Category: Architecture

Categories / Architecture, Art and Photography

Skylon print by Paul Catherall

Posted on | 5 Comments

Skylon
This Skylon print by Paul Catherall is another striking piece of artwork created to mark the 60th anniversary of Festival of Britain.

The Skylon tower was built as part of the Festival of Britain but lasted only a year before being taken down It now just survives on London's Southbank as the name of the Royal Festival Hall resturant. Catherall's linocut makes it look like the futuristic creation it must have appeared like back then – he says he was aiming to capture the adventure and spirit of optimism of the festival. The colours used are perfect to reflect the period of Skylon and help create a striking piece of artwork. 

The print is limited to 60 and costs £195. 

Buy it from The Southbank Centre

Categories / Architecture, Travel

Retro Retreat: Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Ty Hedfan in Pontfaen, Brecon, Wales

Posted on | Leave a comment

Brec1

Suppose winter will be coming to an end soon and we might start pondering holidays. If you want to get away from it all, you might want to spend some time at Ty Hedfan in Pontfaen, Brecon, Wales.

Ty Hedfan means 'the hovering house' in Welsh and that's pretty much what it is. Fairly-recently designed by architects Featherstone Young, the house is inspired by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Pierre Koenig's Case Study House. Only this one isn't in the US, it perches over the River Ysgir in the Brecon Beacons, with views over the river and also of the surrounding countryside.

Read more

Categories / Architecture, Art and Photography, Cars and Bikes

100 years of Michelin House

Posted on | Leave a comment

Michelin poster

If you are London based, you may want to check out some of the events designed to celebrated 100 years of Michelin House. 

This distinctive building, on the corner of Fulham Road, was commissioned by the Michelin company as their first British HQ. They moved out in 1985 when it was bought by Terence Conran and Paul Hamlyn. The building now hosts the Conran Shop as well as the Bibendum oyster bar and remains as architecturally interesting as ever, decorated with stained glass, ornate tiles and combining a curious mixture of Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences. 

Currently the front of the shop and a small display is devoted to the building's history, including some archive photographs and original advertising posters. As part of the celebrations, six of these iconic pieces of Michelin advertising, selected from their historic archive, have been re-issued by the Conran Shop on canvas – including the distinctive design above. 

Unfortunately the prints are currently available in store only but prices start at £99 for a 72 x 52cm print. 

Find out more about the prints and other instore events online.

Categories / Architecture, Property

For sale: 1970-designed four-floor house in Antrim Grove, Belsize Park, London

Posted on | Leave a comment

70s1

I've got this dream that one day, when I have some more money to my name, I'll go house hunting and find a house with an interior straight out of Terence Conran's The House book ('70s version) – just stuck in time, with all the furnishings of the era intact. I might have found that house online, with this 1970-designed four-floor house in Antrim Grove, Belsize Park, London

From the outside, you can tell it's a bit quirky and very much of its era, the kind of place you'd imagine featuring in a 70s cult TV series. Inside, it's even more so, with some great examples of period furnishings.

Read more

Categories / Architecture, Property

For sale: Grade II-listed three-bedroom Frank Lloyd Wright-style property in Solihull, West Midlands

Posted on | Leave a comment

Sol1

Hidden away in the Midlands is a grade II-listed midcentury property – this three-bedroom Frank Lloyd Wright-style property in Solihull, West Midlands.

It's a bizarre house, at least in terms of the interior and what we can see of the exterior. It was apparently built in the late 50s and has been listed due to its 'distinctive architectural style'. It's also only been up for sale once since being built. Until now that it.

Read more

Categories / Architecture, Property

For sale: 1960s midcentury four-bedroomed house in Bishop’s Stortford, Herts

Posted on | Leave a comment

Bish1

It's a house that looks better on the inside than out, at least, according to the images we've seen – but this 1960s midcentury four-bedroomed house in Bishop's Stortford, Herts is certainly architecturally important and of course, on the market right now.

It's lack of striking exterior is actually down to the design. The work of Cambridge-based practice Lyster, Grillet & Harding in the late 1960s, this single-storey house is situated on an elevated site, with a large garage / storage space at street level and a designer set of stairs with an overhead canopy, taking you to the terrace, the gardens and the main house.

Read more