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.

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.

studio voilet.

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.

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.

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.

]]> http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2010/01/27/unexpected-guests-kootut-murut/feed/ 20 http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2010/01/20/unexpected-guests-libby-alexander/ http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2010/01/20/unexpected-guests-libby-alexander/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:00:46 +0000 victoria http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/?p=12780

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.

today, we’re dropping in on the stylish mid-century modern home of advertising art director liz fabry in oklahoma city. i loved the images liz submitted to the sfgirlbybay flickr pool, and just had to delve a bit deeper into the designer behind the home. liz is a 25-year old, first-time home buyer (wow!), working in a creative ad agency, and having fun experimenting with decorating her very own place. liz hates anything too ‘matchy-matchy’ and has done an amazing job collecting some thrifty, yet great vintage modern furniture finds for her new home! let’s take a look at what liz has been up to thus far.

What neighborhood do you live in?
I just bought my first home in Oklahoma City’s Central Park neighborhood. I love it- it’s just a few miles north of downtown (where I work and play), and right inbetween a really upscale neighborhood and the ghetto — so I’m also hoping it’s up-and-coming (now that I’m aware of this strange new concept of “real estate value”).

What is your idea of a perfect day in Oklahoma City?
One where I don’t have to work. I’d eat out for each meal at a different place, and then go shopping and find the perfect purse to replace my current matt & nat one (it’s been 4 years). Then I’d cap it off with the perfect red-wine-drunk and bitch session with friends. And there’s cupcakes and coffee somewhere in there, too.

What don’t you leave home without?
Burt’s Bees chapstick. A flashdrive. My iPod nano. Hopefully pants.

What are some of your favorite local shops?
Blue Seven has a great selection of quirky gifts. And there’s this furniture/fixture liquidation store in the ghetto for hotels and motels that have closed that is HUGE and features entire rooms full of old chairs and lamps and stoves and desks and I can’t even really talk about it without hyperventilating. We also have an awesome Asian supermarket that’s just a lot of fun to walk around in and browse — I always find something new and interesting there. For like $0.75.

What’s on your wish list?
a Butcherblock countertop for the kitchen. The perfect backpack to carry all my crap across Europe this spring. A tufted velvet headboard. The ability to calculate sales tax in my head.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
I instantly value anything I’ve found on a curb more than the things I’ve paid for. And I’ve found some amazing mid-century modern furniture on Craigslist that was clearly being sold by someone who had no idea of it’s real worth.

Who are your favorite artists? And why?
Visual artist? I love all of Matte Stephens’ work — it’s graphic, mid-century-inspired, the color palettes are always perfectly vintage, and seriously, the guy’s name is Matte. What’s not to love? Musical artist? I adore Yo La Tengo. I can’t believe that Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan have been married and making consistently excellent music for over 25 years. Utterly inspirational.

Where do you find inspiration?
The millions of design/travel/interior websites and blogs I cruise everyday. The weather. Movies, and the soundtracks that make them come alive (I’m looking at you, Wes Anderson). Flickr. My talented friends.

Do you collect anything?
No. In fact, I am a notorious stuff-purger. Oh, wait…. oh lord. Chairs. Mid-century chairs! I have so many I can’t even see them as a collection, because they are a straight-up lifestyle. My house is under 1,000 sq. ft, but it can seat about 30. I’m probably just a stuff-purger to make room for all my chair-children.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
I love the slightly creaky wood floors, though the (relatively) massive front porch and the fireplace tie for second.

If you could photograph anyone in the world, who might that be?
Gary Oldman. Dennis Leary. Wes Anderson. Henry Rollins. Marc English. David Bowie. Jamie Hince. Brendon Small. Alec Baldwin. Brad Neely. Yessss, I would photograph them. And then they would fall in love with me. It’s a foolproof plan.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
At the moment, my childhood girlfriends from northern Michigan. I usually only get to see them in the summer, so I always miss them the most in the dead of winter. And if those drinks could be enjoyed around a bonfire on the beach, I’d probably die of happiness. Or hypothermia. Because it’s very cold in Michigan right now.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Oh honey- I don’t feel guilty about any of my pleasures. I watch horrible television, eat out too often, pay too much for wine, and read my fair share of trashy novels. And I love it.

What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
I went to the annual HOW Design conference in Austin with two designer friends and we all came back with typography tattoos. God bless 6th Street and Patron Silver!

What is your idea of living hell?
Being in a dead-end relationship and working a job I hate in a world without cheese. Or- having to wear mismatched socks. I’m fickle like that.

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
ffffound (constant inspiration), jeremy and kathleen (and not just because my home renovation projects are regularly cataloged there), the sartorialist (hello, boys), photoshop disasters (keeps me sharp), the apache house (my favorite Oklahoma website), and craigslist (I’m a Missed Connections junkie).

we’re back in 2010 with a brand new unexpected guest, all the way from the netherlands! i fell in love with dutch designer ingrid jansen’s wood & wool stools, and then discovered her lovely home via flickr. Ingrid lives in dordecht, a city that is actually an island between three rivers, with a beautiful historical center with many marinas, near Rotterdam. you can find ingrid’s uniquely handmade stools, made from all re-purposed and recycled wood, and her other crocheted lovelies here in her wood & wool shop, as well as etsy, and to see more photos from her visit her flickr photostream. thank you for sharing your lovely home with us, ingrid! i loved every minute of putting this post together — and i hope you all will like it, too!

What is your idea of a perfect day in dordecht?
I love to bike to the market on fridays or saturdays and buy bread, fruit, vegetables and flowers and have a cup of coffee at Villa Augustus. It’s a very nice hotel and restaurant with beautiful gardens, where I happen to work 3 days a week. When the weather is fine I would like to spend the day in my garden being lazy, perhaps a little reading and in the evening have a lovely meal outside. At night I like to see a Spanish movie in the little cinema Cinode and drive there with my old gray 2cv.

What don’t you leave home without?
My bag, keys, agenda, purse and lip balm.

What are some of your favorite local shops?
My favorite shop is Sissy Boy Homeland. It’s a real dutch shop. They don’t have a clear website but they sell the most beautiful interior products and have a great basic clothing collection. The first shop abroad has opened in Antwerp (Belgium) lately and that’s an hour drive. There is no Sissy Boy shop in Dordrecht, but in several other cities near Dordrecht. The Netherlands is just a small country.

Another favorite shop is OXO woonwinkel, they sell my favorite garden Fermob furniture. My favorite local shop is surely the market cafe at Villa Augustus. It’s a market at the entrance of the restaurant and you can buy sourdough bread, the loveliest cakes and biological products. There is also a little shop, where you can buy books, interior products and nice stuff.

What’s on your wish list?
a Classic Hardoy Butterfly Chair and a Tsé Tsé Vase d’Avril designed by Tsé Tsé.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
My Geoffrey Harcourt designer chair (above). Some years ago I traded it for a handmade wood & wool stool with a friend who had four of them. Although the leather is a bit torn and cracked it really is a pretty chair and very comfortable!

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
A gas fireplace with remote. And a completely aligned interior without any personal input.

Who is your favorite artist? And why?
The Spanish singer Bebe Belotta. In the summer of 2005 I was snooping around with the cd’s in a FNAC store in Barcelona and was attracted by the cd cover of Bebe’s cd Pafuera telarañas. When I heard the first song “men señara” I got goose pimples all over my body and knew this was My Favorite Singer! During that holiday I played the cd repeatedly and my 8 year old daughter Pippa sang the Spanish lyrics error-free after some weeks. I wanted to know where these songs were about and I even took Spanish lessons for that reason. She recently launched her second cd Y.

Where do you find inspiration?
At my workplace at Villa Augustus, from interior magazines, traveling and creative people I meet on the Internet.

Do you collect anything?
I collect vases, interior magazines, shoes, oh, and I have a chair addiction.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
My old gray cabinet where I keep my wool storage (and lots of other things).

If you could photograph anyone in the world, who might that be?
Lenny Kravitz. He’s a great artist and I have all his cd´s and visit some concerts. His voice and music are so great. (And he is so sexy!) His home is also very tasteful. I once saw an issue in a dutch magazine LINDA.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
Can it be the same person (Lenny Kravitz)? :D

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
In the winter, when I have a day off and every member the family left to school or work, i go back to my bed with a cup of coffee and a newspaper or magazine and no hurry. I have to admit that I hardly ever do it, because I usually have too much energy once I’m awake.

What is your most treasured belonging?
A cupboard full of photo books, especially the ones when my children Minne (17) and Pippa (12) were little.

What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
Two months ago I brought back a tea cup of the STORY Hotel in Stockholm designed by Agneta Livijn. It’s a very nice, bohemian chic hotel in the best neighborhood of Stockholm.

What’s your greatest indulgence?
On thursdays, I have my ‘flower day’ at Villa Augustus. they ave a colorful variety of flowers available to make bouquets for the hotel lobby and the market cafe.

What is your idea of living hell?
Living without a camera.

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
Urban Outfitters; Flickr is awesome! I love photography! Dottie Angel’s blog is my favorite, so inspiring and Tif has HUMOR; Nina’s blog ; Yvestown’s blog and actually the blogs that are listed on the right side on my blog wood & wool stool.

this week, we have a very special unexpected guest! i’m really excited to share a behind the scenes peek at the gorgeously stylish california home of designer rachel ashwell, of shabby chic.  last week, rachel shared her generous book giveaway with us, shabby chic interiors: My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets, and now she’s sharing her private home.

you’ve most likely seen rachel’s brilliant couture home furnishings, accessories and fabrics for years, but it’s so nice to share a little bit about the personality behind the success story. rachel has a cozy, comfortable cottage in santa monica, a beautiful beach community in los angeles, which is actually where i was born. the streets are lined with palm trees and lush gardens, and the neighborhoods are charming. rachel’s home is comfortable and uncluttered and bears the signature style she made so famous, shabby chic. you can read more from rachel on her new blog, and find her store locations on the shabby chic website. thank you so much for sharing your private space with us, rachel!

rachel’s inspirational barn.

What is your idea of a perfect day at your home in Santa Monica?
Puttering in the garden, drinking tea, reading, watching a movie, and spending time with kids and friends, knitting and listening to music.

What don’t you leave home without?
My ipod.

What are some your favorite local shops, flea markets or sources for finding inventory for the stores?
Michael’s for fun arts and crafts, Santa Monica Flea Markets, and Downtown Los Angeles Fabric Stores.

What’s on your wish list?
a piano.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
Rose Painting from original shabby chic book.

What souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
Royalty china from England.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
Bruce Springsteen.

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
People want things, too much, too fast, too perfect.

Who is your favorite artist?
Degas, I love ballet.

Where do you find inspiration?
Theatre, ballet, opera, and movies.

Do you collect anything?
Costumes, theatre masks, crowns, Royalty china.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
My bed with its crisp white sheets.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Chocolate.

What is your most treasured belonging?
My “forever to keep drawer” filled with artwork and clothing from my children.

What is your greatest indulgence?
Watching ‘gone with the wind‘ two times in a row.

What is your idea of living hell?
Planes, I hate flying.

What are some of your favorites websites & blogs to visit?
Laurence amelie, my favorite French artist; house of bliss; gypsyville — good friends of mine from the texas flea market; and light locations.

today on unexpected guests we’re headed all the way across the pond to visit with Zita Spring, aka zee of the blog homebug. zee lives in dublin, ireland with her boyfriend and two very cute dogs, polly the the basset hound, and django the dalmation — two very sweet looking pups. I loved zee’s cheerful, eclectic home and all the bright, happy colors. here’s a look at what it’s like living in dublin, ireland. thanks for sharing zee, and for those of you readers looking to find more about zee, be sure and drop in on homebug.

What is your idea of a perfect day in dublin?
The formula for my perfect day doesn’t involve anything out of the ordinary and I do variations on it just about every weekend!  My boyfriend and I will start the day with a cooked breakfast and a read of the newspapers, before taking our dogs Django and Polly for a walk in the park beside our house.  Then later on we’ll stroll into town stopping in every charity shop along the way picking up vintage clothes, knick knacks, records and books.  Once in town, we’ll get a spot of lunch somewhere along South Great George’s Street.  We’ll catch an indie movie in the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar and afterwards meet up with friends or family for dinner in the best Chinese restaurant in the whole world – the ramshackle Sichuan House on Parnell Street – followed by drinks in the Welcome Inn on the same street.  It’s a bar where time has stood still; it retains the faded grandeur of 1960s décor and plays a great mix of music.  Then home to our house or someone else’s to chill out and chat.

What don’t you leave home without?
I’m the sort of scatterbrain who regularly leaves the house without my keys, phone, purse, you name it, but I always have a book or two in my handbag.

What’s on your wish list?
An extension of our 600 sq. ft. house, please!  A kitchen-diner for entertaining in and a bathroom rather than a shower room would be life changing!

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
I think it’s got to be my antique Chesterfield sofa – it’s one of my dream items of furniture and I got it for €100 through a small ads website.  The person selling it had listed it as “old couch”!

Who is your favorite artist? And why?
I love Danish artist Christina Blaabjerg and have one of her paintings in my living room.  I love her use of colour and the influence of architecture on her style.

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
Having two big silly dogs means that I have recurring interior design nightmares involving rugs and soft furnishings!  I can’t get too precious about anything in our home because someone is bound to chew on it or pee on it eventually!

Where do you find inspiration?
I find blogs like Door Sixteen, Making It Lovely, Design*Sponge and Sfgirlbybay plus loads of Flickr members very inspiring.  I love Living Etc. and Irish interiors magazines too.  And I always keep an eye on my favourite interior designers like Suzy Hoodless and Danielle Mac Innes.  But I also find inspiration in movies, fashion, art, everywhere!

What is your most treasured belonging?
I have a patchwork blanket that my Grandmother made about forty years ago (it’s in the photos of my bedroom) – my attachment to it is more than sentimental, as it’s such a beautiful thing; every patch of fabric used is stunning.  It’s the one thing I own that’s truly irreplaceable.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
The cute little fireplace in the bedroom was what made me fall for our house.  Of features that we’ve added ourselves though, I love the white painted floorboards in the den, and I intend giving our bedroom the same treatment soon.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
Michael Chabon, George Pelecanos, Smokey Robinson and Alain de Botton.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Spending too much time online and ordering takeout.  Sometimes at the same time!

What is your greatest indulgence?
Music.  It’s one thing I never even try to curtail my spending on, and I get withdrawal symptoms if I don’t have something new to listen to!  Every nook and cranny of our little house is stuffed with records and CDs.  The thought of converting it all to digital and freeing up some space makes me sad, though.  I’d sooner move to a bigger house!

What is your idea of living hell?
Busy nightclubs with awful music.  I like to keep it low-key.

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
I read loads of blogs.  My favourites at the moment (besides the obvious big ones) are by people whose individual style I admire, like Blanaid,  Nestled In, Emma’s Designblogg , Chez Larsson , and oodles more..!

okay, we’re taking a big old journey today, all the way to cape town, south africa! we’re visiting one of my favorite textile artists and bloggers, heather moore, aka skinny laminx. you’ve probably seen her gorgeous hand screened teatowels and pillows (as well as many other fabulous home wares) and all around the web, and read her blog, skinny laminx or checked out her wonderful column on south africa’s elle decor. Heather has guest posted here on sfgirlbybay as well. so, well, it’s quite clear this girl gets around — because we all can’t get enough of her! and today, we get to see what home life for heather and her artist husband Paul Edmunds in cape town is like (which i personally am pretty excited about, as heather and i have even chatted about a little holiday house swap!). let’s take a nice leisurely, lingering visit, shall we?

What neighborhood do you live in?
My neighborhood is called Gardens, and it’s called that because it’s just a short stroll away from Cape Town’s city centre, through the oak shaded historical Company’s Gardens. We’re very fortunate to live in an area that’s very easy to get around by foot, that has an amazing view of Table Mountain, and is within walking distance of Table Mountain national park. There can’t be many cities in the world where you can live in the centre and then take a 20 minute walk to a pristine mountain environment, with sea views to boot!

What is your idea of a perfect day in Cape Town?
This is such a difficult question to answer, because, while I don’t mean to be smug, Cape Town really is the perfect city, so you’d need days and days to do everything there is to do! For me though, I’d love to wake up and do a yoga class, then meet my husband Paul at Lola’s on Long Street for a big eggy brunch and lots of coffee. A perfect day should include a nap at some point, but I’m not sure where I’ll squeeze that in, because I’d like to go walking on Noordhoek beach while horses gallop by, have an icy swim at Camps Bay and do some drowsy beautiful-people-watching, I’d need to get to Milnerton Market, my favourite spot for vintage bargain hunting, or maybe I’d have better luck scouring the bric-a-brac on Kalk Bay’s main road. The evening would have to be outdoors, as the weather would be balmy and windless. So maybe we’d break the rules (unlikely – I’m a line-toer of note) and make a big bonfire on Clifton Beach, watching the sun go down behind the yachts while sipping a glass of bubbly. Wow, I got a bit carried away there. Life’s generally not quite so glam, but it’s a perfectly achievable day in this beautiful city of ours.

What don’t you leave home without?
My To Do list, I’m afraid. It’s a very, very strict taskmaster, and without it, I’m lost.

What are some of your favorite local shops?
For fashion, I love Marion & Lindie, , and also often buy lovely clothes from my friend Alexandra Hojer. For coffee, I adore the little hole-in-the-wall Jardine Bakery, part of the award-winning Jardine restaurant. We live just off a road that estate agents love to call “vibey Kloof Street”, and it is vibey – full of amazing homeware shops, like LIM, O.live and Heartworks, as well as some fab restaurants, coffee shops and bars. The only place where Kloof Street isn’t “vibey” is the part where all the estate agents have opened offices. Bleh.

What’s on your wish list?
I really could do with a Jielde lamp or two, if my pocket could stand it! I recently found a downmarket version at Woolworths that’s keeping me happy in the meantime.

What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
For a long time, I would have said my dream bargain find would be an Ercol daybed, and I’d always have my eyes out on stalks for that treasure, but since my dream came true and we got one (a very lucky find), I’m a lot less ambitious. I’m always on the lookout for beautiful vintage fabric to hoard, and Scandinavian ceramics to add to my collection. My absolute pinnacle find in that department would be anything from Stig Lindberg’s Bersa range.

What is your biggest interior design nightmare?
Oversized, over-upholstered black leather sofas, “soothing” typography on bathroom walls, wall-to-wall carpets hiding wooden floors, tiles from front to back – anything generic, aspirational or bought as a “look” just leaves me cold.

Who is your favorite artists? And why?
Well, there’s only one thing to answer here: My favourite artist is Paul Edmunds (see image  just below). That’s not just because he’s my husband, but because his work is the kind that grows and resonates the more you look at it. He makes his things very slowly and very carefully, and this devotion to process and detail makes his already beautiful sculpture even more lovely.

Where do you find inspiration?
It’s a horribly stereotypical Cape Town answer, but I often do find inspiration on the mountain. It clears your head, allows you to see, and is covered in finely-detailed and incredibly varied flora. So every walk on the mountain results in discovery and refreshment. Not too long ago I made some drawings of plants from the mountain to use on ceramics, and I’ve used them in my papercuts too.

Do you collect anything?
Not with any vigour, although I have a pretty large stash of vintage fabric, and a wide range of vintage ceramics.

What’s your favorite feature in your home?
Our kitchen, which we renovated two years ago, has a little wooden “roof” over the counter, which helps make our open-plan layout more intimate, and whenever we have guests, everyone ends up gathered under the roof, chatting.

Who would you like to sit down to drinks with?
I’m really looking forward to meeting Neville Trickett one day. I’ve only met him on the Internet, where he’s been doing a weekly post at ELLE DECORATION, but I’ve been to his Saint Verde stores and am quite fascinated with his appetite for collection and ability to see visual links between the most disparate of things.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
I steal paint samples, just cos I can’t resist them. Sorry, Plascon.

What is your most treasured belonging?
Probably the artworks that we’ve bought over the years. We don’t have much, as we’re slow to buy, but love the few pieces we have by Greg Streak, Medina Morphet, Gabby Raaff, Kevin Brand and, of course, we’ve a couple by Paul Edmunds too. We’ve got a pair of divine kitties who, while not strictly a “belonging”, are most treasured indeed!

What’s souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?

My last trip was to the northern part of South Africa, where we spent a lot of time at an amazing garden called Kings Walden, which was closed to the public but open to us. It really is a very special place, and is currently under renovation. I was terribly tempted to take away a little piece of Kings Walden before it was totally renovated and changed, but felt too much like I was treading on history and stories that didn’t belong to me, so I kept my itchy fingers on my camera trigger instead.  Prior to that, we were in Thailand, and brought back just a few things, including a beautifully-decorated brick that we found holding down a tarpaulen.

What’s your greatest indulgence?
Lots of tea… and bubbly whenever I get the chance.

What is your idea of living hell?
Commuting in a car every day. Hours in and hours out – I swear I’d age visibly by the day. I thank my lucky stars that I can get around by foot and by bicycle so much – cars bring out the worst in us, and in me most of all!

What are some of your favorites websites/blogs to visit?
There really are so many, and I’ve met such amazing friends and colleagues through blogs (yourself included!). Most recently, I’ve discovered a couple of new ones, like the Saint Verde Digest, At Swim Two Birds, Manna from Brooklyn, and yesterday I discovered The Golden Smith, by Australian jeweller, David Neale.