Cosy in the Dark for Earth Hour 2014

Earth Hour is a global movement headed by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) to mark one's commitment to the planet. In essence it's a one hour challenge to individuals, communities, households and businesses have all unnecessary lights switched off, but the creative ways that people celebrate an hour in the dark is really wonderful. Earth Hour begun is Sydney, Australia in 2007 and in 7 years has grown to include over 7000 towns and cities worldwide. Even though the lights are only off for 60 minutes - Earth Hour is raising awareness around critical environmental issues and encouraging individuals to take part, speak up and be active in protecting our planet.

Earth Hour 2014 took place on Saturday 29th March from 20h30 to 21h30, and it's fascinating to watch the social media streams as people upload their photo's and hashtag their Earth Hour activity.

The Cape Philharmonic giving a free unplugged perfomance at the V&A Waterfront's amphitheatre

Thank BT.com for the image

A moonlit soccer match with a luminous ball on Muizenberg beach, picnics by candlelight on Signal Hill

Rainbow Steps

Image by Ozan Kose ,Getty Images, via The Huffington Post

You may have seen this splash of colour last year as the story rapidly graced screens across the world (there's a lovely article by Huffington Post on it), but we thought we'd share it here as we're celebrating so much colour this month.

How it began:

On the 27th August last year, retired Huseyin Cetinel of Istanbul, spent a week of his time and over R7500 (1,500 Turkish Liras) painting a tremendous staircase in his local district to transform it into a 145 step rainbow. It was a personal project, absent of any particular motivation other than to add colour and beauty to his environment, and to make passers-by smile. His community loved the idea and tweets began spreading its fame so that it quickly became a landmark backdrop for passing tourists.

Image by Ozan Kose ,Getty Images, via The Huffington Post

 What happened:

On the night of 29th August, the stairs were quietly repainted grey, returning them to their original dull state. Although the local government denied the action, there were numerous eye-witnesses who claimed that the painters were dressed as municipal workers and municipality vehicles were present there the next morning.

How the community responded:

Within hours after the repainting, the outrage of the local community spread hotly through social media streams, and the weight of such an angry reaction was obviously felt by the municipality of Beyoglu as, once again, the steps were freshly painted, returning them to their happy rainbow state - this time by the government. The flood of colour didn't stop there, though, ordinary civilians in different neighbourhoods banded together and defiantly painted other stairs and public spaces bright colours, spreading the feeling of hope and reclaimed power that the incident unintentionally inspired.

Image by Ozan Kose ,Getty Images, via The Huffington Post

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/10/turkey-rainbow-stairs_n_3895082.html
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/istanbuls-rainbow-stairs-painted-grey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=53528&NewsCatID=341
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/09/istanbul-turkey-painted-stairs-crisis-lessons.html
http://www.anorak.co.uk/366128/news/huseyin-centinel-and-the-wonderful-painted-stairs-of-beyoglu-istanbul-photos.html/
http://dowser.org/the-worlds-most-colorful-protest-how-paint-helped-turkish-people-win-a-stare-down-with-the-government/a-turkish-woman-takes-pictures-of-rainbow-colored-stairs-on-august-31-2013-in-istanbul-stairs-in-the-cihangir-and-findikli-neighborhoods-which-attracted-attention-after-being-painted-in-rainbow-col/

Happy Cape Town :)

This is bound to make you smile...

It's such a privilege to live in this beautiful city!

Jelly Bean Winner!

We had great fun watching the guesses pour in for our Jelly Bean Competition :)
The closest guess was for 362 beans - only 3 shy of a 100% spot-on estimate!

Now, what to do with all these jelly beans....

Feeling very Irish today :)

Studio Sneak Peek - My China

A Sneak Peek? What's this? Chatting over tea at HQ one day, we were marvelling at how lucky we are to work with such an array of wonderful designers and in doing so get to know them, their spaces, people and pets. Suddenly we thought, "We should share them!" and voila! we now have a spot on the blog for Studio Sneak Peeks!

The name "My China" is a play on words with roots in Cockney slang: My China referring to a mate or friend from "My mate, my china plate" and China simultaneously referring to high quality ceramic ware originally made in China.

Frances Kierman launched My china in 2008 as a business which fused her love of drawings, colour and ceramics. She loves South Africa's fascinating bird life, unique Fynbos and all the other wild & strange creatures that live in it. She doodles her thoughts, and her drawings become the irresistible transfers that brand her work. My China's range of ceramics has grown and developed, but as the shapes and sizes evolve, it's easy to spot those clean white vessel with their signature hints of a bright, bold palette.

Like many fellow designers, Frances' talents have more than one avenue of expression - Flick Glass is the part of her business for which she makes jewellery from captivating, liquid-looking pieces of dichroic glass. All the glass is cut by hand in her studio, stacked with micro-layers of precious metals or oxides, and fused to form the intricate layers of shifting colour.

KIN, of course, stocks both My China (bowls in three sizes, vases, bottle stoppers, bunnies, milk jugs, sugar bowls, S&P sets, mugs, espresso cups and platters) and Flick Glass (studs - tiny glass squares mounted onto sterling silvers posts) at both Kloof and V&A.

Visit My China and Flick Glass online
Support My China and Flick Glass on Facebook

We're celebrating!

Yippeeee! Click the picture to enter our jelly bean competition on Facebook!

Our competition ends on Tuesday 25th March 2014 when we'll announce the lucky winner :)

Such Lovable Critters!

If you need a gift for a baby or small child, Wolmer's colourful octopi are proven favourites and are free from any dangerous bobble eyes that could be chewed off and swallowed. They are 100% knitted from locally-sourced, organically-dyed cotton&bamboo yarn.

We have even received compliments, and requests for more, from returning international travellers - letting us know how irresistible these critters are to the little ones.

The octopi are available from KIN on Kloof, KIN at V&A and KIN online.

 

Lunch-time Entertainment

We can across one of the most entertaining websites the other day and thought, as we've filled March with rainbows, this is the perfect time to share it! It's called Good Things Should Never End and was launched as part of a publicity campaign for Orange - one of the world's largest telecomms companies. The site scrolls down vertically, offering you little scenes and characters with which to interact as you follow the rainbow pathway. You'll notice by your scroll bar, which constantly sits high at the top, that the site is designed to never end and so bring you infinite amusement (hence its name :)
Follow the link above to enter this virtual playground where you can make music, draw or even have a chat with a few intelligent characters (our favourite is Des who apparently has over 22 000 answers for you).

*Warning* This website could seriously affect productivity!

An agency called Poke was behind the site and the graphics are by Hairy Teeth.

Happy Inspiration for March 2014

"Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire." - St Catherine of Sienna

March at KIN is all about showing off your colours - not just accepting yourself, but really celebrating all the individual qualities, quirks and weird talents that make you who you are. 

1. Cards by Schwarzie
2. Colour-In Postcards by Henri Kuikens
3. Mini Print by JA! (sold in sets of three)
4. Felt Heart String by Skaapie
5. Thought Card by Keri Muller
6. Wooden Rainbow by Moko
7. Notecards by Artymiss
8. Colouring Book by Colour Africa
9. Animal Magnets by Design Werkstatt (sold in sets of two)
10. Notebooks by Font and Heart
11. Stickers by judith+kevin
12. Knitted Octopi by Wolmer

Colour Outside the Lines

Our new window exhibit went up at Kloof Street yesterday! 

Colour the city - a rainbow made of 210 dangling pencil crayons above a sketchbook city.

Font and Heart is the brand behind the riot of colour that is determined to catch the eyes of passers-by.

Melany Hodgson trying hard to achieve zen-like patience while untangling the rainbow after the big move from studio to store.

In Full Colour

We thought we'd take a moment to introduce these beauties - new to the online store - by Sharon Boonzaier. Sharon's sensitive impressions of indigenous South African flora and bird species translate elegantly into subtle home decor. We love her black and white shades candle shades which feature expansive South African landscape sketches, but her delicate use of our country's naturally vibrant palette is exquisite. Browse them online, or visit KIN on Kloof or KIN at V&A to see them in person.

Hummingbirds

Kingfishers

Colour Fynbos

Red Disa

Yellow Proteas

Yellow Strelitzias with Cape White-eyes