It’s been a busy couple of months and I’ve been out and about a lot. I thought I would share with you recent events I have attended in London. It’s been so lovely to meet people in person. I was invited to the first Function and Form event at Heal’s in London. Function and Form was set up by Tiffany Grant-Riley and Annie Kruse. It’s a new offline community and they have a new kind of gathering.
“Function+Form is a new collaborative gathering combining relaxed, informal dining with handcrafted design. As so much of our lives today are spent online, we seek to bring the enjoyment of interior and lifestyle design into a tangible being whilst enjoying the company of like-minded friends. A chance to make new connections, a chance for real conversation. Each gathering focuses on the work of a designer who we admire for their ethos, their aesthetic, sharing with us their inspiration and inviting us to delve deeper into their process. Beautiful food in a venue equally so, we invite you to join us.”
As part of the interiors community and with a keen eye for simple design, Tiff and Annie hope to use their online influences to support and promote new and independent designers as part of Function+Form. Whilst in London there were two inspiring speakers, British potter Jono Smart and linen apron designer Sarah Quinn of Enrich and Endure. It’s was great to sit down and listen to what they had to say and to hear about their journeys to were they are today. As a shop owner myself with a focus on independent designers it was great to talk to people who share the same passion. For once I didn’t bring my camera. I just enjoyed talking to people. For more photos you can have a look at this hash tag #WeAreFunctionAndForm. I was lucky to meet the bloggers behind Lapin Blu, Cate St Hill and Lobster and Swan, to mention some.
Whilst eating a really lovely brunch, I enjoyed chatting to Yvonne from The Hive and Ia and Helena from online community At Mine. If you haven’t yet signed up to At Mine, I recommend that you do.
photos by Tiffany Grant-Riley
I’ve actually had two trips to London. Just before Christmas I went to the first ever UK Pinterest Ambassador Summit. We are 4 ambassadors, Zoe, Sarah, Elizabeth and myself. We got some training during the day and got to know some exciting new Pinterest features that will be released next year. We also talked about events and talks we have done and are planning to do in the future. I’m going to have another event in Glasgow, but I don’t know all the details yet. I’ll keep you posted.
If you want to see a nice vlog which sums up the day, do have a look at Elizabeths post, it’s really good. Here we are up the top of The Shard. It was a fantastic experience and it made London seem huge and tiny at the same time. The views were just amazing. We also went out for a Christmas dinner with the Pinterest team and stayed at the very cool CitizenM hotel. What a great day!
photo by Lizzie from Pinterest UK
Two fantastic events and I met some really lovely people. I’ll definitely be travelling more next year. I’ve already got something exciting lined up early Spring. Can’t wait! x