I’ve been a fan of Cereal Magazine, the biannual, travel and style magazine, for a long time but their latest autumn / winter 2019 volume 18 has been my favourite. There are many articles that I enjoyed reading and I’ve been surprised how much has resonated with me. For example, I’ve been thrilled to discover and learn about Fan Ho’s photography (the fact that he only shot on Rolleiflex reminded me of Vivian Maier who used the same camera), Rupi Kaur’s poetry and so much more.
In ‘Cool Runnings‘ they report on District Vision, the brand of my good friends Max and Tom. In ‘Wild Origins‘ they cover Kruger National Park, which I was fortunate to visit with my family over last summer. But it was ‘Wind, Sand and Stars‘ which encouraged me to reach out to them with a recommendation of a place and a person that encompass so much of what they focus on in the magazine (architecture, art, design, travel…) maybe for a future piece.
Last month I listened to Rosa on the The Modern House’s inaugural podcast which I really enjoyed and thoroughly recommend.
The Modern House co-founder Matt Gibberd invites guests from the worlds of design, architecture and the creative industries to share their top three favourite homes in the world – think of it as a sort of Desert Island Discs for design lovers.
The house Rosa chose first was Kettle’s Yard, the former home of Jim Ede and his wife Helen in Cambridge and now an art gallery too, which I’ve been keen to visit for a long time. From the photos I’ve seen on Cereal’s website, I can see why she picked it and I believe it encompasses the shared characteristics and timeless principles of great homes that Matt mentioned like “space, light, truth of materials and connection to nature.”
Rosa summarised what it made her feel and how it relates to how she is beautifully. I think this sets a strong example that you can achieve whatever you set your sights on.
13 mins. 36 secs. – More than what it looks like, it’s the spirit, it’s what he stood for. It made me feel like you don’t have to have a PhD in art history to appreciate this. There is no barrier to appreciate Kettle’s Yard. And that’s who I am. I have limited publishing experience. I started Cereal. I have no art experience. I started a gallery. But it’s really fueled by just what I like and what I love.
She then references a quote she saw when she visited the house which comes from a letter that Jim Ede wrote in 1964, in response to a thank you note from an undergraduate who had visited Kettle’s Yard:
‘Do come in as often as you like – the place is only alive when used’.
Other outstanding homes I’ve visited and would thoroughly recommend are Patrick Gwynne’s The Homewood and Ernö Goldfinger’s 2 Willow Road, both now managed by The National Trust.
My Excerpts 
1 Comment