I love the simple lines of these vases from Kose. This company from Milan, Italy, brings classic lines and classic materials together into beautiful vases, handcrafted from clay. Gorgeous still lives can be created with these vases. In fact, the photo above reminds me of a Giorgio Morandi painting.
Morandi (1890 – 1964) was an Italian painter who throughout his career concentrated almost exclusively on still lives and landscapes. With great sensitivity to tone, color, and compositional balance, he would depict the same familiar bottles and vases again and again in paintings notable for their simplicity of execution.
Elle Decoration UK has an photo spread in their April issue which is inspired by the still lives of Morandi. It is worth getting this issue as the images are gorgeous. I will try to scan them and will add them to this post later.
{Update: Below a scan of some images of the Elle Decoration UK photo spread}
I can’t remember where I have seen this rug, but I am intrigued by it ever since. Perhaps it is not something I would buy for my living room but I love the creative idea behind it. The rug with tire print is designed by Madeleine and Dudly Edwards. These applied artists from the UK transform rugs into sculpted masterpieces. Click here to go to their website, where you can see some of their other very original designs.
I love Simrin for their gorgeous tablecloths, dish towels and their other fabric products! They now have new designs in their collection. Simrin’s collections are inspired by vintage fabrics, organic forms in nature, and algorithmic patterns. Their distinct collections create standout prints in complimentary color perfect for mixing or matching. My favourite is the Surya collection (images above).
The images above show Simrin’s Nature collection. A combination of metallic inks, embroidery and hand screen printing, makes each product unique. All linens are handmade in India, and woven from 100% cotton. Their collection is available online from Velocity.
I love the work of Sanna Annukka and was happy to learn that this talented illustrator was commissioned to do the illustrations for the Dutch Discover 2007 calendar. Each year Wallpaper* magazine collaborates with the Dutch tourist board producing this travel supplement highlighting the must sees and dos around Holland.
Sanna is an illustrator and print-maker with a love for nature and folklore. Being half Finnish (and half English), Sanna is inspired by Finnish folklore and her fond memories of her summers in Finland. The assignment for Dutch Discover 2007 is Sanna’s first editorial work. If you would like to see the calender for yourself, it is in the Wallpaper* April issue 2007. It is worth getting this issue, the illustrations are gorgeous and the calendar is very helpful if you will be visiting The Netherlands this year.
Another Spring inspired product! This table with apple-blossom print is designed by Desktop Design. This design label from Austria combines functionality with graphic arts. The result is this cool table. Their website is in German, but if you would like to have more information you can contact Desktop Design at info@desktop-design.at.
Spring has definitely arrived! Today I saw the first butterfly dancing in the air. The first living butterfly I have to say. As lately I have spotted a lot of home accessories with butterfly patterns. For example, this colourful hand screen printed butterfly wallpaper (top image) from Cole & Son. Black & white butterfly wallpaper (left image) is available from Graham & Brown. The cute butterfly lamp Delight (right image) is designed by Mixko.
Isaac Mizrahi designed this butterfly duvet set for Target. Isn’t it pretty? The butterfly shaped ceramic bowls are from West Elm and the Spring themed plates are from Antropologie.
Butterflies make me happy!
Last week I told you about my balcony that I have been painting and I promised you a photo of the result. Well, here it is! The sun is shining here and spring is in the air so it is time for new flowers. After five months of waiting, my new (hanging) chair arrived and I was so happy with it. Unfortunately I could not enjoy it for too long (only two days) as it got stolen last night. It makes me sad and very angry that some people just can not take their hands of things that are not theirs. It is not just the fact that I was so happy with my chair (it is just a chair after all) but it is the knowledge that this is the kind of world we live in that makes me very sad. OK, that is off my chest. By the way, the white cuckoo birdhouse in the top left corner is from Matijs Korpershoek.
{Update: Good news, my chair is back! One of the neighbours came to ask me yesterday if I was missing a chair. Apparently the person that took my chair got caught and dumped the chair in a garden. Can you believe it? I am a happy girl! Thank you all for your very kind comments.}
The gorgeous pillow on the chair is from Etsy shop Absoluut. Shop owner Anne makes these pillows from vintage fabric. The designs are beautifully made and you can see that Anne puts a lot of love and care in her pillows. Click here to check out her Etsy shop. Above you can see some of the designs available.
I found these vintage ceramic figures on ebay last night. As they make fun home accessories, I want to share them with you. I especially like that dog! The ceramics are from Bitossi (Italy), which is famous for it’s beautiful blue ceramic objects. I have some Bitossi vases, and the blue & turquoise colours are just gorgeous! The auction for the dog ends on 28th March at 12:38 CET (current bid is $10), bidding for the face ends on 28th March at 17:51 CET (current bid is $20), and the elephant’s auction ends at 2nd April (starting bid is $40). The seller of these items ships world-wide and has more Bitossi designs available.
I recently saw this cool silver vase at furniture and design shop Pols Potten. Dutch designer Carola Zee created vase Archetype Blossom especially for this great Amsterdam store. The black vase is from the Archetype Groot series.
Carola’s passion is designing and producing ceramics. She integrates graphic motifs and illustrations into the material and the form of her designs. This way of working, in combination of using modern production techniques, is the centre of her work. Carola’s webshop is under construction but you can send her an email (info@carolazee.nl) if you are interested in one of her products.
If you going on holiday to/in the UK and you are looking for an unique place to stay? Then hire a vintage American trailers on the beautiful Isle of Wight. Vintage Vacations has five trailers for rent, sited on a rural working farm on the UK’s South coast. All trailers are decorated in style. Click here for more information about the trailers and their interiors. For rates, click here.
