The Montage - Art Gallery, Coffee Shop and Vintage Store

About 9 years ago I used to live in Forest Hill, a South East district of London, with the postcode SE23. While I was living in a small apartment in a Victorian house, Forest Hill, although an affluent area in the nineteenth century, was then still quite neglected "up and coming" area, with just a few independent shops, a couple of not so interesting coffee shops and a new branch of Sainsbury supermarket (not counting the magnificent Horniman Museum and Gardens of course).

But the area was full of artists. And it didn't take long for the creative and enterprising spirit to assert itself, in the form of new art galleries, art cafes, and designer and vintage shops. Well established Havelock Walk Studios have been already there for many years, but now the whole area is buzzing with creative activity.

The Montage arrived on the scene last year, after a group of Polish artists got a lease on the dilapidated house and spent several months renovating it. And they did it in a true spirit of environmental friendliness. The place is the upcycling galore!

The Montage is an Art Gallery upstairs, and a Coffee Shop / Gallery / Vintage Store downstairs. It is a very nice combination. The owners' passion for art and all things old shows in every corner.  

The coffee shop was recently extended into the back garden. The old doors are not for sale, but almost everything else is.

The Montage is a very children friendly place. There is a room downstairs, full of toys, where kids can play, while parents catch up with friends over coffee and cake.

And the cakes are delicious! As a person with a wheat intolerance, I could even find several yummy options for myself.

The paintings seen on the walls here are by Agnieszka Handzel and Pawel Wasek.
For more information on The Montage click here.

The Montage - Art Gallery, Coffee Shop and Vintage Store

Mebloteka Yellow - design cafe shop in Lodz

I spent Christmas time in Lodz, Poland. It is my home town. It's the third biggest city in Poland. It used to be a textile industry centre, a bit like Manchester in the UK, but now most of the factories are closed. I call Lodz a city of factories and palaces. The palaces used to belong to the owners of the factories and some of them are beautifully preserved and open to the public.

Most of the factories however stood empty for a long time and few of them were in a very bad shape. Until recently, when things started to change. Now Lodz is getting to be a very exciting place to be. More and more factories are being restored. Some became loft style apartments, some offices and some shopping centres.

'OFF Piotrkowska' became the hub of design studios and creative businesses. One of them is Mebloteka Yellow - a gallery, a cafe and a shop selling handmade products with a vintage feel, mostly fashion and homewares.

A friend of mine told me about this place, and as soon as it opened after Christmas, I was there.

The atmosphere of Yellow is amazing. You can feel the creativity buzzing. It is a meeting place for local creatives and more and more people are now discovering it. You can learn more about it here.

OFF Piotrkowska was one of the venues for annual Design Festival in Lodz.

If you come to Lodz, put it on your list of places to visit. I really recommend it.

Mebloteka Yellow - design cafe shop in Lodz

My local discovery - Alexandra Nurseries Cafe

It was a beautiful sunny day today here in South London and I could not resist going out before locking myself up in the studio to work.

I went for a walk around the local streets in Penge where I live. Some time ago I discovered Alexandra Nurseries and somehow I my feet took me there again. Oh, the pull of the Flour-less Orange Cake!

Alexandra Nurseries is a small family owned plant nursery, vintage garden shop and a cafe. It is tucked in between small Victorian cottages in a hidden corner of Penge. It opened in April this year.

My eye was pulled to the lovely pumpkin display by the entrance:

This place is always a feast for the eyes, full of colour and exciting new arrivals. Today I bought some Parrot Tulip bulbs to plant in our front garden.

So.... the Flour-less Orange Cake, what can I say? Yum yum and yum! It is made with ground almonds and it tastes like heaven. I had it with a delicious cup of English Breakfast tea.

Apart from serving a wonderful variety of cakes, tea and coffee, Alexandra Nurseries sells interesting plants, garden objects, vintage crockery and other things.

It is an inspiring and friendly place. Come and see for yourself.
Here is the link http://alexandranurseries.co.uk/

My local discovery - Alexandra Nurseries Cafe