Das rote Paket

This is an amazing idea from das-rote-paket.de, and a fantastic solution for the new home. I love the idea of one single bulb hanging from a ceiling, but this construction gives just so much choice – plug in a short cord, plug in a long cord, plug in a white cord, plug in a red cord – and in my hands it might end up looking like a massive multi-coloured octopus, but tomorrow I’ll be shopping in Brico for some plugs and wires. Welcome the Handy Mandy!

spring clean, v2.0

Please, get ready for an image-heavy post, which is only about interior design. I do occasionally allow myself such freak-outs as being maniacally excited about moving to my new flat – every excitement has its side effects, hence the post where I seem to regurgitate the entire ‘inspiration folder’ onto this blog. Expect no particular order or coherence; there are just the things that I love.

Anything that comes in stacks and pastel colours, like this amazing expo space:


Any inadequate use of wool yarn, especially if it gives plenty of DIY ideas, so instead of becoming yet another scarf over and over again, the cheap second-hand wool of which i've got a plenty can also be a cozy stool:

These are some of the breathtaking designs by the Dutch studio Gorm, do check their site:

Wood walls in the kitchen, and multiplex cabinets, you'll see this one coming back a multitude of times:

More Dutch designs, detailed and genious - I love the tiny wooden connector between the cords:

The whole deal with the invisible bookshelf is not my type'o'thing since i don't own any paperbacks, but this floating stack of books is surreal, I even googled for the technique ideas and found this:

I'm a fan of raw materials that are not given a proper aesthetic vallue, like MDF:

More studio Gorm love:

This installation work is by Katharina Trudzinski who is (and alongside with her sis Johanna) 1/3 of the creative mind behind the fashion label Hui-Hui.

This multi-functional stool/shelf/storage is by a German Das rote Paket, and basically is one of the things on my shopping list for this summer - I'm a freak for modular storage that can double up as a work of art:

A kitchen of my dreams? Just may be. It is actually inspired by the natural cycle of life and all utencils are placed according to this logic( even the water that drips from your drying dished waters the mini herb garden!).

Most of the images are via Bloesem - it's Dutch! But also via DesignSponge, Desire to Inspire, Hui-Hui, studio Gorm and Das rote Paket.

blog's not dead

…neither am I, but being preoccupied with millions of things at once is no good. Especially when those things are so domestic that I would not even bother you with any detailed explanations. Instead I may allow myself a very selfish look-what-I’ve-got post! Firstly, I have no idea how I managed to stumble upon it, secondly the shop assistant has no idea what she sold to me, but the result is clear:

This gorgeous Natalia Brilli headband is now in my possession! It hurts my temples in the most horrific manner and gives me a headache after one minute of wearing it, but I’ll be as tough as those leather-covered studs and subdue the pain with a thought for this is now my most treasured accessory.

The week has passed unnoticed! Well, almost… Apart from being bombarded with phonecalls, messages, e-mails and pigeon letters ( got to add this one, even if it’s not true), there hasn’t been any substantial change. Some lessons to learn though if you are planning to rent in BXL:

if the advert says ‘60m²’ - count to have 16m²

if it’s a ‘duplex’ – expect a pathetic little fox hole with a mezzanine

if the walls are ‘all white’ – wait until you see what a current tenant has done, you are most likely to get a jungle-green bathroom here

but…

if they don’t pick up the phone at the real estate agency – pass by to make an appointment, I discovered how friendly and helpful the agents can be.

The verdict: on Monday (unless faced with an utter disappointment) I’m prepared to make my final choice between an 8th floor penthouse and a 60’s flat just around the corner from the Trinity church…for those who know Brussels, Trinity/Bailli/Chatelain is the loveliest neighbourhood ever – it has been kind of young designer district back in the days, because that’s where you find La Cambre fashion academy, but right now it is a very casual shopping area with a bunch of smelly second-hand shops and small private boutiques for local BoBo's, and of course numerous restaurants.
I should do a real shopping guide for the area, but at the moment I have only one snapshot from a must-visit outlet "Degrif "(on rue Simonis). It’s a renown shoe-outlet where you easily find Prada, Jil Sander, Hugo Boss among loads and loads of lesser known brands. The other day this Casadei sandal caught my fancy, but unfortunately I wouldn’t last a minute without tripping over my own toes, granted a chance to wear these. Well, it’s a show-piece anyways and it’s good enough to look at, because they somehow remind me of the mid-century Scandinavian teak furniture.

But I’m currently more preoccupied with the interior decoration ideas than outfits, so bear with me while I turn this blog into a self-obsessive interior-design frenzy in the nearest couple of weeks.

square

The first week of spring has passed, but those negative night temperatures are still making me feel like we are in the middle of the winter. Yet spring = spring-clean, so the week haven’t passed unnoticed. My final decision to move out has been taken and the flat advert is already collecting me some visitors. So if anyone out there is interested to live in Brussels, give me a shout (you can contact me directly via the ‘Contact’ link on top of the screen).

holygrace! holygraphie!

This is the most amazing news, and I’m already fully prepared to sell my soul to devil for one of those:



Undercover launches the first perfume in the end of May, says Susie.


You may all know about my passion for Vibskov’s work, judging from the number of times I post about it…but only the dedicated ones know how much I admire Jun Takahashi’s Undercover. And one day when I decided to by a work of art, completely disappointed by what I saw at the Brussels Art Fair, I got myself an Undercover skirt from the ‘Paperdoll’ collection (that’s the autumn/winter 2003/04). I’m still looking for the right way to display it, dreaming of hanging it above a bathtub (don’t ask why), the one that may have those pretty curvy paws and must be placed in the middle of the room. Being still pretty far from the ideal placement, the skirt is my upmost treasured possession, and now I don’t mind adding the perfume right at the very top of this year’s wishlist.

attitude

Every new show - every time the best make-up and hair ideas can be found at Dries van Noten. I've spent years getting over the dusty grey glitter smoky eyes and massive loads of bobby pins on the fringes… today welcome the new fetish – eyebrows!
These are not your average coloured eyebrows though – the line is drawn through the light hairs and there’s not even a hint of mascara and the lips are kept in the most flattering shade of nude. Well, I may leave the red lipstick linger for a while.

As for the hair, the closest I can get to the natural matte messy hairstyle is…erm…the natural mess that my hair is at the moment – the kind of in-between length which never looks good. So here’s me when I tied my hair up with a scarf, re-drawn my eyebrows and grimaced a little at the photobooth.

all make-up and details: Dries van Noten winter 2011 via style.com

like a cat shadow

What have I to tell you today?
There isn’t much music-related stuff happening on this blog, so I thought I’d share. I’ve been tripping to These New Puritans ever since We Want War single came out. I do always look for some epic in the sound, and nothing really exciting since Circlesquare’s Dancers strikes me. Well, now I’ve got myself some amusement, and may be some want war, but I want that hat.

And the somewhat similar inspiration is the Agenda Suicide by The Faint. Don’t know why I come back to it today, but it makes me hop on my way home, mumbling the lyrics. On a Wednesday all means are good.

The Faint: Agenda Suicide


These New Puritans: We Want War

EDIT: This is what I discover after reading some CV's, and using my Google-maniac skills to the absolute maximum: have a browse through La Zone. I do love the references to the old stuff by Throbbing Gristle. Yes.

circle