Erin's favorite design pieces in her house
“I (=Erin) am a very literary person, so I’m not surprised that when asked to round up a few items that I’d place in my own private museum, the majority of my picks are reading/writing-related.
The first item I’d choose would be my extensive collection of Assouline fashion memoirs. I’m increasingly inspired by the way in which our world evolves and this publisher has curated such a lovely series of how we’ve dressed ourselves in years past. I often leaf through the pages to see our modern interpretation of classic designs in hopes that we never forget the roots of our inspiration.
Besides, who wouldn’t want the deepest, darket secrets of word-renowned fashion designers at their fingertips?
Secondly, I chose a round-up of my very favorite objects, both functional and not. I absolutely adore my Tamara Shopsin 5-Year Diary and scribble in it each night before bed. I find it to be therapeutic to imagine myself five years from now, reading how much I’ve grown and laughing at my past mistakes. I also, of course, had to include my favorite writing utensil of all-time: the Ultra Fine Point Sharpie in Black, because without it, I might never journal.
Other favorite items are a mother’s letter on her daughter’s wedding day and a few bangles Mexico, a stark contrast of both serious and lighthearted moments in my life.
Lastly, I included my favorite dishware from a flea market, which I just love to use when I eat mini-sandwiches and tea. A rare occasion, but I must admit that sometimes I fix myself a snack just so I can use this piece. It brings me more joy than the food itself, which, for a foodie like me, is a big accomplishment!
Thanks, Irene, for such a fun assignment. I think what I learned most about such a daunting task of creating a private museum was that, like any museum, they represent just one portion of history and are ever-changing. I take comfort in knowing that a year from now I may have an entirely different collection and that? That is curation at its best.”
Jesse's favorite design pieces in her house
The stove was my (=Jesse) grandmother's. It's the only stove she ever owned, and I'm (=Jesse) guessing that it must be about 60 years old now. Made of solid cast iron, moving it takes 4 grown men (or one rather small and determined woman, armed with rugs and towels to slide it along on). It still works perfectly, but unfortunately doesn't fit into my kitchen, being wider than most modern stoves. So for now it's in my bedroom, storing socks and hats and scarves. But even if I couldn't find a use for it, I can't imagine ever getting rid of it. 
The vase is by Cornelius Lemmer, a maker of quirky, thoughtful, and beautiful furniture and objects. It was given to me by a friend, and sits on my studio mantelpiece, keeping company with a collection of interesting bottles, broken bits of ceramics, and odd photos I've found on walks.
:: Jesse's blog ::
Bianca's favorite design pieces in her house
Kokeshi: It was quite funny because I (=Bianca) fell in love with this kokeshi from the moment I saw her. I bought her from Village Idom in Yarraville, a suburb close to where I live. She was very expensive and at the time I didn't realise that I had paid so much for her, but she's too precious to bring back...Sniper movie poster: we bought this poster for a photoshoot that my boyfriend had to do, it is an old movie advertisement poster. It took us a while to find this great poster, going through all the cool old things at Chapel Street Bazaar. It's the best place to shop for vintage, retro props.
Danish cabinet: The cabinet is actually a 6 drawer cabinet that has a huge mirror as well. The mirror is in storage and the cabinet lives in our lounge room with the tv on top. I am a huge fan of danish (like) furniture and keep scanning shops and ebay constantly. My boyfriend is a bit over it now because our house is pretty much full. I (=Bianca) bought this cabinet from ebay and I'm in love with it. It matches our coffee table.
black apple print + stickmeon decal: I have 3 prints from the black apple (theblackapple.etsy.com) in my lounge room and this one is one of my favourites, especially with the little birdie decal from stickmeon. Stickmeon on is based in Melbourne and has great wall decals.
:: Bianca's blog Hollabee ::
Tanneke's favorite design pieces in her house
The armchair is a design of Warren Platner for Knoll international, this chair come from the 1950s and I have let the chair upholster and restore. I have bought this chair in a very bad condition at Ebay in Germany. The cushion Galeano is designed by Margo Selby. The fabric is developed on a handloom in her London studio, by English mills. Luxurious silk and lycra fibres are woven in a double cloth structure to create a 3-dimensional quality. Stick the Snail is my favourite Creatures from Donna Wilson. Cushion Galeano and Stick the Snail are available at Wannekes. The rug Victoria is from Nanimarquina. 
What I (=Tanneke) remember of this chair is that he is especially made for a public space in Switzerland. I have bought this chair a several years ago also at Ebay in Germany. The bag is designed by one of my favourite dutch bag designers Hester van Eeghen. All these objects are my favourites in my home because they are good well-considered designs without doing concessions to form, material etc. But most of all: they are designed with love. Because of this the objects get a soul.
:: Tanneke's shop ::
:: Tanneke's blog ::
Marieke's favorite design pieces in her house
When I (= Marieke) moved in with my boyfriend, now husband, I didn't have much beautiful furniture, only old worn IKEA student stuff that I didn't even want to move out of super small student studio. Time for a fresh start I thought! Strangely enough I never really felt at home until I got some pieces from our old home, that my parents moved out of. I set them up as my "studio", a corner of our lower floor. The big cabinet holds almost everything I need for my work, such as tools, paint, office supplies, fabric, my administration. It's as full as can be!
This easel is my mother's and to me one of most valuable objects in our house. Unfortunately my mother cannot use it anymore, but it does bring happy memories - as a little girl I always used to hang around in my mom's studio looking at her working. I don't work standing behind it but I always put stuff on it, work in progress, to look at and comtemplate what needs improvement.
In a way, the cabinet, the table and the easel form my own private childhood museum, wherever it will stand, I can bring upon myself the mood to make things and think how extremely lucky I am to do what I love best.
Lucy's favourite design/art objects in her home - it was hard to only choose 2!
The first item is an artwork I (=Lucy) purchased just this year. It is the first (and only!) artwork I have ever bought, and is a book sculpture by Australian artist Nicholas Jones. I discovered this piece when I went to interview Nicholas for my blog - I visited his incredible studio in Melbourne and I was so inspired by the space and the work, I got quite carried away taking a lot of photos and asking lots and lots of questions... it was very overwhelming! I felt so lucky to be invited to see Nicholas' studio and to chat to him about his work in person. Nearing the end of the interview he showed me this piece - it was in a box set aside for an exhibition in Sydney. I immediately fell in love with it, but I didn't feel I could ask to buy it, as it was set aside for his exhibition! I got home and couldn't stop thinking about it - so I phoned Nicholas the next day and asked if I could buy it after it was exhibited. Lucky for me he said I could have it and he would create a different item for his exhibition. :) 
The second item I am including is a beautiful rocking chair made by my very talented partner Gordon Johnson. Gordon is a furniture designer/maker, and he created this piece about 5 years ago as a prototype for a furniture competition in Japan. It was such a labour-intensive piece he has never made any more of them... which is a little sad but at least it means we have the only one! The chair is made using a 'skeleton' of of plywood ribs, skinned with a blackwood veneer. Unfortunately our home is a little too small for this piece so at the moment is stands in the corner and rarely used :( One day when we have a larger home I hope to give it the prime position it deserves!
:: The Design Files ::
Kelly's favorite design/craft-related items in our house
The second image might be well known to some: It is the "Season" design by Wallcandy Arts. Wallcandy Arts creates wall decals that are easy on, easy off most surfaces. I (= Kelly) put together the design piece by piece while my one-year-old twin boys (Felix and Pierre) sat patiently by; they were so captivated by what I was doing (staring at where I was placing leaves, squealing with excitement), that I feel they were part of the project. The photo is in the boys' playroom and the boys are seated in the foreground. The first image is very personal. It shows kids' backpacks handmade by a close friend, Lanie Spoljaric, who lives outside Chicago, as do I. She created the packs for the boys' first birthday. The fabric she chose is a soft felt featuring robots, spaceships, and aliens. I am obsessed with robot motifs and had them put on the boys' birthday party invites and even their cake. So the fact that she thoughtfully spent hours searching for fabric and creating these bags (so cute, look at the ribbon straps) really touched me. They hang in the boys' bedroom on a wooden rack that my in-laws brought to us from a boutique in Paris called Le Bonhomme de Bois.
:: Kelly Everyday ::
Danielle's favorite pieces in her house
The first image shows some of my vintage linen tea-towels. I (=Danielle) love the beautiful patterns and bold colours as well as their sense of history - they brighten up my kitchen and make me smile whenever I see them! I often find awesome vintage tea-towels on ebay, can also be worth checking out op shops.
The second image shows a number of my favourite things in my lounge room. The framed print is by ah-yi - I love her delicate gocco prints and the organic shapes and patterns in her designs. I made the cushion from some of Lara Cameron's beautiful Birch Forest fabric in mustard. Lara's work is so inspiring and I particularly love this striking design, printed in one of my favourite colours. Fabric can be purchased from her online shop You can also see the top of an ottoman I made using Amy Butler's Gum Drop Pillow pattern. The bold fabric is from Ikea, designed by Linda Svensson. I love surrounding myself with objects made using textiles/patterns that strike a chord with me...
:: Of Paper and Thread ::
:: Of Paper and Thread shop ::
Loraine's precious pieces
When irene asked me about the favorite things i (= Loraine) have and how they fit into the concept of "my own private museum" i thought yes , people are doing that just as they're creating their own worlds with blogs which also means that those collections aren't about expensive objects for most people, but the things they do collect are cherished very much !
I love to collect lots of things , the ones i'm most into at the moment are kitchen tools and pots & pans and i've just started to collect textiles The little milk pan is by Serafinozani, The Trivet i bought at Dekkorate, the spoon i bought at mora, the very practical slicer is from MUJI , the pasta spoon is/was by alessi called twergi and i could only find a link to other spoons from the same series
It's a wonderful thing that Irene want's to give the things we collect a context !
:: Grijs ::
:: Grijs shop ::
Heather Moore's favorite pieces in her home
I’ve always loved to scour junk shops and car boot sales for treasures. These days, with all the design blogs I read, I’ve become pretty savvy about what I see and what’s worth having, but I think the things I treasure most are the funny bits and pieces that turned out to be treasures.
I bought these two West German ceramic jugs from my favourite carboot sale, Milnerton Market. I almost didn’t take them, because they reminded me of a rather scary childhood house belonging to a friend of my mom’s. But their elegant forms and lovely colours convinced me to take them home with me, and put them in a special spot in the sitting room. Then, a lot later, through the H is for Home blog, I discovered that West German ceramics are highly collectable, and suddenly my funny jugs become rather fancy!
One day I was browsing through the newspaper, when I spotted an advert for a travelling prints show at the Irma Stern Gallery. I fell in love with the tiny black and white picture in the ad, and raced over to see the show. The woodblock print was even better in colour, and as it was near my birthday, I decided I would buy it as a treat for myself, spending more than I possibly should have. I loved it so much that I wrote to the artist, Angela Lewin, and got a very sweet note in response. It was some time after this that Angie Lewin’s work started appearing all over the place, on fabrics and notecards, and suddenly my funny little beloved print became a whole lot more valuable!
:: Heather Moore ::
:: Heather's shop ::
