SMUG is a lovely kooky lifestyle shop in Islington’s Camden Passage, which I always pop into if I’m in the area. Run by founder Lizzie Evans, it sells a beautifully curated array of homeware, stationery, accessories, vintage furniture and kitchenware by designers such as Thornback & Peel, Donna Wilson and a favourite of mine, Mae Engelgeer. She recently opened a cafe in the basement, offering Ozone coffee, pastries made locally by Yeast Bakery and lots of other yummy homemade treats by Lizzie herself, all served up on 1950s Formica tables (there’s also a small, quiet courtyard when the sun shines!).
It made the perfect location for the launch of Betty & Walter’s new Autumn/Winter collection of bags, purses, kitchenware and accessories last week. Betty & Walter was set up in 2011 by Central Saint Martins graduate Lisa Stickley and now sells prints that look to the mid-century for inspiration, including her aunty Betty and Uncle Walter, the perfect 1950s muses. Lisa starts each print by hand, tweaking each artwork before scanning it onto the computer and having it made into fabric. This season she has six retro prints: including the black and white Criss Cross, the painterly swirls of Mabel, the bold veggy cut outs of Allotment and the jazzy Party Rain. It’s available exclusively at SMUG for the next couple of weeks.
The slightly wonky paper cuts of vegetables inspired an evening of origami from Lizzie’s creative friend Origami-est. Accompanied by Pimms and SMUG Cafe’s delicious cakes, we learnt how to create a simple origami garland using the prints from Betty & Walter. Folding paper must be one of the simplest, but most effective ways to jazz up your home, even before it’s Christmas. I couldn’t tell you how to make it, but once you pick it up, they’re really easy to make and Esther offers workshops (she also does Hen Do’s!) in SMUG’s upstairs space, to find out more have a look here. Prices start from just £15 and all materials are included.
Some gorgeous snaps above from Betty & Walter, and below, the origami workshop!
Images my own
