Life on Mars

I've been watching the first series of the brilliant "Life on Mars" again and enjoying all the retro reference material within. I am a big fan of this BBC series it is so well written and the visuals are fantastically absorbing, the attention to detail superb! For those of you who missed this series it's about a police officer from today, Sam Tyler who gets hit my a car and ends up in a coma but stuck in 1973... strange but true!
The colour palette is full of beiges and browns with splashes of greys and dark greens. Sam Tyler's flat has fab wallpaper with a collaged flower repeat pattern with some geometrics. The office is full of design inspiration objects such as an old dial telephone (not a trimphone), pendant lamps and grey filing cabinets. Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt (Tyler's boss in 1973) screech around dramatically in a boxy looking Ford Cortina. More on the series at this link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/explore/
Better start some drawing soon, I have lots of inspiration now.

Seventies inspired fabric and wallpaper

Vihkiruusu / Maalairuusu tea towels

. . . . from Marimekko

Lavaliers, Retrospective Papers Collection from Little Greene

This wallpaper is one of my favourites so very fresh, retro and bold it would look great on a feature wall, I like the table with drawers in the middle picture as well.


Ooti in Emerald fabric by Sanderson

Beautiful colour reminds me of tie dying and comes in a range of other bold colours including a vibrant orange.

Orla Kiely's Rhododendron wallpaper

Very bright and cheerful mustard colour, I really think the simplicity of this pattern is gorgeous.

Final project ideas

Ideas for my final project are buzzing round my head with increasing frequency. Following on from my last project I have decided to stick with a 1970s vibe and hopefully create a print that is super adaptable to various interiors and homewares.
Hmmm.. How to achieve this though? My other niggling thought is that I need to develop a British theme that I am comfortable with that explores British quirkyness and eccentricities.
I need to look back at my childhood photos and talk with family to see what other themes pop into my head. What do you remember from the 1970s?

London Fashion Week

Models on the catwalk during the Burberry catwalk show on the fourth day of London fashion week. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

 

Following all the publicity surrounding London Fashion Week, this image is my favourite courtesy of The Guardian's website.

 

Burberry ended their show with a clap of thunder, apparently, followed by fake rain outside whilst the audience sat cosy and enthralled inside a giant transparent marquee. I love the Britishness of this brand and the eccentric vibe created by this show in Hyde Park. Why not after all celebrate our somewhat changeable weather?

 

Also I feel you cannot go wrong with umbrellas...ever...

Polaroid obsession

Polaroid, Polaroid, Polaroid... Why have I become so obsessed with these instant cameras? They are a clumsy squarish design, gaudy and produce faded off colour pics that cost a fortune, so why? Who knows.. I had borrowed a Polaroid 1000 from college to draw and photograph but sadly had to give it back on Tuesday, since then I have been hunting for a replacement on ebay. Luckily, my incredibly thoughtful sis found one (a 600) in the Isle of Man for me, I am so excited to meet it I can hardly wait! Obsessed? Noooo not me. 

This photo was taken one freezing sub zero morning at the gorgeous Alnmouth beach. I got the orange funky bag from a vintage fair and I love the combination of retro colours used here - very Orla Kiely.