What to do in London in August for interiors lovers
It's also a great time to hunt for unique pieces at summer brocantes — or enjoy a day trip taking in an art exhibition and a glass or two of wine.
Culture vultures
An interactive, hand-stitched fish and chip shop featuring more than 65,000 individually crafted felt pieces comes to the Lyndsey Ingram Gallery in Mayfair from August 1.
The Bourdon Street Chippy by Lucy Sparrow is a playful study in attention to detail, and is free to explore from Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm, until September 14 (lyndseyingram.com).
Ceramics aficionados should hop over the river to County Hall Pottery, where Heather Gibson presents Surfacing, the debut solo show from the gallery's first potter-in-residence, which runs from August 12 to September 7.
Developed on-site, the exhibition features hand-built, gas-reduced ceramic stoneware, including large sculptural pieces, vessels and wall-based artworks (countyhallpottery.com).
At Sarabande, the art foundation established by the late fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen, the group summer show, Sincerely, is not to be missed.
Showcasing the works of two groups of 10 artists over six weeks, discover live and growing sculpture, experimental digital work, meticulously executed paintings and designs focused on intimate pleasure across the venue in Haggerston (sarabandefoundation.org).
Must visit
Up your work-from-home game with a visit to the new USM store in Marylebone (uk.usm.com). The Swiss manufacturer specialises in distinctive, oh-so clever modular furniture based on a chrome-plated steel-tube framework.
Minimalist and flexible, all the coolest workspaces have it — and the brand makes chic TV consoles and shoe cubbies too. This new, two-storey showroom will make you want to deck your home in all of its designs.
Day tripping
Tillingham winery in East Sussex stands for natural wine, delicious, seasonal food and stylish rooms. And now it has art in the mix, too as English-Italian artist Chiara Perano presents In Between Suns (tillingham.com).
Running until August 30, the exhibition is a collection of ethereal paintings drawing on the rhythms of the natural world.
On August 13, Perano herself will be hosting a Celestial Summer Art Workshop at the Dutch Barn overlooking the vines (£55pp including a glass of bubbles).
Book club
'I want to empower you with the confidence to tackle simple upholstery projects that breathe new life into your existing furniture,' writes Sonnaz Nooranvary of The Repair Shop fame, in her new book.
Upholstery School (£26, Kyle Books, out August 21) features 24 step-by-step projects to inspire the reader, including bolster cushions, lampshades and headboards.
On the theme of pre-loved furnishings, La Maison: Decorating with French Vintage Style (£30, Mitchell Beazley) is a love letter to all things vintage and antique.
Its author, the French interior designer Zoe de la Cases, shares her love for seeking out secondhand treasures and how to make your home truly unique— even if your kitchen is from Ikea.
Brocanting
The thrill of the find is on at the annual Country Brocante Summer Fair at Billingshurst (August 1 and 2, tickets from £11.55, thecountrybrocante.co.uk). Expect dozens of traders, expert talks and plenty of spots to refuel with something sweet (or boozy).
On August 16, the Cotswolds Vintage Fair (@cotswoldsvintagefair) is popping up at Bretforton Manor near Evesham, with more than 50 sellers in attendance.
Then, on August 25, the Walmer town council brocante (walmercouncil.co.uk) returns to the green just outside Deal. Entry is free.
To covet
Wiping the floor with all garden furniture is Buchanan Studio's new outdoor collection. The design firm's pillowy Studio Chair now comes adapted for garden life, complete with weatherproof fabrics and marine-grade timber frames.
Sell a kidney and build up a collection: the chair retails at £4,395, while the stool is a more reasonable £1,995 (buchanan.studio).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Saturday's Lotto jackpot estimated at £7.3m after no ticket wins top prize
Saturday's lottery jackpot will be an estimated £7.3 million after no players won Wednesday's top prize. The winning Lotto numbers were 17, 31, 47, 05, 58 and 09, while the bonus number was 35. No players matched all six main numbers, meaning the jackpot was missed, while no ticket-holders won £1 million by matching five of the six numbers plus the bonus ball. Set of balls L3 and draw machine Lotto3 were used in the first Lotto draw since the National Lottery paused over the weekend to enable the biggest technology upgrade in the game's 31-year history. In Lotto HotPicks, which uses the same numbers as the Lotto draw, no players matched all five numbers to win the £350,000 top prize. Two ticket-holders won £13,000 each after matching four of the five numbers. The winning Thunderball numbers were 19, 02, 27, 03 and 38, and the Thunderball was 11. No ticket-holders won £500,000 by matching all five numbers plus the Thunderball. One player matched all five regular numbers, which earned them £5,000.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rare copy of The Hobbit sells for 'record-breaking' sum
An "astonishingly rare" first edition of The Hobbit has sold for a "record-breaking" £43,000 at auction. The copy of JRR Tolkien's novel is one of only 1,500 copies that were printed in 1937. It was discovered without a dustcover on a bookcase during a home clearance in Bristol. It was sold to a private collector in the UK through an online auction at Auctioneum in Bath, Somerset, earlier. Caitlin Riley, the book specialist from the auction house, said: "It's the quintessential auction story. Everyone dreams of finding a rare item hidden in plain sight, and here we are." More news stories for Somerset Listen to the latest news for Somerset The book, which was only expected to fetch between £10,000-£12,000 at auction, attracted hundreds of bidders from all over the world. Ms Riley said the book is in "absolutely beautiful condition" and she believed it sold for a record price for a first edition without a dustcover. "House clearances can be tricky, stressful and troublesome... this could have so easily been sent to landfill, or disposed of by someone who didn't realise it was there," she added. The book came from the family library of Hubert Priestley who was a famous botanist in the 1930s and brother to the Antarctic explorer and geologist, Sir Raymond Edward Priestley. Priestley had strong connections to the University of Oxford where Tolkien stood as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a Fellow of Pembroke College. Both men knew fellow author C.S. Lewis and it is likely that they knew each other. "It's the connection to Tolkien and the important provenance that makes this book so special. It's not just any first edition; it belonged to someone who very likely called Tolkien an acquaintance," Ms Riley said. She added it was astonishingly rare to find a first edition in such good condition. "Being a children's book, most of them have seen children's hands, children's colouring pens in some cases, so to have one that appears to be completely unread and never enjoyed is really, really astonishingly rare," she said. The Hobbit is one of the most successful children's novels, with more than 100 million copies sold. The story is set in the fantasy world Middle-earth and follows the hobbit Bilbo Baggins on a quest to find treasure. The rare edition that was sold also includes rare drawings by Tolkien himself. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. More on this story Home clearance unearths rare copy of The Hobbit Rare round egg sells at auction for £420 Menu signed by Albert Einstein sells for £18,000
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Hamilton' turns 10: Lin-Manuel Miranda announces movie theater release to celebrate the Broadway musical's anniversary
The film version of the hit show will debut in theaters on Sept. 5. Rise up, Hamilton fans: The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning Broadway musical is coming to a movie theater near you. On Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show, Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that the feature film version of his hit musical Hamilton will make its theatrical debut on Sept. 5 in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Hamilton premiered on Broadway a decade ago today, on Aug. 6, 2015. 'I have an announcement!' Miranda, who created and originally starred in the musical, said. 'So, tomorrow is the 10-year anniversary of Hamilton, and we've been celebrating all year. But we have one more way to celebrate. We filmed most of the original cast performing in Hamilton in 2016, and we always wanted to release it theatrically, but then the pandemic hit, and so we decided to release it on streaming so that everyone could see it at home whenever they wanted. But, Sept. 5, you will be able to see Hamilton in movie theaters nationwide and in Puerto Rico.' The film will be released in theaters in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico on Sept. 5, in the U.K. and Ireland on Sept. 26, and in Australia and New Zealand on Nov. 13, per Variety. A special screening of Hamilton, organized by the Public Theater, will take place on Sept. 3 at the Delacorte Theater in New York City's Central Park. A limited number of advance tickets will be available for purchase, followed by a free ticket lottery and free standby line the night of the event. Hamilton premiered on Disney+ in July 2020. The movie functioned as a live recording of the actual Broadway production, filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June 2016, with much of the original cast performing together. Among the original cast members included in the film In addition to Miranda are Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo. The month that it premiered on Disney+, Hamilton had the largest audience of any streaming program in 2020, Forbes reported. Celebrations for the Broadway musical's tenth anniversary — referred to affectionately as 'Hamilten' — are well underway. Tonight, at 7 p.m., an invite-only anniversary performance of Hamilton will take place at the Richard Rodgers Theatre and will serve as a fundraiser for the Immigrants: We Get the Job Done Coalition. A fan-focused matinee took place at 1 p.m. today, too. Tickets were priced at $10 apiece and were distributed through a lottery. Former cast members have also taken to social media to commemorate the milestone. Broadway star Javier Muñoz, who famously took over for Miranda as Alexander Hamilton in July 2016, shared a lengthy tribute to the Hamilton creator on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon. Muñoz concluded his Hamilton run in January 2018. 'It all comes down to one relationship, one colleague, one friend; Lin Manuel Miranda. My place in this journey was singular. It was exactly where I was meant to be,' Muñoz wrote. 'The list of blessings in the form of friends, chosen family, opportunities, evolution, falling in and out of love, social change, overcoming, and becoming, is too long to spotlight each. None of it IS without Lin Manuel. I'd say yes and jump off any cliffs with you, my friend. Thank you.' Soo, who received a 2016 Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in Musical for her portrayal of Eliza Schuyler, also shared a series of photos on Instagram. 'What a ride. 10 years. Eternally grateful. Love you all, thanks for the love. ❤️ @hamiltonmusical #hamilten,' the Doctor Odyssey actress wrote. Cephas Jones, who originated the role of Peggy Schuyler, posted several photos as well. 'Look at where you are… Look at where you started…. TEN YEARS AGO WE OPENED ON BROADWAY. Forever grateful. This show changed my life and gave me a forever family. ❤️,' she wrote. The original Broadway cast of Hamilton reunited earlier this year at the 2025 Tony Awards, where they performed a medley of tracks in honor of its 10th anniversary. With Miranda helming the ship, the cast serenaded audiences with performances of hit songs including 'My Shot,' 'Non-Stop,' 'The Room Where It Happens,' and 'The Schuyler Sisters.' Solve the daily Crossword
