When Samuel Beckett wrote his radio play All That Fall in 1956, we consumed audio works in an entirely different way. Now when we listen to radio, it’s often while we’re in transit: through headphones in the car, or squeezed onto public transport. Pan Pan Theatre’s production invites us to return to stopping still as we listen. We walk onto Aedín Cosgrove’s design, the floor covered in a children’s play carpet dotted with simple rocking chairs. On each seat a black cushion with a print of a skull, in front of us a large, tall bank of yellow lights, above our heads hundreds of yellow globes. There is something lovely in active listening with strangers. Some shuffle and reposition their bodies; a handful of chairs gently rock. Eyes drop shut and I suspect more than a couple of people have fallen asleep, lulled by the story. Some eyes wonder around the room catching other faces, or glancing up as lighting changes take us from sitting in the dark to sitting under a rainfall of glowing lights.
We listen, sometimes attentively, sometimes drifting away, to the story of Mrs Rooney and her walk through to Boghill station to meet her husband. At first, the elderly woman, in a sterling performance by Áine Ní Mhuirí, seems mean, but as we listen Beckett shows us the quiet loneliness of a couple so wearied by the years that have passed them by. “Was I a hundred today?” Mr Rooney asks his wife. “Am I a hundred, Maddy?” When a train enters the station, Jimmy Eadie’s sound design rumbles up through the floor and into our chests. As a breath of wind rolls, a trail of lights illuminate. Footsteps fill the whole room. Largely, though, director Gavin Quinn creates a quiet affair of the script: frequently, we are left with nothing more than voices and conversations. There is nothing there to build a bigger world; it’s just them and us. As the show ends, there is silence. Part uncertainty if it is over; part respect for the quiet space Quinn has given to us. After a while, there is a soft clap from a handful of people.
I sit a little while longer, wanting to hold on to the stillness and melancholy for just a few minutes more before I step back out into the world.While some people are dismissive of those who have problems assembling IKEA furniture, I know plenty of otherwise competent and intelligent end users who struggle with it. Having helped both friends and clients assemble this stuff, amid many curses, I'm delighted that IKEA is coming out with a new line using tool-free connectors. But IKEA is far from alone; many designers have been creating furniture that assembles tool-free, using a variety of mechanisms. And much of that furniture is shelving and other items that help with getting organized.Smart Furniture has a product line called Smart Shelves, where the interlocking shelving components slide together using pre-cut slots; the units then connect vertically or horizontally with dowels. The system is designed to allow for easy reconfiguration and expansion. When I watched the assembly video, I was pleased to see that a single person could easily put this product together without needing a helper.
The components all have a lifetime warranty.Legaré has been making desks with no-tool assembly for over 14 years; it now makes shelving units, too. This desk, with its built-in shelving, assembles in two minutes with no tools.This is a different Legaré desk, but you can see how it goes together using its . Legaré notes that they can be assembled and disassembled repeatedly without damage. Another nice feature: There are no small pieces to get misplaced. The desks are made from bamboo plywood sourced from FSC-certified mills.Klevr Furniture makes a number of interesting products including shelves, a storage-top desk and a Lego storage table for kids. Like Legaré, Klevr Furniture has its own patented tab and slot assembly; the picture above shows the box contents for the Lego storage table. Klevr says: "After you've assembled an item once, you can probably time your next assembly in seconds. It literally takes longer to unbox the parts and sort them out than it does to assemble the panels once you're familiar with an item."
The Movisi Play Shelving, designed by Antoine Phelouzat, has an interlocking system "reminiscent of jigsaw puzzles." The pieces are pressed into each other, which requires some force.Soapbox's casegoods use brackets made from solid steel—either powder coated or galvanized—as their connectors. Modos uses anodized aluminum connectors for its furniture system, which is easily reconfigurable. As a storage system, though, the non-rectangular shape of the compartments, as well as their size, makes Modos less usable than some other designs.Kile, from designer Yakari Hota, is assembled by using wedges.Yübe is a cube-based modular storage system that uses pressed sugarcane fiber for its outer panels; the interior frames are made from bamboo and recycled plastic. It's not clear what the corner frame locks are made from.The company says it uses an "intuitive snap and stack design"—but as with many such products, there's a learning curve. One reviewer said, "Building the first Yube took a while, but after that it went very quickly."
The company also offers an assembly service in some areas, which might indicate it's not quite as easy to assemble as end-users would like it to be. Alternatively, this might just be a really nice offering for those who don't want to do any assembly work themselves, no matter how easy it is.The Ofon system from Nendo is a bit different, in that it's not entirely a flat-pack solution. But the basic components—one of which is a cube—are combined using a "coin joint" that can be "screwed and unscrewed with a single coin, rather than requiring tools."Sand & Water Tables 2 to 3 stars Buy from Early Learning Centre Buy from Big Game Hunters Buy from The Entertainer2 x GREY FAUX LEATHER CHAIRS WITH HIGH BACK AND CHROME LEGS DINING ROOM7 product ratings See more like thisGet my grandmother onto the topic of “outdoor entertaining” and she’ll take a sharp intake of breath and berate anyone foolish enough to attempt dining in the British climate. The very idea of a meal outside seems crackers to her when there’s a perfectly cosy kitchen indoors, away from all those annoying wasps and sandwich-snatching gusts of wind.
Yet we persist in this madness. For all the frustrating unpredictability of our weather, we plucky Brits spend a surprisingly large number of days eating, socialising and relaxing in the garden. The 2012 HSBC Gardens Survey found that UK residents spent an average of 95 days in the garden that year, including three days a week during the summer. (It failed to mention that we were all wearing sou’westers.) That’s over a quarter of the year spent outdoors. • Garden chairs: eight of the best From city balconies to country lawns, rooftop gardens to modest back yards, there’s a burning desire in most of us to create an outdoor “room” of our own; a space where we can eat and drink in the open air, take a catnap in the sun, or simply enjoy the view – sheltered from the weather but open to the elements. So, how to create an outdoor entertaining space, especially one that can cope with all that the British weather can throw at it? Shade and shelter As with all living spaces, get the basics right and you’re halfway there.
The first job is to create shelter for those brief interludes when the sun gets too hot or, more likely, the heavens open and the wind picks up her skirt. A pergola will provide lovely dappled shade but not much protection from driving rain, while a gazebo or summerhouse will keep your sausages dry but can feel more like sitting inside on a sunny day. •Amazing tips to transform your outdoor room from Sally Coulthard's book, Shed Decor Cheap and chic – The BillyOh Summerhouse range starts at £204.99 from Garden Buildings Direct (0800 169 6016).These cheap-as-chips summerhouses can be transformed into chic sheds with a couple of tins of paint and a few metres of ticking. A slick of paint will make the BillyOh shed a stylish addition to the garden Big spender – Elegant iron gazebos from Room in the Garden (01730 816881) are perfect for candlelit summer evenings. You can also buy canvas liners to create a completely waterproof and windproof dining space. The Grand version costs £8,500.
The iron gazebo looks lovely with or without canvas • Outdoor pressure washers: eight of the best If you don’t want a permanent structure, there are some nifty options for free-standing shelter. Shade sails or canopies make a dramatic statement and provide effective cover against sun and light showers. Get professional advice when it comes to fixing large canvases – they need to be under constant tension. Nothing kills a party sooner than a guest being whipped overboard by a flapping sail. Look for sails with quick- release hooks so you can abandon ship if the gusts get too strong. •Our guide to gardening in shaded areas Cheap and chic – You have to love Ikea’s ((08453 583 363) optimism. Their Dyning canopy (4.15m x 3.6m/13.5ft x 11.8ft) costs £25, is water repellent, provides good UV protection and is designed to “protect yourself and your loved ones from the scorching British heat”. Big spender – For a complete, ready-to-use 5m x 5m (16.5ft x 16.5ft) premade square shade sail structure – which includes steel poles, fixings and sail shade – prices start at £1,740 from Shaded Nation (0845 299 4929).
Useful for a pool or regularly used area. The sails make great coverage for a pool For the best of the rest you can’t beat a good old-fashioned garden umbrella. Large cantilevered parasols sit at the side of your table and won’t interrupt the conversation, while smaller brollies are ideal for intimate tables for two. Have some fun with the fabrics: raffia parasols will give you a hit of tropical kitsch, while bold candy stripes create instant beach hut chic. Zesty block colours such as hot pink or citrus add bright pops of colour to your garden. Or play it cool with blacks, whites or neutral shades. •Paint colour into your garden Cheap and chic – For high-end design at a high street price you can’t beat the oriental-inspired 4 Seasons Shanghai parasol, £129, from Hayes Garden World (015394 33434). It’s resistant to mildew, and you can crank and tilt it to face the sun. The Shanghai parasol comes in a range of chic colours Big spender – The swishiest, silliest, loveliest of garden umbrellas has to be the Frou Frou Parasol by Sywawa, £1,482 at Made in Design (020 7692 4001).
One can't help but smile at the Frou Frou parasol Most outdoor entertaining revolves around the principle of a dining table and chairs. The choices are myriad, from the comfort of woven rattan armchairs to the Riviera chic of metal bistro seats. If you plan to leave your chairs and tables outside they need to be tough – the British climate is punishing on most materials. Teak is hard-wearing and popular, but unless you want orphaned orang-utans on your conscience it should be FSC-certified from sustainable forests. Metal and wirework seating are daintier, and work well in small spaces. Wicker rattan suites, complete with cushions and chair pads, are the ultimate in outdoor dining comfort. If the forecast is favourable there’s no reason why you shouldn’t drag a battered armchair or salvaged pew out into the garden. The boundary between house and garden furniture is becoming blurred. Last year we heaved the kitchen table and sofa outside, lit an old wood-burning brazier and spent a convivial evening huddled together around the flames.
Just don’t do what we did and get so squiffy that you forget to bring the soft furnishings back indoors again before the dew set in. • Get your garden furniture looking right for the warmer months with our rattan garden furniture guide •The art of garden furniture Cheap and chic – A riot of colour hit the catwalk this season and the three-piece Bistro set in blue from Wilko (0800 329329) is only £60 – cheaper than a handbag and a darned sight more comfy to sit on. The bistro set is surprisingly inexpensive for the style it delivers Big spender – The Barlow Tyrie high dining chairs and table from £747 at Garden Site (0121 355 7701) are a joy, as you sit as high as a bar stool and let your legs dangle. Perfect for compact courtyards and roof terraces. Prices start from £747 for one chair and table Cooking up a storm We live in the wilds of North Yorkshire and every year I anticipate those treasured moments when friends and family gather in our garden to cook and eat. Most of the fun is getting the fire started and there’s a real sense of achievement when you’ve finally cooked a feast using little more than a metal pot and a handful of twigs.
For those of you who want a meal ready in less than an hour, however, a gas barbecue is quick, easy and won’t leave scorch marks on your lawn. •The barbecue type you should have for your garden Cheap and chic – The Feast Set by The Glam Camping Company (0845 869 8960), £130, includes a tripod, grill and cooking pot. Recreate a halcyon camping trip without leaving your back garden. Who says camping can't be done in style? Big spender – The Performance BBQ, £638.99 from Calor (0800 626626) has all the bells and whistles you need for a major cook-off – four porcelain coated iron burners, warming rack and the option of a rotisserie. The Performance BBQ pulls out all the stops Well illuminated I have been to outdoor parties where the lighting consists of the host sporadically waving his arm to set off his light sensor. If you want to create a more relaxed ambience, combine permanent fixtures and movable accents. Wall-mounted fishing lights and ground-level uplighters will create a useful glow.
Add twinkle with solar sparkly lights or group clusters of storm lanterns to create low pools of light. For intimate soirées, tea lights and jam-jar candles add intimate dots of illumination and, if you use citronella or lavender wax, they will keep the bugs away too. •The best lights for your garden Cheap and chic – The Solar Centre fairy lights from John Lewis, £30, have white LED lights and green wire, making them ideal for invisibly stringing through trees and bushes (03456 049 049). Fairy lights add charm to a garden Big spender – An outdoor standard lamp takes the concept of an outdoor living room to the next level. An elegant option is the LEDS.C4 Moonlight outdoor urban grey floor lamp, £345.20 from KES Lighting (02476 317022). To add the finishing touches to your outdoor space, think as you would if you were decorating your living room: soften hard surfaces with throws and cushions; add form and interest with sculpture and planters; and introduce colour with dining accessories such as drinks buckets, serving bowls and glassware.
Keep everything relaxed, though, and don’t spend too much – there’s something about outdoor parties that brings out the clutz in all of us. Cheap and chic – The Cilla chair pads from Ikea (08453 583363) are ideal for softening hard seats and benches. At £4 each, buy bucket loads and fling them casually around your seating area. Big spender – The Tiana outdoor fabric range from Designers Guild (£58 per metre, Kingdom Interiors, 01684 291037) is woven from 100 per cent polypropylene so it’s completely showerproof and perfect for garden and poolside soft furnishings. The Tiana range is full of delightful patterns Hen and Hammock (01844 217060) Inspiring, eco-friendly products. Chic Alfresco (020 7183 1881). Quirky outside decor such as beanbags. Garden Trading (0845 608 4448) Traditional, enamel-clad ideas for garden furniture. Made in Design (020 7692 4001). Cutting-edge outdoor furniture, lighting and accessories. John Lewis (08456 049049) A retail success last year thanks to their excellent outdoor furniture.