Abstract Christmas trees light up London’s King’s Cross area

 

Temenos

Temenos, in picture above, is an abstract Christmas tree installation designed by London-based American artist Liliane Lijn.  It takes pride of place in London’s King’s Cross area, a hub for national and international travel connections as well as shopping and eatery destinations, and situated amidst some of London's most desirable housing developments. The whole area has been greatly regenerated and landscaped in recent years, and people can enjoy walks along the canal that snakes through the area.

Liliane Lijn's Temenos is set up in Granary Square outside the Central Saint Martins university.  Comprising of 19 multi-coloured neon light poles that change colours intermittently, Temenos is 11.3 metres tall.

There are  fitted lights along the edges of the "tree", arranged in a  conical shape.  

There is an opening/entry way which allows visitors to enter the Temenos installation and experience being immersed in neon light.

Meanwhile, nearby at the adjoining shopping and dining destination Coal Drops Yard, is an abstract Christmas tree called Prism, designed by Heatherwick Studio, and installed by lighting specialists This is Loop.

Prism

This 8.5 metre-high Christmas tree light installation is covered in mirrors and embedded with strips of multi-coloured lights to coincide with the festive atmosphere.

A tunnel runs through the centre of the installation to allow visitors to pass through and experience a kaleidoscopic space filled with light reflections and colour.

All photos by Lucia Carpio for MyFashionConnectGlobal.

Christmas lights bring on the spirit of the festive season

Christmas lights in London's Oxford Street (above) and
Regent Street (below).
Photos by Lucia Carpio for MyFashionConnectGlobal.

Wonderful to see the Spirit of Christmas returns to London, marking the start of this year's festive season. 

Christmas lights high above Oxford Street and Regent Street bring a hopeful atmosphere to the capital during these challenging times.

"The Spirit of Christmas" scheme returns to London's west end this year, marking the start of the festive season.  The lights are lit from 13 November 2021 until 2 January 2022, with the displays switched on from 2pm to
 midnight everyday for a more sustainable display.

While it is high time we start preparing our Christmas shopping list for friends and loved ones, it is time also to start planning to create that festive spirit home.

At TEXTURED LIVES, founder and interior textile designer Jo McEwan is creating a warm, casual look for Christmas. Keeping with a philosophy that our homes are our sanctuary, she curates an alternative brand that celebrates products that flow effortlessly, creating a calm and comfortable environment in the process.

TEXTURED LIVES  creates a cozy Christmas lifestyle with double faced Charcol throws, Tabia rustic tea lights, Lua green vase, Tabia rustic lights, Abeeko wine glass (set of 4), Fern candle, Kamille embroidery cushion and Mala embroidery cushion.

“I wanted to create a lifestyle experience that brought together beautiful homeware products and my own range of personally designed soft furnishings. My dream is to empower my customers to curate their own beautiful spaces with the reassurance that whatever they choose has been personally and consciously selected or designed. Respect for individuality is of paramount importance to Textured Lives which is why nothing is mass produced and we celebrate organic, not prescriptive." said designer Jo McEwan.

Simple additions like cashmere and merino wool throws, antique brass lanterns, rustic tea lights, real moss candles and velvet cushions can make that subtle difference, said Jo. Even adding a tea light or two and a Christmas vase into the bedroom can give us a snuggly new feel for the Christmas period.

Another way to add a Christmas spirit to our interiors is the creative use of candles.

Now artisan candlemakers Cockles and Heart is releasing  its limited edition Christmas candles this week; many of the vintage candles in the Devon company’s gold, frankincense and myrrh range are one-off pieces or available in runs of just 6 candles.

Deep Red Bowl Candle (11.5cm diametre) by Cockles and Heart.
Candle consists of 300ml coconut, rapeseed and extra virgin beeswax;
frankincense, ylang ylang, oregano and lime essential oils;
hand decorated with lavender;
and two pure cotton/linen blend wicks.  Burn time 45 hours

“For Christmas we’ve blended premium oils such as frankincense and myrrh with golden orange, cassia and cardamom to make delicious aromatic candles” says Shona Duncan of Cockles and Heart.  

“To give things a real Christmassy vibe, we’ve specially sourced some fabulous red and gold vintage containers. Many are genuine one-off pieces and when they are sold, they won’t be repeated.”

Cockles and Heart hand pours and individually decorates its candles using a bespoke wax blend infused with pure essential oils.  Its Christmas range features frankincense and  myrrh essential oils and gold and red vintage and upcycled containers.

Spode Songbird Antique candle by Cockles and Heart.
This Spode Cup is over 200 years old and was highly decorated in gold. 
The candle consists of 150ml coconut, rapeseed and extra virgin beeswax; cedarwood, ylang ylang, and bergamot essential oils; hand decorated with rose petals and three pure cotton/linen blend wicks. Burn time 30+ hours

Cockles and Heart sells its candles online  and at Rebel Rebel’s Mare Street Market Shop, London E8, at the Bowie Gallery in Totnes South Devon, UK.

Christmas jumper sales kick-start the Christmas shopping season online

Searches for ‘Christmas jumper’ skyrocket 136% in early November after John Lewis Christmas advert released

Christmas Jumper Hanging Ornaments made from a wool blend felt with a polyester padding
and a satin ribbon for hanging, by Cariad in Stitches where handcrafted and personalised gifts for all occasions are made in a home studio in North Nottinghamshire.   Available on The British Craft House website.

Now that Halloween and Bonfire night are behind us, it’s time to refocus our attention to Christmas.  Lately many retailers have started to show their Christmas adverts on British television and online, and these have an impact on our behaviour when it comes to Christmas gift shopping.

Analysis of Google search data reveals that online searches for ‘Christmas jumper’ in the UK skyrocketed 136% on the 5th November, within a day that British home and fashion retailer John Lewis released their Christmas advert featuring a little boy who gives a Christmas jumper to an alien girl.  Entitled "Unexpected Guest", the advert tells how a 14-year-old boy Nathan, who discovers and befriends a visiting space traveller, Skye, and introduces her to the season’s traditions on planet Earth, from decorating the tree to eating mince pies.  In the end when it is time for the alien to leave Earth, the boy gifts her a special Christmas jumper.  This non-gender-specific children's jumper sold out on the John Lewis website within an hour of the advert dropping.  It is in navy blue with green sleeves, and features a Christmas tree embellished with lights.  

Creative resource Design Bundles has revealed in a recent finding that online interest in 'Christmas jumper' skyrocketed to triple the average volume in one day, an unprecedented spike in interest for people googling Christmas jumpers in the first week of November, according to Google Trends analysis.

A spokesperson for Design Bundles, a marketplace for design resources which conducted the study, said: “The John Lewis Christmas advert never fails to signal the start of Christmas in the UK, and is a much-loved tradition for the whole country. It's fascinating to see just how this year's advert has triggered an early spike in searches for Christmas jumpers, given that Halloween is barely over. The fact that the advert itself was released by John Lewis early because of an increase in searches for Christmas-related products on the retailer's website, suggests that we may start to see the UK prepare for Christmas earlier and earlier every year". 

Meanwhile, fair isle jumpers remain a favourite for Christmas gifting, and this tradition continues this season.

Christmas "dinosaur" jumpers for all in the family available at London's National History Museum online.

Over at the Natural History Museum in London, festive dinosaurs Christmas jumper which comes in different sizes so you can dress the whole family from children to adults in matching style. 

What’s more, this British-made Christmas jumper, is knitted from 100% recycled yarn by a small, family-owned business that designs and manufactures knitwear in Leicester, with a focus on reducing its carbon footprint.

The navy, red, green and white pattern features snowflakes, fir trees - and everyone's favourite dinosaurs: Triceratops, Stegosaurus, T. rex and Diplodocus. Even the Museum's famous Hans Sloane nautilus shell appears along the hem and cuffs. 

The material used to make the jumpers is certified by the Global Recycling Standards (GRS) for its 100% recycled contents - a blend of 60% recycled cotton and 40% recycled polyester, the latter made from locally recycled plastic bottles.

Elsewhere, the Faraway Gang offers children's knitwear with a slow fashion approach.

The Faraway Gang jumpers, above and below, are made from all-natural extra-fine merino wool, these jumpers are robust, non-itchy, and ready for adventure, according to founder Sally Jackson.

The Faraway Gang use raw materials and knitting techniques to produce a quality that will stand the test of time, according to the award-winning brand. The jumpers are made from all-natural extra-fine merino wool, all made in the UK.

The Faraway Gang was founded in 2017 by Sally Jackson after becoming a mother for the second time.  Sally, like all mums, sought to get the balance right between having a family and retaining her creativity and independence.  With over 15 years experience as a knitwear designer for some of the UK’s most known brands such as Boden, Great Plains and Joules, interest in her designs were strong. Her first independent range won her a Gold Junior Award within a month of launching her signature style of fair-isle pattern showcasing her natural talent for colour.