My Trip to the Vitra Haus!

I've been meaning to write this post about my trip to the Vitra Campus for far too long now, and I can't believe that it has taken until now! Sometimes life just takes over doesn't it?

Anyway, last year I was invited on a trip to the wonderful campus in Weil am Rhein, and below is my round-up of my time over there.

The Vitra Campus not only holds the manufacturing facilities of contemporary furniture manufacturers, Vitra, but also its design museum (designed by Frank Gehry, no less), a show-house by Herzog + De Meuron, and various other architectural structures. Armed with this information, and having seen some wonderful images from friends and colleagues who had been in recent years, I was beyond excited!

Vitra were wonderful hosts on our trip - they provided us with insightful tours of the manufacturing facilities, of the campus architecture, and finally of the much-photographed, Haus. And it was here that you can really see what good design can do for an interior. Below are some of my pictures inside the Haus, and around the campus.

The exterior and interior of Herzog + De Meuron's 'stacked' Haus.

Below are images of the fourth floor in the Haus - my personal favourite. Look at that wallpaper!

Next up is the mini 'studio flat' on the third floor of the Haus - this small space showed how clever design can work wonders for small spaces.

As I wandered freely around the spacious Haus, I came across a mixture of fabulous displays - from elegant dining spaces, to colour-filled kids spaces. Below are a few snap-shots I took whilst walking around - which is your fave?

 Check out the GIANT Alexander Girard Wooden Dolls on the kids floor!

As it was a beautiful sunny day in Weil am Rhein, we took a final wander around the campus. Below is Frank Gehry's Design Museum, which, interestingly, was the prototype for his Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the entrance to Tadao Ando's Conference Pavilion.

Private trips and tours are available at the Vitra Campus, find out more on the Vitra website.

{All images: Laura Blanksby}

A Dreamy Dutch Home

When it comes to interiors, Scandinavia often do it best - airy homes with white washed walls, the perfect backdrop to colourful art and textiles. This is certainly true of the beautiful home of Netherlands-based interior designer Sonia van der Zwaan-Barrigas, which I stumbled across this weekend. I love the mix of design-classics (Eames and Muuto to name a few) with high street pieces (the cushions are from H&M and there's some Ikea in there too), which creates a personal, unique home. What do you think?

My favourite room in the house has to be the bedroom - I love the grey wall and that sweet girl print.

{Images: Houzz}

English Romantic

I've been a fan of independent homeware and textile store Chocolate Creative for over a year now and love the graphic prints and bright colours they sell. However, when I took a look at the new English Romantic collection I was completely blown away. The collection, though small - only cushions and door knobs at the minute - is truly stunning. The products feature serene and typically English scenes such as woodlands and lakes, but still retain a modern feel. Here are a few images of the new pieces, I hope you like them as much as I do.

One of these cushions would look great scattered amongst lots of plain ones on a sofa. From left the designs are: Blue Lake, Red Lake, Vintage Beach and Woodlands. I love the colours in the Blue Lake design, so pretty!

Now for the door knobs.

Don't they look great against a dark charcoal background? Thank you Chocolate Creative, what a stunning collection!

{Images: Chocolate Creative}

My Dream Living Room via Nest.co.uk

As you read this I will be just about to start my new job at Nest.co.uk. I'm so excited to be working for a brand that I have admired for a long time and one that is dedicated to providing great design to the north of England and beyond. So today I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite items from the 15,000-strong collection available at Nest.co.uk. It was hard to whittle it down to just a few but, with my soon-to-be-decorated living room in mind, I've chosen the pieces I would love own right now.

The sofa is a Cassina Reef Two Seater Sofa in Biscuit - a nice warm alternative to grey or white. The cushion is a classic Hay Dot Cushion in Graphic with a bright yellow contrasting button. Hay make these in lots of different colours too, each with a contrasting colour button, see the full collection here. The rug is a Nani Marquina Luna Rug which, not only is a cool design, but is also made from 100% New Zealand wool, so will be super cosy to sit on too! Last but not least are the Ercol Nest of Tables. These have been a favourite of mine for a very long time and I hope to finally buy them this year. Originally designed in 1956, they are a true design classic and will stand the test of time. They are made from solid wood and come in a number of finishes, including colour versions too.
I hope you like my round-up, but why not have a look at the Nest.co.uk website to choose your favourite pieces too?

{Images: Nest.co.uk}

Paper Shades

Today I'm loving these beautifully designed paper light shades available from French store Cachette. The lights are inspired by the art of origami, and each light is folded from only one sheet of specialist paper. They come in seven colours (white, grey, pink, green, gold, canary yellow and autumn yellow) and are €89 each.

The paper shades come with a lovely fabric-covered cable and take a low-wattage bulb, meaning they give off a lovely soft light. Find them on-line here.

{Images: Cachette}

Pretty Pegs

In an ideal world I'm sure we'd all like to own designer or bespoke furniture. However, for most of the time, we have to make do with what the high street or Ikea has to offer. Don't get me wrong, I love Ikea - I think the way they offer great design for a reasonable price is fantastic - but sometimes it's nice to own something that no-one else has got. So when I came across Swedish accessories company Pretty Pegs who make add-on legs for Ikea sofas and beds, I was quite ecstatic. The little add-on legs add a nice bespoke feel to your existing furniture and can make a mass-produced piece feel a lot more you. They come in lots of different shapes and colours from natural ash to acid yellow so there's bound to be something that suits both you and your décor style.

Above is just a selection of the different shapes and colours on offer from the pink bobble 'Siri' (for the sofa) to the yellow-dipped 'Carl' (for beds). The pegs are predominantly made for Ikea furniture, but they can fit other brands, just check the product information on-line.

Here's how the 'Estelle', with brass tips, look on a simple bed. I like the mid-century feel the pegs create.

And here's the 'Dagmar' in black on a sofa.

I know these pegs aren't going to magically transform your Ektorp sofa into an Ercol studio couch, but they will make it make it feel a lot more unique and personal. What do you think?

{Images: Pretty Pegs}

Kaleido

I love these new Kaleido trays from Danish design store Hay. Brightly coloured and geometrically shaped, they are the perfect home accessory. I can see them as a centre piece on a coffee table, maybe filling them up with those bits and pieces that just end up as clutter - sweets, pens, loose change. What do you think?

There are five differently shaped trays in the collection, but they are all sold separately and come in lots of different colours so you can mix and match to suit your tastes. A great piece of design that's practical too.

{Images: Hay}

The Polaroid Z2300

When I first bought my Polaroid P600 instant camera I remember being so happy. I had finally got what I had wanted for a long time. However, for some reason could not think of what to take photos of. I soon realised that that didn't matter though - whatever I decided to take photos of (my cat probably) wasn't the point. It was that I could hold that picture in my hands in seconds. It was the most fun thing in the world. I loved taking my camera out when I met my friends, I loved being able to give the photos to friends and family as a little memento. It was cool.

However, the Polaroid instamatic didn't last. Film was expensive - around one pound a print - and there were faults in the design. It was clunky and heavy to transport, I could only take 10 photos at a time (unless I carried more film) and film could be accidentally exposed. Adding to this, digital cameras were also on the rise. This was a sad time for me as I knew what was coming. I held out as long as I could tracking down the last remnants of film in my area, but when my P600 began to break down I knew the game was over. I bought a digital camera and contentedly used that thereafter. I love digital too, there are so many benefits in it. You can take as many photos as you like and only print the best, you can easily store and share images and you can take a digital camera everywhere you go. Though there is still that part of me that craves being able to develop your picture seconds after you take it.

This is the reason I am ecstatic about the recently released Polaroid Z2300, a digital camera that allows you to print on-the-spot. The new design is slimline and takes a memory card, just like a normal point-and-shoot, but it also gives you the option to instantly print your best images onto credit-card sized paper.

I love the nice touch of the coloured stripe on the new Z2300, it's so reminiscent of the classic Polaroid designs.

The camera prints credit-card sized photographs which have a sticky back so can be used for scrap booking or craft projects. Although the size of the prints aren't the classic size, the fact that this camera exists is fantastic, and maybe in the future they will be able to introduce a camera that prints the classic-sized, square prints.

The idea is that you load your camera with paper and a memory card. You can take as many photos as you like and can view these on the screen, and then you decide if you want to print or not. No film is wasted and the option to print instantly is always there. I'm so pleased that this camera exists as it recognises our feelings of nostalgia towards the physical print, but also that we might want to take hundreds of snaps on a night out too. I'm still secretly hoping they will develop a camera that will print the classic square prints, but until then, this will do just fine.

{Images: Photojojo}

New at Muuto

Scandinavian furniture designers Muuto have released a new collection of elegantly designed furniture and accessories. There's a lovely fresh colour scheme running through the collection with plenty of light ash wood, pastel pink textiles and white accessories. Photographer Petra Bindel shot the new products and the results are wonderful.

My favourite new designs are: the 'Corky Carafe', designed by Andreas Engesvik; the 'Under the Bell' pendant lamp, designed by Iskos-Berlin; and 'The Dots' coat hooks (not shown) designed by Lars Tornoe.

{Images: Petra Bindel for Muuto}

Love Builds a Happy Home

Hi guys, just a quick post today as I'm about to rush off to a local car boot here in Munich - hopefully I will uncover some last-minute treasures before I return to the UK on Monday! But before I go, I want to share with you a piece of art I recently came across on the Minted website. I've been looking for a piece of art for my flat for a very long time but have been struggling to decide on the perfect piece. It's got to be something I love but also something that I can live with day-in and day-out! That's why I was so pleased when I came across this lovely yellow typography print by Wondercloud Design. Not only is yellow my current favourite colour (it's so happy and bright!) but also the message is sweet. I won't lie, it's very pricey for a print, but art is such an important (and noticeable!) part of a room that investing in something you love will be worth it in the end.

The 'Love Builds a Happy Home' print is available in yellow, ivory and duck-egg blue and comes in seven different sizes from 7''x5'' to 44''x60''. If you haven't checked out Minted before do have a pop over as they are a great place to discover new art and they feature hundreds of independent designers. Hope you all have a fab weekend and hope to see you on Monday!

{Image: Wondercloud Design via Minted}

Nikki McWilliams

Scottish design seems to be undergoing a resurgence of late. Donna Wilson and Papa Stour are just two examples of how Scottish talent is becoming a major player in the design world. Designer-maker Nikki McWilliams is another name to add to that list. Based in Dundee, Nikki makes fun accessories for the home and body which all have a 'tea-time' theme. There is a fun range of cushions based on classic British biscuits, delicate art prints and cute brooches. I'm in love with the Jammy Heart cushion, not only because they were my favourite biscuits as a child, but also 'cos it's a cheery and bright design.

I've only featured the cushions on this post but here are the links if you want to view her brooches or her art prints.

{Images: Nikki McWilliams}