I got pretty drunk last night. Heading home from an amazing a concert at Somerset House, a friend and I cruised about looking for a final nightcap. Finally, looking through some large windows we seemed to find what looked to be a pretty jovial little establishment. Perfect.

I don’t typically drink in central, nor do I typically drink in the type of place that sells a drink called ‘corn dog smash’ or ‘damson in distress’, but I’ve got to say, this place may have converted me. Put simply, I was absolutely blown away by the beautiful interiors of this place. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a design expert. I could probably count the number of times I’ve even noticed nice interiors, let alone wanted to write about them.

I’m generally not a big fan of large-scale hospitality chains. This is for two reasons; firstly, they tend to swallow up local business, and secondly, they all look and feel the same.

Justin Hemmes’ bars across Sydney are a perfect example of how one man can profit on the processes of gentrification, while at the same time sterilizing a long history of unique and interesting drinking venues. While he tries to make each of his bars feel different, in reality it kind of feels like walking into an IKEA catalogue. As far as I’m concerned, they were much more interesting with beer stained carpets.

I noticed last night was something a little different. While I guess you could say that the The Happenstance Bar was ‘kitchy’, it definitely hadn’t used ‘cookie-cutter’ design techniques.

Industrial steels, reclaimed timber floors, pendant lights and a refined colour scheme, the place had a particularly distinct character that made it look, well… really, really cool. Don't get me wrong; it wasn’t the sort of pretentious high-design venue with expensive drinks and uncomfortable chairs. It was astonishingly stylish, incredible comfortable and considering it was sitting next to St Paul’s, the drinks were nicely priced.

This got me thinking. Over the past decade or so we seem to have seen a general cheapening of graphic design, photography, interiors and architecture as people save costs by using in-house multifaceted designers or deploy faster methods of design. Last night revealed to me that perhaps rather from being dead, good quality design is making a comeback.

People are becoming bored with the stock-standard. We’re seeing cafes like Starbucks face boycotts, we’re seeing a return to localism and place making and now, perhaps, a return to beautiful buildings and interiors.

I was also impressed to discover that Drake and Morgan had contracted smaller, local firms Fusion and Architecture Ltd for the design of The Happenstance.

Who’d have thought that my night of drinking not only converted me to some sort of interiors fanatic, ‘damson in distress’ drinker, but now I’m also applauding a large hospitality group… At the end of the day, it’s important to give credit, where credit is due.

Good design doesn't need to be expensive; it just needs to be holistic and thoughtful. Will other venues follow the lead? Will good quality design making a comeback?

I, for one, truly hope so.

More and more people in cities are seeking ways to acquire good quality, sustainably sourced food without breaking the bank. In recent years a popular alternative in London to relying on supermarket food has been urban agriculture, or 'food gardening'. A few years ago Mikey Tomkins, researcher on food growing, was inspired by the local food growing that was already happening in his local borough, as well as the potential space he saw for even more food growth, to produce the 'Edible Map' of Hackney. The map highlights everything from urban space for short and long session veg and fruit trees to compost and worm farms. Mushrooms are even grown in garages and bees kept for honey on rooftops.

The Edible Map isn't just a list of place markers, it tells stories of the local community, it allows residents to assess their own local food growth, and it encourages others to join in. One of the most encouraging things about this initiative is that the maps are infinitely changing and growing, and the potential for transfer to other areas is great. And in fact it's already spreading. Mikey ran tours through Hackney with his Edible Map, educating people of the importance and potential for local food growth. Today Edible Maps are also available for Surrey Street in Croyden, and Elephant & Castle in south London. The Royal Geographical Society in London has also collaborated with Tomkins to add a walk through Hackney using the Edible Map to their Discovering Britain walks series, available to anyone for free via their website. The maps are interactive, fun, and informative, and a positive step for food sustainability, quality and affordability in our cities.

The interactive Edible Map is here.

The Royal Geographical Society walk is here.

Image courtesy of Mikey Tomkins

Great design? I’ll drink to that.

Mapping Local Food Growing in London