A collection of seasonal stories, thoughts, ideas, some obvious, some (hopefully) less so.
You can also read our Q&A interviews with the Simple Shape designer makers.
And sometimes we’ll add other stories too, these could be anything, really.
I like September, it feels like a month where changes happen. Well, there are big changes happening here. After nine years, I have decided to close Simple Shape. Read on for more details and what happens next.
My mother-in-law is a woman who loves tea and knows about art history. The result is an expoloration of the humble tea cup. Put the kettle on and enjoy the read.
This year for BOS we have screen printer Lucy Morris-Thomas, founder of LOUMT, exhibiting with us. Lucy will also be demonstrating her screen printing too. Come along, for art, demos and hand made and crafted homewares in the Simple Shape Shop too! Sat 6th & Sun 7th July
Every Tuesday I walk to my mother-in-laws house for lunch. When I get to the door I’m met by the smell of something good. In the kitchen the table is laid and there is always napkin for each of us. When I mentioned how much I loved this we began talking about the significance of napkins. It turns out that the napkin has quite a history.
Wednesday 01 May | 7pm - 9pm | £70. Join us and Bleakhouse Flowers on May Day to create a hand-tied Spring Bouquet masterpiece. Read on for more information and tickets.
It can be a tricky day for so many but if you have a person who is dear to you that you’d like to show you care, we have a selection of gifts for you.
We are joining forces with the super cool leather craft collective Artisans to bring you this leather purse making workshop. Come on your own or bring a friend and make yourself (or someone lucky) a little leather gift.
Our cheery little Christmas Micro Market is back for 2023. Saturday 25th November from 12-noon until 5pm. An independent shopping experience washed down with a little mulled wine. Sounds lovely, right?
Simple Shape x Bleak House Flowers bring you the Christmas Wreath Making Workshop. Thursday 30 November from 7-9pm (workshop will be between 2-2.5 hours) Get your ticket now. Tickets, £70
Coming full circle with Katie Mitchell. Read our Q&A. Katie will be teaching a macrame workshop on Thursday 2nd November at our Simple Shape Studio-Shop
We are hosting a workshop with founder of By-Me, where you will learn to wrap and knot your way to a fully finished Spiral Macrame Plant Hanger. For details & tickets, read on.
We are super happy to be hosting local artist Mimi Soan for BOS. BOS is an event that align with all our values: art, craft, creativity, making and community. join us on Sat 01 & Sun 02 July. From 1pm - 6pm.
If you thought that pale and Provence was the answer to rosé, prepare for an education. Contrary to popular belief the colour of a rosé does not dictate how sweet it is. Book your tickets and prepare to peer beyond the pale.
Thursday 27th April | 7pm - 9pm | £55. We are once again joining forces with Tobby Wu from Bleakhouse Flowers. This time to offer a Flower Arranging Workshop. Read on for more information. Tickets: HERE
We have passed the equinox in the Northern hemisphere and the sun is now officially moving northwards. With spring in the air we have added some fresh new things to the shop, all designed and made in the UK, of course.
If you like the sound of an evening that is relaxed, interesting, fun, informative and delicious, where you will have the chance to taste 5 different ‘New Fashioned’ wines, this is for you. Read on for all the details and how to book.
Dinner candles, twisted candles, celebration candles and utterly incredible (the very best I think) scented candles. Plus really excellent candlestick holders. All hand made in the UK
For the tea drinkers, the coffee obsessives, and the flower arrangers…well, we have something for them all.
What better way to show the warmth of your affection than with a super soft, cosy lambswool or mohair blanket!
Serving boards and bowls for occasions, for gifts and for everyday. Each one of our boards and bowls are handmade in the UK by a talented collection of designer-makers, meaning that they are unique, different and super special.
Details of our Christmas MICRO MARKET, including times, locations and makers.
Kim Jordan is a cabinetmaker, he designs and makes furniture and other smaller pieces from his workshop in East London. He trained as an “ébéniste” in Paris and describes his work as “British Design meets French savoir-faire”. We asked 10 questions, read on…
How To: Dress a table for an Occasion (I’m thinking Christmas, but you can take the principals and use them for all occasions really!) Just add people and you’ll be set for a great event.
Join us on the first evening of advent, Simple Shape is welcoming back Bleakhouse Flowers for an extraordinary Christmas Wreath Making Workshop. 7-9pm. This is a ticketed event.
If you’re local to South East London, put these dates in your diaries! Book onto our fantastic workshops and join us for the return of our Micro Christmas Market…shop local and independent this Christmas.
Our Simple Shape Studio is going to be a mass of felt, embroidery thread, beads and sequins for our Christmas Decoration Workshop. Author & presenter, Christine Leech, founder of SewYeah will be passing on her skills. We asked her 6 questions about her creative roots.
Trapping heat and effectively insulating yourself is a successful and time-worn way to stay warm when the weather turns bleak. And a wool blanket is a simple and excellent way to do that.
Saturday 19 November | 2pm-4pm. We have joined forces with SewYeah to present a Christmas Decoration Workshop. Join us and make an embroidered, beaded Gingerbread House or a Babushka Doll.
The gift of some carving tools prompted Ewen Brown, founder of the Norfolk based workshop Slow Made Goods, to start experimenting with wood. Now just a handful of years later, he is turning a living from it. We posed 10 questions…
We are really excited to be hosting print artist Anna Ruiz for the Brockley Open Studios, Sat 2nd & Sun 3rd July. Walk through the streets of Brockley and find local artists and makers and seize this special opportunity to buy unique works. Read on for details and a Q&A with Anna.
