Brighton’s Open House!
Our lovely Food Editor Louise emailed me last week, telling me about one of the most wonderfully creative and heartwarming concepts to grace the UK.
Twice a year, in the Summer and over the Christmas period, Brighton hosts ‘Artists Open House‘ where more than 1,000 artists invite you into their homes spread across the city of Brighton and Hove and the surrounding area. This is the biggest event of its kind in the country and has been running since Ned Hoskins first opened his house to the public in 1982.
The Christmas Open Houses offer a great selection of art and handmade goods and are ideal for discovering unique and beautiful gifts for your friends and family. This year spread out over three weekends, 28th/29th November, 5th/6th December and 12/13th December.
As well as paintings and sculpture, most houses show a broad range of work, including: ceramics, jewellery, textiles, lighting, furnishings, cards and a large variety of hand-made Christmas decorations. Many also offer mulled wine and Christmas fare while you browse. You can chat to the artists and makers about their work and when you find the piece you’re looking for, buy direct from them. Venues are often clustered together within walking distance of one another, so it is easy to spend an enjoyable day visiting them. View the venue list here.
I love the community spirit and quaintness of this idea, ‘Artists Open Houses’ are a part of the ‘Be Local, Buy Local scheme’ encouraging people to support their local community.
Louise sold [out] batches of her delicious cakes this weekend at 33 Coventry St, the home of the lovely Madeline of Mibo, alongside some beautiful Mibo pieces and other designers goods. She shared her wonderfully cosy images with us. Thanks Louise! This makes me think that Brighton might possibly be slightly cooler than London…
Could you have resisted the treats from Louise’s Kitchen? I don’t think I could have! Head to Brighton for the last two weekends of Open House and see what you can discover.
Hidden Art Christmas Fair + Open Studios
The Red House
The House at Hautefage
