The Drawer of Things

We’ve enjoyed peering into artist Lottie Cole’s meticulously constructed canvases depicting warm, inviting interiors and the characters who inhabit them. Her latest body of work has grown out of a fascination with the Anglo-Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen (not actually a relation …) and Bowen’s friendship with the artist Derek Hill. (Incidentally, Derek was the great-uncle of our co-founder, Albert Hill. You can read about Derek’s house in Donegal on our Almanac.) Her forthcoming show, My Relation, Elizabeth Bowen is at London’s Long and Ryle gallery from 3rd – 28th June. It builds on her long-held fascination with the narrative possibility of rooms. “Interiors are landscapes,” she says, “but unlike the blousey vastness of the outdoors, these spaces hold our stories. We exist within them, defined and confined by them. They hold our past, present and future lightly, securely, but only for so long as we wish to be there.”

If you periodically find yourself rifling through our archives for interior inspiration, then we think (and hope) you’ll enjoy Life Inside A Cottage – a just-published book co-authored by our senior editor, Nell Card. Arranged over six chapters, the book explores the enduring appeal of – you guessed it – cottages, and the beady-eyed reader may well recognise a handful of homes that have previously appeared on our (digital) pages. The book is ultimately a celebration of the ordinary lives lived in these humble dwellings and the creativity of those who truly care for them.

Inigo recently became corporate benefactors of the Lutyens Trust – a charity dedicated to preserving and celebrating the work of Sir Edwin Lutyens. The trust promotes important research and organises a programme of cultural tours and events throughout the year, giving members exclusive access to some of Lutyens’ lesser-known projects. Upcoming in May: a tour of two of Lutyens’ residential renovations in northern France: Le Bois des Moutiers and Maison des Communes in northern France. Coach trip, anyone?

Are you sitting comfortably? Then spare a minute for this excellent short history of chairs from the duo behind Extraordinary Objects. EXOB is a “living collection” of art, antiques and natural history (check out the gogotte formations!) that each have powerful stories to tell and manage to connect us to the natural world as well as the makers, menders and sitters that have gone before us. Their gallery is their 17th-century farmhouse in Kent, which obviously we now want to visit …

For those who cannot wait until September for London’s 35th edition of the Open House Festival, take a look at the long list of events taking place in east London this May as part of the Hackney History Festival. The festival aims to bring the borough’s diverse past to life and features a scintillating programme of talks, walks and guided tours through some of the area’s most iconic buildings and spaces. We were excited by the Hackney Marshes and River Lea Mobile Photography Walk with Ceci n'est pas Hackney and Freya Najade (Saturday 9th May). Freya spent the day photographing Hackney for us last year and we still think about her soft, glowing shots and unique approach to image-making.

Photography credits: © Lottie Cole / Life Inside A Cottage by Nell Card & Rachel Vere (Penguin, RRP £30), photography © William Head / © Extraordinary Objects / © Freya Najade / © Elliot Sheppard