Collections: coffee pots

Time to post anoter one of my collections. This is a small one: my vintage coffee pots. They' re part of the much huger ceramic collection which, according to my bofriend, is getting out of hand. I'm just ignoring him on that one...



Back to the coffee pots! My favourite one is the yellow Melita one, purely out of sentimental reasons. Me and my sister used to play tea party with it when we were kids. And it came along with me to college. Unfortunately I dropped it once too hard in the sink when I was washing up and broke the handle. I glued it back on but now it's for display use only!

Design classics: Componibili

So far I have only showed off design classics by men, so in this episode, a little bit of female power.

The Componibili modular storage system, was designed in the sixties by Anna Castelli Ferrieri, an Italian architect and industrial designer.


Apartment Therapy

Since you can combine your own stackable modules, it’s a very multifunctional design. It can go everywhere : from the kitchen to the bathroom.


Through Flickr

I think that through the futuristic design and the use of plastic as a material, this is still a very contemporary design.


Through Flickr

You can get your hands on your very own unique Componibili at Kartell.

Tweet tweet

I have a weakness for bird illustrations. Birds are such a thankful subject because of their natural beauty.

But sometimes the amount of bird illustrations out there can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily some just pop out above the rest.



Like the Sushibird tiles by The Red Thread.



I love the contrast between the robustness of the wood and the delicacy of the hand painted illustrations. There's no need to frame them, these are just lovely like they are.

Gallant Tales

A few posts back I featured wallpaper from Allan The Gallant.

Great news, they have now launched an online shop called Gallant Tales.



With the holidays around the corner, you have every reason to go over and shop!

Stig Lindberg

Although I have a, not so secret, love affair with ceramics, I have to confess that I’ve only heard of Stig Lindberg recently.

Stig Lindberg was — for all of you who are out of the loop, just as I was — a Swedish designer who was renowned in the 1950’s for his playful design.

He worked in a range of styles and materials. His delicate ceramic forms show his eye for sculpture and proportion.

Although I haven’t heard from the man until recently, it seems that I’ve been a fan without even knowing. Here's the evidence:



I have a lovely vase which pattern is reminicent of the one for the Reptile series.


Through here



The leaf pattern on this coffee pot and milk jug made me think of me of his famous Berså ceramics.


Through Flickr

And I had a lot of comments after I posted this bowl of people saying how it reminded them of Lindberg’s work.



After seeing these bowls I can tell why...


Retrohome

So time to declare my love to the world: *screams at the top of her lungs* I heart Stig Lindberg!

It's that time of the year again!

I've been so bussy at work lately that I almost forgot that my favourite holiday of the year is coming closer and closer. Yes, Christmas is knocking on the doorstep!

Since I have a tradition of giving handmade presents to my closest friends and family, I am totally behind schedule! I'm not even sure what I'll make for everybody this year!



However, I'll probably make some teacup candles. I made these last year for a friend who was moving into her first apartment. They're very easy to make and they look gorgeous!



That's one done and another zillion to go...

P.S.: A few minutes after I posted this, mother nature send me a personal reminder... It started snowing!

What time is it?

Once upon a time me and the boyfriend were woken up every morning at the same by the lovely sound of our stereo. But then the boyfriend got a job much closer to home and was able, to my great jealousy, to lie in bed for another extra hour every morning . So I hogged the stereo for my little home studio and we used the not so nice sounds of our cell phones to get up in the morning.

But then, after hearing on the radio the advice from an anti-cancer organization to not keep your cell next to you all night, we kinda panicked and banned the phones out of the bedroom. So now we're in need off a new alarm clock.

Now in an ideal world I would get this one:
the Tivoli Three clock Radio: lovely design and lovely sound.



In the real world, I don't have 600 euros to spend on alarm clocks (they are 300 euro a pop).

So I found a cheap alternative in the Back in Time clock by PT Design. I'm sure they sound will be far less than the Tivoli one but to be honest I don't think I will really be able to tell at 7 in the morning.



Or maybe i should go for something completely different like this Numbers Led alarm by Jonas Damon. However, how lovely this might look, I think it will give a bit too much light. I like to sleep in complete darkness, much to the boyfriends disagreement.



Or maybe I could go for a combination of the above and go for the Cube clock from Karlsson.



It features both the wood and the LED numbers. Plus it has a sensor which dims the LED lightning between 6 pm and 7am!

But maybe there are just a little too much numbers going on, on the display...

Argh, too much choice! Please help me out and tell me which one you think I should get.. Or let me know if you have any other suggestions!

Wallpaper

As a pattern addict I believe that there's nothing that can cheer up a room as much as wallpaper.

Here are a few of my favourites du jour.


2Modern


Graham & Brown


Erica Wakerly


Farrow & Ball


Alan, The Gallant

House tour: Doshi Levien

Yesterday, I got a pleasant suprise when I opened up my copy of dutch design magazine '101 woonideeen'. The apartment/studio of design duo Doshi Levien — who I mentioned in an earlier post — was featured.



Their style is a harmonious marriage between minimalist Western design and bright colour details, wich are courtesy to Nipa Doshi's Indian roots.



Their house features a lot of loved thrift store finds and their work wich is proudly displayed around the house. The Mosaic pans in the kitchen, their Habitat stool in the living room...



It must be very inspiring to work in a place like this...


Photos by Simon Upton

Tag, your it!

Oh boy, I got tagged for the very first time! Thank you Happy from Happy loves Rosie to give me the honours.

So here are six quirky yet boring details about me:

1. I organize my books by colour.

2. I'm counting down the days until the IKEA near me opens. I've even been around just to get a sneak peek off what it will look like. Very surprisingly it's a blue/yellow box...

3. When I see a great concert poster, I have the habit of first checking who the designer is and only afterwards the date and venue place.

4. According to the boyfriend I eat chips very loudly.

5. My neighbor is an interior designer. He often stalls furniture in
the hallway of our apartment block. I have contemplated dragging some of it into my layer. (I currently have my eye on an Egg Chair)

6. It's physically impossible for me to wink with my right eye.

I'll be passing the honour onto:
* Amanda from Swish and Swanky
* Dallas from Dilly Dallas
* Benita from Chez Larsson
* Julia from I'm all agog
* Neryl from Neryl
* Leslie from A Room Somewhere

Here are the rules:
* Mention the rules on your blog.
* Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
* Tag six other
* Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they are tagged.

Have fun!

Design that makes me smile: Principessa

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who, like all other little girls, dreamed about her prince in shining armor. He would sweep her off her feet and take her to her dream castle, where they would live happily ever after.

Ah, but little girls grow up. I found prince charming – who lost a bit of his integrity by leaving his socks lying around - but the castle hasn’t materialized yet.



Fortunately for me, design duo Doshi Levien, have come up with a perfect way to relive my princess fantasies. Their day bed Principessa is based on the fairytale « The Princess and the Pea » and features several thin matrasses on top of each other (I wonder if there is an actual pea underneath). The illustrations on the bed show everything a princess needs for a night out. Handy, kind of like an IKEA manual for the aspiring princess.

Folk rugs

I was already impressed by John Agilli's rugs. And then I saw these.



These DIA rugs, designed by Magdalena Lubinska and Michal Kopaniszyn, are inspired by folk motifs. But even tough they are based on patterns, they feel very modern.



These carpets have won a Wallpaper* award and I can definitely see why!

Let it shine!

Once upon a time when MTV was actually still showing music video’s, I came cross the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s video for ‘Can’t stop’. I don’t know if any of you can remember that one, it was inspired by the 'One-Minute Sculptures' of Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. There was one scene which gave me an eureka feeling. It was the one with guitarist John Frusciante standing in the middle of a room filled with vintage lamps.



That’s what I needed : a room full of vintage lamps! Well, or at least a corner or something…

And this is what I have so far, three lovely thrift store finds. Whenever we have friends around I put them on and they really create the right ambiance for entertaining.



(The painting is by the boyfriend by the way, you can check out more of his work here.)

I’m hoping to find some more in the future but until then I’ll just have to satisfy myself with these lovely internet finds.


NinaInVorm


Through Flickr


DesignSponge


Through Flickr

Flowers and dip

I have to confess, I am a vintage addict. Why? I just find the design of the fifties and sixties so much more fun and decorative. You see, I’m not really a minimalist. I'm actually more of a hoarder, but not to worry, not every inch of our apartment is covered with useless stuff. Yet.


Through Flickr

But my love for vintage doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate contemporary design, far from it. My latest love is the Dip vase of Dutch design company Smool. Even without flowers this vase looks gorgeous. And it’s made from unbreakable vinyl so kids, pet and party proof.

This one is going on the Christmas list!

Design classics: Ball clock

Time again for another design lesson ! Today we will be talking about the ball clock from George Nelson.


Luis Albuquerque

Does anybody know who George Nelson is?
Yes, you there in the back?

Ah yes, indeed, Nelson was a renowned architect, often mentioned as one of the founders of American Modernism.

Can anybody name me another founder?
No Jimmy, Micky Mouse doesn't count. Who does count is Charles Eames, an architect turned designer just as George Nelson.


Through Flickr

And just as with Eames, you can feel the fun oozing out of Nelson product designs. Yes boys and girls, this clock embodies all what was good in the fifties, and is still a refreshing piece of design today.

That's it for today. Class dismissed.

Design that makes me smile

This edition in the series comes straight from Interieur 08.



I loved these lamps made by students from the Design Institute in Madrid. I actually have a few cones of yarn lying around and I'm definitely going to try and make something similar.

And to stay in the craft theme: a giant knit carpet. As a knitter, I just couldn't help but laugh when I saw this (and wonder which cable stitch it was.) I'm not quite sure who the designer is but after some research on the internet, I think it might be from Sebastien Schönheit.

Interieur08 – Jamie Hayon

Last weekend I went to Interieur 08, a design fair in Kortrijk. I love design fairs, their like a little taste of heaven. (By the way afterwards, I went to the local thriftstore: from heaven to reality…)

Guest of honour was Spanish designer Jaime Hayon. He wasn’t an obvious choice in a world that is still dominated by minimalism and function. Hayon instead creates his own little fantasy world filled with organic playful designs and mutated animals.





Some people find him a bit of an "enfant terrible", I however found his work delightfully refreshing.





Just as interesting as his furniture designs were his illustrations, which were used as a wallpaper through his exhibition. If I ever have kids as talented, I let them scribble on the walls for sure!