Household's 'Best in Show' is a creative talent award in partnership with Ravensbourne College BA (Hons) Interior Design Environment Architectures course.

We're passionate about creating places that get people into action believing that this is the route to customer engagement and loyalty. We are equally passionate about encouraging and supporting new talent. Ravensbourne, with its history of nurturing creatively strong graduates in the UK, is an ideal parther for 'Best in Show' which further continues our established ties with the college.

Household's 'Best in Show' 2010 goes to Hege Vetaas for her 'Fair Ground' scheme, which reuses an old factory building in Whitechapel, converting it into a Women's Resource Centre. Hege's project covered the social and geographical issues in the current environment surrounding women in both their work and social life, and the solution for this stood out as a considered scheme backed with research and insight.

Through the concept of veiling, creating layers and translucency, Hege demonstrated an understanding of customer journeys and mindsets, creating a female zone that brings women together through work, education and play, controlled by the women inhabiting it.

The People's Supermarket has been developed by progressive chef Arthur Dawson Potts, the man behind sustainable foody initiative Acorn House. The idea is to offer people a new way to buy food, and, ultimately give the customer a say, a stake and involvement in the way things are done and run. But why?

The idea is that if people actually own the supermarket, the profits don't go anywhere else but back into the business - and this way the cost of the food will be lower than anywhere else.

To get involved you join up, receive a 10% discount and you volunteeer to work 1 shift a month, which effectively means working on the shop floor and serving your fellow supermarket owners.

With my retail hat on - the store's communication is enthusiastic and certainly demonstrates the energy of something new, local and relevant. The environment is basic but with moments of retail theatre for fresh produce (more fresh categories than you'd expect). Particularly cheeky is the recycled Tesco packing palettes taking centre stage at the front, merchandising seasonal fruit and vegetables.

The store is two weeks old, and already has 203 signed up members, product assortment will grow as the offer begins to reflect the needs and wants of local people (members can currently put packaging of items they want to buy into a box). Is it, as one eager member suggests, the 'new Tesco'? - well, if it's about ownership, pride and community, as well as price, then it might just succeed.

The first People's Supermarket is on Lambs Conduit Street in Bloomsbury, London.

www.peoplessupermarket.org

Over the weekend I was down on the South Bank enjoying the sunshine and to look at an exhibition that my mate from United Visual Artists had helped to create. Called ' The Speed of Light' it was commissioned by Virgin Media (our client) to commemorate a decade of broadband in the UK. (Virgin claims to have been the first company to install a fibre optic broadband connection in the UK when it connected Mark Bush in Gillingham, Kent)

Housed in the Bargehouse behind the OXO Tower 'The Speed of Light' exhibition was spread across four floors and five rooms with 149 lasers whizzing around. According to Virgin Media, "It reflects the speed of date and the way light is used to channel information. Stripped back to its essentials, optical fibre is a thin strand of glass, with nothing more than a flickering beam of light travelling along it. United Visual Artists have used this beam as the startin point for the work. The installations dramatise the experience of using fibre-optic communication, re-imagining it as an immersive environment."

The journey begins by descending into a glomy sunken double height room with a white wall flickering to red-lasered set of changing questions. Each question is designed to prompt the audience for a response into a microphone directly opposite the wall. Then as you climb up through the building and the subsequent rooms playback of your answer amongst everyone else's can be heard but always reinterpreted and mixed. This was used to great effect in the third room where the laser beam of light appears to represent sound waves warping to the sound of the audience's earlier inputs and churned through an industrial beat.

Before this a disco-smoke filed room has all the architecture picked out in flickering laser beams and then out of the smokey mist a sofa and TV appears round the corner, again formed out of reflected red lasers - it's a nice touch and a nod to Virgins Quad play offer (Broadband, TV, mobile & landline phones).

Onto the fourth room, a massive smiley emoticon face that I can only presume references their involvement in mobile technology. It felt at odds with the rest of the exhibition and left me wanting to know more as there were little and no explanations of what I was being presented with. In essence the exhibition was celebrating broadband and the possibilities that it has opened up as a method of communication.

The final room was the most overwhelming of the lot; At times looking like a scene from a movie with an invisible priceless diamond in the centre, then all of a sudden beams of light would fan out and begin to pick out spoken voices on the floor like echos on a ghostly map. Slowly they would creep across the floor toward you getting progressively quicker and greater in number. I'm pretty sure I could make out a few famous voices and quotes but perhaps it was the semi-derilect space contributing to the effect and playing tricks on my mind.

For the most part (emoticons excluding) it was an incredibly effective way of communicating the speed and possibilities of broadband and its spread into our day-to-day lives. As I sat on the South Bank tucking into an ice-cream shortly after I wondered what Mark Bush would have thought about it and whether or not the excitement of being inside this event had adequately captured the feeling of being the first person to switch off the dial up-modem for good.

Unfortunately 'The Speed of LIght' was only on for 10 days so you'll have to rely on some of the excellent 'developer diary' videos and walkthroughs at the links below to find out more and see what it was all about.

http://www.uva.co.uk

 http://vminstore.com/speedoflight/

LA is glowing - The Oscars made a statement with outsider ‘The Hurt Locker’ sweeping the two biggies, Best Film and Best Director and Soho House opened its doors to another luxury members club, Soho House West Hollywood – an open-air condo style experience.  We didn’t manage to get to the Oscars but we loved …

Intelligentsia Coffee Bar

Located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, Los Angeles, ‘Intelligentsia’ redefines the coffee experience. Walking through a double-height entrance hall open to the Californian sky, customers are met by their own personal barista at a concierge desk who escorts them to a magnificent espresso station. Here their coffee is lovingly prepared in front of them creating an individualised experience before they take a seat in the external hall or the wi-fi terrace at the rear.

The whole interior has been laid out around the barista stations in an environment that resembles a ‘coffee laboratory’ - open counters, exposed steel pipes and coffee-bean hoppers provide a great visual energy to the experience. Tea is also served at the rear in a contemporary interpretation of the Japanese tea ceremony. The coffee is the main deal though and it is among the best I have ever tasted!

The Stronghold

Also located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, Los Angeles, ‘The Stronghold’ is a mens and womenswear denim brand, that delivers a truly inspiring retail experience.  Combining great visual merchandising, product communications and eye-catching propping, they manage to take the customer on a real, sensory brand journey that is authentic but never pastiche.

Upstairs, ‘The Stronghold Speakeasy’ hosts regular bluegrass events that support the broader retail brand experience. 

The Parker Palm Springs

Formerly the ranch of the singing cowboy, Gene Autry (as in ‘Here comes Santa Claus’), this spectacular hotel was designed by Jonathan Adler. Its camp, its colourful, its cool... and a great alternative to the carefully co-ordinated luxury hotels that we’re used to!

Christian Louboutin has picked us to collaborate on the future store  concept launching 2010 – signalling a new direction for the business.  Here’s a little bit about why...

“We chose Household to work with us on this pivotal, very different project, which will be a departure from our current concept. They have brought to the table a fresh and dynamic approach, a passion for the brand and very creative ways of working on this new retail experience.”  Anne Muhlethaler, Christian Louboutin

So, over the next few months we’ll be working closely with Christian himself to co-create the type of shoe heaven, women dream of – ensuring the ultimate shopping destination to experience Christian Louboutin. 

Five things you may not know about Christian Louboutin:

1. Christian Louboutin’s red sole was trademarked in 2007

2. On his shoes… “I’m not trying to dress the woman, I’m trying to undress her”

3.  Aged 12, Christian would sneak out of school to watch the showgirls performing

4. The Luxury Institute has rated Christian Louboutins as the Most Prestigious Women’s shoes – 3 years on the trot

5. Christian Louboutin’s most recent collaborations range from David Lynch to Barbie…the latter on sale exclusively at Net-a –Porter

Michelle Du-Prât, Insights Director, Household

The world of marmite has broadened its horizons yet again.  A limited edition pop-up shop has debuted on Regent Street amongst the big brands jostling for share of Christmas spend.  As we seem to have a penchant for pop-ups and indeed marmite – going to sample the delights was a must.

Maybe I’m biased, but marmite here, really is fun.  It has a genuine sense of humour, and the joys it brings to many fans has been explored through a myriad of products including cookbooks, tea sets, art prints, kitchenware, sweatshirts, t shirts, and much more… Who knew the potential.  It sounds gimmicky and it is – but it works, and what’s more…people were buying the branded novelty items and enjoying it.  As I wondered around the store, I got sucked in to everything that was going on from the comedy breakfast table in the shop window to the Warholesque prints and would have readily accepted the marmite logo on pretty much anything.

Such was my enthusiasm that all I began to hanker after was to actually eat some marmite (preferably on toast, with a generous portion of butter), so to turn the corner and see the hand drawn sign “tea, toast and mmmm marmite this way’ … was the motivation I needed to go upstairs. Up on the second floor, a café space offering a ‘draw on and leave your message’ table … and the all-important opportunity to eat the stuff.  I couldn’t quite believe it when the sign went up before my eyes, saying ‘tea and toast bar closed for the day’ – the invitation that started so well did not ultimately fulfil my inner marmite needs.

But back to the shop – what’s clever about it is that the iconic black and yellow signature colours have been used to full effect – allowing the product to do much of the hard work cost effectively through scale, theatre and VM.  If pop-ups have the ability to offer something innovative and fresh, in the eyes of the customer – then regular retail should learn a thing or two from them (but don’t shut the café early).

For the full brand experienceOnline:

http://www.marmitepopup.co.uk/

Store: 82 Regent Street, W1, London

I was recently recommended to stay at the eccentric ‘Reflections’ hotel in Bangkok by a good friend. Its owned by the Thai artist & designer Anusorn Ngernyuang (aka Nong) who first came onto the scene roughly ten years ago with a series of brightly coloured rice sacks transformed into traditional carpenters bags.  He quickly expanded the concept into a range of accessories called ‘Global Trash Chic’ & not long after opened the first Reflections hotel that was born from the same eco-creative credentials.

The first incarnation was demolished last year for more offices but the money used to create a new larger hotel footprint close by & this is where I checked in. Each of the 35ish rooms are individually designed by a variety of established artists & designers from Thailand & South-East Asia. All feature reclaimed or reinterpreted materials & furniture & have fantastic names like ‘My Boo Shit’, ‘Hong Kong Pat’ & ‘I Love Rice’.

I wanted to stay in one of the Nong designed rooms called ‘Trash Chic’ for the first night. The space was easily big enough to swing a cat around in & a snip at 1,500 Baht a night (approx. £25).  It featured rice sacks as wallpaper, a rainbow coloured zipper bed sheet with matching chairs & corrugated iron partitions to the bathroom. Knowing that each room was different I moved for the remainder of the stay to another called ‘Concrete Jungle’. The designers name escapes me but the room was even bigger than before with reclaimed wooden walls ala Shoreditch House, handmade bird silhouette light shades & a his ‘n’ hers walk in shower - the walls studded with Beer Chang & Singha bottle ends.

The interesting thing about Reflections is that it is naturally quite rough around the edges & it’s really not a problem because you know that it should be.  All the spaces use an eye-watering hit of colour & pattern to create excitement & you turn a blind eye to any messy paintwork because of it all being pieced together from recycled materials & objects.  It is an approach in harmony with one of the world’s busiest, most colourful & overwhelming cities.  Despite this potential chaos both rooms I stayed in were comfortable spaces to relax in and felt considered in a home from home kind of way, meaning that I had an amazing nights sleep in each.

I have never been excited by eco-design but in this context it felt appropriate & inspiring – it’s also very commendable because Thailand is in many areas incredibly polluted & industrial.  Ecology & sustainability are not at the fore front of the country’s psyche, however one of its fascinating contradictions is that on an individual level its inhabitants have long reused & recycled without thinking about it, simply to make do.  All of this made me think of an excellent book I’d seen called ‘Thailand: Same Same, But Different!’ (A popular Thai phrase used by hawkers to sell fake Rolex’s & Man Utd Shirts).

All week long over breakfast I had been eyeing up a distinctive tablecloth in the main lobby – white with scribbled black figures.  Although it wasn’t for sale I made an offer for it at the reception before I left & they accepted. Delighted I have now returned with my own crazy little piece of Thailand & very much in the spirit of the Reflections ethos I am planning on some innovative ways to reuse & reinterpret it in my home.

By Thomas Howlett

http://www.reflections-thai.com/index.html

http://www.rupapublishing.com/shop/blog.php?blog_cat=3&blog_item=5

Belts have been tightened, budgets cut, and as some city centres are already recording vacancy rates of almost 40%, temporary retail spaces still seem to be flourishing.

Joining the recent Comme Des Garcons & Uniqlo pop ups in Paris, Prada opens 570 square metres of fashion retailing on Place Beauvau at the top end of Rue St Honore  - rumoured to hold open only until November this year.

With its theatrical double height trompe l’oeil style wrap around façade and glimpses through to the 2 storey shop floor - this is definitely one worth visiting if you find yourself in Paris this side of Christmas.

The traditional ‘Prada Army’ style mannequins were replaced with clusters of avant garde, wigged mannequins creating strong in-store windows bringing the latest collections to life and creating dynamic invitations for customers to engage with.

The walls are lined with large format graphic backdrops continuing the shop front story inside – whilst the lighting scheme is blackened ‘exhibition style rigging’ delivering strong high & low punches  throughout the environment. The shop assistants were as excited as we were, letting us happily snap away whilst telling us about their bespoke uniforms, apparently hand picked by Muccia Prada herself.

We came across this store the day after opening. With its mix of soft luxury furniture, black & white checkerboard marbled floors, bronze metal exhibition cases & taupe silk fitting rooms, it’s hard to believe that this store is not here to stay...

The store was designed by Italian architect  Roberto Baciocci and opened on my birthday 20th July!

We like it very much

By Keith Fowler

We are partnering Soho House Group to design their latest Hotel venture and Cowshed Spa come Deli addition to Shoreditch House, part of the expanding Soho House portfolio of private members clubs, hotels and restaurants. The new scheme will be housed in a disused pub, empty since the 80’s, that sits adjacent to the Tea Building in Shoreditch, where Shoreditch House is located.

We’ll be creating 26 rooms that feel like they should ‘have always been there’. The Cowshed spa and deli situated on the ground floor aims to be a buzzy, local sociable destination featuring treatment rooms, men’s grooming, beauty and ‘hang-out’ deli accessible to everyone not just members.

The concept we’re developing will capture the energy of the local area, creating signature elements that add character and playfully hark back to the past whilst setting the scene for a unique and unforgettable escape within the city.

We’ll be collaborating with known artists living locally to enhance the one-off Shoreditch experience, capturing comfort of a very personal nature.

So that’s a bit about the project, but back to the pub…very little is known about the pub…so we got our research hats on and unearthed all sorts of gems…

The pub was built in 1879 at a time when Bethnal Green was little more than a cesspit of dirt, disease and crime, housing the poorest of the poor, often in dire slums.

Initially we were informed that the premises were originally named The White Swan. It was however, known as The Swan Tavern. The Swan Tavern was situated near the infamous Friars Mount Slum, housing 6000 people in appalling conditions.

Arthur Morrison’s acclaimed Victorian book, A Child of the Jago, based on life in the nearby slums, portrays the slums (or Jago as it was commonly known) as one of the roughest and the poorest neighbourhoods in the East End towards the end of the 19th century. In his book he asserts that The Old Nichol had been “for one hundred years, the blackest pit in London”

Ironically, A Child of the Jago is now a men’s fashion boutique on Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch, owned by Joe Corre, co-founder of Agent Provocateur and son of enfant terrible Malcolm McLaren and Dame Vivienne Westwood, the mom and pop of the punk movement.

So it seems that the typical patron, during the Swan Tavern’s golden era, would have been the tailors, costermongers, shoe makers, dustmen, sawyers, carpenters, and silk weavers who were traders in the area at the time, along with the unfortunate slum dwellers.

Quite unexpectedly, in reply to an ad we posted, seeking information on the pub, we heard from Jane Stopps. Jane is daughter of Sybil Stopps, wife of the last recorded licensee, Albert Edward Stopps. Sybill is alive and well at 95. Albert took on the license after returning from the war. The couple had two daughters, Jane and Anita, but moved out of Bethnal Green due to the harsh living conditions and the area’s bad reputation. During their time living in the Swan the rooms upstairs acted as a B&B to passers by and were let out to “whoever would pay for them.”

Finding out about the history of the area has added a richness to the project that we didn’t expect. Fast forward to 2009 and Shoreditch/Bethnal Green is a very different place indeed.

The project is set to launch in December 2009

For more info contact Keith Fowler, Creative Director – 020 7739 6537

Liberty is currently basking in a delightful glory that harks back to its halcyon days of original style curator – under founder Arthur Lasenby Liberty. And who can blame them, by all accounts the new store look named ‘The Renaissance’, has been a roaring success. With an official opening involving Slumdog Millionaire Star, Freida Pinto – Liberty is getting lots of attention, and for all the right reasons.

The store on Regent Street has been re-energised through detailed attention to flow, and space – helping customers enthusiastically get round what was previously a cacophony of rooms.

Giant mirrors breathe life and light throughout – whilst a very visible de-cluttering enables customers to view the carefully edited presentations without interruption or visual noise.

Each product display is a carefully framed work of art – and less of it means you remember more – the store in turn achieves its goal of high impact, wow factor and full-on sensory experience. Do we sound like we like it?…well just a little.

Things to head for include:

Champagne bar in basement

The Scarf Hall

Catwalk of looks in womenswear

Mirrored fitting cubes and comfy sofas in womenswear

Chocolate displays for Easter and Mother’s Day

Perfume scent booths on the ground floor

Furniture and art exhibition on top floor

By Michelle Du-Prât