14 May 2024
Tags: Hotels, arts & culture, art, art and design, luxury hotel, art exhibition, London art, Hospitality
May, 2024 – As London prepares for the floral festivities that surround the iconic Chelsea Flower Show, The Other House South Kensington has partnered with innovative sustainable design duo, VIN + OMI, to do things a little differently this year… In an exciting display of visual creativity with an underlying sense of playfulness well-known to fans of the celebrated artists, The Other House is delighted to unveil its new installation:
Flora For Thought
The Other House x VIN + OMI
Display dates: 20th May – 9th June
As part of its ongoing partnership 'The Green Thread' (see Notes to Editors), The Other House has partnered with the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation (K&C Foundation) to use the installation as a platform to raise awareness for key local issues, raised in the foundation's recent report 'A Deepening Divide'. In particular, the report considers the borough's extreme wealth disparity, leading to deep-rooted issues with societal and educational exclusion, shocking levels of poverty and differences in life expectancy that are often overlooked (See Notes to Editors).
The installation, unveiled on the 20th May and running for three weeks, will consist of a showstopping 'floral' cascade that will cover The Other House's main entrance on Harrington Gardens, totally breaking away from tradition.
The whole display, which is what makes this a true VIN + OMI partnership, is that the installation will be made entirely from recycled refuse and, unexpectedly, cabbages.
The refuse used, demonstrating the true beauty of sustainability, will combine tin cans from The Other House, milk cartons from the Sandringham Estate as part of VIN + OMI's ongoing relationship with the King, and other recyclable materials from VIN + OMI's workshop.
The UK-sourced cabbages being used will challenge the single-use nature of typical floral displays, whilst highlighting the versatility and beauty of this unassuming flower-esque vegetable. Cabbages, which are both cheap to buy for around £0.80p and highly nutritious (rich in vitamin C, fibre, and vitamin K), are a prime example of how something inexpensive can be used in an elevated way, both in design and in the kitchen. What's more, the installation is being designed and constructed as part of an education programme with UK students who are learning how to recycle waste materials.
The partnership between The Other House, VIN + OMI and K&C Foundation will span far beyond the installation.
On the 20th May, The Other House and VIN + OMI will be hosting a cabbage themed launch dinner, with easy, inexpensive and elevated cabbage-inclusive dishes, the menus and recipes of which will be made accessible to charities and schools within the K&C Foundation network.
After being displayed, the installation will be deconstructed and re-imagined into small pieces of art, donated to three of the K&C Foundation's chosen partners along with an educational manifesto from VIN + OMI themselves, underscoring the ability of creativity and art to inspire and educate on important subjects. Any surplus cabbages will also be donated.
The K&C Foundation partners being gifted the floral permanent displays, as well as surplus cabbages and cabbage recipes include:
- St Cuthbert's Centre: an open-door drop-in centre for all marginalised, vulnerable people in Earls Court and the surrounding areas.
- Earls Court Youth Club: a safe and welcoming environment for young people of all abilities and backgrounds to come and enjoy activities aimed at promoting personal, social & educational development.
- Chelsea Theatre: A theatre and state-of-the-art creative and community hub, serving the World's End and Cremorne estates and beyond.
The Other House and VIN + OMI will continue to work with these chosen charitable organisations to foster education around sustainability and inspire creativity.
Naomi Heaton, Founder of The Other House says, "We're thrilled to work with VIN + OMI to present 'Flora For Thought'. This collaboration not only showcases their innovative design but also sparks important conversations about social and environmental responsibility within our own local community in Kensington and Chelsea. We don't just want to create an installation; we want to cultivate dialogue. From rehoming displays in schools to hosting workshops for local youth, 'Flora For Thought' embodies our commitment to fostering eco-conscious creativity and making a positive social impact"
Come and visit The Other House South Kensington and VIN + OMI and embark on a journey of botanical banter and eco-artistry; 'Flora For Thought' promises to redefine flower power and inspire blooming futures.
-ENDS-
The Other House
PR Manager: Callum McLellan-Attfield
Notes to Editors
KEY FACTS
Kensington & Chelsea Foundation Report, 'A Deepening Divide' – DOWNLOAD LINK HERE
- As a small borough of only 143,900 residents, 6,000 (23.4%) children aged 19 and under are living in poverty in wards less than 0.5 miles apart representing opposite ends of the wealth scale.
- Due to the borough's high cost of living, the number of families claiming work benefits has risen by 46% with one agency reporting that 30% of claimants employment income cannot cover basic needs.
- Due to the borough's high rate of fixed term (suspension) and permanent (expulsion) school exclusion of at risk youths, which was the highest of all the London boroughs in 2021, investing in holistic support for these students at a grassroots level is vital to ensure they finish their education.
THE GREEN THREAD PARTNERSHIP: THE OTHER HOUSE x VIN + OMI
The Other House is delighted to introduce 'The Green Thread', an innovative partnership with sustainable design duo, VIN + OMI.
Launched on 2nd April 2024, The Green Thread is the first creative collaboration between VIN + OMI and The Other House, the expanding group of Residents Clubs, and will act as a platform for innovation in design, culture and sustainability over the coming year.
The Green Thread has also seen VIN + OMI appointed as 'Creative Sustainability Advisors' to The Other House as the group prepares for its expansion with The Other House Covent Garden opening in early 2025 and The Other House Belgravia also in the pipeline. This collaboration will see the integration of VIN + OMI's multi-faceted designs from art and garden design to sculpture and fabrics into upcoming properties of The Other House, with a special showcase planned for September at the soon-to-open Covent Garden site.
THE OTHER HOUSE
The Other House is tearing up the rule book and launching a new sector of design-centric 'Residents Clubs', redefining the hospitality market. It effortlessly combines apartment-style living with hotel services and access to an exclusive private club; think pied-à-terre meets private club, available for all residents to enjoy. It is cool, intriguing, bold and committed to sustainability. Whether it's for a day or a year, it is your other house for as long as you are in town.
Launched in 2019, The Other House is a joint venture partnership between London Central Portfolio (LCP), leading real estate investment advisory in Prime Central London and APG, the largest pension provider in the Netherlands. The Other House opened in South Kensington in 2022, with Covent Garden opening in 2025 and plans for Belgravia in the pipeline. Further openings in London and internationally are also in the works.
Learn more about The Other House here www.otherhouse.com.
VIN + OMI
VIN + OMI are award-winning, multimedia, designers and consultants who work internationally. Their work flows across many genres with sustainability at the core. Their focus on sustainable approaches to business, design and textiles through eco-innovations and social impacts makes VIN + OMI the leading pioneering eco-design brand today. Their aim is to influence as many people as possible to make changes to help save our planet.
VIN + OMI are previous recipients of a national science award for their innovation in design, research and unique business models. They work towards pioneering new processes and programmes that are introduced into their work. VIN + OMI were one of the first companies to use a detailed carbon offset programme, which still gets use today. They have pioneered recycling ocean gathered plastic into textiles and developed new ways of bonding microfibres to minimise future release into the environment. They have developed over 50 unique textiles from waste plant fibres.
A large part of VIN + OMI's work is focussed on social impact projects, eco innovation, education, environmental impact and R & D. This work ties into their textile and product development work and underpins their consultancy work.
VIN + OMI's work has been exhibited globally and is in the permanent collections of museums, including the V&A.
