Fun & Function: The New Brabantia Collection

There are some corners in our homes that tend to be forgotten when it comes to design. Or maybe not forgotten as much as neglected. Think of very utilitarian things and areas: the washing room, the storeroom, the bin, the laundry basket, soap dispensers and similar. But it's those details that indicate how much we care and love our home. Luckily, there are quite a few brands on the market to cater for stylish products with function. One of those is Brabantia. And they have gone up a notch with the new collection of home accessories.

Brabantia has now launched their new autumn/winter 2014 collection and present it in a beautiful lookbook. The collection comprises fun and functional home accessories in soft pastel hues, playful shapes and a fun mix of materials and textures. It feels a bit like it is fashion for your kitchen, bathroom and washing room. Now if I had no Brabantia bin at home, I'd be really envious! 

How about your bins? Are they more fun or function?

Photography via Brabantia

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Why This Room Caught My Eye

Sometimes we look with awe at fancy living rooms, swanky bedrooms, gleeful nurseries, colourful kitchens. But what about the hallway? Sometimes this link between rooms gets pretty neglected. It is this 'pass through' area that has to host many practical facilities and notoriously frequented by the owners, guests, kids. However, as much as it is important to link our entire home, it's also important to put some attention to its styling as it is the first impression people get when entering our home. So today's 'room' that caught my eye is actually a hallway. It is the hallway of LA based wardrobe stylist Shirley Kurata. This simple yet super happy hallway has not one but three aces:

• Yellow stairs: Can stairs get any happier? I mean seriously, who wouldn't love stark yellow winding stairs in his home?
• Greenery: Inside a home, plants do not only look decorative but they also act as natural humidifiers and refresh the air. And yes, they do please the eye!
• Patterned rug: To balance the stark colour blocking from the stairs, the owner has placed a patterned colourful rug in front of it. Its pattern and texture serve as the third ace and make this hallway a little masterpiece.

What caught your eye? And would you like such a hallway in your home?

Photography via Nothing Major

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Funky & Happy Home: Peek Into A Colorful Book

Last week I was invited to the press launch party for the German issue of Charlotte Hedeman Guéniau's  book 'Happy Home' or as it is entitled in Germany 'Funky Home'. Now many of you know that Charlotte is the founder, owner and creative mind of the Danish brand RICE, offering the probably happiest, quirkiest and most colourful selection of home accessories. Charlotte's creativity has now found its way into a book and it is absolutely great if you love colour, quirk and that funky bit for your home.

What I love above all in this book is its positive attitude. Charlotte advocates an approach to interior design that is detached from any design rules and trend parameters. She tackles interiors by experimenting with colours and shapes, solely listening to her inner voice and measuring the success by its fun factor. The result are funky and happy homes that represent her personality and ban every sort of  monotony. 

The book is structured into chapters that focus on the rooms' functionality from a very human perspective - hence the chapters have adorable names like 'Living, Loving, Laughing' or 'Cooking, Eating, Sharing'. I enjoyed the colourful feast with this book but above all I loved meeting Charlotte personally at her book launch party in Munich (alas, I didn't have my camera with me). She is as positive, happy and adorable as her book. Which proves the book's authenticity - I could definitely see Charlotte's personality on the book's 200 pages.

The only question remaining: How funky & happy is your home?

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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