The Home Of Artist Ana Kras

'It's an improvisation of an apartment' says Ana Kras, the Serbian designer who has relocated to New York City's Lower East Side a few weeks ago. Most of her belongings are still with her parents in Belgrade, Serbia, and in her previous home in L.A. And yet, she has added a witty and artsy touch to her new home with just a few pieces. 

I love the work of Ana Kras and I blogged about her two years ago and I am fascinated to see her career going from great to greater. Her new apartment showcases one thing: you don't have to fill up a space. Sometimes just a few practical items and some personal details will make a home. Some knickknacks, some art pieces. And a few houseplants of course. 

As an artist she is not surrounding herself with her own work - it is a personal decision. However, you can see one of her famous Bonbon lamps on her dining table - it is an early model of an ongoing series that was included in the 2014 NYC Makers biennial at the Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan. 

Her initial quote made me think: isn't every home a sort of improvisation? It reflects our current state, lifestyle, situation. It changes and evolves with us. We improvise. Every day. And that is good. Anything else would result in stagnation and idle life. Here's to more improvisation in life!

Photography via T Magazine

Tweet

Israeli Design: Visiting Studio Cheha

This Monday I kicked off my blog posts about my recent Israel trip and today I want to share a very special design discovery I made in Tel Aviv. Thanks to my design savvy friend and fellow blogger Chedva I had the opportunity to meet a super cool young Israeli design couple, Nir and Aya from Studio Cheha.

This young couple lives in downtown Tel Aviv and their studio is actually part of their apartment. At first, it was a bit intimidating to enter someone's home and privacy without knowing the people, but Nir and Aya are such an easy-going and friendly couple, they made me feel at ease and welcomed me like a friend. The open door to the studio caught my immediate attention and I asked Nir to show me around and tell me a little bit more about his latest design called 'Bulbing'.

'Bulbing' is a magical lamp design that combines simplicity, technology and a whimsical 3D-effect. A warm LED light is set in a simple and solid wooden base and exchangeable acrylic shapes with 3D-effects can be 'plugged in' - the light is warm, soft and soothing and creates a cosy atmosphere. As simple as the idea seems, Nir has put a lot of work and thought into this lamp design. His early works include those large scale faces made on wooden panels with nails and thread (you can see them on the pics of the studio) - a work of hours and hours. He initially designed the shapes on his computer and projected the image on wooden panels and recreated the design with nails connecting them with thread thus creating a 3D-effect on a two-dimensional surface.

The entire apartment of Nir and Aya was filled with his creative works inducing various wall decor items. Their home reflects their creativity and dedication - I loved how comfy it was and how relaxed the atmosphere was. Moreover, Aya prepared some delicious Israeli sweet treats for us - little tahini-chocolate bites that were so delicious that I had to get the recipe from her!

Even though the 'Bulbing' project is pretty new, they have already gained international attention and lots of support - currently the project is being crowd-founded on Kickstarter (and I am a proud backer of them) and if you want to support this creative couple join in and secure yourself one of those cool lamps!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

Tweet

Home Tour: Colourful Stylist Home In Denmark

When you love interiors, you seriously enjoy home tours of any kind - be it when invited over to a friend's place, be it on TV shows or in magazines. That is why I keep returning to foreign interior magazines, even though I don't understand a word, I love the home stories and let the aesthetics speak to me visually. One of those magazines I keep returning is the Danish interiors mag BoligLiv. And it's right there where I found today's home tour - a colorful home of the Danish designer and stylist Gitte Christensen, the creative mastermind behind 'Objects & Use'.

Her Danish home caught my attention with an impeccable style that unites vibrant colours with a Scandinavian elegance and a playful twist. Moreover, the home features an endless number of cute, eye-catching home décor vignettes. Each and every of these vignettes tells a little story and reveals the owner's aesthetics and love for interior styling.

Gitte Christensen lives with her family in this beautiful house dating back to 1904. On 140 square meters she has combined an eclectic mix of styles and pieces - design classics, individual décor finds and pieces from her own shop 'Objects & Use'.

How do you like today's home tour?

Photography by Nicoline Olsen for BoligLiv

Tweet