An unusual commission back in June - shooting a luxury treehouse in Sussex. This amazing place is available to rent, see sussextreehouse.com for more information.
Big prizes and great press for Ian Ritchie Architects
Ian Ritchie Architects' work at the Royal Academy of Music has been garnering awards and getting great coverage in the architectural and national press.
It was joint winner of London Building of the Year at the RIBA London Awards and also won a RIBA National Award. It won best Culture and Community building at the New London Awards and is shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival Awards 2018.
The project was covered by Architecture Today and featured on the front cover. A nice double page-spread in the AJ's feature on the RIBA National Awards. And top billing in a BBC article on "Eight architectural treasures from RIBA awards".
Congratulations to all the team and let's hope the momentum keeps on growing...
From a raw plank of ash to a hand-made stool
I recently spent a fascinating day with furniture designer and maker Lawrence Goodwin at his workshop in High Wycombe. We documented the process of turning a raw plank of ash into a hand-crafted stool: planing the plank down, gluing sections together then cutting out the round seat, using a lathe to bevel the sides and a router to texture the underside.
Read MoreThe Royal Academy of Music by Ian Ritchie Architects
The Royal Academy of Music has just unveiled two impressive new spaces: a fully refurbished theatre and a brand new recital hall. Both were designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, and I was lucky enough to photograph them in pristine condition just as they were being completed in January. The Academy put on their first show in the theatre last week and The Observer described the theatre:
Read MoreVitamin N
I've recently spent some time outside London, both for work and visiting family in Cumbria and Cornwall. It's been refreshing to point my camera at things un-man-made.
Reaching for the 70-200mm lens as first port of call, rather than the 17mm. Waiting for the clouds to cover the sun. Hoping things will be wet - or at least damp - rather than dry. All of which has thrown up some thoughts or reminders that I will be applying to my architectural and interiors work.
Roll on spring!
A prize and great press for Fraher's Etch House
Fraher's Etch House (see here for more) has been awarded third prize in the highly-regarded 'Don't Move Improve' awards for London's best home improvement projects. And it had a great write up in the Evening Standard before Christmas. This project was a labour of love for Fraher's directors - it is their own home - so it's great to see it receive recognition. It's the most satisfying part of this job to see my photographs help good people and good design get the attention they deserve.
Read More28 images stitched together to capture 1000 sq ft mural
On a very busy part of the Old Kent Road in south-east London is the former Peckham Civic Centre. At pavement level is a wrap-around mural created in 1965 by Adam Kossowski. Created from 2000 coloured ceramic pieces and covering 1000 square feet, it depicts the history of the Old Kent Road from Roman times through to Sixties high rises. It's full of expressive faces, rich colour, and is a really arresting sight (more than once I've been beeped at for lingering too long at the lights while I looked at it on the way to B&Q...).
Read MoreSlope House by Poulsom/Middlehurst - before and after
Some time ago I shot a set of images for Poulsom/Middlehurst of a gutted house that they were just about to transform. It is a 1960s, ex-council house on an estate in Nunhead, South London. The hallmark of the estate is long sloping roofs (hence 'Slope House') and the houses are deep but thin, with a really interesting floor plan around a small enclosed courtyard.
The original room configuration blocked most of the daylight from reaching the kitchen. Poulsom/Middlehurst knocked down walls, removed rafters, inserted roof lights, and constructed a dormer to create a new bedroom. The end result is a beautifully light and open three-bedroom family house. Scroll down for some "before and after" comparisons...
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