Pillow Talk By Wool And The Gang

One of the advantages of social media is bonding with likeminded people. Yes you could call it the gangs of the 21st century. One of those gangs that unites people with a love for knitting or knitted goodies is Wool and the Gang. I had the opportunity to meet the creative minds of Wool and the Gang during our Bloggers Tour in London in March and I even managed to knit a row - can you imagine! I still officially claim that I have two left hands when it comes to any kind of DIY! But Wool and the Gang caters to all people with a passion for cosy knitwear - even to those who are happy with ready knit goods.

Wool and the Gang is above all known for its knitwear - it can be bought either ready made or as knit kits for talented hands. When I met Wool and the Gang during our visit to Heal's in London (thanks to the interiors community at{mine}), I heard their news about launching a new home collection and it's launched by now - they extended their collection with knitted cushions, pillows and a blanket.

I've been cuddling up with their knitted pillow for a while now and I can confirm that it has become my favorite sofa cuddle buddy - while I am working, watching a movie or simple cozying up with a good book and coffee. The pillow is super soft as it is made of a unique yarn that has been made from up-cycled t-shirt scraps.

Are you a talented knitter (unlike me)? Or do you prefer the ready-made version? Whatever version you opt for, one thing is for sure: it is super cosy and comfy. And you'll be part of the gang - Wool and the Gang.

Photography by Igor Josifovic, second image by Wool and the Gang

This post has been brought to you in collaboration with Wool and the Gang

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Blogger Styling For Nest.co.uk

I wonder if some of you ask yourself what it's all about our regular bloggers tours we do all across Europe. Some of you might have noticed that we were in London recently and visited various brands and designers in the British metropolis. Usually the entire tour is organized by each local blogger from that country and the exact itinerary remains a secret until we literally take off to our design destination. That was the case with London too and I did not know - until the very last minute - that we will have a styling session for one of my favorite UK online design retailers: Nest.co.uk. I was pretty smitten to see them on our schedule and enjoyed the fun styling session with my fellow bloggers.

In London we were staying in a spacious three floor house in Notting Hill just off the popular Portobello Road. The house was furnished, but not fully packed. Nest.co.uk sent us a large selection of great design pieces from their webstore directly to our London flat. The day we arrived we were welcome by many boxes in various sizes. The suspense was big!

Unwrapping was like kid's birthday for us. It was ooooh here and aaaah there while we unwrapped chairs, accessories, rugs, cushions, stools and more. With eight creative minds in one house the styling went like a whirlwind session - shuffling here, redecorating there, hanging on the balcony and layering on the floor. In between I could hear the click-click of various cameras and the result is here - our blogger stylings for Nest.co.uk in London. 

I am amazed what you can achieve with nice furniture and props and eight creative design bloggers in a very short time. I hope you like the results as much as we do. And remember: Everything you see on our pictures is available in the newly designed webstore of Nest.co.uk! 

Photography by Susanna Vento and Linda Elmin

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Mindful Living With The New Craftsmen

In today's consume-focused society we tend to buy for the sake of buying, we add things to our homes because we want them, we tend to clutter our everyday life without a big deal of reflection. On the other hand, we can see more and more people and brands focusing on the essentials in life, focusing on good, handmade work by craftsmen around the globe. During our recent Design Bloggers Tour to London we had the opportunity to meet up with The New Craftsmen, a design brand that works with some of Britain's best craft makers and showcases some of their work in their great Mayfair based store. Today they are launching 'Mindful Living', a collaboration with furniture designer-maker Gareth Neal showing how objects can affect our mood and well-being.

Gareth Neal has designed a few pieces for the new 'Mindful Living' project and other makers of The New Craftsmen have collaborated and participated in the project too. All pieces have been made with the idea of a stripped back life with a pure set of objects that can fulfill our needs both physically and mentally. The collection included the Brodgar cabinet made by Gareth in collaboration with Kevin Gauld, but also a new textile range by The Good Shepherd and stackable ceramic vessels designed in collaboration with Billy Lloyd.

'Mindful Living' is all about putting sense and meaning to the objects we surround ourselves. During our visit at The New Craftsmen we were asked to create and design together with London based designer Lola Ley a set of placemats for our dinner with The New Craftsmen. We were asked to create a simple and useful piece by working with natural materials and dyes. During the fantastic homemade dinner we used our placemats to create a boho styled table setting and enjoyed good food and talks with the people behind The New Craftsmen and its designers. You can join the discussion about 'Mindful Living' on social media by using the hashtag #MindfulLivingTNC.

Thanks to at{mine} we had this fantastic opportunity as The New Craftsmen are among their beta users in their new interiors community. If you want to join me and many other creatives at{mine}, sign up HERE. And if you want to know more about The New Craftsmen and their 'Mindful Living' project, read the intersting interview on the at{mine} blog!

Photography by Susanna Vento, Linda Elmin, Anna Gustafsson

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Buster + Punch Launches New Buster Bulb

Live with conviction - that is the motto of London based interiors brand Buster + Punch. Recently they opened their brand new showroom in London's Southwark borough showcasing their refined assortment of lighting, furniture and other limited editions. The new showroom reflects the brand's DNA - a Rock'n'Roll glam attitude with a wild passion for craftsmanship and perfect details.

In a few days Buster + Punch will launch the brand new LED Buster bulb and Heavy Metal light pendants - a sophisticated and unique LED bulb that comes in three finishings (gold, smoked, crystal) accompanied by a super cool pendant. The new Buster bulb is a glamorous piece and typical for Buster + Punch - it's daring, it's refined, it's long-lasting and with perfect finishings. Plus it is the first LED bulb that combines both, a warm ambient glow and a focused spot light.

Buster + Punch offers more than just lighting and furniture. Their Rock'n'Roll vibe is tangible in a motorcycle with beautiful brass finishing that is part of their collection as well as probably the best looking switches, dimmers and sockets ever in brushed steel, brass and black finishings. During the London Fashion Week they have even launched a limited fashion edition. More personal favorites comprise urban candlesticks that look like raw hardware and cool bracelets made of leather with brass and steel clips as well as the fantastic Hero Light.

Buster + Punch is actually way more than just an interiors brand. It is a lifestyle and a commitment - to a life with conviction!

We visited Buster + Punch in their new showroom as part of our recent Design Bloggers Tour to London.

Photography by Susanna Vento and Linda Elmin

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Styling At Folklore London

Folklore is one of my favorite interiors stores in London. I have visited the store a few times (and I have never left it empty handed) so you can imagine my happiness when I learned that Folklore has teamed up with us and asked us to visit them and do some blogger stylings as part of our recent Design Bloggers Tour to London. So one sunny Saturday morning we set off to Islington and arrived in a beautifully curated store ready to get creative.

Folklore was founded by Danielle and Rob Reid in 2012 with the strong ethos that better living is possible through design. To follow this ethos, Folklore champions design to create a lasting change and curates products that are made with care and built to last. The product range comprises furniture, lighting, home and kitchen accessories, apothecary products and home textiles - in a nutshell: a stylist's heaven!

We only had one hour to finish our stylings and photos so we had decided to come up with four stylings focusing on the kitchen, the bathroom, a workspace and a living space. My choice was to create a bathroom styling with a selection of Folklore products. With the help of Susanna's fantastic photography skills all our stylings have come out pretty beautifully, don't you agree?

If you're going to London any time soon, I strongly recommend you visit the Folklore shop in Islington. And if you can't make it to London, just hop over to their webshop and pick your favorite products. You won't regret it!

Folklore, 193 Upper Street, Islington, London

Photography by Susanna Vento, stylings by Design Bloggers United

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