2012/ 2013

Wishing you all a wonderful and safe start to the new year, however you will be spending it.

Lets make 2013 really count!

xxx

HENRIK BONNEVIER PHOTOGRAPHER

Henrik Bonnevier photographed these amazing prints for graphic designer Therese Sennerholt.
The stylist was Lotta Agaton.

I actually started writing this post last year November - so these images may have done the rounds (so to speak) yet - still beautifully styled and captured.  And off course the posters are fab too!

http://henrikbonnevier.blogspot.com/

TO BE STILL...

I've just had the most inspiring conversation with one of the most inspiring people in my life.  You know when you talk to someone and you have a conversation, discussing life, the meaning of things and things that go way beyond ... and you just know you both speak from the same language....

Not a physical language - as in words, but a language of messages and interpretations, of being able to visualize something and then put them in words which the other person can then interpret and visualize and understand ...

I've just had one of those very invigorating and inspirational conversations with my very close friend and niece.  I feel lighter and brighter, like a hidden load has been lifted off my shoulders.  I hope she will read this post and know just how much our chats and conversations really mean to me.  She is one of a kind, someone I car about dearly and  someone I call friend.

We were also touching on the importance of being still, to not always be so busy with all there is to see and do and read, but to sometimes just become still and let your mind wonder .... and then this quote was so apt!

*  the quieter you become, the more you can hear  *

via pinterest

LESS THAN A MONTH TO CHRISTMAS TIME...

In less than a month it will be Christmas time ... and all of a sudden everyone is out and about shopping, and window shopping, gift wrapping and Xmas tree decorating, planning festive feasts and gathering friends and loved ones round before the year is out.

Things always happen in fast forward mode round this time of year - work parties, and lunches and do's... late nights and early mornings ready again for work!  But for once I think I want to take these last few weeks quite slow.  I want to think about this year and how amazing it has been, and be still and be grateful for all it has brought thus far.  I want to make time especially for those friends who helped make this year great, and I want to make extra time for those friends who have not had such a great year...

And to everyone who's been stopping by and reading my blog, a big bright thank you for making it all worth while.  I hope you'll enjoy the last few weeks of this year, and the lead up to the festive season.  Enjoy all there is to enjoy, but also don't forget to also remember, even for just one minute what this time of year is all about... 

My family I will only get to see in the new year - I wish we were not living worlds apart; literally - especially this time of year.  But sometimes that's just how it goes.  My life is now here.  We speak often though and we love each other dearly and we're not afraid to say so.

Have a happy festive season to you all!

festive images via pinterest

Thich Nhat Hanh quote via escapade blog

DREAM HOLIDAY HOME - TEPOZTLAN LOUNGE BY CADAVAL & SOLA-MORALES

Stumbled upon this spectacular project by Cadaval & Sola-Morales,  the Spanish architecture studio who designed the Tepoztlan Lounge.  

Tepoztlan sounds like my kind of place... 

"Tepoztlan, is a small town nestled between rocky cliffs located to the south of Mexico City, 50 kilometers away from the vibrant metropolis. With its well preserved historic center and wild countryside, Tepoztlan is a town of legends and deep cultural roots that has been appreciated by writers, poets, artists and musicians over many decades, turning it into their hometown or weekend retreat. Located in this incredible context and surrounded by an astonishing landscape, the Tepoztlan Lounge is the first building completed of a larger project that also includes a series of bungalows of different sizes and designs, which can be rented by years, months or days"

But I can also easily visualize this concept for my own holiday home in sunny South Africa.  Set on a dirt road on the edge of town overlooking a nature reserve.  I've always loved the idea of an indoor garden, and the interior and exterior spaces merging into one.  Tepoztlan Lounge really shows that this can be done and very effectively so!

Guess I better get back to the drawing board so I can start holiday dreaming again! 

First spotted via Archello

Images via http://www.ca-so.com/

http://www.ca-so.com/proyectos/Lounge%20Tepoztlan/LMB.htm

REFLEJOS DE MI TIERRA THROWS AND BEAUTIFUL FABRICS

These beautiful throws and fabrics are all the way from Argentina; the wool from the Andes sheep, llama, alpaca and vicuña are all spun by hand and woven with traditional loom into these extraordinary pieces of fabric, rugs, blankets and throws.

I'd be keen to one day visit South America - and Argentina would be my first stop for sure.  Perhaps I visit to 'REFLEJOS DE MI TIERRA' will be on the cards too ...

First spotted via pinterest
Via 79 ideas
Images via reflejos de mi tierra

A MODERN HOME IN COPENHAGEN - PHOTO'S BY CASE STUDY

 

Sanded floorboards - check

Light and bright - check

Rustic and modern - check

Subtle colour palette - check

Lots of good art - check

 

All I can add is ... I think I'm ready for my own little nest ....

Images via bo bedre

STUDIO GUILHERMES TORRES (GT STUDIO)

 

... and I quote...

"...This house is an original construction of the 40s,it belonged to a great Brazilian artist, Victor Brecheret, the man behind great references in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.

After the artist’s death, the property has never been occupied and during decades itserved as a Foundation of part of his collection and a deposit. The architect Guilherme Torres was immediately attracted by its compact size (130 m²) and the privileged location in one of the most charming streets in the Jardins neighborhood in São Paulo.

The main concept was to update the building, reflecting the contemporary language of the newcomer. The floorplan has not suffered many changes.The only things that has been changed over were the gaps, openings and coatings. All the walls were covered with drywalls and received in some parts white paint and in others, a coating that resembles cement texture.

Up the stairs, from the original construction, you can see an art piece of Pinky Wainer, also responsible for the façade neon with the say: ‘land of the free, home of the brave’.

The master suite’s toilet is connected to a mezzanine above the kitchen where a bath tub was created. A retractable glass roof can be opened on summer days, to help leaving a mild climate. To soften the rays of sun, a wooden muxarabie, a registered trademark of the architect, was used as a covering following the same pattern of the front door of the house.

The architect chose this property to live and work. With just over 30 years and works in broad expansion, Guilherme Torres is considered one of the great names of Brazilian architecture.

Coming from the interior of Paraná state, Brazil, where he established his first office serving many cities of Brazil for 10 years. Guilherme wanted to translate in his own new space, the best way of a cosmopolitan life with a hint of pop.

The Studio Guilherme Torres moves from style to style developing architecture and interior projects and also signs a furniture line. The architecture receives timeless traits, a result of Guilherme’s admiration to the EscolaPaulista de Arquitetura Modernista, which had its heyday in the 60s and 70s. For interiors the tendency is always to reflect the inquietude of our days. And design is a perfect match between both styles.

One can simply look to the house owner to understand the symbiosis between creation and creature. Guilherme is a lover of street art, electronic music and loves to create new tattoos for himself, and it is inside this cauldron of references where he receives his clients and friends...."

I couldn't help but quote word for word on this project - I am more and more drawn to the South American style of design and Architecture - there is something light, uncluttered and inviting about it.  Lived in, to be lived, to live a happy life within...

Concrete finish on the walls, that little indoor garden and kitchen - and then the upstairs terrace with the openair bath...  I would add a nice comfy sofa, an open fireplace and a window with a view.

via archdaily

http://www.guilhermetorres.com/

DEAR MONDAY...

via pinterest

DIMA LOGINOFF DESIGN - MOUNTAIN VIEW LAMP

These inspiring hanging lamps are still in conceptual design stage - however it has won one of 26 international design awards for Dima Loginoff, at Design and Design in Paris.

I prefer the white - and would love to know more about when these will become available commercially.

via http://dimaloginoff.com/

DREAMY WHITE SCANDINAVIAN HOUSE

After a short absence from the blogsphere (and I do apologize for the lack of inspiring posts these last few weeks)(and I do promise to explain soon the reason behind it...)(it all being good news I may add...) I am back, and hopefully this time round no more long absences!

I thought as autumn evenings draw near, and with winter around the corner - these inviting images of a beautiful and warm Scandinavian home will just do the trick to get everyone in the mood for those long wintry nights in front of a roaring fire!

White is often seen as stark or even sterile - and it could be everything but warm and inviting.  Yet I feel there's a certain 'lived-in-homeliness' when dreaming about the home above.  I love the stack of neatly packed logs, the children's room is fun and exciting amongst the otherwise pristine space.

Some grey's and browns in the 2nd last image really adds a nice touch of warmth

via 79ideas

http://www.79ideas.org/2012/04/dreamy-scandinavian-house.html

WHITE FLOORBOARDS AND WOOD AND GREY

A bit of Scandinavian Inspiration, this time via trendenser.se

These images are not from the same post, but I do feel they kind of sit together quite nicely.  This is how I want to live....

via http://trendenser.se/