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The first thing I saw when I arrived in London was the gray sky. The washed-out colors made it look like a filter was put on the camera. On the way from the airport to the city center, I saw wide fields and many red brick houses.
It was easy to walk because it was flat and there were no hills. The only painful part was the subway stairs. There were also old stations without lifts, so I had to choose carefully. Primrose Hill, which is called a hill, was so low that it was unimaginable in Korea.
The contactless card usage environment was so well-equipped that it felt like I was walking around Seoul. Large stores had a lot of kiosks where you could pay with your card, which was great for quick payments. I was also able to use the credit cards I used in Korea.
As a student, I only learned about the origins of design, William Morrison, and many graphic designs in England, but I never had the chance to experience the city directly. On this trip, I was able to fully experience the aesthetics of London through its heritage style, legendary urban graphic design, and restrained industrial design.
Brick buildings are everywhere. Victorian-style houses, which can be said to be the golden age of England, are abundant. I thought that these were the original brick houses that can be seen in Korea. The faded colors and iron structures combine to create a rustic and vintage impression.
Every time you enter an alley, a completely different impression of brick buildings appears, making it fun to wander the streets. There are many houses made of gray or egg-colored bricks, but there are a lot of red bricks. It is said that this is because the smog was so bad that people preferred bright colors.
The renovated large brick building was also attractive. The most memorable space was Battersea Power Station, which was much larger than it looked in the photos. I thought it was an office building because the number of floors was low compared to its size, but the ceiling height was incredibly high.
It was impressive that the names and structures of the areas used during the thermal power plant era were inherited and used. A cafe was built in the control room space that would have overlooked the entire factory. I thought that architecture could have such a unique presence when it went beyond functional satisfaction.
London seemed to focus more on the sculptural beauty of trees and flowers than on the green richness of nature. I remember wooden signs and decorations, and wallpapers with detailed depictions of plants.
Among the many buildings, the most memorable is the Liberty Department Store, which is over 150 years old. It is difficult to find wooden buildings in London, which are vulnerable to fire, because the Great Fire burned down three-quarters of the city. The Liberty Department Store is a beautiful building in the Tudor style.
The delicate wooden decorations hidden here and there are charming. The tradition of selling fabrics continues to this day, and various fabrics are sold. Wallpaper with delicate patterns is also sold in a fairly large space. I looked at various types, from British floral patterns to oriental landscape paintings.
The pinnacle of botanical art is the House of Hackney. It is a space so old-fashioned that you might think you’ve come to the wrong place. It is a company founded by a young artist couple and sells various props and wallpapers for interiors. You can see a showroom with a strong concept that you can only see in interior magazines. You can also recreate what the wallpaper will actually look like on a screen. I thought that it must be because there are so many people who visit that such a sensitive space can be maintained in the middle of the city.
I experienced the legendary public design that I had heard about since my student days. The first London Underground became the standard for transportation design around the world, so it is very familiar, but it felt a little different because I thought of it as the beginning.
At first, it was said that it was important to distinguish it from the signs and posters on the street. So, we excluded decorative elements as much as possible and focused on functional elements.
Colors that can be recognized from a distance, icons with abstract meanings, illustrations that describe situations, and subway maps that resemble circuit diagrams all make an effort to convey accurate information clearly. Serif typefaces are used a lot in everyday life, and the modern-looking typefaces of Edward Johnston and Eric Gill also work well.
The black taxis and red buses that symbolize London are also memorable. The design that maintains the traditional form gives a neat and tidy feeling like a neat suit. The thick volume and gentle curves that can also be found in British cars such as Mini and Bentley are attractive.
Even in daily necessities, you can feel the soft British design. I visited Jasper Morrison's shop, famous for his book 'Super Normal', and as expected, it had a simple design. It was not easy to find because it was operated in a small space next to the studio. When I visited, there was a small exhibition that captured the essence of objects. Jasper Morrison collected products that he considered super normal, and each one was attractive. In the end, I bought an Alessi espresso cup that I liked so much.
I visited Labor & Waite because my friends who do landscaping or enjoy camping often use it. I thought that if you touch the soil, there would usually only be rough and rugged tools, but there were many light and delicate tools. I thought that it was not for nothing that it was loved by so many people.
The British spirit of rebellion that I encountered through punk music was felt in many places. I felt a thrill of what it meant to express a concept in a powerful way.
The 'collage' that comes to mind when thinking of punk was seen in Shoreditch and Hackney. The city center is full of clothes in luminous colors and roughly torn clothes, unlike the colorless clothes. The aristocratic decoration and the sleekness of sports are strangely attractive in a messy manner. The high fashion of Dover Street Market was also very London-like. Peckham Level was a converted car park where the creator was running various programs with the local residents.
The most surprising space is Cyberdog. It is a shop inside Camden Market, a vintage fashion shop with a fin-de-siècle feel. Upbeat music makes you move your shoulders from the entrance. Fluorescent neon colors radiate as if they are piercing through the cloudy weather of London. I thought that if I had a taste for it, it would be like this.
London was a city that was easy to travel to and full of fun things to do. I completely gave up on food, but the bread and meal kits sold at the large supermarket M&S Food Hall were of such high standard that I was able to have a delicious meal. Next time, I will focus on touring the modern art that is so high standard.
Every Tuesday morning, a designer with 16 years of experience curated Collect design trends.
