Update: KOTO candle is now available in small!

The scent of a Nordic home is enticing, soothing, warm: Our KOTO candle, the world's first scented candle designed by nine European design bloggers (among them the humble me) in collaboration with Skandinavisk is now available in a regular small size. You can still get the candle in its extra large size with four wicks but if you want to test it first, opt for the small KOTO candle. Additionally, a decorative scent diffuser is available too.

Why should you have KOTO? Because there's no place like home and your home should be scented with a perfume that refers to the warmth of the home and the freshness of the Scandinavian nature. After all, KOTO is the old Finnish word for home and a good scent is one step forward to a really happy home!

Photography by Linda Elmin

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New Works: Objects Of Copenhagen

What happens when design craft mixes with art and comes to life in a country with a strong design heritage? New works obviously. Or better yet: New Works - Object of Copenhagen. Creative Director of New Works Knut Bendik Humlevik presented a brand new collection of design items at the last Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair featuring some beautiful and sculptural design pieces for contemporary homes.

New Works is a Copenhagen based design brand that unites design craft and art and interprets pieces for the modern home in the context of the rich design heritage of Denmark. They collaborate with different international renown designers and add a new notion to the highly appraised repertoire of Scandinavian design.

The new Bowl Table Lamp designed by Knut Bendik Humlevik himself is one of my favorites. The toned glass bowl surrounds the light bulb and emits a smoky light while sitting on a base of raw copper creating an interesting contrast of materials. Other interesting pieces include the Pi-No-Pi-No vases made of glass and wood as well as the sculptural Kizu Table Lamp combining marble and acrylic, the former designed by Maija Puiskari and Tuukka Tujula, the latter by Lars Tornøe.

Which piece could move in with you? I think my choice would be the Bowl Table Lamp.

Photography via New Works

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Muuto's Fiber Chair By Designers Iskos-Berlin

I think there is one piece of furniture that appeals incessently to every design aficionado - a design chair. The offer is pretty abundant and thus are the piling worries and question how to make space for yet another wonderful chair in one's home. These kind of questions popped up in my head while I was attending the press launch of Muuto's latest design news earlier this year in Cologne. Especially once I had spotted the latest additions to the Fiber Chair designed by Copenhagen based design duo Iskos-Berlin.

I had the honor to meet one of the two designers in person and chat with him about the Fiber Chair, its design process and aesthetics - first hand information were given by Boris Berlin, one inspiring half of the design duo Iskos-Berlin. I was wondering how difficult it can be to design a chair - such a functional piece of furniture that has existed now for so many years and that keeps a rather usual overall shape. And as assumed, it is all in the details. And it's mostly the little details we do not see at first glance that require lots of thinking, designing, redesigning and sophisticated manufacturing.

Suddenly, you realize that each design chair is a masterpiece of its own - from the moment it was brough on paper over the careful manufacturing process to the hours we sit in and enjoy its comforts. And the designers put it in the case of the Fibre Chair as follows: "One of the most difficult and noble disciplines is to design without eccentricity." And I would say they have accomplished their mission with this beautiful and sleek chair.

The Fiber Chair by designers Iskos-Berlin was specially designed for Muuto with the goal to balance maximum comfort with minimum space. It is produced from an innovative composite material containing wood and plastic fibres - the chair has thus a wonderful texture and structure when viewed up close and touched. I loved the feeling way more than of simple plastic chairs - it has so much more character and feeling.

The Fiber Chair also comes in black and cognac leather finishings, the latter one being my absolute favorite. The other versions come in a range of colours containing white, grey, dusty green and nature (which is a sort of ochre hue in this case).

With no further addo I will leave you with that throbbing question: How to make space in your home for this wonderful design chair?

Photography: Images via Muuto, pic with designer by Igor Josifovic

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Home Fragrance: The KOTO Family Is Growing

Many of you will remember the announcement I made about the scented candle KOTO that we - that is our Design Bloggers United group - designed in collaboration with Skandinavisk. I blogged about it HERE - the candle was introduced on the market in a large size with four wicks. The candle was very well received on the market and now Skandinavisk has decided to extend the range of KOTO products along with other novelties for their brand new spring/summer 2015 collection.

From spring, KOTO will be available in a smaller size with one wick as well as a perfume diffuser - these will not only bring a wonderful scent to your home but will look impeccably beautiful as part of your interior styling and home decor.

With this wonderful collection of home fragrances I feel like spring can't come fast enough. But for the time being, I will burn my large KOTO candle and daydream of the crisp air and freshness of the Scandinavian nature. Happy week, friends!

Photography via Skandinavisk

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Highlights From The IMM Cologne 2015

Being a design blogger has its perks. One is that you are out and about when design fairs are taking place. Last week I spent in Cologne at the international furniture fair imm Cologne 2015. The design fair takes place on various places in Cologne: The majority is at the city's fairgrounds, but there are also interesting exhibitors in a showroom area called 'Design Post' and scattered all around town in various interiors shops and other showrooms. Consequently, I've seen lots of cool designs, I've spoken to fantastic designers and I brought back too many impressions as to squeeze them in one single blog post. So expect more to come!

Here are a few of my favorite observations during the imm Cologne 2015:

Jungle Fever!
Green is here to stay in 2015 - in two ways. I've seen lots of green as a colour in its various hues on home textiles, furniture and accessories. I have also seen many jungle prints on textiles and upholstery - one of my favorite was the jungle chair from Danish design label Gubi. I need not mention all the plants - again, many booths have been styled with plants abound. Particularly outstanding were the Vitra stand, the Belgian label Buzzi Space and the German furniture manufacturer Ewald Schillig.

Back To Nature!
Natural materials continue to convince in 2015. Lots of wood furniture was presented and the focus on natural materials is also interpreted in various material combinations like wood and leather. I particularly loved the new Danish label 'Woud'. Their collection features simple and refined furniture pieces created by various designers, mostly Scandinavian ones. I think they will be pretty interesting for all of you who love Scandi styled interiors!

Young Talents!
One of my favorite parts at design fairs is the young designers section. I like to see what the next designer generation is keeping in readiness for us. In Cologne I enjoyed the creative kitchen solutions presented by students from the interior design school of Stuttgart - among their solutions was a lighting idea with potted plants/herbs serving as fresh greens and light in one.

The shelf system 'Deep Forest' by Silvia Terhedebrügge is another cool solution inspired by nature - the shelves rise organically like leaves from branches.

The brass clothing rack 'Foldword' by Friederike Delius is another interesting piece. Its graphic appearance is inspired by German traditional half-timbered constructions and is foldable.

The concrete lamps 'Like Paper' by 'Dua' have a paper like appearance although they are cast in sturdy concrete.

The Berlin based design studio 'llot llov' presented playful solutions for urban homes. I loved the funky, macrame inspired hanging planters.

Neo/Craft is another brand new design label from Berlin. The designer Sebastian Scherer exhibited cool furniture and lighting pieces like the soap bubble looking pendant 'Iris' as well as the colourful 'Diamond' pendant.

The Austrian designer Martin Breuer Bono presented a very cool book shelf called 'Schlagseite' which literally means 'list' (nautical language for tipped over position) - pretty fancy for artsy interiors, isn't it? Read another round-up in German on Roombeez if you like!

Enough for today, I will share more highlights and designer talks with you over the next few days.

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Inspired By Africa: Rugs For Modern Homes

One aspect that I love most in interior design is drawing inspiration from cultures, traditions and handicraft. Often I like to think that I hide an archaeologist and an ethnologist in myself - mostly because I am fascinated by history, ancient arts, traditions and cultures. Remember my kilim love? My obsession with vintage ceramics? My apartment is full with traces of my passion. So it comes as no surprise that the new 2015 rug collection 'MUM's loves Africa' from Finland based 'MUM's' got my full attention. They launched new graphic rugs inspired by the Kassena tribe of Burkina Faso, where every building is a piece of unique, handmade art (you can learn more about it HERE).

The Kassena tribe decorate their clay houses with graphic patterns by hand. Their vernacular architecture is amazing and sparked the inspiration of Finland based Outi Puro, the founder of 'MUM's'. She loves African patterns, traditional Indian carpet weaving and Nordic simple and pure design. All three passions were combined for the new 'MUM's loves Africa' collection: The rugs feature African patterns as seen in the villages of the Kassena tribe, the rugs are made fairly in the hands of skilled artisans in Northern India and feature natural hues that are typical for Scandinavia too.

This entire story is even better: Not only these rugs are inspired by a fascinating people in Africa and made fairly by artisans in India, but the entire story of 'MUM's' is based on helping and supporting other women and mothers in less developed countries. 'MUM's' itself was founded back in 2006 as an art project in Africa.

I think 2015 is the year in which we all should bring a piece of traditional art into our homes. Why not such a wonderful rug? I am totally smitten by the patterns, the graphic look and the wonderful, inspiring story behind them. Luckily, these rugs are available worldwide through their webshop.

Here's to our wonderful and inspiring world - against all (current) odds!

Photography: Rugs via 'MUM's'; African images by Rita Willaert

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