In case you missed the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code event, called ‘Fixtures and fittings for a greener office’ then you can download the presentations from the London Remade website now. The seminar was held on 31 March 2008 at The Wellcome Collection. London Remade is a valued supporter of Pli and many other businesses, and well worth a look if you are not familiar with their work.

Click on the logo to visit the London Remade site and download the ‘greener office’ slides.

While Londoners were fleeing the city during the long Easter weekend, this was actually a good time for a foreigner like me to check out what’s hot in the capital’s museums. Victoria and Albert was, of course, in the top of my list. This was where I happened to see two pieces of furniture that belonged to a period which I think is very much worth looking furhter into—a period that witnessed a movement called the Utility Furniture Scheme.

Starting in the UK, during the harsh conditions of mid-WWII and lasting for a decade, this scheme was basically a reaction to the material shortages (specifically timber) experienced in furniture production. The main objective was to bring about a more responsible approach to furniture design, so that scarce available resources were used in a sensible way. The reach of its precautions went as far as restricting furniture purchase only to newly-weds and people who had been bombed out.

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