Design that makes me smile: Brocante de Salon

My favourite weekend occupation is going to fleamarkets. I just love the thrill of the hunt, finding that one cheap but oh so beautiful object. You never quite know what you’re going to go home with.

Unfortunately the last few weekends have been a bit rainy so I haven’t been able to go to much flea markets. But no panic, because Atelier Blink have come up with a perfect substitute. With their carpet 'Brocante de Salon' you can enjoy the flea market right in your living room. It’s not the real thing but it’s definitly fun.

I'm off

I’m leaving today for a long deserved holiday to Malta. But no worries, thanks to the wonders of technology, you won’t even notice that I’m gone. So keep checking back for new posts!

I hope my hotel has equally cool door hangers as these vintage ones.







Posterous

Design classics: Arco lamp

After a long day of work, there’s nothing that I enjoy more than curling up on the sofa with a nice book and, in wintertime, a warm fleece blanket. And, in order to spare my eyes a bit, I needed a nice reading lamp.

The moment to treat myself to an, I have to admit, imitation Arco Lamp. Only one problem, even though the ceilings in our loft are about 4m high, the only place we have a low ceiling (because of the mezzanine) is off course, you guessed it, above the couch. So sadly no Arco lamp for me…


Côté Maison


Domino

But enough about my problems, let’s get back to the Arco lamp. It was designed in 1962 by two brothers, Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. The Castiglioni Brothers, as their design firm was called (not much thought into that one), were renowned for their elegant minimalist designs.


Free Spirit Interiors


LivingEtc.

Fun fact about the Arco. The hole in the marmer base has a very practical reason. This way the lamp can be moved by « two people inserting a broomstick through the hole ».


Rob Fiocca

And in case you we’re wondering, this is the lamp I ended up with in the living room.

Genevieve Bennett

As a graphic designer I can never resist a good pattern, so when I came across Genevieve Bennet's site, I got very excited.



Her work is both simple and intricate at the same time. By using different printing techniques, she gives the material an extra dimension. I absolutely loved her etched leather wall tiles.

Design that makes me smile: Wall decals

Sometimes design isn’t just beautiful. Sometimes design also makes you smile. With these new series, I wanna share some of the objects that brings a smile to my lips.

To start off we have some lovely wall decals from Adrien Gardère.



With one of these at home, charging your cell phone will never have been so much fun!

A burst of colour

Sometimes it can be so easy to add some colour and freshness to your home. One of the simplest way is just to add some flowers!

Tadaa, an instant glamour addition...


Studio BASC_I.C.


Drake Design Associates


Nina in Vorm


M.Design Interiors


M.Design Interiors

Sitting in the sun

I know summer is as good as over but I couldn't resist showing you this beautiful chair by Moroso, launched at the Milan Furniture Show.


Design & Style

I can just imagine myself sitting in this on a lovely sunny afternoon with a Mojito in one hand and a design magazine in the other. Ah, I wish it was summer 2009 already...

Vintage floors

The boyfriend and I have been looking for a house to buy for a year now. This weekend we’re going to look at another house again, and I must say that after seeing some images on the web, I’m already pretty excited! The house seems to be in a neglected state but it has some interesting authentic elements, including some nice vintage floors. I just love old cermic tiles!


Emma's blogg

I also love to watch ‘house search’ programme on television (Even though they make me a bit depressive, the buyers always have ridiculous big budgets.) When I was watching a Belgian programme this week, I got quite furious when one of the potential buyers pointed at a lovely vintage floor and said that that just had to go. I was so glad when they didn’t buy the house in the end ! Some people have no taste…

But because I know you have great taste, here are some lovely ceramic floor finds.


Edmee's Flickr


Gerania's Flickr


Berta...'s Flickr


Laura K's Flickr

A trip to the museum: Hella Jongerius

This weekend I popped into the Design Museum in Gent. There were a few small exhibitions on, including one from Hella Jongerius.

Don't be fooled by her name, like I was, she is in fact Dutch, not Swedish. According to her short biography in the museum "...she is one of the most exiting and innovative figures in contemporary design. Jongerius works on the cusp of design, craft, art and technology to fuse traditional and contemporary influences , high tech and low tech, the industrial and the artisanal.

There we're not a lot of pieces, the most famous ones being the chairs she did for Vitra and the vases for IKEA. The last ones made me wish I bought them when I had a chance...



Being a sucker for ceramics, I loved her “Porcelain Color Research project”. The rudimentary splashes of colour in combination with the detailed craftmanship of the flower illustrations, just took my breath away.

I'm definitely going to take ceramic lessons one day, I just have to find the time...







Here are some more ceramic works from her website.

Music and decorating

I am blessed with having a very creative boyfriend. One of his mayor outlets is music. Not always as relaxing for me since we live in a open plan apartment. (The next house/apartment will have to have doors and walls and hopefully a sound proof room (a secret dream of mine).)

His preferred instrument is the guitar. Many evening I am entertained with technical details about guitars during which I normally just nod and try to look interested (he does the same when I talk about decorating). And every time he buys a guitar/amplifier my opinion is asked. And there is only one quality I look at: the esthetics. Since there's a big chance it will end up in my living room, it better look nice!

Since I have a love for vintage, I love all the vintage reissues or vintage inspired equipment. Thankfully my boyfriend thinks the same, so at the moment I'm pretty happy with his choice of guitars/amplifiers.

(Don't be fooled that these are the only guitars and amplifiers
he has, the rest is in his band's rehearsal room.)

Here are some other inspiring interior shots featuring guitars.

Desire to inspire Joe Schmelzer Jonn Coolidge

Malina Pearson

Design classics: the Panton chair

Design furniture, something I dream of all the time but due but to limited budgets, don't actually get around to buying.

I have however made al list of all the design classics I would like to buy in a hopefully very near future. Until then I'll share it with you.

And to start it off: the Panton chair.


Deco-design


Megan Morton

For people who that don't know this designer, here's a short biography from trusty old wikipedia:.
"Verner panton is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. He created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, especially plastics, and in vibrant colors. His style was very '1960s' but regained popularity at the end of the 20th century; as of 2004, Panton's most well-known furniture models are still in production (at Vitra, among others)."

My first love with this chair began when visiting an overview exhibition of Panton's work. It was a rather small event but there was one item I couldn't take my eyes off. Indeed, the s-chair.

I really was art and function coming together. I love it's shape, it's minimalist but without being 'cold'. There is really nothing to improve on it. And I love that when somebody is sitting on it, it looks like they're floating... This is definitely one of the sexiest chairs around!



Apartment therapy


Apartment therapy

If you buy a panton chair please get a coloured one. Verner Panton was renowned for his bright colours. To do his work justice you just have to leave the white alone! See it as a geat way of bringing some funky yet sophisticated 60's design in your home.


Boris Breuer


Chris Chen

Poster Mania

Let me get one thing right: I love my apartment. But I must admit that there are a few things that frustrate me. One of these is the fact that we almost have no straight walls! Our apartment is in the attic of a former town house, so most off our walls are slanted. And so, much to my frustration, I can't put anything up on the walls.

But since we're now looking to buy a house, a slow and frustrating search I might add, I have new hope! Impatient as I am, I already started to look at some art prints/ posters on the web.

Here are my favourites so far:


BirdNerd – Etsy


Ifop – Etsy


Matteart – Etsy


Present and Correct – Etsy



Sanna Annukka


Steven Harrington