Maker Christmas Markets

It seems the season is truly upon us!  Shopping small, means you get unique gifts and support makers all at the same time. 

This weekend is jam-packed with fantastic maker markets and workshops. We’ll be running around trying to go to every damn one.

In Glasgow there are three amazing events opening this week, filled to the brim with our favourite makers. Kicking off tomorrow night at South Block with Unit 60, then over for some Friday fun at Grey Wolf Studios, then a two day extravaganza with Customs & Excise at SWG3. 

In London there's a veritable feast of ways for you to shop small this Christmas, from Urban Makers East this weekend, to Crafty Fox Market in Peckham and for something extra special check out the Wallpaper Snowflake Pavilion at Kings Cross from Monday. 

If you’re looking for some entertainment and a more personalised gift, why don’t you check out these workshops too! 

And if you just can’t be bothered to get out of your pyjamas, our lovely Carrie’s gift shop is always open.

When you’ve filled all the space under the tree pop down to The Alternative Christmas Carol Concert for a not-so-traditional carol service. Expect plenty of fun and singing along with the all-women Lips choir.

Better design for the smart home: No more routers please!

The Drum asked us to write about the growing desire for better design in the smart home. Read on to learn about some of the smart home projects we've worked on and love. 

Look at your router – it looks like a router, right? Now look at your doorbell – it probably looks like a router or, worse, an air freshener.

A lot of ‘smart’ products have focused first and foremost on cramming in all the latest technology, with design and how people interact with them an afterthought at best.

But some of the startups we’ve been working with at Paved With Gold are proving that there is demand out there for better design and are now making technology for the home that no longer needs to be hidden away.

Ding

Avril O'Neil and John Nussey of Onn Studio came up with the concept for the Ding Smart Doorbell after their own doorbell broke. Unable to find a suitable replacement they decided to make their own and their idea has resonated with the Design Council and John Lewis, who have supported the project, and also with Kickstarter backers who have helped them double their initial funding goals.

Ding works like any other doorbell by ringing a chime inside your home, but what makes it better is that it also allows you to talk to the the person at your door using your smartphone, so you’ll never miss important visitors or deliveries.

And whereas others have focused more on video surveillance and security, Ding keeps things simple being designed as a doorbell first. It feels closer to a traditional doorbell rather than a surveillance system with additional features that have been driven by the latest technology. Plus, with home styling in mind, Ding doesn’t look out of place inside or out, coming in various colours to suit colour schemes and tastes.

Suzy Snooze

The second launch from BleepBleeps is Suzy Snooze, part of a series of connected devices that aim to make parenting easier. Its primary objective is to get a good night’s sleep for all the family. A baby monitor, night light and sleep trainer all in one, it helps children sleep and know when to get up.

Founder of BleepBleeps Tom Evans found that a lot of connected devices aimed at parents either looked very medical and science-y, or a bit too toy-like. The family of devices from BleepBleeps have been made to be simple and fun while using a design language that is attractive to both children and parents. Children enjoy the playful nature of the devices, each of which has a character like the Tony Tempa thermometer, whereas parents like using the devices as they’re simple, while also appreciating the aesthetic which has been likened to collectible vinyl toys.

Joto

Joto is a smart display that connects a pen to the internet. In the home we display art or write messages and share lists. Joto brings these to life through drawing and writing in real-time. A simpler solution may well be to use a whiteboard, but sometimes you just want things to be more fun than that, don’t you? Imagine the kids getting excited over something as mundane as adding to the shopping list.

Recently nominated for Design of the Year by the Design Museum, Joto will be available for pre-order in the new year.

The smart home is certainly getting smarter, and hopefully we’ll be able to make more space for it on our shelves and walls rather than hiding it all under the sofa. You may now stop looking at your router.

DING DING DING! 222% FUNDED!

The Ding Smart Doorbell has been successfully funded on Kickstarter. We’re proud to be part of making the doorbell even better by helping Ding raise over $111,000. 

We had such great feedback from the press, bloggers and influencers we got in touch with. Here are some of our favourites!

“Ding gets the internet of things right“ Mark Wilson, Fast Co. Design

“Designers are putting the home back into home tech” Elly Parsons, Wallpaper

“The British designers have maintained a purity of purpose” Fraser Macdonald, Stuff

“I need this in my life with all the parcels that I have delivered!” Sophie Robinson, BBC’s The Great Interior Design Challenge

And here’s the amazing Avril and John talking about their story with Campaign!

You can see all the key press in our handy coverage book. 

Keeping it Weird: Lazy Oaf's 15th Anniversary Exhibition

For 15 colourful years, London-based fashion brand Lazy Oaf has been keeping it weird with their bold, distinctive designs. Smashing cartoon-style illustration against witty down-beat captions and weird, wonky youthful nostalgia they've been keeping smiles on our faces a long, long time.

What better way to mark such a momentous anniversary, than to bring iconic Lazy Oaf icons to life as giant sculptures in their very own art exhibition! We took a trip to Lazy Land. And we loved it.  

Housed in Protein Studios, Shoreditch, Lazy Land visitors entered the exhibition via the mouth of a giant, pink, inflatable head (of course!). A whole gang of super-sized, 3D Lazy Oaf characters delighted crowds of fans and curious passersby. From bonkers cats constructed from tiles and poodles with pink tennis ball hairdos, nude blockheads and 'floating' boggly eyes, these residents of Lazy Land, as imagined and designed by Lazy Oaf founder Gemma Sheil, gave such fun insights into the playful thinking behind the brand. And, as hoards of excitable camera phone wielding visitors will testify, Lazy Land was definitely up there with the most Instagrammable events of the year! 

And to think, Lazy Oaf was born out of a collection of fun, screenprinted t-shirt designs and a stall at Spitalfields Market. Gemma Shiel, you are an inspiration! Here's to plenty more years of Lazy Oaf. Keep it weird.