interpretation is significant and relevant for our present times, and resonates particularly with the question “what are we doing”?

Charles Lutyens - http://www.charleslutyens.co.uk - is an artist working with various media, including painting, sculpture and mosaics.

Exhibition of work by Charles Lutyens - 25th June to 23rd July 2011 St. Paul’s Church, Bow Common, Burdett Road, Bow, London E3. Open Wednesdays - Saturdays 11am to 7pm

Yastik is a new boutique selling exclusively luxury cushions has just opened off Kensington High Street, London. A contemporary display of over 150 cushions with over 100 designs takes you into a world of riotous patterns and colour.

Yastik (which means cushion in Turkish), was created in Turkey five years ago from the collaboration between Rifat Ozbek and Erdal Karaman. The collection is designed with exotic and beautiful fabrics that Ozbek has collected over the years from his travels around the world. Each design is produced as a limited edition and each season brings a new collection.

The collection includes a mix of cotton and silk fabrics and velvets. The designs include vintage, new and custom-made mainly from Central Asia. They are all hand died, hand loomed and hand printed. The hand-embroidered Suzani fabrics are made to Ozbek’s selection of old Ottoman patterns. The cushions are truly bespoke and sizes follow the patterns which means that the range includes over 15 sizes of squares and rectangles.

Shop details:

8 Holland Street, London W8 4LT

Monday to Saturday – 10am until 6pm

Tel: 020 3538 7981

Iconic Design at Harrods

Christopher Guy's iconic designs can now be found in a spectacular new showroom at Harrods. These overscale designs are perfect for the proportions of Victorian and Georgian Houses, and give a quirky twist to any interior design scheme.

At Icon Interiors, we have used this tall chairs in a dramatic hallway, teamed with italian chandeliers and bespoke rugs.

Composition is key when arranging furniture, and we often use this 'pyramid' formation of two tall chairs, with a central console and large mirror or painting to bring the whole composition together.

We like to view each room elevation as a separate view, and consider balance and proportion for each wall. This furniture has an Alice in Wonderland quality because of its huge proportions, and is an iconic statement for any interior design project.

Voyage Enfants

We were recently contacted by a client to check if we could decorate a young teenager's bedroom. The client had become frustrated at limited options offered in the high street, and her daughter had outgrown the ubiquitous princess themed bedrooms.

We suggested the Voyage Enfants range of fabrics, which contain appliqued fabrics with fashion motifs in muted peacock blues and fuchsia.

To work with the craftwork/vintage trend, there are also hotpotch style fabrics with patchwork flowers and florals. We suggest keeping the walls in simple neutral colours such as Farrow and Ball All White, and using the soft furnishings to add splashes of colour.

For older teenagers, other fabric ranges by Voyage Boutique may also appeal, as they have an artisitic/painterly quality to them, continuing the vintage style theme with Baboushka motifs. Additional colour can be added by high gloss lacquer painted furniture.

Voyage Fabrics

At Icon Interiors, we are always looking for new fabrics which are not available on the high street, and we have recently become suppliers of a range of fabrics by Voyage Decoration. The styles range from simple, muted greys to painterly, rich colours.

The Couture collection takes inspiration from the

catwalk, with embellished silks and linens, finished with swarovski crystals. The soft voiles are textured like origami, and fabrics are embossed to create texture.

The Lorient Studio Line collection takes inspiration from impressionist

paintings, with splashes of bold colour, floral motifs and botanical prints.

We are often asked if we have a signature style, and we encourage clients to understand that we aim to access the client's personal style by spending time with them in their home.

Good design takes into account the architecture of the building, family lifestyle, as well as aesthetic considerations. So we are delighted to offer a wide range of products to suit all client styles.

An Aga Saga...

One of the interesting parts of our interior design business at Icon Interiors, is working with clients to design a bespoke kitchen. Our painted kitchens can be styled with contemporary stainless steel fittings or be transformed into a country style kitchen by including traditional items such as an Aga or a Rayburn.

These traditional ovens can be fuelled by a variety of sources, such as gas, oil and wood burning - they can also be converted to electrical supply, which can be an attractive option given recent oil price rises. It also is possible to re-engineer solid fuel cookers to run on oil or gas, and vice versa. It is also possible to switch between fuel types. Lately, there has been an increasing demand for electric AGA cookers running off a simple 13 amp circuit. AGA Twyford in conjunction with AGA Rangemaster Ltd., are in the forefront of this technology and can offer fully authorized on site conversions as

well as detailed factory changeovers together with complete or partial renovations.It is important to find a reputable supplier and conversion company for all of these products as there are many considerations to be taken into account, ie ventilation, placement, and maintenance.

AGA Twyford Limited (formerly Twyford Cookers) was started by Ian & Rose Norman in 1990 and is the only Aga cooker renovating company authorized by AGA Rangemaster Ltd. to carry out the worldwide professional restoration of AGA cookers. See their website http://www.twyford-cookers.com for further details.

A Quintessentially English Velvet Rose...

In a quaint Hampshire village, the quintessentially English quirky designs by Marsha Swanzy have developed a cult local following. Based on treasured finds at auctions, flea markets and car boot sales, Marsha transforms antique furniture with vintage fabrics. The upholstered furniture is now transformed into an heirloom piece to be handed down through generations.

Marsha's background in fashion design, combined with experience as an upholsterer, ensures her shop, Velvet Rose, is fully stocked with bespoke vintage clothing, furniture and jewellery.

At Icon Interiors, we could use Marsha's designs for commercial projects, such as gastro pubs and boutique hotels, or for holiday cottages for our London clients. Velvet Rose is based in Whitchurch, Hampshire and for further details see the website http://www.marshaswanzy.co.uk/.