Tamsin Kingswell

In praise of shrines

A new exhibition at Somerset House highlights our collective need for something to believe in, however secular the age. At Holy Pop! idols and deities may have been replaced by Britney and Dolly, but the underlying worship remains the same.

We need a new word for floristry

The term floristry feels like an echo from the past; cellophane wrapped roses with no scent, chrysanthemum wreaths for funerals, gypsophila for weddings. A word far away from cutting edge design. Yet floristry is, without a doubt, having a moment.

EuroCucina's identity crisis

Visiting EuroCucina during Milan Design Week felt like an exercise in existential angst. Mixed messages and fragmented colour, materials and finishes reflected a highly fractured market finding its way in a complex time.