The functional and aesthetic versatility of wool is celebrated at Wool House, an exhibition curated by interior designer and stylist, Arabella McNie, at London’s Somerset House.

Myriad applications for wool in interior and fashion design are explored throughout a series of room sets compiled by leading designers. The spaces reflect the diverse stylistic approaches of their creators, from the homely use of texture and neutral colours in Josephine Ryan‘s Natural Room (top image), to the colourful and structural felt forms favoured by Anne Kyyrö Quinn in her Modern Room (above).

Josephine Ryan’s room set features armchairs upholstered in old Aran jumpers and a selection of her own wool rugs.

Scottish designer Donna Wilson‘s Nursery showcases her trademark naive patterns and strange knitted creatures.

A mood board designed by Welsh online retailer Damson & Slate offers interiors inspiration in the form of textural swatches and reference imagery relating to past and present applications for wool.

Showcasing wool in all its colours, textures, forms and uses, Wool House highlights the diverse applications and perennial appeal of this traditional and sustainable material.

Wool House is at Somerset House until 24 March 2013.

One of my personal highlights from this year’s London Design Festival was this homely presentation by the Crafts Council of Ireland showcasing the work of over 30 crafters in a former garage in Shoreditch.

Woven willow pendant shade by Kathleen McCormick and Irish Ash ladder by James Carroll

Hidden away down a small side street, the exhibition space was bright and raw inside, with products assembled as a room set that presented them in context.

Shelving by Designgoat

The focal point at the back of the space was provided by Dublin-based Designgoat‘s white ash and powder-coated steel shelving unit, upon which a collection of artfully arranged decorative craft items were displayed alongside books and other everyday accoutrements.

Ceramic sculpture by Sarah Wiegersma, DC Sofa by O’Driscoll Design, rug by Ceadogan Rugs, Strand Lamp by Clancy Moore, pouffe by Claire-Anne O’Brien

The mixture of traditionally and contemporary manufactured pieces showcased a variety of textures and techniques, from a knitted pouffe to a woven willow lampshade and a print of a lamp incorporating a flat light panel.

Flat Light by Finn Magee: LEDs behind the poster illuminate the light.

A video projected at the entrance gave insight into the processes and personalities of some of the makers at the heart of the country’s craft scene, which, on the basis of this display, seems to be in good hands.

Paola Antonelli photographed by Marton Perlaki for Port

For the latest issue of Port magazine I spoke to Zaha Hadid, Paola Antonelli, Patricia Urquiola and several other leading women from the design industry. The design section was guest edited by Deyan Sudjic, who wrote an introductory essay and there is also a spectacular feature on the Rothschild Bank by OMA.

On a recent trip to Warwick I took a series of photos of glorious doors, including this beautifully contrasting red-painted entrance to one of the town’s many half-timbered houses.

The form of the scalloped portico above this door is mirrored by the shape of the steps leading up to it.

This entryway was embedded in the walls surrounding Warwick Castle, and the iron lettering, studs and decorative shield lend it a suitably imposing appearance.

The pediment, columns, frieze and fanlight of this doorway are typical of Georgian architecture.

This is the entrance to another half-timbered building on Jury Street, featuring turned pillars and a beautiful carved frieze above the door.

A great front door provides an important first impression for visitors and a welcome sight when returning home, so take some tips from these beauties and makes yours a grand entrance.

Prefabricated construction saves time and labour and new technologies and materials are enabling architects to develop complex designs and customisable modules so structures built this way need not all look the same. Find out more by reading my article about prefabricated architecture for Architonic.

Hastings is lovely! If you haven’t been before then you should check it out, and an excellent time to do so is during the annual Jack in the Green festival, which includes traditional dancing outside the recently opened Jerwood Gallery by HAT Projects.

The gallery sits on the seafront, which has seen £9 million spent on its refurbishment but which sparked protests among residents during the process. For me, anyone who can’t see the value in having a landmark gallery such as the Jerwood in their town is being naive. I wouldn’t have visited the town had it not been for the gallery, and I would have missed out on the many other delights it has to offer, including excellent fish and chips, lovely views from the hills overlooking the Old Town, narrow streets packed with excellent shops and interesting museums focusing on local history.

The gallery itself has a great deal going for it too. The rather monolithic form is unashamedly modern but not in any way offensive or outrageous. Its surface is covered in shimmering iridescent black tiles that reference the colour of the traditional net shops nearby but also have an oily, industrial quality, which seems appropriate on the edge on a piece of shore that hosts Britain’s largest beach-launched fishing fleet.

Inside, the spaces are quietly decorated in subtle, reliable materials that don’t detract from the Jerwood’s fine and diverse collection of modern British art, while show-stealing views of the beach and the town are exquisitely framed in carefully placed windows. Although some of the spaces feel slightly cramped, these are mainly dedicated to smaller works, which might get lost on larger walls. In all, it is a successful building that works within its context and delivers an experience that is enjoyable and appropriate, with enough confidence to still be memorable.

The space outside the gallery is designated for public use and events, and acted as the hub for the activities during the Jack in the Green festival, which takes takes place over the weekend of the May bank holiday and celebrates the arrival of spring through decorative garlands that appear all over the town and displays of Morris dancing and other traditional dances.

These stylish gents were among the many characters dressed for the occasion and helping to bring a carnival atmosphere to what is otherwise a sleepy seaside town.

These tall wooden structures are the net shops; a building type unique to Hastings that house the gear of the town’s fishermen. Occupying a piece of land between the town and where the tide once reached, they have a small footprint to cut down their rent and squeeze as many in as possible and are built tall so the nets can be hung up to dry at the end of the day’s fishing.

A funicular railway is one way to ascend the hill behind the net shops, from which it is possible to look down upon the town and across the valley to the ruins of the castle.

The Jerwood Gallery and surrounding development have helped to put Hastings on the cultural map and adds to the appeal of this corner of south east England, which already boasts Mendelsohn and Chermayeff’s De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea and the Towner Gallery in nearby Eastbourne. There’s plenty in Hastings for a good day out and, if the weather doesn’t favour you then head to the Jerwood and enjoy art and architecture working in synergy.

Production shot from Machines for Living showing (left to right) India Banks, Nicole Pschetz, Frode Gjerløw and David Ralfe: photo by Christina Hardinge

The latest production at Camberwell’s Blue Elephant Theatre by emerging theatre company Let Slip takes its name and premise from a book by Swiss architect Le Corbusier, who believed that architecture could contribute to the physical and mental wellbeing of its inhabitants. However, as the play’s protagonists discover, designing an urban Utopia isn’t straightforward.

Beginning in the postwar period, the play follows the fortunes of two architects (India Banks and David Ralfe) who are compelled to follow the doctrine of the emerging Brutalist movement, with its emphasis on pure, geometric forms and raw materials such as concrete and glass. Their initial idealism and enthusiasm for these principles and methods is inevitably undermined by the cost-cutting measures that affected many architects at the time and left a legacy of slovenly, crime-ridden estates that are still a blight on many urban landscapes.

A simple set of geometric, fin-like components (reminiscent of the protruding balconies of London’s Barbican) and the physical acting style of the performers help evoke the journey from optimism to anarchy that befell the Brutalist movement and those involved in it. As the architects, Banks and Ralfe accurately embody the emotional impact of the varying pitfalls their characters experience, while Nicole Pschetz is asked to perform a surreal but amusing role as the sense of ‘community’ that becomes gradually more dishevelled as time passes. Perhaps the standout performance is that of Frode Gjerløw, who plays the spectre of Le Corbusier and several other energetic and characterful cameos.

Architecture and choreography have much in common – both relying on balance, dynamism and structure – and motion is skilfully applied in this show, together with sound production that helps root the action in specific time periods and supports the drama, while simple lighting makes the most of the theatre’s basic performance space and sequences involving the use of an old fashioned overhead projector add an artistic touch.

Overall, Machines for Living offers a light-hearted and entertaining look at an interesting, although perhaps somewhat niche, subject matter. It’s particularly relevant as the theatre itself is located just a few hundred yards from the Heygate Estate (one of the most infamous examples of Brutalist urban planning gone wrong) but, unlike the doomed architectural movement it portrays, the play is a tour de force of style and substance.

This article for the website of Vision magazine explores the heritage of palm-leaf architecture in the United Arab Emirates and explains how contemporary architects should look to the knowledge and skills that have been used to build in this region for millennia in order to address issues relating to urban expansion in a sustainable way. Read the article here.

On a recent trip to Paris I was struck by the intricately detailed metalwork to be found all across the city. Here are a few of my favourite examples.

Hector Guimard’s iconic entrances to the Métropolitain are hard to miss but this one at Abbesses is one of only three that still have the original glass canopy.

Also at Abbesses, the fluid detailing of the cast panels is pure Art Nouveau.

Elsewhere, the entrance signs to some stations such as this one at Sully-Morland feature Art Deco metalwork.

On the western side of the Opéra National de Paris Garnier you can find a pair of lamp posts surrounded by these fearsome-looking galleons.

There are many fine examples of cast and wrought iron on doorways and windows around the city. The delicacy of these wheat sheafs and the Art Nouveau numerals are lovely.

I wish my front door had one of these proud cast-bronze cockerels.

Another doorway with great symmetrical wrought iron decoration.

Finally, even the monumental Tour Eiffel has some filigree-like detailing around its lower arches. Tres chic!

You can read my latest article for Architonic about how landscape architects are approaching the need for better public spaces in inner city environments here.