The secret’s out at Open House London

The secret’s out at Open House London

During the weekend of September 16th and 17th 2017, the annual Open House London will provide Londoners and visitors alike with the opportunity to visit and discover some of the capital’s most interesting venues and iconic landmarks, completely free of charge. This is like the London fashion week of architecture.

If you’re anything like us, you’ll have a curiosity of hidden London that could be greatly appeased over the course of the weekend. Open House has been promoting public awareness and appreciation of the design and architecture on offer across the capital since 1992, and they provide the public with a fantastic opportunity to get up close and personal thanks to some glorious, historic and contemporary venues unlocking their front door.

Landmarks you might expect to see

Last year, some of the notable venues that participated included:

  • 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin)
  • The Thames Barrier
  • HM Treasury
  • 10 Downing Street
  • The Crossrail tunnels
  • 12 Hammersmith Grove (Just along the road from our Chiswick store!)
  • City Hall
  • Watermark Place…. plus, hundreds more!

For the majority of the venues, you will be able to simply turn up and queue for admission, however, some of the more popular venues will require pre-booking due to such high demand, so do make sure you check beforehand.

Be sure to get the guide!

An Open House London guide is available detailing over 800 buildings, places, talks and walks that will be open to the public throughout the open weekend. It’s worth getting your hands on one of these guides as you’ll want to scour the list of medieval halls, modern skyscrapers and regenerated gardens (among others) that you’ll be able to choose from.

Act on the inspiration

Dalston Eastern Curve Garden is just one example of the regenerated spaces within London that has been showcased in the past as part of the Open House line up. Within the garden you can find a big wooden pavilion for shelter from the rain or sunshine (weather dictating!), and it provides a lovely relaxing area. This concept of relaxation could be replicated with some of the items available from our extensive range of garden furniture and accessories.

Sixties Low Chair and Table

To get your inspirational juices flowing, consider pairing the Sixties Chair and Sixties Low Table with a few Divine Scatter Cushions; this combination will go a long way towards creating a comfortable, relaxing outside retreat that you can call your own. Lighting the area up with the weatherproof Balad Lamp Stand will mean that you can enjoy it both day and night.

If you’re eager to find out more, further details can be found at the Open House London website, or on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

While you’re discovering all the hidden charms on offer, we’re hopeful that Barnes and Chiswick will be close enough for many of you to call into one of our stores and let us know all about your favourite venues and contemporary outdoor garden furniture! We’d love to hear about your stories and the inspiration you’ve taken from the venues online as well, so reach out to us on Facebook and Twitter!

25th August 2017

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