All Things Considered: January edit

Lamps, suede bags, boots and stainless steel, plus thoughts on custard and early 2000s films

Can you believe it’s five months since I launched A Considered Space? My biggest fear at the time was running out of things to say but I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface! I’ve got a list of 100+ topics saved in my notes and I’m still experimenting to find out what works and what doesn’t. I’ve noticed that with each passing week, a few more of you leave comments and I love that! It’s great to know who’s reading and it gives me the chance to learn more about what you’re all interested in (otherwise it’s a bit like doing a presentation and asking if anyone has any questions but no one speaks 😅). On that note, I read that it’s apparently uncool to use certain emojis now (Gen-Z are a beautiful mystery) but I’m too scared of misunderstood sarcasm, so I’ll just be here with my yellow laughing faces forever…

When I started this newsletter, I planned to do a weekly ‘All Things Considered’ round-up of the homeware/places/clothes I’d been bookmarking but after the first three posts, I realised that weekly was too frequent for it to feel authentic (to me). If I’m busy with work, I don’t browse the shops at all – physically or online – and if I don’t see anything I love, I wouldn’t want to send you filler content for the sake of it.

By making my All Things Considered series monthly, it means I can share the things I’ve actually bought (or would if I could afford to). Plus, it’s a regular opportunity to include the chatty stuff I’d send to friends on WhatsApp but hadn’t found the right place for on Substack, until now!

This month features several investment buys with higher price points but that won’t always be the case – it just depends on what I’ve been searching for at the time. Rest assured I never pick things at random for my edits – there’s a specific reason why I’ve chosen each item and if I wouldn’t buy it myself, it won’t be included here. Hope you enjoy and please do recommend A Considered Space to a friend if you think they’ll like it – every restack or share makes a difference!

As Limp Bizkit once said, keep on scrollin’, baby.

Lumina Italia Daphine floor lamp, £656.20

The only reason I haven’t bought this reading lamp yet is because I keep toing and froing between the nickel and black options. I do need to hurry up though as design classics such as this gradually get more expensive with each passing year. If you’re in London and want to see this lamp in person, Aram Store in Covent Garden stocks it. Interior designers Ilse Crawford, Ben Thompson and Vincent Van Duysen all use this lamp liberally in their projects, not that I needed any more convincing.

Faeger Shop Freida bench, £1,800

If I’ve called this once, I’ve called it a hundred times, Studio Faeger is going to be BIG one day. Fun fact that it was founder Vix’s right-hand woman Lucinda who tipped me over the edge and convinced me to join Substack after a chat in their tiny central London shop/studio. Anyway, this cushioned bench (a dream for the foot of a bed) is a slimmer version of Faeger’s excellent footstool and I think both options are timeless. I also love the simplicity of the straight leg.

The Diarist pair of vintage mirrored wall lights, £280

I always try to remember to check The Diarist website when I’m on the lookout for a great vintage wall sconce, lamp or vase. Their selection is brilliant and they stick to quite a restrained colour palette, which makes everything on the page look like a cohesive collection. I have my eye on a pair of candle sconces but it’s this pair of triangular mirrored wall lights that I really want to find a space for. They’re very cool without making a big song and dance about it.

Gil Schafer’s new book, published by Rizzoli, £31.50

I already have architect Gil Schafer’s previous books (The Great American House and A Place to Call Home) so I was chuffed to see that Rizzoli is publishing a new one in Feb and I’ve pre-ordered it already. Gil’s work is especially appealing to me – a Brit in London – as homes just don’t look like that here and I love a bit of architectural escapism. I’ve linked to Amazon as they’re the cheapest but obvs support your local indie seller if you can. I read a charming interview with Gil the other day on Cabana Magazine’s website, so I’ve linked that here.

Howe London’s segmented Swedish-style mirror, from £1,948

Howe is expensive but also annoyingly good. Everything from their cushions to their side tables to their sofas. It’s all RIGHT up my street and their custom-sized segmented mirrors are very much my jam too. I’ve long loved Swedish-style mirrors but the original vintage ones (by makers such as Glas & Trä) tend to be quite small and narrow, so it appeals that I can choose the size with Howe’s version. There are similar mirrors on the high street for less but they have cheap-looking sprayed metal frames and faux foxed glass – this one is timeless.

Jack Penny’s ‘Fast Food’ series via The Dot Project, £POA

I saw Jack Penny’s work pop-up on my Instagram a while ago and accidentally forgot about him, then a visit to The Walmer Castle pub a few months ago reminded me. They have excellent interiors designed by Isabella Worsley and Jack’s drawings feature heavily in one of the cosy rooms. I loved his playful Fast Food series (you have to love a brawling crab) and although most of them – including my favourites – are sold, The Dot Project gallery still has one left. I still wanted to share here regardless as he’s an artist whose work I’ll be watching.

Zara Home 160x230cm brown wool flatweave, £59.99

This rug is so well-priced in the sale that it’s almost ridiculous and I don’t expect it to hang around for long. It’s described as wool and cotton but the wool content is actually 85% and it’s got a nice melange finish, which stops it from looking drab. It’s dark but in a room painted in a rich, deep colour, this is going to look the bee’s knees. It’s too small for me (though I’m tempted to buy and save for later) but I picture it in an office or tiny reading snug with an upholstered ottoman on top in a bold pattern. Be quick if you want one!

Georg Jensen Koppel stainless steel vase, £127

I took the photos above when I was at Heckfield Place for the day in November. I’ve been looking for a great stainless steel vase for a while now and loved these but I had a brain fart and couldn’t remember where I recognised them from, then my friend reminded me yesterday. Of course, they’re Georg Jensen! I’ve ordered the smaller Koppel vase on the right because I have limited space at home, but if I had room for a dramatic vase on an occasional table, I’d get the big one on the left and make use of its height and wide neck for seasonal branches and cuttings.

Cart House 19th Century Chinese preserve jar, £160

I’ve been looking for the perfect vintage black glazed lamps for years (ideally I want two but would settle for one) and still haven’t landed on the right ones. Well, I have but they’re usually from Anton & K and beyond my price range. I don’t want a new version from the high street, I want the kind of drippy glaze and uneven shape that only old, handmade things have. Some sellers source antique pots and have them converted into lamps, so that’s what I might end up doing too.

Henry Holland Swirl collection, from £40

I visited Henry Holland’s East London pottery studio last week for the press launch of his new mug workshops, but what really caught my attention was his Swirl range. Leftover clay from his well-established striped pieces is reused to make these slightly trippy designs in complementary colours. I’m trying to invest only in classic and relatively plain dinnerware these days (for versatility and longevity’s sake) but I’d make an exception for these.

Galvin Brothers Feathergrass console table, from £1.530

Console tables can be tricky. Either they’re very obviously from La Redoute (no shade intended), they look like they belong in a dentist’s waiting room or they’re a bit too ornate. The other issue is depth – I often see console tables with 50/60cm depths, which is fine if you have a whopping space but in the UK our rooms and hallways tend to be small and skinny. Galvin Brothers’ 30cm depth and elegant tapered leg is perfection for me. It’s versatile enough to work in literally any home, it’s visually light to look at and the shape won’t date.

Colin King for Cultiver cushion, £110

For quality linen, I’m a big fan of Cultiver and I really like this collaboration with interior stylist Colin King. It’s jazzy enough to have grabbed my attention but discreet and timeless enough not to look fashionable (and I mean that as a compliment). The cushions and bedspread will still look great for years to come and it’s almost always my aim to buy well-made things that people don’t immediately recognise.

Jamb Ruhlmann wine table, £POA

This small drinks table from Jamb is a dream piece for me. I’ll never be able to afford it (I don’t even know how much it is - I’m guessing £1500-2000?) but it’s the perfect size to plonk beside an armchair and I love the legs. It’s firmly filed away in my lottery win folder (along with Jamb’s unfortunately sold-out candle collaboration with Moro Dabron).

Rowen & Wren Arlo card lampshade with olive trim, £68

Dramatically tapered and shallow lampshades aren’t widely available in the UK (they were once known as ‘coolie’ lampshades, though the term has offensive connotations so I prefer not to use it). There are a few places to buy them, ranging from Paolo Moschino to Nkuku and Lamp Masters but if you’re looking for off-the-shelf, try this simple card style. The widest size would be great on a very large table lamp base similar to the antique preserve jar featured above. If you’re into decorative art, since this is made from card, you could even channel Alvaro Picardo and customise it by painting it.

Gervasoni Next 142 table, £751.74 || Six The Residence chrome table, £355

I’m very into chrome, nickel and stainless steel side tables but I like to see them in a specific type of room. I think for them look their best, they should be juxtaposed. Instead of buying one for a modern room, place a shiny silver side table in a traditional space with lots of wood, deep colours and rich textiles – it’s great to have something that’s a bit ‘off’ and it will make the most of the reflective surface. Yes, it will be constantly covered in fingerprints but I can accept that. I saw the Gervasoni table on the left in Merci in Paris a few years ago and have been besotted with it ever since. The simple cylindrical table on the right is from a shop I would never usually buy from in truth but it’s much more affordable than the Invisible Collection Luna table I’d really like.

The knits, boots and bags I’d wear now and still love 10 years later

[Includes some affiliate links]

Rise & Fall brown cashmere hood, £85

Rise & Fall’s cashmere hood keeps selling out (it comes in a few colours) and I can’t pretend I’m not tempted. Not sure how people look good in hoods because I don’t – I have a massive head so I look like I’m wearing a wool shower cap – but I do like the idea. They also sell some extremely appealing loose cashmere loungewear sets that would be the cosiest thing to wear on a plane.

Aeyde Uma Mary Jane flats, £295

I love a Mary Jane and very rarely wear heels, so this style from Aeyde is ideal for me. I love my Carel Mary Janes and wear them a lot but these are a completely flat alternative and I love that they’re brown rather than black. The other thing people don’t celebrate enough about patent leather (in my opinion) is how much harder it is to scuff and ruin the toes.

Alhaja Asterina garnet charm necklace, £147

This small jewellery brand sent me a press release last month so I had a little snoop and they have several mix-and-match necklace + charm options. They reminded me of beaded necklaces I’d buy on holiday as a kid and I want to wear this gold-plated starfish with a floaty blouse somewhere warm and beachy, ideally as soon as possible.

TOAST space dyed jumper, £395

I love TOAST with a passion and rarely go a day without wearing something from there but even as a superfan of the brand, the price of this jumper surprised me. It won’t be accessible to everyone but I’ve included it regardless because I tried it on the other day (I sized up to maximise the slouchy look) and loved it. I thought the colour would be too neon but it wasn’t – I felt like a very fancy Kurt Cobain.

Gucci brown leather boots, £1,320

OK OK, these boots are eyewateringly expensive but aren’t they just brilliant and so retro? You’ll keep them for life and I reckon they’d look better the longer they’re worn. They’re crying out for a mini skirt and knit combo in spring and you can’t see here but the back of the heel spells out ‘Gucci’ in gold flat studs.

Blake LDN Mercer vest with brown trim, £275

Full disclosure that I was sent this vest as a gift recently and I love it. The knit has such a beautiful weight and I’m wild about blanket stitching. I have the version pictured but the new season colour is cream with bright red stitching (currently sold out I think?) and that’s going to scratch that ‘pop of red’ itch for everyone who suits red. Alas, I don’t.

Doen Henri top, £230

I’ve wanted this floaty Doen blouse ever since they first released it in 2018. I want to waft around in it all summer long. Annoyingly; my pasty skin plus white clothes and suncream stains don’t mix well, but I’m still seriously pondering it as I think the shape is just so relaxed and pretty but not ‘cute’ (it can be a fine line).

Hunting Season suede and leather shoulder bag, £860

I’m a small bag or just card/phone/keys in a coat pocket type of person BUT now I work from cafes and my beloved coffee shop as often as possible, I need other, bigger bag options. I’m extremely into chocolate brown suede at the moment and I thought this was a great one. My favourite bags are always the quiet ones that no one will recognise.

ME+EM split seam flared jeans, £195

I’ve had these jeans on my wishlist for a few months now and I’ve never once seen them in store. I think I need to bite the bullet and order them online but in principle, I think they’re a great shape and I love the ‘70s style panel inserts on the legs. These fellas will definitely drink up water on a rainy day, so I’d love to wear them with a platform shoe.

Sporty & Rich NY Racquet Club cap, £59

I love the ‘80s athletic vibe of Sporty & Rich. I also happen to love cream caps with contrasting blue or green peaks. I have one of their caps already and to be honest, I do wonder whether people know the brand or whether they just think I’m declaring myself to be Sporty & Rich? You never know in London do you…

Officine Generale Asahi Japanese cotton sneakers, £125

If you’re thinking, aren’t these just the same as Vans but three times the price? No - the toe is slimmer and the cut is ever so slightly higher on the foot. They’re discreet, they look vintage and the shape is more elegant than Vans. I’m obsessive about detail on footwear and micro differences in heel shape (for example) or seam placement can make a shoe perfect or a complete no-go. This is the plain white summer sneaker I’ve been searching for. A dream with blue denim! They’re by Japanese brand Asahi and I bought a pair from Officine Generale last week.

Bottega Veneta flip flap suede and leather bag, £2,420

I can never, ever buy this Bottega bag because – gah – money but isn’t it the perfect roomy shoulder bag? So simple, it will never date and even when it’s bashed around and covered in marks, it will still look good. Such a useful size too – someone please buy and enjoy this beauty queen on my behalf!

&Daughter Edith striped wool polo, £350

I haven’t tried &Daughter knitwear yet but I’ve always wanted to. I’m a sucker for a woman in a rugby shirt and I think this slouchy, striped style will look great worn oversized with flared jeans or a denim mini. I also love the large contrast collar.

Aeyde Laura 45 black suede knee-high boots, £595

Do you know I’ve never owned a pair of knee-high boots? I’ve always intended on buying some as certain skirts and dresses look awkward or frumpy with an ankle boot. They need the full height to work. I love this style – partly because suede (as impractical as it is) is my fave and I think the toe shape and low block heel would lend themselves to an A-line mini, rollneck and sheer tights combo.

This month I’ve been mostly watching films from 20 years ago.

Frances Ha, starring Greta Gerwig

The other day, I had the strongest urge to re-watch Ghost World and it triggered a spree of re-visiting the indie films I loved when I was at uni and in my twenties. Timeframe-wise, we’re probably talking 1996-2012. I watched Frances Ha (who doesn’t adore Greta Gerwig?) and it reminded me of when I first moved to London and could live happily in a houseshare without having a freakout about noise or the fact we used breeze blocks as side tables. I also watched The Squid and the Whale, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Garden State, Igby Goes Down, Submarine, Mistress America and Me Without You. I tried and failed to watch Kids as it wasn’t on any streaming services. I hadn’t seen it in 20 years and I remember it being dark but I eternally love Chloe Sevigny, so I was intrigued to re-watch it through adult eyes. I couldn’t find The Dreamers either, also dark but SO stylish!

So many of those titles remind me of a more creative and free time in my life, back when I put way more effort into discovering independent (and vintage) films I’d never heard of but maybe liked their DVD cover art. Around that time I loved finding new bands to listen to and I’d wear clothes for pleasure rather than just pulling on whatever I happened to wear yesterday. I’m older but not old and my life hasn’t really changed, so why do I seek less creative inspiration now? The one thing that has changed is the existence of Instagram. It felt like a nice blast from the past to watch those films but thinking back to how I much effort I used to put into my interests and how that’s boiled down to a phone screen now is quite depressing. It’s given me some food for thought!

The TV I watched and loved this month

A still from Severance

So first off, a question for you. I’ve never seen The Traitors (or Love Island or Keeping Up With the Kardashians for that matter) but the amount of discussion on social media has been giving me FOMO. I know it’s all over now (no spoilers please) but is it truly as unmissable as everyone says?! I’ve never been a gameshow kind of gal, so I’m struggling to force myself to watch it. Should I?

• Slow Horses on Apple TV is seriously brilliant. It’s filmed in my ‘hood (literally opposite the Barbican Estate where we live) and back in summer, I caught a glimpse of Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas filming a Christmas scene on the hottest day of the year.

• Severance (also Apple TV) was a slow burner for me but I loved it in the end. It took me half the season to get into it (it’s soooo slowly paced and I struggle with my attention span) but it was well worth the perseverance. Maybe the clue is in the name?

• It took me a shameful amount of time to finally watch Beef (on Netflix) but I’m so glad we kept that one in the bank as we watched it over New Year and it was the perfect edge-of-seat show to distract us from having Covid. I know there was some backlash about the season ending not being as strong as the other episodes but I really didn’t hate how they concluded it.

• My boyfriend’s colleague recommended Jury Duty (on Amazon Prime) and the way he described it sounded a bit boring in all honesty but it was such an easy watch – entertaining and actually quite heartwarming, which I didn’t expect. Not mind-blowing TV but charming and I want a follow-up show on what Ronald did next!

And another thing…

Cafe Cecilia’s famous deep-fried bread and butter pudding with cold custard. I haven’t tried it yet, have you? Photo credit to Aleksandra Boruch

• I cannot stop thinking about custard so help me God. Seriously, I have been talking about custard all month long. I don’t want supermarket custard (though I am partial to M&S Madagasgan vanilla) and I don’t want to make it myself. I want to go eat custard-based desserts and cakes in restaurants and bakeries and in my opinion, there aren’t enough obvious options. The last few delicious custardy things I ate were the marmalade bread and butter pudding at The Wolseley, the bread and butter pudding at The Twenty Two and Jolene bakery’s custard slice (which they rarely do). I also quite like a pastel de nata from Santa de Nata but they’re so tiny and I probably shouldn’t eat a whole box. What else have I missed, Londoners? Tell me your custard greatest hits (particularly if vanilla flavoured) so I can go eat them – thank you. Not Humble Crumble though, I’ve been many times (before it found TikTok fame) and it IS very tasty but no way am I queueing for an hour. In its pre-hype era when it was just a little stall, you could go back to the counter for a free top-up of custard if you ran out and man, I miss those halcyon days.

• There’s no simple pleasure quite like following Richard E Grant on Instagram. The man RADIATES joy and makes me want to appreciate the small things more. I’m also thrilled that he goes for a jog in a collared shirt.

• This was a long email and if you got this far even after my niche custard tangent, I appreciate you and you deserve 20% off an annual subscription if you fancy. A newsletter of this length would usually be behind a paywall, so a paid subscription means you can access everything I publish. The discount is forever, so even if the membership price goes up in the future, yours will always be £40 a year!

  

As always, thanks for being here and please leave me a comment if you feel like it – promise no one is judging (least of all me) and it doesn’t need to be anything profound. It’s just nice to have a chat! I want my comments to be an approachable and friendly place to hang.

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