Solli in Paris

Another Nué is one of my favourite boutiques in Copenhagen. Before I discovered the boutique and I passed it by for the very first time it was closed….but the beautiful Jieldé lamps and the rest of the interior that consists of old antiques from France where almost screaming to me throughout the shopping window to come by another time. And so I did :-) The staff was very friendly and I told them I had been working with antiques in Paris and they shared another secret with me…they told me the source of their interior. To be continued ;-)

But before I end this blogpost….besides that I totally fell in love with the interior of this boutique I also liked their collections that are from brands such as Etoile Isabel Marant, Charles Philip, Alexander Wang, Givenchy, Jérôme Dreyfuss, Acne etc.

Another nué – Krystalgade 3, Copenhagen, Denmark

Let me introduce you to Posh Living, an interior design boutique situated in the new department-store called MOOD in Stockholm. When I was there last weekend I totally fell in love with these cute cups with butterflies on, aren’t they adorable? Simple things with beautiful details ;-)

I liked Posh Livings assortment and different brands…even though everything was new produced (which I’m allergic too…I prefer OLD and USED…with history and plenty of charm!). They had my favourite chairs (that can be found in Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris)..simply called Luxembourg chair from the brand Fermob, chairs from Tolix, lamps from Jieldé….and books from Taschen :-)

Me sitting on a armchair/bed from Sweden

Leaving Paris also means leaving the job I had at Quintessence Playground. I worked there since 2010, it was a job I loved, it was very diverse, creative and I enjoyed working with antiques.
Ever since I was a child I loved spending hours on flea markets, always brought home old things…. I was a collector already back then ;-) My biological father was an architect and in my early ages  I used to play with the house models he built…I thought that was much more fun than dressing up the Barbie dolls ;-) When I was studying Engineering I took many courses in 3d-modelling and when I bought my apartment in Stockholm I made all the plans and drawing before the total renovation of the entire apartment.  Working at Quintessence Playground was therefore a natural step for me to discover and learn more about my interests.

There are many of you who have been asking exactly what I have been doing in the gallery and now I will explain my love-story with the job I was passionated about…

Quintessence Playground, me sitting next to the Eiffel Tower

Quintessence Playground is a 650 square meters concept store, the space is designed as a loft and features a selection of industrial furnitures and elements, exclusive antiques and unique curiosities. Some of the details that creates the unique ambience is the feature wall on the groundfloor that is covered with wallpaper created by the French designer Vincent Darré and the lightship installation made by the designer Alexandre de Betak that could be seen in the vitrina last February (2011).

I was involved in creating their website, I made a blog (Quintessence Lifestyle Blog for the owner Ludovic Messager) and a fanpage on Facebook. From time to time I also assisted in the decoration of the gallery and I also went on buying trips, throughout in France (south of France and some marché Antiquités Brocante on other places in France, and also to Antwerp in Belgium (two times in 2010 and 4-5 times in 2011), Sweden and Denmark for antiques digging.
I also did my own sourcing trips, went to Maison & Objét (a big international fair within interior) and to other flea markets in Paris.

Quintessence Playground, a bag we bought on one of our buying trips in Antwerp, Belgium. On the bed you can see a beautiful ancient dress that we bought in the flea market in 2010.

Since the concept-store is very big and constructed as a loft it is the perfect ambiance for photo shootings for designers making their lookbooks. I was involved in that work assisting in most of the parts. Just before I left I was also involved in the first process of a hotel-project and a very exciting restaurant project.

Most of Quintessence Playgrounds clients were designers, interior-designers and architects and celebrities, among them Philippe Starck, Paula Navone, Gisele Bündchen Madonna, Liv Tyler, Donna Karan, and Renzo Rosso. My work in the concept-store made me meet people I would have never met before and I was learning incredibly many things and at the same time I brought my knowledge and experience to improve the activities of the company.

Quintessence Playground

I loved going to work every day. Being a part of a job where giving new life to old things was like doing magic and that was the best part, taking care of and working in an environment filled up with beautiful objects and furnitures that had a past, a history.

Quintessence Playground, a beautiful mermaid with wings that we bought on Ile de Ré in the Spring of 2011

The gallery was like a second home for me, just like it was designed to be to match a lifestyle concept-store. I loved the rock’n’roll ambiance that was created with Gustavian furniture’s from Sweden, Louis XVI furniture’s from France, combined with industrial furnitures and objects…..enhanced with details such as skulls and fashion books completed the ambiance of Quintessence Playground.

Quintessence Playground, plates we bought in Antwerp, Belgium

It was not an easy decision quitting the work that I loved so much. I remember when the owner just had bought the big space, the walls we’re not painted yet and it was hard to imagine the result. I went along buying loads of color buckets for the painters to paint the walls, the ceiling etc….that was in the end of the summer of 2010…and I remember that Woody Allen was there on the same street at the same time with his film crew doing his movie “Midnight in Paris”, those of you who have seen it will recognize the flea market in some of the scenes.

Being there from the beginning of the birth of the new space of Quintessence Playground, being involved in the process and see how the owner gave life to his dreams and visions was an amazing experience and a journey I will never forget.

We’re living in a world where almost everything is changing in a fast speed. We’re living in a throwaway and high consuming society where many things are fake and the real and true things are the most sought after…and they’re rare. Remember when I wrote how I would like to decorate my home in one of my earlier blogpost? I wanted to fill my home with objects and furnitures that had a story to tell……old, broken…with beautiful patina, traces that showed they had been living. Not furnitures and objects that are newly produced with fake patina, those things looks dead to me. Many companies that are producing furnitures and decoration for homes are catching up on the trends that are inspired of vintage, industrial and colonial style. I’ve seen many products that have been newly produced with fake patina and I’ve been fairly impressed. It is so easy to see they’re newly produced and instead of bringing the charming ambiance it looks more cheap and dead.

I would rather go to flea markets and antique galleries to dig for the real things with true aging and with their own unique story to tell…

So how does my dream home looks like? Well, the way Marie Olsson Nylander, a Swedish Interior Designer, decorated her house is more or less how I would like my home to look like. White floors and walls is the optimal color to highlight and bring out the interior in a home. The colours of the furnitures and objects are given their own voices without beeing distracted by other overtaking colors in the background. When decorating a home it’s important to know how to combine colors, patterns and textures in a way that doesn’t hurt the eye, everything has to be in balance with each other and I believe Marie Olsson Nylander did a great job in that perspective. Check the photos below and create your own opinion:

I like the big planter on the table, its made by fibrated cement and it reminds me of the “elephant ears” designed by Willy Guhl. The fiberglass chairs are designed by Charles Eames.

Perfect working table in wood and the industrial factory lamp in zinc with washed patina hanging down from the ceiling.

The circular worn iron staircase is a perfect match for the interior in this home.

Beautiful worn out leather club arm chair, nice kelim floor cushion and wooden table. Very ethnic goes vintage-style!

Shutters with beautiful patina are perfect for decoration.

Giving new life to an old worn out leather gym bench.

All the photos have been taken by Sara Svenningrud and they’ve been published

in the Swedish Interior Design magazine Residence Magazine.

old beautiful things with stories to tell (photo taken in the flea market in St Ouen outside Paris)

Recently a friend of mine asked me what kind of things I would decorate and furnish my home with? A home for me is a place that should be filled up with a welcoming ambiance, a peaceful spirit and also a place where love would be growing. To make that ambiance possible I would put lot’s of light, flowers and plants, candles…and books! I want my home to reflect me and the people living there.

Ever since I was a child I loved to stroll around in the fleamarkets…I came home with things that in my parents opinion was “trash” but for me it was things with history…beautiful things. New things are nothing for me, unless its a technical product. Antiques, different objects and curiosities are things I would dig for in the flea market and put in my home. I would rather put a cover on an old canapé than buying a new one. Giving new life to old things are more charming and would give more life and spirit to my home. And it’s also environment friendly not to throw away things and re-use them! Here are some photos on beautiful things in the flea market in St Ouen outside Paris:

old beautiful things with stories to tell (photo taken in the flea market in St Ouen outside Paris)

old beautiful things with stories to tell (photo taken in the flea market in St Ouen outside Paris)

old beautiful things with stories to tell (photo taken in the flea market in St Ouen outside Paris)

old beautiful things with stories to tell (photo taken in the flea market in St Ouen outside Paris)

See you next year at Maison & Objet!!!

Ready to discover the trends I noticed at Maison & Objet that I went to in Paris last week? Here we go:

• vintage
• patchwork
• industrial - still an on-going trend, but more mixed with wood and leather for a warmer ambiance
• animals -in all kind of materials such as porcelain, wood, wallpapers, cardboard etc…
• recycled wood – in products such as frames, tables etc
• paisley – printed paisley on pillows, bedlinen etc
• knits
• burlap – puffs, bags, armchairs etc made with burlap
• silver
• sustainable design
• kilim – the traditional Persian rug using the kilim technique is a HOT trend! You can find the pattern technique on pillows, armchairs etc
• reclaimed furnitures – furnitures made by recycled wood, vintage materials, recycled glass and other recycled materials
  

Here are some more photos that I took at Maison & Objet September 2011, click here. And the rest are the photos below:

skull in tulle

Maison & Objet September 2011 trends

Maison & Objet September 2011 trends

Maison & Objet September 2011 trends

Maison & Objet September 2011 trends

Maison & Objet September 2011 trends

Maison & Objet September 2011 trends

Maison & Objet September 2011

Here are some photos that I took at Maison & Objet earlier this week in Paris:

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet September 2011

Me @ Maison & Objet September 2011

Maison & Objet is an important international industry event for interior design and decoration at Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center. It offers a unique opportunity to gain an overview of the trends in decoration, furniture, home furnishings. The event is held twice a year (in January and September) and this time there were more than 3,000 exhibitors and 80,000 visitors….

I took many photos so keep tuned and check my blog later tonight ;-)

@ Udda Tina

I saw many beautiful furnitures in the windows of many boutiques, cafés and restaurants in Lund yesterday and when I asked the owners where they had bought their interior objects almost 99 % told me they had bought them at Udda Tina. So I simply had to go to Udda Tina to discover their sortiment! In the photo above you can see some of my favorite objects in the store. They also gave me a long list with all their providers, too bad I won’t have time to visit them. I’ll leave that till next time ;-)

A chocolate-box from Ladurée...

I hate to throw things and I’m well-known as The Collector among my friends. When I finished this beautiful chocolate-box from Ladurée I saved the box and now I use it to store visitcards….

A chocolate-box filled with visitcards

MERCI MERCI

Last week it was confirmed that I’m going to work with something really, really fun :-) For now I don’t want to kill the magic so I will keep it as a secret but I’ll let you know more about it later. Anyhow, after the meeting we went for an inspiration tour at the concept stores Colette, merci merci and Bonpoint. At merci merci there was a cool kitchen module with nice details that caught my attention. But something that I fell in love with was the beautiful industrial bed frame…made me wish I had those € 1290.00 that was written on the price tag, but it’s not forbidden to dream, is it? ;-) At the French childrenswear’s couture house Bonpoint I was happy not having any children yet, otherwise I can guarantee you I would have left the store with shoppingbags enough to fill up a whole children’s wardrobe!!! With other words, they have so cute and beautiful childrensclothes at Bonpoint :-)

kitchen module @ merci merci

Industrial

Bonpoint

Bonpoint

Hairdresser ONLY for children @ Bonpoint in Paris

Yay! Se vad fint det blev i mitt kök idag :-) Redan kl. 11 på förmiddagen ringde en av snickarna och meddelade att de var klara. Jag blev jätteförvånad…klara?! På bara 4 h? Hrmm…jag borde nog ha anställt dom istället för sölpuckarna till byggare som totalrenoverade min lägenhet för knappt två år sen. Den planerade renoveringen som skulle ta 1 vecka tog 3 månader! Ni kan bara ana vilka extra kostnader det förde med sig med tanke på dubbelt boende, abonnemangsavgifter etc etc Inget vidare kul var det heller att bo i en resväska :-(

Men NU är jag iaf glad! Tycker t.o.m att det blev finare med ek-skivan än det gråa laminatet. Ska köpa olja imorrn och olja in den vilket man bör göra några dagar i rad när den är nylagd.