I was moaning on Twitter the other day about hideous lightbulbs - the big stores are stopping selling old-fashioned ones tomorrow - that make every room look like a particularly bleak and demoralising institution, when @dbrown_esq, who's a tv and film
production designer, told me about
Filament Lightbulbs, who import and sell beautiful Swiss-made, er, filament lightbulbs.
These are lovely objects in their own right and make *the* most beautiful, flattering golden light - the kind of light you'd imagine glowing from a wonderful house in the distance if you were a weary traveller in a story, or the kind of light you can see in every other hip restaurant in London. They are not at all cheap, but I'm told they last ages. I just took delivery of mine and honestly, they've transformed the rooms in question.
I realise this is a bit niche, but I'm obsessed with lighting. Also in a way they are economical, since I'm not going to leave the house again (very good effect against skin, these bulbs. You really need a chaise-longue to go with them, and maybe a satin gown).
Charlotte Mann is a genius - she draws straight onto huge surfaces with black marker pen (including all over my hallway, above). Now she's made a screenprint for the V & A, and as you can see it's beautiful. Signed edition of 200, available here for £95 - but going fast, so hurry.
Lovely poster with recipes by
Cressida Bell (click to expand). Perfect present for students, or indeed for anyone interested in good fast food. There are 20 recipes. £10 directly from Bell's
website.
Drink, Shop & Do is a charming café at the Kings Cross end of Pentonville Road. Everything in it is for sale; there's cake, cocktails and serviceable food (see this
review) and they run
craft events - knitting, book binding,
pearl-necklace making. Ha ha ha. Yes. Anyway: they also play fantastic music. Go - it's lovely.