One of London’s destinations for graphic art – Outline Editions – has welcomed graphic artist Anthony Burrill to curate a month-long solo show entitled ‘Clear Your Head Every Day’. Burrill is best known for his woodblock prints of uplifting and thoughtful slogans.

‘CLEAR YOUR HEAD EVERY DAY’ 10th June-16th July 2011

OUTLINE EDITIONS

94 Berwick St, London W1F 0QF (020 8451 3400)

The show includes a collection of 30 new small-scale limited prints and neon artworks as well as Burrill’s collaborations with furniture designer Michael Marriott and sculptor Wilfrid Wood.

Live workshops are taking place in the newly re-designed gallery space. Each piece is for sale (prices vary from £30-£300). Burrill says ‘Clear Your Head Every Day’ is a show very much in the spirit of an open studio. Everything shown is based around a theme of positivity and as the title suggests, its about an antidote to stressful, city life.

Burrill is better known for his slogans such as ‘Work Hard and Be Nice To People’ which have become mantras for the design community and beyond. Commissioned by everyone from the Tate to Colette in Paris – Burrill has recently created a series of posters with political messages for the British Library as well as producing adverts for the London Underground and the Economist.

Gallery opening times: Tues-Sat 12-6.30pm

The team behind Ottolenghi have opened a new all-day dining restaurant called NOPI, just north of Piccadilly Circus (hence the name). The interior is designed by Israel-based designer Alex Meitlis.

NOPI

21-22 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NE (020 7494 9584)

The restaurant serves a cuisine blend that they describe as ‘contemporary London’: bold flavours and colour, broadly based on Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern and Asian ingredients, using lots of herbs and spices.

NOPI is a brasserie, the interior of which includes familiar materials such as marble, brass and wood. In fact, brass is a recurring feature – the tabletops, bar tops, the light fixtures are a replica of an antique lamp from Jaffa’s flea market in Tel Aviv, while the 1920′s brass entrance doors are the original doors from Harvey Nichols.

Highlights from the menu include:

Breakfast: Rhubarb and plum compote, ewe’s yoghurt / Black rice, coconut milk, banana, mango / Chickpea and merguez sausage stew, sourdough, poached egg / Courgette and manouri fritters, lime soured cream

Nibbles: Kohlrabi, mint soured cream / Prawn toasts / Beef brisket fritters

Sharing plates: Slow cooked pig cheeks, celeriac and barberry salad / Rose veal carpaccio, marinated beetroot, kashk / Seared scallops, pickled daikon, green apple / Seared prawns, fennel, white oregano, feta / Grilled garfish, vine leaves, chermoula / Raw brussels sprouts, oyster mushrooms, quail egg / Baked stilton cheesecake, wild mushrooms / Braised carrots, mung beans, smoked labneh

Desserts: Vanilla ricotta, blackcurrants, rhubarb / Quince, quince jelly, Vin Santo sabayon / Chocolate, peanut brittle, mace syrup, crème fraiche / Cardamom rice pudding, rose syrup, pistachio

Open daily 8am – midnight, except Sunday 9am-5pm

This spring, New Zealand chef Anna Hansen is transporting her popular and original menu from The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell to a temporary set-up in Soho, The Modern Pantry at Meza.

THE MODERN PANTRY at MEZA, 22nd March-16th April 2011

100 Wardour Street, London W1F 0TN (020 7314 4002)

For one month only, the restaurant and bar are being completely transformed, taking on the minimal and comfortable surroundings that define The Modern Pantry; with furniture from Danish design house Fritz Hansen, grey and white painted walls and artwork from guest artists Kate Boxer and Robert Clarke.

Dishes include firm favourites such as Sugar-cured New Caledonian prawn omelette, spring onion, coriander and smoked chilli sambal, and Beetroot, currant, okra and feta fritters with orange cream. Substantial main dishes comprise of roast cod, chorizo, clams, squid ink mash and samphire, and Duke of Berkshire pork belly, sweet potato and fenugreek mash, cox apple and sour cherry chutney. Prices range from £4-18 per dish.

£1 is being added to every bill to raise money for those affected by the recent earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Michelle Alger, the Buying Manager for Home and Gift at Liberty walks us on a loop through Soho. Shops, cafes, bars, parks, and even a hairdressers are featured to guide you on a tour which captures the essence of the ever evolving leisure district.

SOHO: Take a Walk with Michelle Alger

“After arriving at Oxford Circus tube, take the exit leading onto Argyll Street and you’ll be facing the large Tudor-style building that is the iconic Liberty. Biased, I know, but in my opinion it is the most interesting store in the area, filled with delights ranging from high fashion through to luxury furniture.

Liberty, Great Marlborough Street.

Walking along Great Marlborough Street you’ll pass the dress-fabric district. Be sure to check out the famous Cloth House stores on Berwick Street, with their lush fabrics and trims.

Cloth House, 98 Berwick Street.

Continue along Noel Street to Hollen Street and the imposing Henry Heath Hat Factory – another fragment of the old artisan Soho.

Henry Heath Hat Factory Building, 98 Berwick Street.

Snake through to Soho Square, with its mock-Tudor gatehouse and welcome green space in the heart of the metropolis.

Soho Square.

On the corner of Old Compton Street and Greek Street, visit Café Boheme and enjoy an afternoon Kir Royale and an atmosphere of Paris circa 1920.

Cafe Boheme, 13-17 Old Compton Street.

Next door is Soho House, where you can enjoy a terrific rooftop terrace if you know a friend with membership. Continue down Old Compton Street past Patisserie Valerie, a must-visit for cakes and coffee.

Patisserie Valerie, 44 Old Compton Street.

On Brewer Street, check out Madame Jojo’s for burlesque dancing and kitsch cabaret and, a few doors further down, Soho’s Original Bookshop, with its edgy collection of fashion and art titles (and a sneaky hidden sex shop downstairs).

Madame Jojo’s, 8-10 Brewer Street.

Soho Original Bookshop, 23-25 Leather Lane.

Carry on along Brewer Street to the Vintage Magazine Shop – great for silver-screen and comic-book fans.

Vintage Magazine Shop, 39-43 Brewer Street.

Continue in the same direction to Tommy Guns for a quick ‘too cool for school’ trim.

Tommy Guns, 52 Brewer Street.

Then do some celeb-spotting at Whole Foods.

Whole Foods, 69-75 Brewer Street.

Take a right into Lower James Street and catch a glimpse of the beautiful arches of lower Regent Street behind you. In Golden Square, stop by Nordic Bakery for coffee and Scandinavian treats before reaching Play Lounge for vinyl collectors on Beak Street.

Nordic Bakery, 14 Golden Square.

Play Lounge, 19 Beak Street.

Cut through Kingly Court – a medley of vintage clothing, homewares and beauty boutiques – and re-emerge on Carnaby Street. Head left to howies, my favourite store on the street, selling unisex ethical clothing.

Howies, 42 Carnaby Street.

Finally, on the corner of Ganton Street and Kingly Street, enjoy a glass of Manzanilla and tapas at Dehesa.”

Dehesa, 25 Ganton Street.

This extract was taken from page 65 of LONDON DESIGN GUIDE. To enjoy similar tours of other areas in London complete with maps, why not order a copy of the guide?

British shopping emporium – Liberty – is giving designers the opportunity to pitch their designs to a panel of the store’s buyers and industry experts. The best designs will get the chance to have their products sold there. Register online prior to the event on 6th February.

‘BEST OF BRITISH’ OPEN CALL, Saturday 6th February 2010, 10am-3pm

LIBERTY

Great Marlborough Street, London W1B 5AH

At LDG, we support any store interested in investing in forthcoming design talent. If you’re a designer of a product suitable for the store, register on the Liberty website and present your design for assessment and feedback.

Best of luck!