Happy 1st Birthday upside down design
On the same par as a speech, I will keep this blog, short and simple.
Tomorrow (Friday 29th September) marks the 1st birthday of
upside down design's retail design space on Bootham in York.
Carole Whitby, owner and founder of upside down design extended her interior design business last September, by adding the retail design space on Bootham to her portfolio and hasn't looked back! Since its inception, I have had the pleasure of working with the team at upside down design. When I first walked into the shell of the shop, I was struck by the quirky columns, wood flooring and bespoke industrial shelves (commissioned by Carole) - it is a unique space and instantly knew it would be a successful independent homeware and interiors shop.
The run up to the opening of the shop was an exciting time; everyday, new products were added to the shelves, furniture was displayed in the large windows, the till and computers set up and the stock room was at bursting point. Curiosity from the public walking past the shop front was huge - 'what was going on inside?'
The shop front in the run up to the opening
Flower arch for the opening event by Manor Garden Flowers
and below are a few interior shots to give you an idea of the goodies
in-store ...
The shop has gone from strength to strength. Team UDD are the most friendly and welcoming bunch, the atmosphere is great, there's ALWAYS a hive of activity in the shop and I ALWAYS leave uplifted and inspired, as I'm sure, many do.
Below shows some of the past events held over the last year; all so much fun and at the bottom of this blog, a couple of forthcoming events 'dates for your diary'.
In March we hosted a pop up art exhibition for East Yorkshire artist Mark Ibson - a huge success with 75% of the works sold.
(invitation illustration for Mark's exhibition)
May brought us Cressida Bell! Cressida's lampshade painting workshop was a sell out . We had a wonderful team of girls who created spectacular lampshade designs.
In July the inaugural Bloom! York 2018 took place; York was awash with colour and we were awarded 'highly commended' for our window display judged by Royal Florist Simon Lycett.
Our Bloom! York 2018 window display using locally cut flowers from Queens Flowers.
Royal Florist Simon Lycett et moi!
Colin Lawton of Property Lens popped by and took some great pictures of the exterior and a few interior shots.
In August our online shop went live!
Finally... the celebrations, party time, a whole year of trading,
laughter, tears and a whole lot more!
When it came to choosing a local artist to illustrate the invitation for this exciting event, Sharon McDonagh of Edna & Co. was top of the list -
we love it Sharon!
(Sharon's cards & prints are exclusive to upside down design, go and have a look, they are based on mid-century furniture and very cool!)
Join us tomorrow, Friday 25th September
5-8pm
cocktails, canapes & cake
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:
A Masterclass in cake design with Cressida Bell on Thursday 25th October, 11am - 5pm, tickets cost £150 and include all materials, lunch/refreshments and a copy of Cressida's book 'Fifty Fabulous Cakes'. Email me for tickets and further info: georgie@pridden.com
upside down design are joint sponsors of the Newburgh Priory Christmas Fair 2018 and will also be exhibiting at the fair - for more information on the fair please see my website priddenprandevents.com
Thank you for reading and looking; I hope I've inspired you to visit
upside down design, either in person or, online. It's a cool shop and an independent one at that; before heading to the big chains/well known internet companies, please think twice - the high street is in trouble - it's always good to support one another.
Over and out!
