Design trade Now & then | Functionality as a design element

Georg Collection | design Christina Liljenberg  this year in Black! picture Trip trap

It's August! and that brings back good memories from last year of decorating the Bloggerzone together with our Blogtour team at the first Design trade fair in Copenhagen. We wrote several posts about the fair for the Designtrade website, and so we did last February for the Stockholm Furniture and Light fair here and here. I still had some pictures I never posted so I thought it was a good opportunity to finally dig them out of my archives.

One of the things I pointed out when I visited the stands of the participating exhibitors at DesignTrade 2013 was the use of leather combined with wood or metal into new and reinvented products. Besides the use of materials, the design looked simple and familiar at first sight, as it has elements we all know. By the way they are constructed they emit a " what you see is what you get' and functionality has become a design element, which fits even now a year later! perfectly with this time.  

Stool | Georg Collection | design Christina Liljenberg Halstrom for Trip Trap| picture Vosgesparis

New line George by designer Christina Liljenberg Halstrøm for Trip Trap was definitely one of our favourites, a stool with a cushion hold together by a simple leather string and a wardrobe with a hanger that can be attached in many different ways. I recently showed some of Christina's last work here on the blog: Minimal design tray. This year's George serie comes in black wood! More pictures of the new black collection at Emma's Designblogg

Dorm Cabinet/Picture rails| More Collection | Ferm Living | picture Ferm Living

Ferm Living, used harness leather belts in their More collection |Clothes hanger| that also included fiber cardboard boxes with leather handles, we got one with a delicious breakfast in it when we were invited for breakfast. And I recently showed it on Instagram 

The clothes rack was one of my favourites last year, and this month Ferm Living launched some additional product for the rack. More images at Label 1114 

Clothes rails | DesignTrine Andersen | More Collection | Ferm Living 

Boatswain chair| Ocean Going| Picture via Ocean going

2011 founded company Oceangoing brought their brand new chair on the market where European oak and a leather ship tool is combined. Not to sure if they launched something this year.

With the use of honest, natural materials and craftsmanship several talented Nordic designers presented their ideas on the trends of tomorrow on Talent Street. Jesper Su Rosenmeier used a combination of wood and leather in his clothes hangers.  

 Jesper Su Rosenmeier clothes hanger | Talent Street 2013| Picture Vosgesparis

Woven wood | Design Juan Cappa |  Woodmatters 2013 | Picture Vosgesparis

With 'Wood matters' seven young designers of the Swedish school of Craft and Design at Steneby showcased their design. Designers from four different countries. Who all had one thing in common, the passion for wood. This passion led them all to a tiny place in the middle of the Swedish forest. There, at Steneby the School of Craft and Design, they worked and lived together and had the freedom to derived inspiration of nature, space and from each other.  

Juan Cappa investigated traditional craft techniques related to weaving, caning, rushing and basketry, which has been the way of weaving since the beginning of civilisation and has strong significance related towards the connotation of hand made work. And this chair is the result of his personal investigation about the material and the traditional techniques

Were you at DesignTrade this month? What was your favourite?

New Design by Muuto | Airy side table & Fiber chair

coffee table 'Airy by Cecilie Manz for Muuto

Muuto added two more items to their collection which I hope to see when visiting Paris next month. Last year I really enjoyed the stands of the different Scandinavian brands at Maison & Objet and I can't wait to be back in Paris to enjoy Paris designweek, visit the exhibitions and meeting up with my fellow French blogger friends.

Coffee table 'Airy' comes in different shapes and sizes. There are three different sizes from 120x65 cm. to 68x44 and a half size table of 44x39,5 all made out of polished plywood and a light soldered iron frame.

  Half sized table 'Airy' by Cecilie Manz for Muuto

Fiber chair by designed by Iskos-Berlin for Muuto

Also Fiber 'chair' is a new design by Iskos Berlin for Muuto. Stripped of of all unnecessary layers and leaving just the chair with a seat, back and armrests that is integrated in one harmonious shell, this chair seems perfect for nesting yourself into. Consisting of different colours and four different bases, there is a chair for every room and function.  

Pictures via Muuto with thanks

Sløjd boards by Morten Høeg-Larsen

While visiting ShowUp this weekend the first thing that caught my eye when arriving at Westergasfabriek, the beautiful location of this years ShowUp, was a bunch of wood leaning against the huge building. It happened to be some raw wooden planks from Morten Høeg-Larsen of Sløjd. And once inside I fell in love with the story behind the wood and the boards.

Sløjd is a joint venture between Morten and Claus Meyer, co-founder of restaurant Noma in Kopenhagen. Fascinated by people in countries like Japan and Vietnam displaying their craft and skills on the street. Morten set up a small street-carpentry after being invited to have an outdoor shop during the Copenhagen Cooking Festival to make his boards.

At ShowUp he was doing the same and worked on the boards while telling about how he goes on the look for that one piece of wood and the process before it is on our counter tops. I am quite fascinated by the tables above as well which I found when checking out the website.

By making the cutting boards he wants to show how quality kitchen tools can still be made locally, instead of in far away foreign factories. All wood is selected by Morten himself and the boards are handmade in the Swedish countryside, just outside Ystad. 

pictures 1-3 via By Midde | 4-8 by Vosgesparis

Ferns & Terrariums | Creating a Glass Covered Green World

After posting my moodboard inspired by succulents and the DIY rock garden, the images of the small courtyard, and especially those fresh green ferns, didn’t leave my mind. Continuing this green theme, I started a new Pinterest board, and as I was pinning away I discovered lots of unique ways to arrange the green in your home, and my favourite discovery was to display plants by using terrariums!

I love that they come in all kinds of different sizes and shapes, and I’m not the only one, because you see them everywhere these days! They’re low maintenance, versatile, and easily allow you to create a tiny glass covered green world.

It's all about contrasts | Louise Roe AW 2014

Louise Roe launched her new collection and it is all about contrasts! The collection shows her love for architecture by using graphic lines of the city of Copenhagen, shown in the city hurricane candles and the tiles theme in the lines of the black and white bedlinnen.

New also are the copper hooks, next to copper the collection shows a feminine light rose and a masculine bottle green. Secondary colours are dark blue and the essential black, white and grey tones. The metal colours copper, gun metal and brass continues to give the exclusive touch to the entire collection. I am a fan! 

Hook in copper

city hurricane in smoke glass  

via Louise Roe with thanks

A white apartment in Amsterdam

A huge white apartment in Amsterdam designed by MAMM. A renovation project of a duplex unit in an 85-year-old building. Living in Amsterdam myself I am curious to know in what area this building is situated. It feels like a mix of an old attic and an office building in one.

MAMM opened up the staircase and half of a floor at the upper floor to bring in as much light as possible. i can imagine the view from that roofterrace.

Pictures ©  mamm design

IKEA contest | Pin your ideal Bed & Bathroom and see it come alive at IKEA

pictures via la maison d'anna g | trendspananrna

Whenever starting a new project or room at home I have always loved mixing different products to design the kind of room that comes close to the idea I have in mind at first.
I believe that the first idea you come up with is always the best and for me that's always based on a certain atmosphere I want to create.

Inspiration for your garden | Cute Amsterdam courtyard with Ferns

When you read my blog regularly you might know I am making plans for a little garden renovation. I have a small space attached to my living and would love to convert this space into a small patio, see the post I made about this here |Outdoor living|

Can you imagine I fell in love with this little outdoor space in the city centre of Amsterdam, furnished by Mobilia and vitra, and for the occasion of Elle Festival open to the public. What really made me fall in love with this place were the many green ferns added by the team of Mooiwatplantendoen.nl, giving the small courtyard a fresh and cozy feeling.

in collaboration with http://mooiwatplantendoen.nl/
pictures © vosgesparis

TRAVEL | Point Yamu Hotel designed by Paola Navone

Last year Como Hotels and Resorts opened two new locaties in Miami and Phuket, both designed by Paola Navone. It took some time but I finally managed to sort out some pictures from Point Yamu as the hotel in Phuket, Thailand is called.
If you are familiar with Paola Navone's style and has seen the homes she designed. | see some of them them here | you certainly will recognise some details that characteristics her style, like the way she combines everyday and different pieces in unexpected ways, the plates on the wall in the restaurant and the authentic tables piled in the lobby being a good example.

This is something I really love about her design. Funny detail are the huge orange fishes on the walls of one of the restaurants, symbols she often uses, even her business card has the shape of a fish.

This place seems like a dream destinations with beautiful views on the blue Phang Nga Bay and the Andaman Sea, colours you will see back in the bathrooms and in La Sirena, the Italian restaurant of the resort, while the Thai restaurant, the entry and the lobby show more red colours. 

pictures via Point Yamu

Editorial | End of Summer

Together with photographer Pauliina Salonen,  Minna Jones made an editorial with the 'End of summer' in mind for Finnish Deko magazine For me the combination of design pieces against the raw walls really makes these pictures interesting to look at. Find some more on Mina's blog Time of the aquarius

pictures © Pauliina Salonon

Stationary | Cool wooden design for your office space

Don't you just love this minimalistic organizer for your office space? 'Tofu' is a minimalist design created by Thailand-based designer Pana. This stationary series was designed as a remembrance to that nostalgic feeling of creating using building blocks. The set comes with 6 distinct, minimalistic cubes that have a place for all things stationary like pens, notes, paper clips and even cello tape. There is also a Tofu mini stationary set.

And how about completing your workspace with some beautiful simple shelves from curved wood by French designer Thomas Merlin or these boxes by Nordstjerne

Pictures © Pana and  Thomas Merlin by Midde