Thanks To These Blogger Friends!

This weekend I want to use the opportunity to thank some of my blogger friends based in the USA. That is probably the most wonderful side effect of blogging: an international network of likeminded people and friends. During my last trip to the USA I used the opportunity to meet up with some of my favorite peeps there. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen these iPhone pics already. But anyways, let me say thank you to these friends:

Bradford and Jon: In Seattle, I had the great opportunity to meet Bradford aka Uncle Beefy to the bloggersphere. I was very happy to meet him in real life because I think he is one of the most blithe personalities out there and I just knew the meet-up will be great fun. Little did I know that even my LA based friend Jon of Happy Mundane was in town too - so it turned out to be a real blogger dinner in a great restaurant in downtown Seattle. I must not forget that Bradford marked the occasion with yummy homemade cupcakes!

Jordan and Ana: A real highlight was the meet-up with Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day in San Francisco. When she contacted me on Twitter and asked whether I want to meet up for a little personal tour through the Mission, I was beyond happy. Shortly after that, my friend Ana of Fluxi on Tour invited me to an ice cream at her favorite ice parlor in the Mission - so I was the lucky guy with a double date! We grabbed an ice cream, sat down at Dolores Park, and had a shopping tour in the Mission. Thank you ladies for a fabulous afternoon!

Jeanne, Einat, Ana: A big thank you to Jeanne of Shop Sweet Things for organizing a great blogger lunch and shopping tour on Filmore Street! It was such a great moment to finally meet Jeanne whom I've known ever since I started blogging. She is so sweet and adorable - thank you my dear! Another highlight was meeting Einat of Design Break - a fabulously creative lady full of energy and refreshing Israeli honesty. What a blast we had! We met up even the next day for more shopping and eating (!!) - toda chavera! And thanks Ana for joining us and guiding us through the city! You are a real sweetheart!

Victoria: Last but not least, I want to thank the SF girl by bay, the fabulous Victoria Smith. Victoria was the 'missing celebrity friend'. She happened to be in Europe at the very same time. However, this circumstances had a bittersweet note: Victoria asked me to homesit her bohemian modern abode in San Francisco. What an honor! And what a generous offer! Thank you Victoria for this amazing offer and opportunity. I can't wait to thank you in real life anytime soon!

And thank you all my dear readers for stopping by here. Have a very happy weekend!

Photography by Igor Josifovic (poor iPhone quality, sorry!)

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Scandinavian Simplicity: Saariwood Furniture

Even though I promised it's over with my references to this summer's DesignTrade show in Copenhagen, I still have a few news that I brought back home and don't want to keep just for myself. One of them is also a new Finnish company producing furniture made of Finnish birch wood: Saariwood.

Saariwood has its roots in the craftsmanship tradition of the founding Saari family. The founders believe in the essence derived from the vast Finnish nature, the simplicity of good design, and the quality of craftsmanship inherited from previous generations. To accomplish all these they use locally grown wood from Finland, they work with young Finnish design talents and rely on handmade quality.

On a first glance one might think that the furniture design is too simplistic - but the refinement lies in the details. The workmanship of each furniture piece is carried out with utmost proficiency. And the wood has that unique feel when touched. Moreover, Saariwood has strong ecological beliefs and sources the Finnish birch from local forests and pays due attention to a sustainable production process. Thus you not only get well designed and produced furniture pieces, but also furniture that is good to the environment. A win-win I'd say. 

Photography via Saariwood

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Shop Love: 'Provide' In Vancouver

This Monday I took you to Vancouver with this blog post and today I want to show you one of the fabulous interiors stores I'd discovered while in the Canadian metropolis. But first, this story requires a little foreword: I did not find Provide by coincidence. The great advantage of being a blogger is a great international network of blogger friends. It happened that my Canadian friend, interior designer and blogger Nyla noticed that I am going to Vancouver and she told me about her favorite interiors store in town. We tweeted about it and a minute later the shop owners replied on Twitter saying that they are looking forward to meeting me. I checked the address and a few hours later I was on my way to Provide.

Provide is run by the owners David Keeler and Robert Quinnell and features a well curated collection of furniture, home textiles, tableware, and home décor. The collection has a contemporary vibe and is modern yet remaining warm and inviting for different tastes and interior styles. During my visit, the store was highlighting beautiful autumn hues like all shades of blues and yellow - I need not mention that I was totally enchanted by one of my favorite colour combinations. But Provide is more than just an interiors store: The Provide team also provides (catchword) an interior design service for their clients.

I was very happy to be welcomed in the store and free to roam around and snap pictures for you my readers. I chatted with one of the owners and also learned that they will be exhibiting at the upcoming Maison & Objet in Paris so who knows, maybe we will see each other again pretty soon. And if you happen to be at M&O, watch out for the inspiring folks of Provide.

But for now I will let you roam around the shop with me and discover the beautiful interior design goodies through these pictures. I hope you like it. I loved it.

You can find Provide on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, too.

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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5 Happy Inspirations: Outdoors Goes Indoors

With the new monthly blog series 'Urban Jungle Bloggers' I am sharing my passion for the outdoors world that sometimes can be brought indoors in the form of little plant collections, flowers or windowsill gardens. This has been the guiding thought for today's selection of five goodies: They all bring the outdoors indoors. A bit of nature for your happy home if you want so. Let's have a closer look on what I've curated for you:

1. 'Into The Wild' wallpaper by Hibou Home: What a lovely wallpaper design, especially for a nursery or a even a little feature wall for the reading nook. It's like spending a time out there in the woods while gazing at this playful wallpaper design.

2. Joules Yellow Garden Boots by Garden XL: Here comes the ultimate fashion accessory for all you urban gardeners out there - now how fancy are these yellow and blue striped garden boots? Oh my, I wish I had a garden to jump around with these boots. I don't even care that they are marked as 'for women'. Oy!

3. Blue ocean cushion by Tye: The new Swedish online store boasts with beautiful, nature inspired home textiles. My absolute favorite is this blue ocean cushion. It brings the waves right onto your sofa!

4. 'Flower Child' art print by Clare Elsaesser via Etsy: How about a fresh bunch of flowers? If you couldn't make it to the flower market or your local supermarket, you can adorn your home's walls with this wonderful flower art print.

5. Linen wrapped pots by Terrain: If you are growing a little indoor or outdoor garden with potted plants, opt for these vintage looking pots. They look like they've been outside forever facing the ever changing weather caprices. 

So, will you bring some outdoors indoors in your home?

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Why This Room Caught My Eye

Sometimes it is sheer simplicity that catches my eye. In a world where visual cues are exuberant, a quite setting attracts my attention pretty quickly. Especially when there is one or two little style elements that add that dash of sophistication to a simple interior design. When I spotted this kitchen, I felt like I would love to sit there on the table, have a cup of coffee, flip through a few favorite interiors magazines and let the day pass by. As simple as that. But what caught my eye in detail? Here are three points:

• Industrial Pendant: Lighting is essential in any interior and one of the most important interior design elements. Kitchens seem to be the ideal place for vintage, weathered industrial pendants. Probably because they evoke some fantasies of a large bakery from the past. Or the image of a large French cuisine from the late 19th century? I don't know what, but it always works.
• Tiled Wall: Metro or subway tiles have really made a grand entrance in the interior design scene. Mostly, tiles were used for the splashback in kitchens. But an entire tiled feature wall? Pretty cool!
• Black Eames Chairs: In this rather simple kitchen void of clutter, a design classic makes a stark statement: they reveal the owner's sense for design and style. And opting for simple, black Eames chairs is the best option to underline the sophisticated, calm look of this kitchen.

Are simple interiors catching your eye, too?

Photography via Fastighetsbyran

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From Place To Space: Discovering Vancouver

It’s been a week now that I am back from my trip to Canada and the USA and my lightweight jet lag has been worked off properly so I thought I’ll start with my series of travel related posts covering my 3-weeks road trip experience to North America. Last week I had a soft launch with this post about a community garden in Vancouver. The Canadian West Coast metropolis was my first stop so here we go with a little Vancouver recap.

Vancouver is a great travel destination: You like city life. Check. You like nature. Check. You like mountains, you like beaches? Double check. Vancouver has managed to acquire an enviable image. It is the city where urban life & nature collide, where people are very, I mean very outdoorsy and where a sporty attitude is a prerequisite for future inhabitants. The possibilities for a healthy outdoor life are paramount: bike trails everywhere, an abundance of parks, water sport activities, hiking and climbing spaces just to mention a few. And that outdoorsy attitude is omnipresent on the city’s streets.

For a first time visitor like myself the most important to-see destinations were quickly determined: the busy waterfront, bustling Gastown with its cool shops, bars and restaurants, a stroll through Chinatown (did you know Vancouver has the largest Asian community in North America), walk’n’shop in the liberal West End, discovering the famous Granville Market, a cruise on the Burrard Inlet. And I herewith confirm – yes, do all of this if you end up in Vancouver one day.

And with all the outdoor activities you can count on one phenomenon: hunger. To tackle that problem opt for a healthy, locally grown lunch in the beautiful restaurant ‘Rainier Provisions’ in Gastown or a bite at ‘Nelson the Seagull’ followed by yummy donuts from the Cartems Donuterie (I had the earl grey donut with rose petals) and topped with a delicious cup of tea (and more tea to take home) at David’s Tea or a fresh coffee at Revolver Brew Bar.

But the best food experience will lead you on a boat at first: Take the water taxi to Granville island and discover the abundance of food at Granville market – you can’t resist the all the juicy, fresh fruits, the luscious delicatessen and fresh bread and pastries. You can easily spend the entire day there eating and drinking, walking around, visiting art galleries, the famous Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and one of the many breweries with local microbrews.

For a serene, almost zen-like experience head to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden – you can either join a guided tour or do it my way: Stroll around by yourself, discover hidden corners, sit down and contemplate, behold the beauty of the jade tigers, sip on a cup of Chinese green tea, and challenge yourself in Chinese calligraphy – at least you’ll know if your talented or not. I know now. I’m not.

For more nature in town experiences take a boat cruise on the Burrard Inlet to opposite North Vancouver, walk around the immense Stanley Park and sit down at sunset hour on Second Beach or the English Bay to immerse yourself in the flaming reds and oranges of a Pacific sunset. Don’t miss the trendy Yaletown quarter with cool shops, restaurants and a hip crowd. During my stay in Vancouver, I’ve discovered two very cool interior design stores that I will share with you in separate blog posts soon. Stay tuned!

I left Vancouver invigorated with a fresh spirit of an urban life that has embraced its surroundings – the beautiful and vast nature – and has defined urban life in its own terms: a life strongly bound to nature and outdoor activities. A pretty healthy city life.

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Ideas For A Happy Weekend

So how about this idea for the weekend: Packing a suitcase and traveling? Now don't tell me I am traveling all the time. It's just a basic trip to my family back in Austria, so nothing all too exciting. But taking into consideration that I haven't seen my family in two months, it is pretty exciting! Actually I should be at the book fair in Frankfurt today promoting our new interior design bloggers book 'Wohnideen aus dem wahren Leben' but after my Canada & US trip I felt it's time to spend a weekend with my family instead. You can't help it, right? 

Speaking of the book that I contributed to: I will soon make a proper book review here on the blog and giveaway three copies to you my dear readers! Stay tuned. But for now, have a happy weekend!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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