Why This Room Caught My Eye

It's times like this when I crave a little interior cocoon to crawl back and unwind. Currently I am in the middle of what feels like a dozen projects simultaneously and all I want in fact is jump through my laptop screen into this interior - a relaxed lounge corner, light flooded, with a jungle vibe. Take me there, please! But why did this room catch my eye in particular? Let's break it down:

• Dusky Pink Settee: Pink is not my colour normally, but this dusky hue really catches my eye. The relaxed style paired with white wood looks like a very inviting corner to unwind, read a bit, sip a cup of tea and daydream away.
• Urban Jungle: Bringing the outside inside is a big favorite of mine - this looks like a perfect example of how to bring the wild nature into your home. And I know that plants help us to relax and lower our stress level. Create your own urban jungle!
• Exposed Brick: I really like the look of an exposed brick wall - it is a wonderful backdrop for a cool, urban loft look. It also makes the softer hues and textures pop out when placed in front of exposed brick.

So, who's ready to have a cup of tea with me in this relaxed corner?

Photography by Leslie Santarina via sfgirlbybay.com

Tweet

Design In Amsterdam: Moooi Showroom & Marcel Wanders Design Studio

Last week I spent four days on a design bloggers tour in Amsterdam. One of our first stops was a visit to an iconic Dutch design address: the Moooi showroom and the design studio of Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. Moooi sounds pretty fun but in fact it is the Dutch word for 'beautiful' with an additional 'o' to emphasize the brand's extra value in terms of beauty and uniqueness. Moooi is a venture by the designer Marcel Wanders and his business partner Casper Vissers.

My very first impression when I entered the showroom was sheer awe - a grand space full of design, from modern to Scandinavian inspired to totally quirky - and all with a huge dash of greens. A fantastic design urban jungle if you want so. Everything was much more clear to me when I heard the mission of Moooi: Making environments more beautiful, exciting and inspiring. And they showcase it perfectly in theirs showroom - Moooi shows interior ideas in terms of how a room can be transformed into a rich and colorfully dressed living area with a variety of patterns and colours. 

Apart from all the wild indoor plants I was particularly fascinated by their lighting solutions: the light Heracleum pendant, the dreamy Random Light or the glamorous Prop Light. Apart from discovering design, we were also asked to personalize the new Egg Vase for each of us - a really fun experience!

Later on we went upstairs to peek into the design studio of Marcel Wanders. Imagine conference rooms like out of an 'Alice in Wonderland' set-up, open, bright offices, eclectic details and a family like atmosphere. 

Even though this was just the first day of our Amsterdam bloggers tour, I felt already very inspired with a good load of original Dutch design. Stay tuned for more over the coming days!

Happy weekend everyone!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

Tweet

Place To Roam: Roamers In Berlin

Currently I am on yet another work mission in Berlin for an entire week. Even though I am working all day long here (for my regular day job), I am trying to visit some Berlin hot spots that I've researched in advance. One of those must-see places is a small café in Berlin-Neukölln called 'Roamers'.

It was actually my Urban Jungle Bloggers fellow Judith who told me about this place as it seems to be a real little urban jungle itself. Then I realized it is located in the neighborhood where I used to live many years ago while doing a PR internship in Berlin. And they seem to have delicious coffee, cakes and sandwiches - enough reasons for me to go and check it out in situ.

Yesterday I used the opportunity and went to Roamers. It was a sunny afternoon and I sat down on a table in front of the café and ordered an incredibly creamy and delicious avocado smoothie and a juicy apple tarte. I really enjoyed it there - a great place to watch a very hip crowd of young Berlin folks and admire a real jungle of houseplants inside and outside the café. 

If you ever plan a visit to Berlin, mark this place on your list of cafés to visit. Now that I tested it myself I can truly recommend it. And if you love avocado, just try the avocado smoothie. Heaven!

See you soon!

Photography via Roamers Tumblr

Tweet

From Place To Space: 25 Hours Hotel Bikini In Berlin

Last week I was off on a work mission in Berlin. Not for the blog but for my regular day job. However, I wouldn't be a blogger if I didn't try to squeeze in something that would yield a new story for my Happy Interior Blog. Given the fact that I was working from morning till evening in a studio producing some corporate videos, the only option I had was the hotel. So I did what a good interior design blogger has to do: I picked a hotel I would really love to visit and feature on my blog. Thus, I opted for the recently opened 25 Hours Hotel Bikini in Berlin.

I've already experience the 25 Hours Hotel in Hamburg, Germany, but every hotel of this cool design hotel chain has a different concept and tells a different design story. The new Berlin based hotel is in a historical building complex that is referred to by the Berliners as Bikini. It is located in the city's west between the landmarks Memorial Church and the famous Berlin zoo. Its peculiar location resulted in the hotel's design concept called 'Urban Jungle'. Now you can imagine that I as an Urban Jungle Blogger was all ears when the hotel's manager told me all about the story.

The concept was created by the famous German designer Werner Aissliger with an extended team including guest designers like the Japanese artist Yoshi Sislay who hand drew illustrations in every room and other public areas of the hotel. The juxtaposition of an urban life and the jungle vibe from the adjacent zoo led to a combination of urban materials, vibrant colours and lots of plants. While the rooms on the 'urban side' (facing the Memorial Church) use raw materials like concrete floor screed, copper and cooler colours, the 'jungle side' (facing the zoo) uses natural materials like wood and nature inspired colours with floor-to-ceiling windows and a hammock to relax and watch the monkey jump around in the zoo. 

It is the monkeys that also triggered the naming of the top floor hotel bar, the Monkey Bar. A big rooftop terrace and a relaxed atmosphere with warm hues, colorful furniture and lots of kilim cushions invites every guest to enjoy a drink while enjoying a bird's eye view over Berlin. For the hungry ones there is the wonderful Neni restaurant placed in a greenhouse on the top floor with an abundance of houseplants and delicious Middle Eastern influenced cuisine. 

The public area on the third floor includes a cool reception area made of old Berlin metro tiles, a bakery for a grab & go breakfast, working spaces, a music area, conference facilities, funky green public restrooms and a little design shop of the Berlin based Gestalten publishing house. On the ninth floor guests will find a little gym, a relax zone and a sauna overlooking the Berlin zoo - fancy!

All the above mentioned facts, the attached pictures and the very reasonable prices for a design hotel make the 25 Hours Hotel Bikini a perfect home base for your next Berlin trip. Thumbs up from my side!

Happy new week!

Photography by Igor Josifovic, design products shot by Gestalten

Tweet

Urban Jungle Bloggers: A Community Garden In Vancouver

For the second post of our monthly 'Urban Jungle Bloggers' series we chose the topic of green neighbourhoods. Since a real urban gardener loves interior gardens as much as exterior ones, we opted for this topic. Moreover, the various posts written by all participating bloggers such as Judith or Jocelyn will show us the variety of green spaces in urban areas. 

Now, some of you know that I am just back from a three-weeks trip to Canada and the USA and I thought I'll give you an idea what I had discovered in the Canadian West Coast metropolis Vancouver: the Davie Village Community Garden in the city's West End district.

If it wasn't for my little shopping spree on Davie Street, I would have never discovered this garden. I passed by and was amazed by the idea of a community garden with plots growing flowers, fruits, vegetables right in the middle of the city. Even though this garden looked a bit wild in some of its corners, I loved the idea of gardening in the city. This is a concept that is hardly known in Europe - I have not seen anything similar here in Munich so far nor have I encountered such an urban garden in Paris or any other city I traveled to. 

I admit, I would probably rent a plot in such an urban community garden if we had one here. I mean imagine the wonderful, soothing power of gardening after a busy day at work. Plus you grow your own veggies right in the city. Fun! 

On my trip through Canada and the USA I have seen very similar community gardens in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. Plus I have noticed many buildings with rooftop gardens, many of which also had beehives to produce honey that would then be sold in local cafés and restaurant. 

All these encounters convinced me that urban gardening is growing beyond a trend. That it is rather a shift in our perception of everyday living, of what we expect of our lives. We love our urban lives but want more of nature in it, we prefer organic food over processed food, we buy local produce instead of imported stuff. We cherish both, our urban lifestyle and the desire to be surrounded by green spaces. Hence the urban gardens. What do you think of such a community garden? Are there such gardens in your city? I am curious, let me know!


Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series by 3 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog), Jocelyn (The Little Room of Style) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board. Want to join? Use #urbanjungle on Twitter and Instagram. Or let us know and we'll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let's bring some green into your homes and blogs!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

Tweet