Table of contents for Issue 9 in Project Calm

We're feeling the sunshine this issue and all the joyful colour that light waves bring to our world. It had us thinking about our own responses to colour (it's all about chakras on page 33), the way we seek it out (see our travel feature on page 120) and the importance of the shades we choose to surround ourselves with (read our interiors special on page 42). Which colours soothe you? Use your colour wheel gift this issue to find the perfect combination for your next creative project. Light waves turned our attention to sound waves (and a section devoted entirely to mindful music, starting on page 12), and from there, the watery variety. We take a closer look at tides and what they can teach us about patience, from…

“Music has never been lucrative to me. It’s therapy. It makes me feel awesome, happy, centered and balanced. It’s what keeps me going and breathing.” At the base of Grammy Award-winning singer, Erykah Badu’s decade-spanning career is a need for self-care, and it’s not uncommon for creative people to find themselves through this kind of self-expression. The arts can be a tool for many to communicate what would otherwise be unspoken. Music has an innate power over the brain and almost healing properties. The inner workings of the brain are intrinsic to our relationship with music. In fact, researchers believe that while musical instruments appear to be a recent innovation, music itself is significantly older. Some studies suggest it may have allowed our ancestors to communicate before the invention of…

Do you have any creative rituals? I always try and start out with a pencil and a piece of paper and work through the basic idea of what I want to create before I use the computer or do anything too finished by hand. What do you do to stay calm amidst a busy period at work? I’ve been a competitive runner since I was 12 and it’s a great way to escape daily life. I usually run before work or in my lunch break, and often again in the evening. We’re lucky enough to live close to a network of footpaths and bridleways that spread for miles out into the countryside. It’s always given me time to think and resolve any problems. We have three kids, and Jane (who…

Why do two colours, put one next to the other, sing?…

Your beautifully-designed colour wheel is a handy tool to generate colour inspiration, whether to jazz up your living space, or get the right look for your next project. It’s easy to use, and just the right size to slip into your bag. The wheel is split into warm, vibrant tones, and cool, soothing tones. Pick one, or spin the wheel for that element of serendipity… For a bold, energetic feel, go for two complementary colours opposite each other. For an understated mood, pick two or three shades next to each other. It’s simple to put your colour wheel together. You’ll need to gather together the three pull-out sheets, scissors, a steel ruler and scalpel, a compass cutter, plate (optional), double-sided sticky tape and a split pin.…

When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment rushes out and the tide of love rushes in.…

1 Pick something to focus on that has real artistry behind it, for example tiles. They could be hand-painted, or carvings. Anything that has a real skill involved is excellent for photo walks – it has enough scope to be appreciated. 2 Be consistent with your choice. Choose something you really love. If you lose interest, no-one else is going to be interested. It doesn’t mean you have to take a picture every day, but do keep a certain consistency to your collection – Instagram is a great place to share and to draw people in. 3 Make sure you get the light and the framing right. You can’t always go back, especially if you’re abroad!…

Step 1 Carefully cut out the three door layers from the pull-out sheet, with layer 1 being the top layer. Using a sharp scalpel, cut any white parts away to reveal the door parts and smaller decorative pieces. Cut out the apertures representing glass windows. Step 2 Build up your door, sticking the layers together using a mixture of double-sided tape and foam pads to give a 3D appearance. Using the scalpel, cut out the three layers of plant pots and foliage. Layer with foam pads and attach them to each side of the door. Step 3 Line up your layers on top of each other as precisely as you can to get a neat 3D effect. Add the finishing touches of the little doorknob, decorative mouldings on the door,…

This issue, we bring together many musical genres and all the colours of the rainbow, with some chilled tunes thrown in too, of course. Open Turin Brakes’ The Door onto a vista of shades and varied emotional landscapes. We end in gospel style with our columnist, Susannah Conway’s searing life soundtrack, courtesy of Madonna’s Nothing Fails before allowing a jaunty encore: that other pop icon of the same name, Lady Madonna, The Beatles classic (listen out for John, George and Paul’s trumpet impressions as mentioned in Cheri Percy’s feature on page 12). 1. The Door – Turin Brakes 2. Blue for the Most – Abraham 3. Yellow Moon – Amason 4. Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell 5. Hummed Low – Odessa 6. Violet Hill – Coldplay 7. Bold as…

ALTHEA MCNISH British textile designer, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1933. Her designs are associated with the Caribbean Artists Movement of the 1960s and she is known as the first British designer of African descent to earn an international reputation. ALTHEA MCNISH British textile designer, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 1933. Her designs are associated with the Caribbean Artists Movement of the 1960s and she is known as the first British designer of African descent to earn an international reputation. PORTUGUESE DOORWAY Ornate and typical of the large, elongated style of European city doors, Portuguese entrances are grand and opulent. Add colour with patterned paper to evoke the region’s beautiful, sunny ceramic tiles.…

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.…

1 WASSILY KANDINSKY, ARTIST The father of abstract art, Wassily Kandinsky, was born in 1866. He painted sounds as if they were shapes and colours. He said: “Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.” 2 DANA EL MASRI, PERFUMER The founder of Parfums Jazmin Saraï in Montreal creates scents based on clients’ music tastes. With a background in sound production, Dana El Masri switched things up to study at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery in France. With a holistic appraoch, she meets with her clients and asks them to fill in a detailed questionnaire before listening to their favourite songs and mixing…

1 ARTISAN MAKERS IN WEST LONDON The West Collective Fair is a brand new event bringing together artisan makers and independent sellers in the west of London this summer. It’s the brainchild of three friends, who with a shared passion for creative living were forever travelling to the trendy east end of the city to get their indie market fix and decided it was about time the west had a slice of that creativity cake! The fair, taking place on the 7th July at a warehouse space usually filled with classic cars, will host approximately 40 carefully curated sellers, purveying the likes of ceramics, candles, wellness goods, artwork, jewellery and homeware. Confirmed stallholders include Evermore Candles, 20 Seventh Letter and Studio jAN.NE.KE. Creative workshops will also be happening on the…

“I am sure that, as a woman, I can do a very good skyscraper.”ARCHITECT DAME ZAHA MOHAMMAD HADID, 1950-2016 We often celebrate the pioneering craftsmen and gentlemen industrialists of the nineteenth century, the founding forefathers of international design institutions and museums, the elder statesmen of architecture and the post-war maestros, and rightly so, too – their contributions were undeniably remarkable. However, this predominantly male, white, western- and eurocentric narrative is hugely lacking. Women and minorities in design have for too long been relegated to the subcategories of their disciplines. We might ask whether, in a time when the dialogue has turned to gender neutrality, a discussion of women in design is still valid? Absolutely! An understanding of gender as a cultural construct, rather than a biological or natural fact, opens…

Summer is most florists’ favourite time of year. We can’t go anywhere without staring into gardens bursting with flowers and having an urge to pick them all! So what better way to celebrate midsummer and welcome warmer months than with a fresh floral wreath? This is one of the best times of year for flowers – this is peak season and there’s a wonderful selection to choose from. This wreath epitomises summertime and is one that you will want to show off. It would look striking hanging on a front door, but it would also be just as impressive hanging above a mantelpiece. For a midsummer party, you could lay your wreath flat on the table, perhaps even with a candle in it to create a seasonal centrepiece. This is…

Doors are a portal to a different world, from Narnia’s wardrobe doorway to a chalk outline on a brick wall that Adam and Barbara in Beetlejuice escape through. My father’s fascination with doorways was catalogued through photography. We walked with him through tiny foreign towns, stopping along the way for him to snap-capture les portes. We became experts at knowing which doors would tickle his fancy – the ones with the faded colours and always the ones with the interesting door furniture. Our knowledge of knockers was extensive (my personal favourites? The traditional British brass doctor’s door and the feminine French Hand of Fatima) and we’d also get to see the doors again, at home, once dad had carefully framed them and hung them on the wall. He collected them…

When I was a teenager Sundays were the most anticipated day of the week. After lunch I’d sit in front of the stereo with a blank cassette ready to record that week’s Top 40 songs off the radio. There was definitely an art to pressing pause before the DJ started talking but those mixtapes would keep me going for the whole week. Like most teens, I was a pop music fanatic. Making a mixtape for a new friend was a powerful way of communicating how cool I was (spoiler: I wasn’t). Wham, Tears for Fears and Eurythmics were all favourites, and I remember asking for the Sade album for my 11th birthday, but it was Madonna I truly idolised. Her music was the backdrop to unrequited crushes and my first…

1 FIND YOUR TRIBE ONLINE Sisterhood Camp is known for its creative and inspiring women’s retreats. This summer it’s creating an online haven for women to connect, learn and grow: Sisterhood Camp Community. Each season you’ll be offered the chance to develop your ideas, make new contacts and top up your inspiration with likeminded sisters across the globe. Your three-month membership (special introductory price £150) includes e-courses, guides and insightful articles on business development, wellness, health and creativity. You’ll also be given the chance to join the vibrant online community forum, take part in fun creative prompts and get discounted tickets to future Sisterhood events too. To find out more, just visit sisterhoodcamp.org or follow Sisterhood on Instagram @sisterhood_camp 2 A DAY FOR RELAXATION Ever wish there was a pause…

Colour helps us make sense of the world, but when it comes to our home or work environments, nothing can really prepare us for the often-daunting selection of options available. Even for the most creative people, it can be all too easy to stick to something ‘safe’ or bland. Yet colour has more of an impact on our lives than we might initially think: “Imagine having to spend every day in an extremely small room with dark walls and a tiny window,” explains interior designer Melinda Kiss (keyholeinteriors.co.uk). “It wouldn’t take long before you’d start feeling lethargic… this sums up the impact colours can have on our daily lives.” Whether you’re in a rented studio apartment, tiny terrace or something a bit more spacious, selecting a colour palette should be…

How did you get into collage? It was something I originally had a go at at college. We were studying German Dada artist Kurt Schwitters and I was really inspired by him. He developed a collage style he called Merz Pictures. Merz is a nonsense word he invented and the work was all based on scavenged scrap materials. I studied graphic design at college, and one of our projects was developing brand packaging for a made-up cereal company. I was in my element photocopying wheat field images and layering them together to create a background for logos and typography. I just fell in love with the process of gathering and combining images. What is it about the medium that most appeals to you? For me it’s all about creating something…

Althea McNish was part of a wave of colonial artists drawn to the ‘mother country’ in the mid-20th century. Born in Trinidad’s capital Port of Spain, and living in London since 1951, McNish’s textiles ‘tropicalised’ the grey British landscape. Yet, in comparison with her textile contemporaries, McNish’s contributions to the transformation of post-war Britain have only recently begun to be acknowledged. Descended from the Meriken settlers (former African American slaves who had fought for the British during the War of 1812), her father was the writer and publisher Joseph Claude McNish and her mother, a well-regarded dressmaker. She grew up in a world of words, ideas and fabrics which, she rendered through her passion for painting and drawing. Despite her prodigious fine art talent, she dreamed of construction and engineering,…

Beachcombing often yields ocean treasures that make fascinating decorative features for a coastal or coastal-themed home. Don’t be afraid to use items found by the coast. Washed-up shells, corals, driftwood and beach finds, displayed on their own or in a group, can look really effective. The sea washes up all manner of treasures, some of which are works of art in their own right. The chances are these items have been weathered, washed and battered by the waves and the elements, and are rich in texture and patina. Look out for pieces of driftwood as you walk along the shoreline – the early morning or low tide is the best time for beachcombing. It’s also worth keeping an eye open for unusual items that will contribute to a beautiful textural…

There are so many doors to be opened and I’m not afraid to look behind them.…

Born in Paris, raised in Oxfordshire and resident of Buenos Aires, Nick Rowell has been surrounded by great architecture his whole life – or maybe it’s just that he chooses to notice it. Now based in London, and a keen traveller, his Door J’Adore collection of photography (see @door_jadore on Instagram) and new book of the same name, shares his passion for portals, colour, texture and artistic details. Welcome to Nick’s world… What is it about doors that first attracted you to capture them? It was actually my mum, when she came to visit me while I was on my university year abroad in Buenos Aires. I never really paid attention to doors much before that – they were solely for walking through; they were shut or open. My family…

I had been trudging from the West Heath and on to Hampstead Heath itself when I saw it. It was an overcast day, and although I had been optimistic that a walk in the fresh air would cheer me up, the gloom around Wildwood Road was beginning to feel oppressive. The door was small. It looked even smaller from where I stood on the pavement because it was set in a wall up some rickety old wooden steps. White and blue paint peeled off its surface, but the unusual portal stood out from the thick, dark green ivy that framed it. Before I could think any further about what might lie beyond it, the door knob started rattling and turning as someone struggled to open the door from the other…

CAROLINE ROWLAND Caroline compiled our home news on page 38. She’s editor of 91 Magazine and author of The Shopkeepers Home. Caroline lives in Surrey, England, with her husband and daughter. Follow her journey on Instagram, @patchworkhrmy MOMTAZ BEGUM-HOSSAIN Momtaz spends her spare time travelling and is on a mission to learn about art, crafts, design and fashion from around the world (be inspired by her travel colour piece on page 120.) She records her findings on her blog, craftandtravel.com ESTHER CURTIS Esther lives in Bristol, UK and creates colourful and playful illustrations (see our cover, and the pull-out island poster). Current inspiration includes Patagonia, wild swimming, Japanese packaging and Bakewell tarts. esthercurtisdesign.com CHERI PERCY Part-time guitarist and full-time feminist, Cheri is a freelance writer and broadcaster with a focus…