From Place To Space: Stylish Weekend In Hamburg

I know, sometimes I am taking you back and forth to places I've visited, but I often feel that there is too much to tell and show for one single blogpost. So please excuse me if I am annoying you with repetitive visits to some places and spaces. As you might have seen in my blogposts HERE and HERE, I traveled to Hamburg for a design weekend last month. Not only did I enjoy a fun blogger event, but I also had the opportunity to discover a bit more of the maritime German city up in the north and meet up with some of my favorite local bloggers for a great dinner.

Today's blogpost I would really like to focus on two discoveries - the new yet raggedly looking harbour area of Hamburg and a fabulous design hotel - the 25hours Hotel - which is a great choice if you ever happen to travel to Hamburg.

Hamburg is a German city just like Munich where I live but oh so totally different. You can tell that Hamburg is a maritime place, especially when you walk around the harbour area with its brickwork buildings, the breezy waterfront, huge storehouses and numerous cruise liners and cargo ships. You can sort of smell the North Sea and feel the seamen's presence around every other corner. 

And in order to find the super stylish and designy '25hours Hotel' you just have to stay in the new harbour area. Actually, the hotel chain runs two houses in Hamburg, one hotel named 'Number One' in the city's hip Western borough Ottensen, and the second one named 'HafenCity' in the harbour area. I was actually staying in the former, whereas we had a fab blogger dinner in the latter (most of the pics are from the harbour area hotel).

I was quickly drawn to the hotel's design as I spotted many design classics, but I particularly loved the mix of styles and the reference to the location - the lobby features some old signage and containers from cargo ships and local wharves. A little design shop sells international design magazines, books and various home accessories as well as local (cool) souvenirs. To make the experience complete, I was smitten by a wonderful service and delicious cuisine - I am still dreaming of the incredibly good wild herbs salad with creamy goat cheese. If I wasn't munching on my ice cream right now while typing these words, I'd be drooling over my Macbook. But I digress.

If my words haven't convinced you, let the pictures speak for themselves and work the charm. Hamburg is definitely worth a city weekend - you won't be disappointed. And now, I will have to let you go back to your Monday routine - but don't forget to face the new week smiling and happily content!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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From Place To Space: My Friend's Hamburg Apartment

A few weeks ago I spent a blogger event weekend in the northern German city of Hamburg. I not only looked forward to some blogger fun with fellow bloggers (I wrote about it HERE) but also to meet one of my ex colleagues and friends who recently moved from Munich to Hamburg. She invited me for a brunch on Sunday noon and I used the opportunity to snap a few pics of her new dwelling.

When in Munich, my friend used to live in a tiny apartment just like mine. With all its limitations. Now she's at home in a typical Hamburg 'Altbau' building (historical building) with a big living room and a long row of round-arched windows and an abundance of daylight. Yet again I was amazed how good it is to take pictures in a bigger space with lots of natural light. So I snapped on.

I focused on her living room cause I loved the 'retro meets vintage' vibe there. The vintage dining table found on a local flea market is made of teak wood and looks totally contemporary in the combination with those translucent chairs that remind me of the famous 'Ghost Chair' by Philippe Starck. Perfectly matched for this personal corner is the floor lamp recalling the swinging 1960s. Those large and widely arched chrome floor lamps were used back in the 1960s for lighting 'conversation pits'. 

In the living room area she combines raw, vintage leather furniture with wooden elements and mixes textures such as plain cotton cushions, wool blankets and furry sheepskin. The brown leather and wooden hues are freshened up with feminine zests of purple and pink - an ideal playground for her roomie, little Yoshi. 

As you see I focused on her living room as her moving is not yet finished and this part of the apartment was ready to be caught on camera. Apart from the lovely interior design we enjoyed a good brunch and a great conversation before I headed back to my tiny rooftop apartment in Munich.

Have a fab week, friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Saucy Event: Bed Hopping With Auping

Sometimes blogger events can have a saucy touch. Ok, I admit, only when I attend and interpret them that way. Two weeks ago I was invited to Hamburg with a few other fellow blogger friends to attend a little event for Auping, a Dutch bed manufacturer know for its excellent box springs beds. Well, I've been sleeping for six years now in my rather 'normal' bed so I was very curious to test the acclaimed bed live - and thus the event turned from decent to saucy with my bed hopping action:-)

We were welcomed in the Hamburg based flagship store Auping Plaza in the cool Stilwerk department store in the harbour area by a super cool PR gang and Auping rep including a smart bartender with tangy cocktails and yummy tidbits. Business before pleasure was the order so we started with an informative intro to the company's background and a detailed insight into its products that include beds such as the Essential (I blogged about it HERE), the Royal, the Tozza or my favorite the Dublin (I tried this intensively and it is AMAZING - actually I really want this when I move into a new home). We also got a surgeon look into the inside of a box spring mattress and it is crazy - it's like an entire little spring world down there! Apart from beds they also offer super soft duvets, cushions and cheerful bedlinen - support me with my little Pinterest contest by liking some of my pins HERE and if I win I will get some of the happy bedlinen for you to giveaway!

So after the 'business' part was over I ventured on a bed hopping experience to see whether the Auping beds can cope with a flying, happy blogger. Let me tell you: Yes they can! Here are a few little proofs. Buckle up and fly with me:-)

The blogger event was rounded up by a scrumptious lunch with typical Hamburg dishes and a fun 'design your bed' session including watercolours - I felt like a school kid again! Thanks to Auping for a fun and cool event. May I soon sleep in one of your super soft beds. Amen!

Photography by Igor Josifovic except my 'flying' photo courtesy of Auping

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Ideas For A Happy Weekend

Hi my friends! Just a very short 'hello' on the go as I am on the way to Hamburg for a blogger event. I will be bed testing for a bed manufacturer with a few fellow bloggers in the north German metropolis and I will enjoy a bit of the maritime flavor of the city of Hamburg. If you like to see me 'bed hopping' (in a not so saucy way LOL) and a few snapshots of this beautiful German city, follow me on Instagram HERE.

See you back on Monday & 'ahoy' from Hamburg!

Poster via Human Empire Shop

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From Place To Space: Bloggers In Hamburg

Today I am taking you to a super fun trip – a blogger meet-up in Hamburg. The past weekend some great German bloggers organised a meet-up in the northern German city and set the basis for a personal get-together of some of Germany’s finest lifestyle bloggers writing about interior design, DIY, food, styling. Our Hamburg ‚home base’ was the stylish design hotel 25 Hours Hotel.

For me it was a pretty exciting trip. First of all I got to meet some fellow bloggers that I’ve been following on the net for quite a time. Secondly, I had the opportunity to get a better introduction to the cool city of Hamburg.

Our blogger weekend kicked-off with a urban breakfast in a superb location called ‚Fabrik’. On Saturdays this industrial hall hosts a local farmer’s market, live music and delicious breakfasts and brunches.

After gallons of coffee and heaps of yummy food we headed to explore the western borough of Altona – a cool mix of suburban culture and non-mainstream shops like the ‚Kaufmannsladen’ or the famous candy store ‚Bonscheladen’. Later on we continued downtown to the so-called ‚Hafen City’, the harbour area with its huge cruises, a mix of old and modern architecture and a brisk ‚North Sea’ type of breeze.

After a good deal of fresh sea breeze, we went back to the famous Eimsbüttel area for some more shopping and interiors and decoration inspiration. We discovered the beautiful boutique ‚Interiör’ with a refined selection of design items and DIY materials like happy ribbons, witty gift tags and colourful packaging thread. I couldn’t resist and bought a roll of pastel blue packaging thread and an aqua-hued dip-dyed and handmade Raku candleholder. Just around the corner is another gem, the ‚Kongehus’ store with a stunning selection of paper, stationery and decoration items. I bought a few rolls of beautiful paper and the cutest hand-made cards with quotes from literature written with an old typewriter. A few steps further you will find ‚Lecker Wohnen’, a store with a rich selection of Hamburg inspired goodies and decoration. All these goodies will be featured later on here on Happy Interior Blog.

To add more fun we ended up in a tiny yet adorable little café called ‚Osterdeich’. This location is known for its signature cupcakes – and we were invited to design our very own cupcakes which was big fun. Now I know I am the chocolate-blueberry type. We had all the afternoon to network, exchange experiences, plan new projects and get to know each other more thouroughly which was a unique experience. Moreover we received some amazing goodie bags. Saturday was rounded up with a delightful dinner in the stylish restaurant ‚Klippkroog’ which made our interior design loving hearts skip a beat. A cool mix of urban and Scandinavian style with stuccoed ceilings and eye-catching pendants as well as old, bulky wooden furniture made me enjoy my dinner twice as much.

The entire blogger meet-up was brought to an end with a delish breakfast at the cute ‚Tarterie’ café in Hamburg’s entertainment quarter St. Pauli.

What else can a blogger wish for a weekend? Meeting other bloggers, discovering a new city, shopping in inspiring interior and decoration stores, eat in stylish restaurants? Have a happy week, friends!


P.S. Thanks to Clara, Ricarda and Susanne for the excellent organization!

Photography: Igor Josifovic

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