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archives |
Wednesday 03.10.10
unexpected guests: jasna janekovic.
today on unexpected guests we’re headed all the way to Germany, specifically, we’re dropping in on cologne-based graphic designer jasna janekovic. jasna has a sweet little home that she decorates with lots of love, and plenty of charm. she’s also incredibly creative, and multi-talented, with a wonderful line of accessories she sells in her dawanda shop. for more from jasna, follow her on flickr. for now, let’s take a hop over to visit to jasna’s home and studio in germany.
What city/neighborhood do you live in?
I live in Cologne in a part of the city where a lot of young families are living. I love the big park at the end of my street and the organic supermarket close to my home.
What is your idea of a perfect day in your city?
A perfect day is a sunny summer day with a light breeze (very rare in Cologne). The trees in my garden are whispering and rustling. And I listen to the birds of heaven. I am sewing a dress or a patchwork pillow after my morning meditation.
Then I ride my bike to the farmers market to buy some flowers, vegetable and raspberries. Back at home I cook a macrobiotic meal and read a sewing book in my garden or in the park. I order some new fabrics at some internet shops and paint new ideas in my sketchbook. I smell a summer lilac flower, while I m thinking about new projects. In the afternoon some women are coming over and I m giving a sewing lesson. We are sewing a big bag and having fun.
What don’t you leave home without?
I don’t leave home without my big patchwork bag (not made by me) and in wintertime without my hippie coat with brown fake fur. This coat is like a mother bear in the deep forest sleeping in a den.
What are a few of your favorite local shops?
My favorite local shop is a thrift store. Love the atmosphere there (it’s very tidy) and the smell of old things. Most of the things in my home are from there. I always find some beautiful kitchen stuff there. Lillyed für dich is one of a few shops in Cologne that sells products from House Doctor and other danish labels.
What’s on your wish list?
At first fabrics, fabrics and fabrics (Liberty fabrics!). I am always thinking about fabrics, pattern and colours. And I spend the most of my time looking for new fabrics in Internet shops. I am a Graphic Designer and my future plans are to design patterns for a fabric collections. I’m looking for a vintage school map at flea markets (for my future balcony) and for one of those wonderful botanical flower maps, Moroccan lamps, Afghanistan jewelry (I love ethnic jewelry), vintage suitcases, a funny, colourful cabinet from india, and enamel dishes.
What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
i have found a black tapiovaara chair at a building lot it was full of bird shit. i took it home and washed it in my garden. love this chair.
What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
I don’t like big flat screen TVs (I don’t have a TV) and big piles of CDs and DVDs. To much dark colours and cold decorations and built in kitchen with wall unit.
Who is your favorite artist? And why?
At the moment I like Rie Elli Larsen because it’s wonderful how she plays with patterns, colours and texture. and Anna Maria Horner — I love her Little Folks and Good Folks fabric collection. the Music artist I like Iron and Wine at the moment — so relaxed and down to earth.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration everywhere: magazines, blogs, flickr, shops, nature, people, my dreams, flea markets, thrift stores, vintage children books.
Do you collect anything?
vintage buttons, fabrics and ribbon. but I don’t just collect them, I really use them.
What’s your favorite feature in your home?
My apartment is only 32 qm small but it looks much bigger. In spring I will have a balcony. I m sure it will be my favourite place in summertime. Cant wait to look for some furniture for my balcony. I will decorate it like a room with pictures at the wall and piles of pillows and a lot of candles. I love the Goethe poems at my walls.
Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
I would like to sit with Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, Amma, Mooji or other enlightened people.
What is your most treasured belonging?
Nothing in my home was expensive, everything is from thrift stores, flea markets or Ikea (the furniture, but I have painted it ivory white, so it looks NOT Ikea like). I like every thing but especially things that are really old, like a wooden box with woodworm holes (for my ribbons at my workspace). I love baskets in every sizes and forms, and a Jesus picture from 1925 I found at the flea market some time ago. My mom is crocheting a granny squares blanket for me. I m sure it will be my treasured belonging in future when it will be finished.
What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
My last trip was in Croatia, my hometown, and I brought back some fabric, ribbon and a cute vintage children’s book.
What is your greatest indulgence?
organic (vegan) and macrobiotic cooked food.
What is your idea of living hell?
working the whole day at a job you hate, living in a dark apartment on a loud street, having no energy and time for being creative.
Wednesday 03.03.10
unexpected guests: elisabeth dunker.
i’m so happy we’re headed to Gothenburg today, the second largest city in Sweden, to the home of photographer and designer elisabeth dunker of the blog fine little day. i have been a huge fan of elisabeth’s work for some time now, so to have her as an unexpected guest is quite a honor. elisabeth shares a studio with artist camilla engman, and together they have created studio violet.
you have no doubt seen their lovely work, and may know that i only use their journals to write my task lists each day. somehow their journals make my tasks seem that much less daunting! for more of elisabeth’s design work, check out her shop and studio voilet. so without further ado, let’s pop into elisabeth’s life in sweden for a bit.
What is your idea of a perfect day in gothenburg?
The sun is shining. Me, the kids and my husband are biking the cycle route along the sea side to Saltholmen, the ocean. We take a dip in the not too cold water and are having a picnic on the rocks. Then we stop by a couple of fleas on the way home.
What don’t you leave home without?
My mobile phone.
What’s your favorite local shop?
Holmens marknad, a big second hand store with furniture, household goods, books and a lot more. I go there as soon as I got a chance. One can find nice things for the kids there as well.
What’s on your wish list?
A summer house. Something like this maybe. Or this. Or this. Or why not like this?
What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
I like rough handmade stuff, toys, paintings, crafting. I also love to re-use objects.
What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
A whole home decorated in nothing but brand new Ikea furniture maybe?
Who is your favorite artist? And why?
For the moment, english ceramic artist Claire Loder. I just love her craziness and playfulness. Not only her ceramic work sparkles, take a look at her web identity.
Where do you find inspiration?
Above all – at flea markets, second hand — and antique stores. But a lot on the web too.
Do you collect anything?
I have several of items which I have more that five of, like sewing boxes, aprons, flower paintings… so yes I believe I do collect even if I don’t always plan to from the beginning.
If you could photograph anyone in the world, who might that be?
My self as a child. I have only a few photos of my self as a kid.
Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
My mother and my youngest sister, we meet too rarely. But next month we’re going on a trip together to Prague, that will be swell.
Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Berries with a lot of cream. Chocolate, Valrhona or Marabou Schweizernöt for the moment.
What is your most treasured belonging?
My camera and my computer. Boring answer but it’s true.
What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
Napkins, cones and toe socks.
Greatest indulgence?
That would be books and magazines.
What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
Mieke Willems, Stork Bites Man, Weird Friends, Lena Sjöberg and many more.
Wednesday 02.03.10
unexpected guests: bugheart.
today on unexpected guests we’re traveling to our nation’s capital, to the lovely home of gwen bugheart from washington d.c. gwen is an entomologist – which means she really does have a ‘bugheart‘, or at the very least a fondness for the small creatures of our world. i love gwen’s visually beautiful photographic blog, bugheart, as well as her etsy shop, where entomology meets art & craft, and gwen sells her handsewn and adorable bags and accessories, and her other etsy shop jenny penny vintage. now, let’s check out her amazing home in washington d.c.’s u street/cardozo neighborhood.
What is your idea of a perfect day in d.c.?
the day would begin with a leisurely morning latte and bagel at big bear coffee with my partner, john, after we would peruse the thrift/vintage stores on u street, next we would head downtown and visit the new exhibit at the national gallery of art, have lunch at oyamel, and a movie at e street cinema, and finally we would return to the U street corridor for an evening cocktail at the gibson.
What are a few of your favorite local shops?
i enjoy shopping for unusual vintage items. ruff n ready is a great vintage store in an old dilapidated building on 14th Street NW. it’s packed to the gills and you really have to dig to find anything and then haggle to get a reasonable price. i also love to go to good wood and millennium on U street for interesting home decor pieces.
What’s on your wish list?
we have one ib kofod-larsen chair and i’d like to get a matching one. i’d also love a large painting by deborah bell or kristen cochran.
What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
a few years back i bought a swedish DUX sofa locally through ebay. the only reason i was able to buy it for a song was it was “pick up only.” they even delivered it from Towson, MD for $25! recently i found a 3.1 phillip lim (barneys) sweater for $4 at value village!
What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
wall to wall carpet.
Who are your favorite artists? And why?
i am biased- my favorite visual artists are my brothers – joe shlichta and john shlichta. i also love the work of lisa solomon, saul becker and camilla engman. i am currently smitten with the occupied homes and landscapes of todd hido and the music of blind pilot and alexi murdoch.
Where do you find inspiration?
i am most inspired by found objects, dilapidated buildings, old science books, and laboratory ware. i often wander down to hirshhorn or the national gallery of art for inspiration.
Do you collect anything?
i collect too much! i have collections of insects (or course), train cases, vintage cameras, music show posters, rocks with lines, scientific models, belt buckles, and more — currently i am collecting vintage wind-up clocks, beat-up teddy bears (for an art project), old rubber office stamps, and bell jars.
What’s your favorite feature in your home?
our patio. it’s the first time i have had an outdoor space. i have always wanted a space to grow my own herbs and vegetables and enjoy my morning tea or an evening glass of wine. i hope to have a beehive on my patio this upcoming summer.
If you could photograph anyone in the world, who might that be?
i don’t think that there would be any one person i would love to photograph. i have always wished that i was invisible so i could take those perfect shots of people who i was too shy to photograph — the old woman sitting in the afternoon sun at the bus stop, a child checking out his reflection in a subway window, or a woman in a red dress leaning against a crumbling blue wall in mexico.
Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
i live far from my family — so i’d have to be boring and say that i would love to have drinks with my siblings in seattle.
Do you have a guilty pleasure?
staying home all day and knitting.
What is your most treasured belonging?
letters and photographs, especially old ones from my grandparents and parents.
what is your greatest indulgence?
cheese from cowgirl creamery. real champagne. sleeping in until noon.
What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
i went to quintana roo, mexico with my partner for a butterfly/moth meeting. i brought back pieces of broken coral that had washed up on the beaches.
What is your idea of living hell?
going to a mall. being stuck on the LA freeway.
What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
habit, pitchfork, the jealous curator, nerd boyfriend, poppytalk, 3191, 100 abandoned houses, and the herman miller blog.
Wednesday 01.27.10
unexpected guests: Kootut murut.
today on unexpected guests we’re popping over to Oulu, in beautiful nothern Finland. we’re visiting Jutta of the blog Kootut murut. Jutta is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator, but her blog, Kootut murut follows her home renovation project. jutta and her husband (and two very lovely dogs) are renovating and decorating a 1950’s wooden house they purchased just over a year ago, with traditional methods and thrifty finds. their home is warm and colorful (i shared jutta’s home in my turquoise round-up a few weeks ago), eclectic, and very creatively styled. so, let’s get to it, shall we?
What are some of your favorite local shops?
My favorites are mostly thrift stores. I’ve made a lot of great finds at SPR Kontti which is a charity shop for Finnish Red Cross and Real Kirppis. They both have some wonderful pieces of vintage furniture. And one of my favorite shops is Pioni Living. It’s packed with all kinds of beautiful things, flowers and home decor, plus the owner is so friendly it’s always nice to visit.
What’s on your wish list?
Eames Hang it All has been on my wish list for a looong long time, but my husband doesn’t get it. He says we don’t have a place for it (he might be right on that one). And a pink Tapiovaara Mademoiselle chair would be lovely.
What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
One of my favorite finds is the phone table in the entryway. I found it at a thrift store and was going to paint it white. But when we got the turquoise bird wallpapers up it went so perfectly with them that I left it as it was. Other than that my favorite pieces are hand-me-downs from relatives. I love my grandma’s old desk and furniture made by my husband’s great grand uncle. Maybe it’s the sentimental value, and of course they are beautiful :)
What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
If everything in our home was made of MDF and chipboard. I love wood because it’s so natural and ages so beautifully.
Who is your favorite artist? And why?
At the moment I’d say Catalina Estrada. I love how colorful and detailed her work is.
Where do you find inspiration?
Internet, blogs (I read a LOT of them), magazines, books. My dogs, I seem to always draw characters that bear a resemblance to our dogs, even when I’m not drawing dogs. Our house is a great source of inspiration for decorating and renovating ideas. It’s built in 1956 and we are the second owners so everything is pretty well preserved. We’ve peeled off layers of wallpapers and flooring and peeked what’s underneath. It’s so interesting seeing 50 years of history in our own home.
Do you collect anything?
I don’t try to collect anything specifically, but find myself having these little collections like vintage alarm clocks, vintage trays, old educational charts, tins and jars.
What’s your favorite feature in your home?
This is a hard one. Right now maybe the kitchen, even though we’re not finished renovating it. I was so unhappy with it before, because it was all white and beige in a very 1990’s style. We can’t make a proper kitchen remodel just yet, so my husband removed some of the upper cabinet doors to make open shelves and I painted the shelves pink and the cabinet doors pink and turquoise with a little cloud theme. It’s a much happier place now.
Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Chocolate. I eat chocolate every day. And blogs. I spend way too much time surfing the internet and especially blogs.
What is your idea of living hell?
Life without my husband and family, working in a non-creative 9 to 5 job without any creative outlet… Sounds awful!
What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
There are too many. I think I follow almost a hundred blogs. sfgirlbybay (of course!), Bliss , decor8, Fine Little Day and DosFamily . Just to name a few. There are so many wonderful blogs I read.
Some of my favorite Finnish blogs are Nestled In and Varpunen. Parolan asema has great DIY ideas and they also use traditional methods in their home renovation. Vihreä talo is written only in Finnish, but has the most beautiful photographs so it’s worth checking whether or not you understand a word of it.
Wednesday 01.20.10
unexpected guests: libby alexander.
i first discovered Libby Alexander on twitter. i think it was her adorable profile pic. but then, i saw her fabulous flickr shots, and got totally sucked in. and then, i saw her incredible blogbloglog etsy shop, and i was a gonner. libby calls it “Granny Chic, Rustic, and Creepy Vintage”. i call it cool. libby has an extraordinary sense of style and very eclectic taste, so i was so excited when she agreed to allow us to visit on unexpected guests. you’re in for an imaginary, and creatively wild ride. for more from libby, follow her blogs, the vintage bazaar, a pop-up vintage flea market, tumblr and alexander salvage.
What city/neighborhood do you live in?
I live in Chicago, Illinois in the West Andersonville neighborhood.
What is your idea of a perfect day in chicago?
A to-go mug of strong coffee, a good mix tape, and a solo salvage adventure (I work alone) in the early morning. Home midday with fabulous spoils and then it’s time for lunch with my manfriend. We’d dine al fresco at the Publican – oysters, housemade pickles, cheese, charcuterie, and beer. Follow lunch with a visit to the dog beach with our rescue dog, Midge. Again, since this is perfection, she’d frolic and be free of her doggy agoraphobia; then a brisk walk home just chatting and enjoying each other without our regular everyday wonders and worries. End the day with a yard party with our great pals that we host, but don’t have to clean-up. A simple mix of salvage, love, LOLs, and snacks.
What don’t you leave home without?
Lip gloss.
What are some of your favorite local shops?
Brownstone Antiques, Scout, Stop! Look!, Agent Gallery Chicago, Brimfield, and the Brown Elephant thrift stores.
What’s on your wish list?
Quitting one of my jobs (I have 4 counting my Etsy shop.) to have more time to do whatever it is that I do when I don’t have to work.
What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
Toss up between the Thonet chair I found in the alley and the funny upholstered chair that I found in another alley. My favorite kind of bargain is the free kind.
What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
Walls! I daydream about knocking out the walls in my apartment. City living can make you feel so cramped.
Who is your favorite artist(s)? And why?
Ted Harris, a local artist and lighting designer, is currently on my list because I just learned how to wire lamps and I respect his focus on functionality, salvage, and science. Gerhard Richter is on the list, too. I like his diverse range of styles: abstract, photo realistism, etc. And third is Ray Eames for her prolific work in graphic design, furniture, painting, film, architecture, so on and so forth. It seems that I like people that do and try many things; I identify with that.
Where do you find inspiration?
Great music, fizzy cocktails, and good conversation always fill me with superhero levels of enthusiasm for trying. Also, blogs and twitter pals always point me in inspiring directions.
Do you collect anything?
I don’t know anymore. I used to be drawn to things with owls and then I started amassing chairs and lamps at a rapid pace. Lately, I am editing more than collecting.
What’s your favorite feature in your home?
Visitors have commented that it feels good to be in our home. A “put your feet up because nothing’s precious” kind of feeling. That’s my favorite.
If you could photograph anyone in the world, who might that be?
It has to be human? Because I’d really like to go back in time and photograph this herd of cattle that lived on the land near my grandparents’ house in Eldon, Missouri. When I was young, the cows were about the most fascinating thing on Earth. When visiting my grandparents, I used to go check on the cattle with my sister in the early morning. We’d try to get them to trust us and be near us. I got close enough to touch one of their snouts one time and it was like I had won a millions dollars…So, that’s what I’d want to photograph.
Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
During our courtship, my manfriend and I used to plan dinner parties with dead people: favorite authors, artists, and so on that we’d love to meet. So, choosing one person is hard, but I have to say I’d love to have drinks with Julia Child. I read “My Life in France” in 2006, during a particularly difficult time in my life, and the book/Julia taught me to get over myself and get it done – whatever “it” happens to be.
Do you have a guilty pleasure?
YouTube-ing video clips from very sentimental times and singing along — like queuing up a bunch of Dusty Springfield or Ani DiFranco tunes and having a good cry/practicing for Karaoke.
What is your most treasured belonging?
Right now, it’s my camera because it’s helping me remember to document my life and it happens to be a vehicle that helped me change my life in the last year.
What souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
A Pronghorn skull from Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
What’s your greatest indulgence?
Really good food.
What is your idea of living hell?
Working in a cubicle and commuting for hours a day to get to said cubicle.
What are some of your favorites websites & blogs to visit?
theselby.com, smittenkitchen.com, trickmybrick.blogspot.com, jezebel.com, and desiretoinspire.net.
