by James Balston | Apr 16, 2014 | Design, Exhibitions, Lighting, London, Restaurants
I was secretly quite pleased when I arrived at the Shard early one morning for a shoot, in thick fog. I was there to meet lighting designer, Tom Kirk, to shoot some of his creations in the east facing private dining rooms at AquaShard, and I knew that the weather... 
by James Balston | Feb 27, 2014 | Apartments, Architecture, Kitchens
Some magic worlds are found at the back of wardrobes, down rabbit holes, or in between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross. I recently discovered another down an unprepossessing alley in Sydenham of all places. Behind a large industrial door, lies Yasemen’s... 
by James Balston | Aug 19, 2010 | London, Shops
London’s famous thoroughfare, built by John Nash, as part of a regal route linking Regents Park to the long since demolished Carlton House on the Mall, had been in decline as a fashionable destination. During the latter part of the 20th century it filled up with... 
by James Balston | Jul 26, 2010 | Homes
Studying German to A-Level at school, required me to read “Irisches Tagebuch” (Irish Journal) by Heinrich Böll. It recounted a period in the 50s and 60s, when the German author moved his family to County Mayo in the west of Ireland, in search of a... 
by James Balston | Jun 16, 2010 | Homes
Shortly after writing my last post, I watched a BBC4 documentary on the couturier, Valentino. The film was the “fly on the wall” type, following him over a period of a few weeks or months, and recording him at work on a new collection, interspersed with...