A really inspiring story.
You’ve got a married couple. He is german, she is half german, half english. They have kids. They live in cologne. 15 years ago they uprooted to rural france, in their own words : “we lived in the middle of nowhere”.
The kids are now grown up and have left the nest. What would most married couples do? They might enjoy their new found freedom and stay in their rural sanctuary. They might just be happy with where they are at. Or, they might decide to move by the sea. Not this married couple. What did they do?
They wanted the excitement of a big city again and moved to london. Yep, i kid you not! Not only that, they decided as big lovers of art and design to open a shop. Not one shop, but two. Well, marriage counselling, move over! This surely must be the best recipe for long lasting relationships!
Meet Liza and hubert. Well, meet liza as hubert was a little camera shy:-)
Playful, dynamic and vibrant is how i would describe this entrepreneurial duo.
So, how do you come up with a name for your shop? That’s how: “tusch und egon is an anagram of the german words “schoen und gut” which literally means “beautiful and good”. Of course, what they didn’t realise was what ‘tusch’ means in the english language. Rather charming, don’t you think? For me, that encapsulates their spirit. “Just do it”.
Tusch & egon sells quirky and affordable artwork including original paintings and sculptures. You’ll also find design objects as well some well chosen magazines and books. Their first shop, in clerkenwell, opened in may 2012 and in march 2013 they expanded to boxpark in shoreditch.
Liza is a painter and you can buy her art in the shops or online. The owners, curious and with a keen eye stock some wonderful pieces you won’t find elsewhere. I love independent shops where the owners’ character and personalities shine through. This is one of those shops.
I love their outside sign in the clerkenwell shop.
Liza and hubert favour the work of the german artist ottmar hörl. See karl marx here. The fellow comes in signal red, blood orange, ruby red, purple red and black. Now there’s a talking point!
More lighthearted by the same artist, are these flying splice – sponti gnomes (non-conformist gnomes) – i’m definitely having one of them! What colour do you think i should go for? He comes in red, orange, yellow, blue, green, pink, gold, silver, black and white.
Or, do you think i should settle for ben, the praying gnome?
But then, i could also choose the duerer hare… decisions, decisions!
Anyway, there are many more quirky art pieces for sale by the same artist so do have a look at their website.
These south african ceramic figurines caught my eye. The golfer and the rugby player. How fun are they?
What i liked best is that there’s something for every pocket. You can buy a postcard or some chocolates or a pen for £2.50. You might fancy some lego storage?
Tusch & egon is a great addition to london’s independent shops and i dare you to walk away without a purchase. The clerkenwell shop is only open from wednesdays to sundays. Boxpark is open everyday. Please check details on their website.