Monday, 22 November 2010

Oxfam Dalston - East London









































Oxfam Dalston, not just a place for picking up a bargain whilst helping others along the way. But a place that feels very much part of the community and somewhere that amongst other things facilitates gigs and gives people the opportunity to use the window space as a platform for ideas. Having seen a few of the window displays, I wanted to have a go at creating my own, in-line with What’s In Your Bedroom... So, armed with an idea loosely based around fairytale and dreams, I approached Kevin the Department Manager and the rest is history. With no budget, some begging, borrowing (less of the stealing) and a few weeks later, on Saturday 20th November, myself and my bed-heads, Suzanne Murray and Mark Jenkins, made a little bit of winter bedroom cosiness, happen at Oxfam Dalston.

I thought it apt to create a bedroom for the display. A bedroom that is built from existing Oxfam stock and from elements of the rooms I have previously photographed for the blog. I contacted a selection of the contributors and asked them if they’d like to make a donation for the window to be then sold on for Oxfam.  Amazingly, people were very kind and I ended up with an eclectic mix of items.








































When I have previously bought second hand stuff, I have sometimes wondered about the history. Who owned it? Where it came from? Of course there is an advantage to not knowing, but on this occasion I thought it would be nice to give the buyer the opportunity to trace the item back to the original owner, via the blog, by following the instructions on the tickets attached to each item.









































Have a look for yourself, by clicking on the links below, at the bedrooms that some of the items displayed in the window have come from:










And here's us making it happen... 




Big thanks to Fandango Interiors who kindly loaned the drawers.

Find Oxfam Dalston on Twitter @OxfamDalston


Thursday, 11 November 2010

Victoria - North London

Once upon a time there was a Media Arts Apprentice called Victoria, who at times felt like she was drowning in a bedroom of her boyfriend’s dirty socks. Whilst trying to keep afloat, she dreamt that one day she would have her own, sweet smelling, tidy abode. Some time later and as if by magic, she found herself in this Tim Walkeresque bedroom - a fairytale of trinkets, forests and birds - where she now lives happily ever after. 
I asked Victoria what would she save if her bedroom were on fire? She said she’d save her Granddad's Halina camera. She has never met him but he was a keen photographer and would be very impressed that she’s now completed a degree in Photography.

Find Victoria on Twitter @dashvictoria


Thursday, 4 November 2010

Sarah - North London

Less is more but not in Sarah’s case, her bedroom is brimming with brilliant bits. She is a writer and her eclectic style spills over into her work, which can be seen on her blog, The Enchanted Hunters. Sarah has lived in this shared flat in Stoke Newington for two years and weirdly enough had the exact same bedroom in the next-door flat for a few years before that.
I asked Sarah, “What would you save if your bedroom were on fire?” she immediately said, “My laptop, because everything is on it.” Then I said, “If you could grab something else what would it be?” She said she’d take some clothes. One dress that she wore to a wedding last year, a grey jumper with lots of silver sequins on it and this fantastic, vintage tunic style top, she got it some years ago from a charity shop for a fiver and has never worn it, but just loves the fabric, and it is amazing - a heavy brocade, with beautiful stitching.

Find Sarah on Twitter @sarahdrinkwater