Light Night at Dezigne - Nottingham Hockley

On the 28th of February 2014 it was Light Night in Nottingham.
We had great fun here at Dezigne preparing for the night. Although I have to admit it was a lot of work but thanks to help from local designers and artists we managed to make it happen.

Jolanda from The Workshop - Nottingham a lighting designer lent us 800 Bohemian crystals. We decided to make something interesting for the shop, well it was easier said than done. The first string of crystal took us 2 hours to make, after 5 strings we nearly gave up. Eventually after 10 days and experimenting we managed to make a string in 15min and the chandelier was just finished in the morning of light night -it looked stunning !

















Having had a chat with local artist Paul Matosic and thinking what else we could make I visited his garage where we sifted through loads of items we came across a box of photographic slides. The slides were of memories and travel experiences from all around the world from one of Paul friend`s dad who is no longer with us.

The idea came - why don't we make a huge QR code - Retail and Art working together.
So off we went to The Workshop - Nottingham and started work.
I was a bit worried that it would not look good or interesting and our 3 days work to make it would be wasted - how wrong I was. The QR light sculpture was stopping people in their tracks and they were interacting with it - trying to scan it with their phones, taking photos and spending a lot of time looking at all the photos. Pleasantly surprised. - Interactive Dynamic retailing using Art.

Steve from Kotch Design also made some experimental lamp shade forms. He is an eco designer and his forms were made by knitting and fusing lace together.

Daniel from ReLit Design also brought into the shop a selection from his art work as well as some very interesting iconic mid century refurbished lights of which one was sold on the Light Night. 

Upstairs in the Coffee bar we had projections from designer and fashion photographer duo Hue of Two. A fantastic selection of artistic and fashion photos that kept the visitors looking all the time whilst sipping our special brew Machinato coffee and eating a slice of Chloe's home made almond and raspberry cake.

Oh and I had 2 of my LED light sculptures which are on permanent display.

It ended up being a very interesting and buzzy night We felt there needed to be more activities in the area and we wish we could have done even more.

We will keep working as hard as we can to keep design and art work in our shop. Looking forward to more events like this.

Finally a massive thank you to The Nottingham City Council and in particular the Arts and Events Department that featured us in their Light Night city trail map.

Nottingham Light Night

Each year shops and attractions all over Nottingham Light up with work from various artists and designers and create a tour through the city's streets.

This year we are taking part on February 28th by filling our windows with some lovely light creations to invite you into our shop for a browse and to enjoy a nice cup of something hot.

We also have available a 2.5*2.5 metre gazebo available for FREE. We can provide you with electricity, fairy lights, and a space if you provide us with a creation. Whether that be a performance, a sculpture or simply a stall. If you are interested please get in touch.

We are Number 16 on the list, do come in and say hi!

New premises

It's been a while since our last post, so let's start where we left off!

After a huge success with the pop-up shop we now have a more permanent spot in Nottingham's creative heart - Hockley.

The transformation began in November and as well as having all of the beautiful, unique and handmade items, upstairs is home to a coffee shop with the perfect view to watch the world go by!

Home to all of the gorgeous items you have come to expect from Dezigne, we have a silky smooth blend of freshly brewed coffee waiting for you and a selection of teas to enjoy with a slice of cake, and the opportunity to purchase some beautiful food items for your cupboards such as rosebuds to brew your very own rose tea, lovely honeys, herbs and condiments all direct from Greece.

Here are some before and afters:

Wow, so much has happened since our last post. We have been busy setting up and opening our new store and coffee bar Dezigne in the Creative Quarter of Nottingham.


The shop is based on the success of the Pop Up shop that we set up in 2012 - also in the Hockley area of Nottingham. We specialise in handmade and one-off designer items including furniture, lighting, soft furnishings, bags, jewellery, accessories etc. as well as handmade chocolates, preserves, honey and herbs.


We mainly stock items from local makers and designers but are constantly on the lookout for new makers from around the UK.


We are inspired by Liberty of London and the many quirky coffee shops in London.


We love Liberty's retail philosophy - ie. being unique, different, independent.


New in the Dezigne shop this week we have some gorgeous vintage and steampunk inspired jewellery by a designer from Stamford in Lincolnshire.


Here are just a few images:

Just back from getting some much need inspiration and coffee in London at the Design Junction 2013 !
It's better than last year with some gorgeous textiles, furniture, glassware, ceramics, etc.

We also had time for a visit to the Pitfield Shop and Cafe in Shoreditch for a much needed coffee. Discovering wonderful independent shops and cafes was just as interesting as visiting the design shows. Fantastic!

We recently went to Athens for a few weeks to do some more improvements to our flat in the suburb of Faliro as we have started to rent it out for short term rentals. This is great way to have an affordable stay in this wonderful ancient (and modern city) and at the same time get a flavour of life as lived by Athenians.
Apart from the usual attractions Athens has fantastic cafe's , bakeries and street markets. The local town beaches aren't bad either and there are many beach bars and beach clubs along the coastline from Faliro down to Vougliameni.
Faliro itself is well placed for visiting the City Centre, the main port of Piraeus where the ferries take travellers to the islands, the local beaches and marina. 

 If you are interested in staying at the Apartment please click on the link:
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1219922

 Dia Noche Bar at Faliro Marina where you can have a meal, a cocktail or simply a refreshing Freddocino.

 The Marina at Faliro which is packed with luxurious yachts ! This is just 10 or 15 minutes walk from the apartment.

 One of the local free beaches. There are charges for sunbeds and umbrellas though.

 Palet - a nearby cake shop which sells fresh pastries, cakes, sweets and homemade ice cream.
There are bakeries and patisseries in all of Athens suburbs selling goodies -usually all baked in house.

 A lovely taverna -right on the beach at Faliro.

 One of the many cafe's in Athens City Centre where you can cool off and take a break from all that sight seeing !
You MUST visit the Acropolis Museum.

The apartment's terrace which has a shaded area where you can eat your meals or just enjoy a drink. (Do use mosquito repellant in the summer though!) 

 The apartment's kitchen which is spacious and has plenty of storage space.

The lovely free beach at Vougliameni where the water is super-clear. Great for snorkelling. 
There is a charge for parking and sunbeds though.

The beach cafe where you can enjoy a cool drink, snack or meal.

Its feeling a bit Autumnal so we thought we would add some more 'seasonal' items to the Dezigne shop starting with this luxurious purple velvet purse by Gorgeous Little Bag.

Perfect as an evening bag or to go with that special party outfit.
Check it out on the Online shop together with loads of other lovely stuff!