Bloesem

Some things I liked this week... Selamat Hari Raya

this pillow from Ben Javens...

this lovely save the date card from tokketok...

Styling by April and May can't wait to see the website go live...

this letterpressed stationery set from Angela Liguori...

 

this giveaway on BKids, where you can win a 'little golden shoe'...

'Selamat Hari Raya' ... I'm signing off for this week, so many things are going on behind the scenes of Bloesem and BloesemKids...all very good and all very exciting, but tomorrow is a National Holiday here in Malaysia and I'm going to spend it with my family and friends. Hope you are going to have a nice weekend too! Irene xoxo

Cupcake pouf and spoons by Lara de Greef

These new spoons by Lara de Greef are definitely welcome in our kitchen drawer...can you imagine them laying on your diner table as unique serving spoons... no need to add much more, the spoons will be eye-catching enough...

another beautiful new design from Lara is the 'cupcake pouf'...hee you can see and read how she made them...not sure if they are for sale yet? Would you like to see Lara's home then click here...

 

Not your usual set of curtains

Do you love these curtains as much as I do?

Bauke Knottnerus from Rotterdam... thank you Emma, Monika and Victoria for sharing...

more Rose Patate

more from Rose Patate...her styling work, these images above were made by Stephan Abry and were published in View issue 3...gorgeous eye-candy!

Let's Get Personal in Barcelona with Núria del Moral

DesignHome Las Coleccionistas unRaveled :: answers by Núria del Moral

 

S:: Spanish is... pain, I spain, eye's vain, ice vein.

P:: projects I like to work on are... photography projects about my nearest and most common, about stretching the margins of the scene set.

A:: art in my home is from... mostly by us, my boyfriend, Irkus or friends. It's a never ending process. We like unfinished things that are taking shape over time.

N:: new in my home is... two wicker chairs for the terrace that I got from my parents home to pass wonderfully hot summer days.

I:: indulgence, my secret indulgence is... cooling my feet in the icy water of the river.

S:: style means... to choose.

H:: home is... taking a deep breath.
 


H:: hobby, I always make time for... listening to the radio while cooking or before going to sleep so dreams are often confused with the news of the day.

O:: outfit, my favorite thing to wear is... high waisted trousers with vintage blouses and my worn-out brogues.

M:: magazines I love to read are... aperture, lens culture, ojo de pez , exit, mediastorm, cahiers du cinema, museum paper, analogue books blog, duduá blog, ptqk blogzine, and many more.

E:: enjoy, I can't live without... loved ones, nice projects and memories.

.......................Thank You Núria......................

I'm very happy we are visiting Barcelona today, I have been wandering these streets so often in my life and I always wondered what the inside of one of those apartments looked like...what kind of decoration will you find in the home of a artistic Spanish lady. I grew up spending all our vacations in Girona, LLagostera just North of Barcelona and when seeing the apartment above I only wish I could go back and show my sons Barcelona next year!

...but enough about me, let's talk about the lady who lives here...Núria del Moral, who is one of the founders of Las Coleccionistas Studio that was set up in 2007. I have shown some of their gorgeous photography work before here on Bloesem and am really excited to see they have expanded their collection with the beautiful pendants and this great new notebook set: I am the place where I am.

 

Some things i liked this week...

amazing ceramic work by Laura Pregger...

the beautiful fragile looking work by Tina Frey...

this wedding-cabinet by Suzanne van Oirschot...

 

the styling work by Shana Faust...

This weekend the Utrechtse Fabriek

For the fifth time the Utrechtse Fabriek is taking place in Utrecht...a fantatsic outdoor market were 55 artists and creative people sell their handmade goods...beautiful bags from Mokka, screen prints form Joris Diks and handmade patchwork pillows from 'ook in het paars' are just a few unique items you can buy during this event...click here to find all the information.

Living gorgeously on 484ft2 or 45m2

Can you believe this beautiful apartment in Amsterdam is only 45m2 or 484ft2 ...Dutch design agency i-29 has done an incredible job in creating a new lay-out for this home where all the functions of the house are placed in just two wall units.

One pinewood wall for hiding the entrance hall, wardrobe and kitchen equipment and on the opposite a second pinewood wall that integrates a bench, fireplace and storage.

What I really love are the white floor, ceiling and walls mixed with the color of the gorgeous pinewood and with YES the Black! If we were to live here I probably would add some nice rugs and you would definetly see some toys laying around...love i-29 for a long time and happy to finally share their work with you, please visit the website for more briliant interios!

 

Rose Patate at Vitrine

 

I believe it was over at BKIds that I mentioned Rose Patate for the first time. And seeing her great new pillows over at Vitrine today convinced me again that her designs are absolutely my kind of thing!

Rose Patate aka Rachel Peloquin grew up between Montreal and England and currently lives and works as an independant textile designer in Paris. You can buy her textile collection right here...

an Apple a Day calendar...

How super cool is this 'An Apple A Day' calendar by ViK that i discovered just now over at the Felt & Wire shop, which is a curated marketplace of designer papergoods, ...It would be a big encouragement for not to forget my apple...

Living on water...

 

Would you expect this grand entrance to be of a HouseBoat? I didn't, so when I saw the image for the first time I just had to know what the rest of this unique house looked liked. Marjon Hoogervorst did an amazing job in capturing the style and feel of this Dutch home on the water...

This photography production and other beautiful ones are for sale over at Marjon her website...vorstin... please ask permission first if you would like to uses other images from Marjon's site...photographers and stylists work very hard and we bloggers/internetters should really respect that!

"Ohoy"...Formex Formidable 2010 nominees

 
I totally understand how proud Elisabeth is that her son's wallpaper ”Ohoy” is nominated for the Formex Formidable 2010....it's the wallpaper in the upper image on the right, next to it you can see a lamp by Johan Carpner and underneath the gorgeous candles called ”Wonderland” by Stephen Johnson for Artecnica.

There are 19 objects you can vote for...click here to see all the nominees. I also like the Textil ”Haga” by Bitte Stenström and the Lamps ”Träkul” by OddBirds (image below) very much, but I have to vote for Otto! WInners will be announced January 20, 2011.

Max Dalton's 'Cut Out Sets'

Max Dalton just send me a nice email about his fantastic 'Cut Out Sets' ... build your own mid-century modern house in 15 minutes. Then have a cocktail party to celebrate. Here’s a cut-out set to make your dream come true...available here... and I enjoyed reading this interview.

Das Original...a gorgeous home

I often talk about inspiration here on Bloesem but this is a home that truly inspires me when decorating or styling my own home... I know you probably have seen these images around somewhere on the web, when seeing them again in one of my private folders on my computer I thought why not share them with you today.

Swedish ceramic artist Christin Johansson lives here with her her husband Henrik Roloff and their two young children. The styling for the photography shoot was done by Katrine Martensen-Larsen and the photography by Kira Brandt. I like what Christin says about her home ...“Our interior style has grown out of retro, old stuff, stuff with history and memories”...I kind of feel the same about our own home and try to bringthe same feel in our spaces.

 

{via minimal is boring}

Press for Bloesem

 

During my trip to the Netherlands I found out about two very nice press releases for Bloesem...yeahhh...first was a small mentioning in one of the best Dutch newspapers, nrc.next ... telling it's readers that reading Bloesem will bring you to nice houses and shops all ver the world :)

You might wonder why I am showing you the image above...well Jessica Nielsen was so kind to send me a copy of this issue and added some of her fantastic postcards, thanks! you can buy them here...

...and the second release was this great mentioning in the beautiful Dutch lifestyle magazine, ariadne at home. The lovely Maartje Mastboom...a great stylist herself did a nice write-up about finding inspiration online. Together with BlackEiffel, Design*sponge, FabulousFifi and more Bloesem got some nice apreasel...thank you Maartje!

some things I liked this week...

tableware made by studio miiip...

these photo prints from Debbie Carlos...

these lucky bird cards at storytime...

this new necklace from Tuulikki titine...

these free down loadable wrapping papers from the Wren...

Being back in KL means that I'm finally getting back in a normal working routine...during the weekend I will try and answer all the emails that I received during my absence, so if you are still waiting for a reply, please be a bit more patient...I'm looking forward to a new week next on Bloesem and BloesemKids...hope to see you back too! Irene xoxo

question from a reader...

 

Andrea emailed me with the following question...."Hello Bloesem, I have a piece of pottery which looks Scandinavian -  it is an Ice Bucket with the words ‘happu’   printed underneath. I can not find any pottery by this name.  Does it mean anything to you?  It looks Finnish"....I'm sorry I couldn't find the answer either, perhaps you know?

Book review : fanciful felties from mummysam

How lucky am I to receive this wonderful book in the mail today!!! I have been such a longtime fan of the incredible work by UK born and self-taught artist Samantha Cotterill or better known to many of us as mummysam. This coming September her first book will be released and I am one of the lucky few who already got a sneek-peak into this great book that takes you on step-by-step tour into creating and sewing the same felt characters and small things as mummysam herself creates.

It truly looks easy and the book says even beginners will be able to make one of mummysam fanciful felties. The book comes with patterns and love love love this book already ... you can pre-order right here! Of course I would like to congratulate Samantha with this wonderful accomplishment and thanks for sharing your work so openly with all of us.And thank you C&T Publishing for sending the copy!

my vintage finds from the Netherlands

Home Sweet Home....yes we are back home and I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to sleep in my own bed after being away for almost 5 weeks ... not that I didn't enjoy being in the Netherlands and spend time with my family and friends it's just that I really feel home here in Kuala Lumpur, I love the weather, the happy faces, the food and very important the great energy buzz that is more alive in Asia then in Europe I believe...

My favorite part of my vacation in the Netherlands was/were my visits to many thrift-stores...I managed to make some images of some of the ceramic purchases I did....already a couple of years ago I wrote this vintage ceramic read for Bloesem and mentioned the beautiful work by Ulla Procopé for Arabia, one of her designs is 'kosmos' and I just love it very much...hope to find more in the future. 

 

Not sure about the manufacturer of this coffee pot, but i liked the folksy feel...

 

My sister gave me this lovely gravy boat and nice milk jug, the gravy boat is from J&G Meakin and the green milk jug is from Ellgreave both potteries from England. I believe my sister bought them in a small shop in Dorkin.

And she gave me more...also this gorgeous sugar pot ( i believe it is but correct me if I'm wrong) from Hornsea from the Heirloom collection... thank you so much lovely, miss you already!

no, these are not made of ceramic, they are small vintage houses that were used as decoration for a model train lay-out, I bought them because they remind me a bit of the canal houses in Amsterdam and I want to use them as decoration in the kids room. 

...and this is just one of the many West Germany vases I bought, I believe I bought 8 in total :) they are currently being shipped together with lamps, chairs, a table a desk and 20 boxes! Not for our home here in KL but for a new project my husband and I are starting in Singapore...surprise surprise, hope to tell you more about it real soon! ps. I have to give a BIG Thank You to Ine, a lovely friend of my mom who accompanied me to all these crazy shops...

Going back to Kuala Lumpur today...hopefully an easy and safe flight...back online on Wednesday, hope to see you, irene xoxo

some things I liked this week...

this poster by Anthony Burill...

the new triangle flowers from Bookhou...

these up-side-down plants by Boskke...

this pillow and doorstop from Catherine Tough...

these table legs by VG&P and just like Ish I wish they were shelf brackets...

Denyse Schmidt fabrics

 

 *Guest post by Joelle Wehkamp

I bought a beautiful fabric on Volksfaden and made a nice cushion of it. The fabric is made by Denyse Schmidt. Denise is a well known and experienced fabric designer. She started making things when she was little, and Denyse never stopped. After studying graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design and a few different careers she decided to start her own fabric brand. Her style is a mix of retro feeling, flowers and special colour combinations. Take a look on her website, here you can find more info about her studio, workshops, quilts and selling points.

Nu summerhouses

Two summerhouses decorated and styled by Nu interieur ontwerp, really nice to see what you can do with small spaces...one house here and one house here...

Let's Get Personal with Teresa Green in Leicestershire

Designhome Teresa Green unRaveled :: answers by Teresa

B:: British is... Afternoon tea or a picnic in a field.

R:: room, my favorite room in our home is... our kitchen, its a light tranquil space, a hive of daily activity, with lots of treasured objects.

I:: ideas come from...the everyday. Could be an ink spot on a paper bag or the proportions of an old watering can.

T:: time, I always make time for ...dinner with friends, a bottle of wine and communal cooking.

I:: indulgence, my secret indulgence is...having time to have a bath with the radio on and an empty house.

S:: style means..an expression of the things you have loved over time.

H:: home is...Norfolk where I grew up and my friends and family are.

H:: hobby, I always make time for...rummaging at flea markets and car boot, you never know what it is you 'need' till you find it.

M:: magazines I love to read are... world of interiors for the fantastic houses and insights into other peoples homes and Selvedge, a beautiful square textile publication filled with infinite textile knowledge.

O:: outfit, my favorite thing to wear is...my loose grey linen dress with a rust coloured cardi and bare feet (weather permitting)!

E:: enjoy, I can't live without...my george, a handsome aloof grey and white cat, who has the fur of a rabbit.

............Thank You Teresa..........

Such a friendly home from one of my favorite textile print designers, Teresa Green. Teresa graduated from Loughborough University school of art and design. I have read in this article that she loves to work with red and green because of their uplifting and fresh feel. Her illustrations are so sweet, delicate and give me a very happy feel.

Amsterdam

...it was just wonderful being back in Amsterdam last Friday...although we only had one afternoon to walk around with my husband and baby Kiet we were very happy to see our old neighborhood looking fantastic. I hadn't been in two years, but it didn't feel like that at all, not much had changed (not even the weather...rain, rain and sun-shines later on). I have made a lot of pictures and planning to write a small tour for you real soon. I will walk you around in the Jordaan and share my favorite spots with you. Hopefully life this week ...:)

some things I liked this week....

and Ensuite again, visiting Assaï...

Claire Nereim new Seasonal Vegetables calendar...

these prints from Jen Hewett...

Wish you a great weekend, I'm finally off to visit my hometown...Amsterdam here I come! xoxo irene

Ink posters

I love the posters by Ink...Ink Posters is a collaboration between British designers Joff and Ollie and Zoot and whatthey make is absolutely my kind of style :) I especially love the 'Architectural trees' in the image above. I was scrolling through Rather Nice and the vintage phone in the image below caught my eye at first, because I just received the same phone in chocolate brown from my stepfather yesterday, such a fun coincidence...click here to see Ink's catalog...

all I can say is THANK YOU ... thank you for voting for me and thank you to Home Rejuvenation for organizing this ...happy smiles for me :)

some things I liked this week...

gorgeous lights from Roll&Hill...via blommafinds.

these pillows from Chakra Pennywhistle available at cosa verde...

this beautiful blog and fantastic house tours...

this teatowel from Indobay inc...

Happy Weekend! irene xoxo

Inaluxe

 *Guest post by Joelle Wehkamp

Yippie! Today I did something that, I believe, everybody should do once in a while. I bought a little present for myself on Etsy  … a beautiful bird print! It always makes me so happy when I find something beautiful and lovely. The birdprint is made by Inaluxe. I read about them in Uppercase magazine. Inaluxe is Kristina Sostarko and Jason Odd, two art students who met way back and started to work with each other. I immediately fall in love on their paintings. They have there own shop on Etsy! Everything looks so pretty and good to know… it’s really affordable!  So if you want to threat yourself? Go and have look in their shop.

 

Let's Get Personal with Nikole Herriott in Toronto

DesignHome Herriott Grace unRaveled :: answers by Nikole Herriott

C:: Canadian is... equal parts summers at the cabin and winter walks through the snow.

A:: art in my home is... is a work in progress. i'm always adding, rearranging, looking at things in a new way.

 

N:: (my) neighborhood is... right in the heart of things, a bit busy for me some days, but i love it just the same.

A:: addiction...mine is... nice linens and antique markets, oh and champagne and sweets too.

D:: do-it-yourself projects I have done are... i recently started to refinish a set of bent wood chairs, they must have 4 layers of paint!

I:: interesting places in my city are... well, there are lots, but i think my favourite is allan gardens, it's a greenhouse with all different sorts of rooms with all different sorts of plants. one room that feels like the desert and another that feels like the coast. it's peaceful and still in the heart of the city, i love it.

A:: appetizer, my favorite is... something nibbly, crackers and cheese even. easy for summer and goes well with lazy drinks.

N:: new in my home is... a cool summer breeze, which i've missed through the hot days of june.

H:: hobby, I always make time for... walks in the park.

M:: magazines I love to browse... Another Magazine and The Art of Eating.

O:: outfit, my favorite thing to wear... at the moment, a simple summer dress.

E:: enjoy, I can't live without... travel by train and trips to the sea

...............Thank You Nikole...............

I The first time I saw the amazing work by Nikole Herriott was on her blog and I came across this fantastic cookie tutorial. Nikole works together with her father who lives 4600 km apart and they send each other packages...would you like to read more about this special relation, click here ...

 

Of course I had to invite Nikole for a Let's Get Personal tour, but I invited her at the same time as Grace from D*S and luckily for me Nikole had enough images to share some special corners of her home with us. I just love her home and believe her decorating and style are from a different world, truly trendsetting and new! {Images by Celine Kim and Nikole Herriott}

some things I liked this week...

this fabric available at olivelse...

this lazy artist watch from Mikao Mimoko...

this post about Textile designer Jacqueline Groag...

and this short movie over at BlosemKids...

Happy weekend, hope to see you back on Monday with a new Let's GetPersonal Tour! irene xoxo ps. miss you rik!

Neëst

Definitely a new favorite shop and blog of mine...Neëst ... from France....with a passion for decoration and especially for the 'Natural style of life', Neëst only recently opened it's online doors... but totally understands what a gorgeous shop should look like. I love this page in the shop which brings you immediately to the designer and their products.

Just some gorgeous things you can buy at Neëst, potholders from Masami Akatsuka, wooden spoons, vintage cup from Arabia and the charcoal cup from Karin Eriksson. One more item that I really love is a Mini glass vase from Anne Flohr. Enjoy and more joy here...

Treat and Company at Printsource

Welcome to a new sponsor of Bloesem....it is 'Treat and Company', a product design and product development agency based in Minneapolis. A young company that has already  been involved in many exciting and successful projects. Like this canvas poster that was sent out to potential clients, bearing their tagline ‘Eliminate Ugly’ this piece was created to tell people more about Treat in a fun and creative way.

Or this 'Recipe and Memory Keeper'... a book designed using inviting colors, cute graphics and smart elements to create a handy book for any kitchen.

Most recently Treat and Company developed a new range of gift wraps that is going to be showcased at PrintSource, August 2-4, 2010 in NYC. Of course the whole collection will also be available online right here...if you have any questions about Treat just send the lovely Lisa and email.  

Let's Get Personal with Studio Aandacht in Amsterdam

DesignHome Studio Aandacht unRaveled :: answers by Tatjana Quax

D:: Dutch is ... Stubborn, unruly and not afraid to take a stand 

E:: entrance, when entering our home you will notice ... our puppy Lowla who guards our house that is filled with love.

S:: style, means ... follow the choices you made and feel well and confident about them.

I:: interesting places in my city are ... when we have guests we always take them to our favorite restaurant at the Hotel Golden Pheasant... favorite design shop is The Frozen Fountain, Mini Warehouse Market @ guerrilla gallery in the Oudezijdsvoorburgwal check site for exhibitions. Thai snack bar called Bird in at the Nieuwmarkt and sweet desert at Tofani's for an ice cream.

G:: gardening is something ... We are more of the large tubs with plants on the patio and terrace that make you dream about a larger garden. Growing our own vegetables and fruits is a big dream of mine..that's why we currently have our house for Sale...if anybody is interested in an unique house in Amsterdam, please email me :)

 

N:: new in my home is ... The night light by Roderick Vos for Functionals.

H:: hobby, I always make time for ... Sports (inside joke)...honestly: Eating and drinking with friends.

O:: outfit, my favorite thing to wear is ... my new dress from Monique van Heist available at SPRMRKT, the fitting is ingenious. 

M:: magazines that I love to read magazines are ... ACNE paper, the Green Amsterdam, ELLE Wonen, Linda Living, Hollands Diep, Monocle, Frame magazine, Wallpaper, Italian Vogue and Elle Deco, EYE.

E:: enjoy, I can not live without ... My husband and little men, they keep me sharp, whether I like it or not ... 'keep being amazed' is my biggest drive in live.

...................Thank You Tatjana..............

My absolute favorite Dutch Design Book is How They Work and Tatjana is one of the authors and stylists of this must-have book! So you probably understand how happy I was when Tatjana told me she would love to take part in the Let's Get Personal series. Together with her husband Ben, Tatjana truly understands 'the fine art of building brands' ... and that's what she loves to do with Studio Aandacht, which means STutio Attention by the way.

 

Tatjana a also is a guest teacher at the Design Academy Eindhoven. I hope you enjoy their color- and inspirational house just as uch as I did? Would you like to see some images of their boys' rooms, then click here...

 

All the gorgeous images were taken by Inga Powilleit and the beautiful blue tableware in the image above is from Jeanine Eek.

Studio Aandacht.

Onszelf

I keep apologizing...this time not for not sharing a post, but for postponing a new Let's Get Personal Tour until tomorrow and it's going to be a Fantastic one :) ... i'm having too much fun celebrating my vacation here in Oldenzaal, a small village in the Netherlands. But these tablecloths by Onszelf caught my eye today in a new issue of the VT-Wonen magazine and thought you might like them too...

They are made from plastic, normally not my piece of cake, but during the summer and with children I do like these unqiue ones. Onszelf (= ourselves in Dutch) is the design duo Astrid Nieuwenbrug and Claudia Drube who also produced and designed a nice line of wallpapers...have a look here.

some things I liked this week...

these happy girl cards available at pigeonhole...

the paper porcelain collection from scholten baijings...

the images of this Dutch house...

Jane's summer images of her gorgeous home…

It's been a crazy week for me with a stressful beginning and a wonderful ending :) ...it all started with a strange copy-cat story, preparations and packing for our trip to the Netherlands, a 12 hour flight and the arrival in my home country... the trip went fantastic, my boys were the best, they slept long hours and made it easy for me...arriving here in the Netherlands with degrees above 25 Celsius was of course splendid, I hadn't been here for more than 2 years and the contrast with Malaysia is just enormous, but I love both.

I'm terribly sorry if you missed me this week and expected my regular posts, please believe that my intentions were there but it was just impossible to find time to sit behind the computer. Next week a beautiful week here on Bloesem with a new Let's Get Personal tour, images from my flea-market finds, some Dutch design and great new finds... xoxo irene

on my way to the Netherlands.....yeah after 2 years I will see Amsterdam and friends again...perhaps you would like to enjoy this sale over at Flora's shop? Will be back on Thursday ... bon voyage...

Let's Get Personal with Sjoe Sjoe in Amsterdam

 

DesignHome Sjoe Sjoe unRaveled :: answers by Joelle Wehkamp

 

D:: Dutch is ...... celebrating the 4 seasons on it's best! Snow, iceskating and hot chocolate in Winter. Blossoms, biking and first sunshine in Spring. Long evenings and happiness in Summer and beautiful leaves and dark skies in Autumn.

 

E:: entrance, when entering my home you will notice... it is a cosy, warm, old house with lot's of little things every where.

S:: style, means... being yourself.

I:: interesting places in my city, Amsterdam, are * the Jordaan * This neighborhood is full of nice streets with original little shops.
And of course on Monday and Friday you can visit the famous Noordermarkt. * the Utrechtse street * for nice restaurants & shops.
* Westergasfabriek * because there is always something nice to do.

G:: gardening is something I... fantasy about. Someday I will live in a old farm surrounded by green fields, a big garden full of
flowers and of course a vegetable garden for homemade dinners.

 
N:: new, in my home is... a long wooden table in my little courtyard.

H:: hobby, I always make time for... my friends, family, fun and nice ideas!

O:: outfit, my favorite thing to wear is... a fancy colorful dress with my red earrings.

M:: magazines I love to read are... (online also possible)  Flow magazine , Delicious, 101 Woonideeën and N.E.E.T. magazine ( online)

E:: enjoy, I can't live without... doing the things I love, my friends, family, icecream and chocolate!

......................Thank You Joelle....................

Not sure whether Joelle still needs an introduction ... most of you probably know that she often contributes to Bloesem about design and nice finds from the Netherlands. Joelle also works for the HEMA and writes this nice blog Sjoe Sjoe...just great to see how she lives in one of those gorgeous canal apartments in Amsterdam!

some things I liked this week...

these eagle hangers by Ingibjorg Hanna in Kitka's new bedroom...

this DIY project from Arounna at PoppyTalk...

art in progress by Lisa Golightly...

 

new screen-print from Mengsel design...

Wish you a very beautiful weekend...see u back on Monday hopefully :) irene xx