For many years, LDG editor Max Fraser has been fascinated by the design of pasta shapes. It would seem he is not alone, as this new book – THE GEOMETRY OF PASTA – is dedicated to the subject, complete with over 100 recipes. Enter our competition to win a signed copy (entry deadline: 14th May 2010).

Pasta is architecture designed for the taste buds. There are said to be over 300 shapes of pasta, each of which has a history, a story to tell, and an affinity with particular foods. Over hundreds of years, these shapes have evolved alongside the flavours of local ingredients in Italy, and the perfect combination can turn an ordinary dish into something really special.

THE GEOMETRY OF PASTA, published by Boxtree, pairs over 100 authentic recipes from leading chef, Jacob Kenedy (co-founder of Soho restaurant Bocca di Lupo), with graphic designer Caz Hildebrand’s striking black-and-white designs to reveal the science, history and philosophy behind spectacular pasta dishes from all over Italy.

COMPETITION: To win one of 5 signed copies of THE GEOMETRY OF PASTA, simply email your name and delivery address to competitions@londondesignguide.com with ‘Pasta’ in the subject line.

Competition closes at midday on 14th May 2010. Five winners will be chosen at random and notified by email on 14th May. The competition is open to readers from any country and books will be dispatched to the delivery address you supply.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. Congratulations to our five randomly-selected winners: Dorian Koelmans (London); Nick Bond (London); Sara Veloso Custódia da Silva Lança (Portugal); Katie Treggiden (London); Angie Palmer (Hove).

For those who didn’t win, enjoy this free animated recipe!

Stay informed of future competitions by signing up to our monthly newsletter.

British wallpaper and textile company Sanderson is celebrating its 150th anniversary with an exhibition to highlight the best of its archive. The exhibition, titled Very Sanderson: 150 Years of English Decoration, takes place at The Fashion & Textile Museum in London’s Bermondsey.

VERY SANDERSON: 150 YEARS OF ENGLISH DECORATION

19th March – 13th June 2010

83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF (020 7407 8664)

The company was founded in 1860 by Arthur Sanderson and has prevailed to become one of the foremost companies in its genre, having survived through the turn of two centuries to leave an indelible mark  on British interior decoration.

Throughout its history, Sanderson has achieved a number of firsts: the first to produce a coordinated collection of mass-produced wallpapers and fabrics in Britain; the first to build a decorators’ showroom using hinge display screens now seen in showrooms worldwide; the first sole source in Britain of extravagantly expensive French papers; the first wallpaper manufacturer to receive a Royal Warrant.

Over the years, the company has acquired a massive collection of wallpapers and textiles that represent the history of its milieu. The exhibition, co-curated by the museum’s Dennis Nothdruft and independent Mary Schoeser, highlights the best of its archive as well as brand new collections.

The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated book, titled Sanderson: The essence of  English Decoration, written by Mary Schoeser (£18.95, Thames & Hudson). Furthermore, during London Design Week (21-26th March at Chelsea Harbour), the company launches the Vintage collection – reissued designs from the archive that encapsulate the best eras from their 15 decades.

We’ve got 10 signed copies of Canteen’s new cookbook to win! Canteen is a distinctly British restaurant concept, serving top-quality British dishes across 4 London locations. Competition details below – entry deadline: 17th March 2010.

Founders Cass Titcombe, Patrick Clayton-Malone and Dominic Lake (pictured above) opened the first Canteen in 2005 in Spitalfields, championing proper ‘unapologetically nostalgic’ British food such as devilled kidneys on toast, potted duck, pork pies, and treacle tart. Since then, further locations have opened in Royal Festival Hall, Baker Street, and Canary Wharf.

This new cookbook, published by Ebury Press, comprises a collection of 120 British recipes, paying homage to Canteen’s signature dishes and resurrecting the country’s tradition for affordable honest food. The book opens with All Day Breakfast, including recipes ranging from rhubarb compote with yoghurt and granola to eggs florentine and hot buttered Arbroath smokies.

Canteen have a number of tasty starters, small dishes and soups. A sizable portion of the book is given over to meat and fish main courses, as well as recipes for their favourite dish – the pie – including steak and kidney as well as more adventurous creations such as duck, chestnut and prune, or squash, chard and sage.

Not forgetting puddings and desserts, recipes include apple brandy syllabub, Eton Mess, chocolate beetroot cake, and the mighty cheesecake with hazelnut brittle.

Of course, the design of the restaurants plays a significant role, the strength of which deemed Canteen a perfect candidate for our restaurant suggestions within LONDON DESIGN GUIDE. Subsequently, LDG editor Max Fraser was invited to write about the Canteen design approach in the introductory pages of the cookbook (pictured below).

COMPETITION: To win one of 10 signed copies of Canteen’s Great British Food, simply email your name and delivery address to info@londondesignguide.com with ‘Canteen’ in the subject line.

Competition closes at midnight on 17th March 2010. Ten winners will be chosen at random and notified by email on 18th March. The competition is open to readers from any country and books will be dispatched to the delivery address you supply.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. Congratulations to the 10 winners: Jackson Gore; Claire Hartley; John Bibey; Bella Ludgate; Joss McKinley; Annika Nordblom; Leslie Weissen; Katherina Davydova; Rebecca Groves; Karen Coughlan.

Stay informed of future competitions by signing up to our monthly newsletter.

Its January 2010 and the start of a new decade. It seems only right that at this milestone, we all consider what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong. In this LDG extract, editor Max Fraser confronts our insatiable appetite to consume and calls for change.

THE STATE OF STUFF

In today’s materialist culture we have become addicted to the constant allure of the ‘new.’ Max Fraser argues that now is the time to change our game.

Over the past decade or so we have lived well beyond our means, propped up by easy access to credit and an attitude that we can have what we want, when we want it. Today we wallow in a culture of uncontested consumerism. As Richard Girling wrote in his book Greed: ‘We acquire, accumulate, and consume so far in excess of “need” that the word itself has fudged its meaning.’*

Girling has a point. We belong to a generation that has never had to go without, and along the way we have created an invisible monster  that feeds off our over-indulgence and wastefulness. It looms on the horizon of Western consciousness, yet we live with the belief that we are somehow immune to the problems it conceals.

The current recession has brought some designers to the consensus that now is the time to address our culture of aimless consumption in the hope of restoring a marketplace with a healthier and more sustainable outlook than before.

As it stands the design industry seems to blindly produce more ’stuff’, clambering at every opportunity to capture our attention amid a sea of homogeneous and derivative products. It is by no means the only industry that simultaneously creates desire and fuels disposability; in general, the vast majority of ’stuff’ is only adequately designed and manufactured and capitalises on its own planned obsolescence. We recognise this – the burden on the planet is discussed endlessly – yet until it smacks us in the face, calls for change are likely to go unheard. In the main, we are hypocrites; we know we need to reduce but we feel doubtful that as individuals we can make any difference.

Could we ever move away from consumption altogether? I hear you ask: Why would he, the editor and publisher of an annual guide that ultimately encourages consumption, suggest such a thing?

True, this thinking is naive and short sighted. Trade is engrained in our culture. Our finely tuned production cycle should be credited for providing us with an ever-important source of income – which, in turn, helps keep society’s wheels in motion. Production should not be considered a 21st-century scourge; innovation and technology offer infinite possibilities to a forward-thinking society.

It is also important to recognise that human nature is at its finest when creating. It gives us a sense of purpose. Throughout history our country has spawned pioneers we can thank for everything we value as great. These innovators deserve kudos, not the imitators who follow in their wake. However, as Richard Girling rightfully warns: ‘We salute excellence, but excellence is seldom born of modesty, and still less of moderation.’**

More than ever before, society needs to embrace moderation and readdress the reality of our ‘needs’. But only when we seriously question why we have mountains of stuff cluttering our shelves (as well as our minds and, ultimately, the rubbish tips) will we be able to start changing our consumption patterns. It is time to move away from the concept of disposability and promote quality and longevity, repair and reuse. Consumption is fine, as long as we buy better quality products less often and place value on emotional resonance. The future should be seen as rich with opportunity, but conditional on a move away from today’s self-destructive trajectory. Along the way we need to excite and empower one another and sidestep those who hesitate.

As things stand today, I get the feeling we are just treading water, waiting for others to make the first move. An army of creative entrepreneurs is eager to advance, but seems held back by risk-averse corporations and government. As our history tells it, however, it is during the hard times that human beings have best responded to new challenges. There is every reason why now is the time for change.

* Richard Girling, Greed. Why We Can’t Help Ourselves (2009), p.64

** Richard Girling, Greed. Why We Can’t Help Ourselves (2009), p.83

This extract was taken from pages 158+159 of LONDON DESIGN GUIDE 2010.

Product designer, writer, and lecturer on design (and LDG contributor), Tim Parsons, has written his first book – Thinking:Objects / Contemporary Approaches to Product Design – which launches in conjunction with an exhibition at The Aram Gallery.

THINKING:OBJECTS, open 11th December 2009 – 9th January 2010

THE ARAM GALLERY

Top floor, 110 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5SG (07827 353 026)

The book examines the many approaches that designers take to their work and discusses their motivations. It highlights the ways in which products communicate value and meaning through form, giving designers tools with which to create their own designs.

As a product designer himself, Parsons also explores the design process itself, the thought processes in the mind, and the importance of how drawing and model making aid decision-making.

The accompanying exhibition illustrates a selection of the ideas explored in the book. It includes products designed by the likes of Konstantin Grcic, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Naoto Fukasawa, and Daniel Weil among others.

Thinking:Objects is published by AVA Publishing

Paperback | 192 pages | £27.50

It’s December and the Christmas season is well and truly upon us. The annual dilemma as to what to buy our discerning friends and family is here, and to make life a bit easier, we have searched the stores featured in LONDON DESIGN GUIDE to bring our pick of the top 20 products from 20 great places.

Start as you mean to go on – kick off Christmas day with Champagne and sausages.

Above: Champagne Glasses by Ilse Crawford & Michael Anastassiades. £85 (sold in pairs) from Sigmar, Chelsea (page 19 in LONDON DESIGN GUIDE)

Of course, no day begins properly without a caffeine injection.

Above: Coffee & tea maker by Naoto Fukasawa. £149 from twentytwentyone, Islington (page 119 in LDG)

Right, breakfast over, its time to change out of your dressing gown and make an effort. Its Christmas day after all.

Above: Hinged Facet cufflinks in sterling silver by Hannah Martin. £335 from The Modern Gentry, Mayfair (until 5th December) or online from Hannah Martin London (page 84 in LDG)

And for you ladies, a beautiful ring should do the job.

Above: Grace Round silver ring with crystal by Jacqueline Rabun. £1500 from Jacqueline Rabun, Knightsbridge (page 15 in LDG)

Its not just how you look. What about how you smell?

Above: ‘Standard’ Comme des Garcons Artek perfume (100ml). £70 from Dover Street Market, Mayfair (page 54 in LDG)

Winter days can be rather gloomy so its important that you can see what you’re doing before plunging into that pile of pressies.

Above: Chimney Lights by Benjamin Hubert. £295 each from Viaduct, Clerkenwell (page 106 in LDG)

OK, if the kids don’t open some presents soon, they’re going to climb the walls. Perhaps that goes for the adults too? 

Above: Playshapes by millergoodman. £79 for a set of 74 wooden shapes from Aram, Covent Garden (page 76 in LDG)

Feeling peckish already? Time for a mid-morning snack served in style.

Above: hemDing platter by Andreas Fabian. £109 from Thorsten van Elten pop-up shop, Brompton (2-13 December) or online (page 72 in LDG)

Christmas is a time of celebration so do just that, and assemble and scatter illuminated balloons.

Above: Balloon Lamp by Kyouei. £25 from placesandspaces, Clapham (page 154 in LDG)

Argh, is that the time?! Must be time to start cooking the almighty roast…

Above: Red Wrist Watch by Uniform Wares. £85 from Uniform Wares online store (available from 4th December – its that new!)

OK, pots and pans to the ready…

Above: 20cm Casserole by Jasper Morrison. £38 from Jasper Morrison Shop, Shoreditch (page 131 in LDG). The other products in the image are also available from Jasper Morrison Shop.

So, who is going to set the table for lunch?

Above: Tonale tableware range by David Chipperfield. Prices from £13 from Alessi, Mayfair (page 52 of LDG)

After a long boozy lunch, it is time for a snooze on the sofa wrapped in warm blankets.

Above: Nos Da cushions, throws, and blankets. £60, £160, and £275 from SCP, Shoreditch and Notting Hill (pages 31 & 136 in LDG)

Wake up sleepy head!

Above: Braun Alarm Clock AB5 by Dietrich Lubs. £29.95 from Design Museum Shop, Bermondsey (page 150 in LDG). Be warned – these clocks are out of production and have been sourced from a savvy collector in Japan, so they are strictly limited!

If you’re not the snoozing type, have a read of your latest cultural tome.

Above: Anish Kapoor, published by Phaidon. £59.95 from Phaidon Store, Mayfair (from 6-7pm on 11th December, Anish Kapoor will be signing books in the store. To secure a place in the queue, pre-order your copy with a 20% discount)

Time for some Christmas cake already?

Above: Pedastal (grey) by Harri Koskinen for iittala. £329 (limited edition) from Skandium, Brompton and Marylebone (pages 20 & 42 in LDG)

Of course, you can’t have cake without a cup of tea, right?

Above: Adonde stoneware teapot. £79 from Mar Mar Co, Brick Lane (page 134 in LDG)

OK, revived, its time for some more presents. 

Above: Wallet by Porte Monnaie, made from paper-like flash-spun high density polyethylene. £69 from Darkroom, Lamb’s Conduit Street (new store opening 8th December)

Wow, a knockout sculptural centrepiece if ever I saw one.

Above: Yellow Loop by Merete Rasmussen. £780 from Contemporary Applied Arts, Fitzrovia (page 89 in LDG)

At the risk of being really boring, I’m off to bed…

Above: French tin candle box with drawer of refills. £19 from Few and Far, Brompton (page 14 in LDG)

So that’s the end of our pick of 20 great Christmas presents from 20 great places. Explore over 100 more fantastic design destinations that are featured in LONDON DESIGN GUIDE 2010 – buy your copy for Christmas! Only £10 directly from this website.

We’ll leave you with a nerdy statistic: each year Britons spend on average £435 on Christmas presents, but now researchers have calculated £36 of that will not be appreciated. Last year, eBay saw two million unwanted Christmas gifts listed, but a huge number are discarded and end up in landfill. 

It is predicted that Londoners will be given £86 million of unwanted gifts this Christmas. Don’t be one of them. Buy well, buy quality… don’t buy crap.

Source: Western Union via Evening Standard

MERRY CHRISTMAS!