BestLite

Behold...the aptly named "best light"...a proof that classics never go out of style. It keeps popping up in Scandinavian design magazines lately. (Needless to say I reeeeeeally want one.)


(aram.co.uk)

BestLite was designed in 1930 by Robert Dudley Best, heir to an English lighting factory. He admired the work of Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier so much, that he studied design in Paris. BestLite was later produced in his father's factory.
At first it was mostly used in repair shops, but gradually gained a large fan base among architects and was mentioned in The Architects' Journal as one of the first examples of Bauhaus design in England. The lamp eventually found its way to the desk of Winston Churchill. Quite a career!


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I won't be able to blog during the next couple of days, but here is a link that will surely keep you busy...probably until christmas next year...I recently discovered Rachel's blog One Pretty Thing...so many fabulous tutorials...my head is still spinning. And this very funny (and very cynical...) article She's happily married, dreaming of divorce by Ellen Tien which you might have read already.

Have a great weekend and an even better week...

Nie Nie Day

Sometimes you come across a story that leaves you sick with sadness, even so you don't actually know the people who's lives are affected by a tragedy. This happened to me - and so many others - when I read about the Nielsons.
Lovely Leslie over at "a room somewhere" is hosting a silent auction today to help the family...hand-crafted items donated by crafty bloggers...help someone in need...maybe you could get a head start on your christmas shopping?

just a...

...quick post today. My brother is in town and was shopping up a storm - with me in tow as I've been his fashion advisor for years. He usually follows my advise blindly, he's my creature... (insert evil laugh and random Frankenstein movie theme here), but today we actually argued about ties. I told him he'd be the toast of the office in a grey suit with a mustard yellow tie, he wanted navy with dots (booooooring!)...we compromised on a dark purple one with stripes. The last time he put up a fight like this I dressed him in my knitted skirt and put his hair up in pigtails. (He was two.)

Crave worthy product of today: The Font Clock by Sebastian Wrong.


"The clock uses twelve different fonts within the mechanism which provide a random, mixed and ever-changing display of the fonts. The twelve fonts are all twentieth century designs apart from one which is an English 18th century script. At a given point within the annual time cycle, all the fonts will run together for 5 minutes." Wow.
(available at icone.co.uk) Or the low-budget version: Flap by Habitat. It doesn't change fonts but shows the months and days of the week in either French or English.

Last but not least: please remember that tomorrow, Thursday, is Nie Nie Day...

Baum und Pferdgarten

Baum und Pferdgarten is a beautiful Danish brand, despite the German name and here is a sneak peek at their spring 2009 collection...


...absolutely drool worthy...is it a shirt or a dress?...can't tell...


...little black dress...cute, cute...


...just bought a pair of jeans like that, still looking for comfy platform shoes...


...not quite feeling this look though...like something my mum would have loved to send me to school in... :)

(all: baumundpferdgarten.dk)

Other collections to check out: Rützou (their autumn 2008 campaign is devine) and Part Two.


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My blog statistics tell me that every day more and more visitors from all over the world stop by this blog and I'm totally amazed where you all come from. I'm so curious...say hello and tell us who you are...if you like...lurking is absolutely fine too. :)

house doctor - MOMENTS

My favourite interior design company (apart from tine k home) is House Doctor from Denmark. Their "old factory" range is beautiful but what really gets me into carol singing mood in August are the christmas things...they make the most beautiful ornaments, garlands, top stars, wrapping paper... Their new MOMENTS catalogue is now online, as is their main catalogue EVERYDAY.







(photos: housedoctor.dk)

I highly recommend downloading the pdf version for enhanced viewing pleasure.

guilty pleasure.

I actually feel bad about loving this site. It also makes me lough out loud. A lot. (Note to self - must try to be less gleeful.)

Sen-Sen

I'm very partial to black and white interiors these days (or mostly white interiors with a little black thrown in to give it an edge). If you are too, take a look at Sen-Sen, the brainchild of designers Trine Runge Jessen and Helene Jensen from Denmark (I'm guessing the name Sen-Sen is derived from the "sen" at the end of their names). The fun and very cool collection includes home accessories and a kids range, all mostly in black and white.


Not your grandma's trolley...



My favourite pillow design - "Sun Star"...



The "Super S" hook comes in black, white or multi color and can either be used alone or as a chain...



I'm usually not a fan of the whole skull craze, but the "Jolly" cookie cutter from their kids range is pretty cute.


(photos: sen-sen.dk)

Close.

I managed to get the washing machine to pump again following an online manual. The gurgling sound was the best thing I've heard in a long time. (I wish I had read the manual before opening the emergency water thingy though...)

A while ago I wanted to show you something I made but couldn't find the charger for my camera (it was exactly where it's supposed to be...in the drawer of my desk. I just never supposed I put it back there...and never checked...) so here they are now.


Two patchwork balls for two new babies (I figure the moms are too busy right now to read my blog so this post won't spoil the surprise). They are completely hand sewn and have a little bell inside. I wanted to make one of these for a long time, but never knew how. If you want to make your own, I found this great and detailed tutorial in English and German.

Duh.

Good news - achieved the perfect shade of mustard yellow when dyeing an old pillow case. Bad news - might have killed our washing machine in the process. Just mopped up about 50 liters of yellow water from the bathroom floor. Will report back tomorrow if mega crisis could be averted. Keep your fingers crossed...

Playing around.

I just realised...a lot of my flickr favourites are pictures of legs (where is Sigmund Freud when you need him?). Arranged as a mosaic they would make a cute poster, no?

Just in case you were wondering...

manga-me-too...
Ursprünglich hochgeladen von litchi7.

I had to...as millions before me, I also faced my manga. There wasn't even a remotely close match for my funny nose and eyes, but hey...what a great way to waste time! :) (I actually have a stripey shirt just like that one, but I'm not quite as cute.)

Giving away your photos for free - yay or nay?

recycled crochet flowerpot/basket
Ursprünglich hochgeladen von litchi7.

I'm pretty sure this has happened to everyone who has a flickr account... Yesterday was the third time someone approached me if they could use one of my pictures for commercial purposes...you might have heard it before "...unfortunately we don't have a budget, but give you full credit." The first was a company selling dog insurances (!) - an insurance company that doesn't make any money? Come on! I didn't do it.
The second was the Berlin Schmap guide. I gave them the allowance to use my picture because I think it's a cool project.
Yesterday I got an inquiry for my little flower pot picture from Sprig.com, "...a green lifestyle website published by the Washington Post company. We are producing a new feature called "greenspy" about eco-friendly moments spotted in everyday life that we can share with our readers." While I think it's a worthy cause, I'm always inclined to ask: "Okay...don't YOU get paid either? Are all the people working for this website volunteers? Do you give your ad space away for free?" Because - let's face it - asking amateur photographers to give away their pictures saves these companies HUGE amounts of money. When I was still working as a keyaccount manager in an advertisement agency, I frequently had to buy photo rights and they don't come cheap. Rightly so, as they are the photographers source of income (which btw is also undermined when you give away your photos). I just makes me mad that they think they can butter me up with flattery to save themselves a couple of dollars.
I'd love to know what you think about this topic and if this has happenend to you (and how you reacted).

Have a great great sunny weekend!!!

I was kidnapped.

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I was kidnapped...to Sweden. My husband was under the impression that he would spend a 'male bonding' week with his best friend. When he arrived at his friends house, his friend was totally surprised that I wasn't in the car...he always assumed all three of us would go together...but he never explicitly said so... I had just spread out my sewing supplies and was preparing something for a party I was invited to that evening when the phone rang: "What's that nonsense about you not coming? Pack your bag, we'll pick you up in 10 minutes!" I was looking forward to spend a week on my own, but I do love Sweden... Needless to say I packed my bag in record time (and I didn't even forget anything!), apologized to the friends that were throwing the party and even managed to email a translating job in time before departure.
Oh - the only thing I did forget was my camera, so if you are interested what our friends house looks like, you can see some older pictures in my Sweden photo set on flickr. They recently renovated the house...it was actually more charming two years ago...

As for souvenirs...

Since we took a ferry to Gedser/Denmark and than drove to Torne/Sweden, I was able to buy not only Swedish magazines, but Danish ones as well! (I went a little overboard I'm afraid...)

And just because...this was not a souvenir, but I just liked my little pitcher so much, I had to take a picture.


Sweden is just so very beautiful, Torne is a very small town right next to a beautiful huge lake. The little house looks like right out of an Astrid Lindgren book. No internet, no tv...just peace an quiet. And many many tiny frogs, almost too cute to bear.

Everyday beauty.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that I am a woman of many wishes. Luckily sharing things with you that I adore helps a lot with the "I need need need this!"-feeling. I do hope it will work again this time.
My husband (who is the sweetest man but usually doesn't care if things are pretty if they are practical) alerted me to the fact that we don't really have "good" china. The kind you put on the table when you mother-in-law drops in for tea. I started to collect the "Enjoy" tableware by rice Denmark which unfortunately is not made anymore. (Meaning I have pretty plates but no cups.)
Now I've found the china of my dreams but would probably tremble with fear of breaking it whenever I do the dishes. Behold..."Black Fluted Mega" ...



...and the newly lauched colorful "Elements" series...



...both by Royal Copenhagen.

You have to check out the whole range to see how truely beautiful this china is. The design is a modern take on a classic Royal Copenhagen pattern and painted by hand...if I start collecting now I might have a whole set when I'm about...wait...uhm...93.

(photos by Royal Copenhagen)

London -third and last part

The only picture I took at Tate Modern (as I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the artwork)...

...Millenium Bridge, shot from a very dirty window on one of the upper levels.

On my "Shop Browsing Tuesday" I visited an old favourite.

The Japan Centre, on Piccadilly, right next to Piccadilly Circus. It came a long way since I've last been there. There is a huge grocery section and a travel agency and a bookstore downstairs. And yes...they stock some of the much coveted Japanese craft books and magazines such as Cotton Time! (And don't you just love her gingham top?)

I bought my lunch there...

Onigiri! Triangular shaped stuffed rice balls. The packaging keeps the nori (seaweed) away from the riceball until you eat it, so it stays nice and crunchy. Absolutely ingenius system. The bonito (dried tuna shavings)/soy sauce variety was the best.
Here you can see me sitting on one of the steps of Piccadilly Circus, balancing my lunch on my knee.


A cute pub on Carneby Street called "Shakespeare's Head". Kathrin and I met some friends of hers in a pub (not this one) on Marylebone Highstreet (another great shopping location) and boy - these English can drink!

It was extremely hot in London and at one time I actually thought I had a sunstroke. There was just no way I could or would shop for clothes. Even so everything was on sale...
I went to (among many many others ) Urban Outfitters , Cath Kidston and wanted to go but couldn't find it (my map wasn't detailed enough) Orla Kiely.

Then I got to ZARA home and couldn't resist any longer...

I bought embroidered sheets (On sale! 12 pounds - marked down from 49!) and salad servers. Will definitely post a better picture once the sheets have been washed and ironed.
*Update* I just found out Zara Home now offers international online shopping...oh no...someone lock my credit card away...please...

Other shops on my list that I didn't get to see:
Designers Guild, Labour&Wait, Parma Lilac, Brissi and many more. Luckily I can browse a bit online.

And I bought magazines...as always... I have to...it's an addiction...about 10 of them...including Living etc. which is my second favourite interior design magazine (Just in case you were wondering: BoligLiv from Denmark is my absolute favourite. A very good third place goes to House and Leisure from South Africa...beautiful but hard to get over here.)

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When I was 16 and in London for the first time, I watched this movie and absolutely loved it.
Things I bought back then (as far as I remember):
- super-sparkly eyeshadow pigments in silver and lavender
- a one yard long false braid
- a Hippodrome London sweatshirt (it was a famous night club back then and I felt super-hip...but I was - as you can probably tell - super-nerdy)
- a gazillion of Marilyn Monroe postcards
- a Marilyn Monroe tshirt
- earrings...giant...huuuge hoops, bigger than a bangle and a pair that looked like a toothbrush set...
(Needless to say I wore all my purchases - including the braid, not including the postcards - when my parents picked me up at the airport...sorry Mum and Dad - I guess my teenage years were hard on you.)

London part 2/Tate Modern

Thirty Pieces of Silver
Ursprünglich hochgeladen von <<graham>>

I think we must make it a habit to go you the Tate Modern whenever we are in London. We've been the last time we were there and it's always breathtaking...the building, the location, the exhibitions.
While being there we realised that my husband and I have a totally different approach to art. We both got the audio guide, but while he only looked at the pieces explained on tape (if he liked the painting or not), I wandered around and finally abandonded the guide completely. He's more interested in the background info on an artist or his work, I go by what grabs my attention.

My favourite pieces:
"Thirty Pieces of Silver" by Cornelia Parker - well actually thousands of pieces of silver (knives, forks, cigarette cases, anything you can think of) flattened by a steamroller and suspended from the ceiling. Absolutely gorgeous.
Here are some others in random order: George Grosz "Mirror of the Bourgeoisie", Francis Picabia "Fig Leaf", Wilfredo Lam "Ibaye", Zoe Leonard "Untitled (for Barb), Ernst Wilhelm Nay "White Spring", Gerhard Richter "Cage 2", Cy Twombly "Natural History Part 1 (Mushrooms)".

And my absolute favourite: Mark Rothko "Untitled 1950-52". This painting actually moves me and I can't put my finger on why. The colors just do something to me... I was afraid it would be at the Rothko exhibition in Hamburg. This is one of my favourite paintings of all time. I'm thinking of getting this as a 'life sized' print but I'm not sure if that would be a bit cheesy.


There was another piece I liked that couldn't find a picture of "480x10x10" by Miroslaw Balka. It takes "soap on a rope" to a new dimension...pieces of soap on a steel rod, suspended from the ceiling...it looked like a giant multicolor beaded necklace.