My 5 favourite December treats

I am one of those people that never makes it to the hair salon because I don’t seem to ever be able to book an appointment. These hairdressers are so busy that it takes too much of compromising my own schedule in order to make anything work.

5 projects by Herzog and deMeuron Architekten

Originally posted on my 2 cents on design:
A glimpse at the work of this talented team. …2001 Pritzker Prize in Architecture… The Rock Crystal Chandelier installed at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota is the objectified essence of their architecture of light and mass. Designed in 2005, you can trace it’s concept in the…

Multicolour + white in Contemporary Interiors

Contemporary style is often daring with furniture and built-ins colours and surprisingly conservative with window treatments. The stripes and patchwork for instance are used everywhere from rugs to furniture, to upholstery.   Saturated tones of red, blue even purple and are accepted and part of the contemporary aesthetic.   This kitchen borrows the baroque blue and…

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Shopping season, getting the essentials and the ones you don’t need

When I shop for clients I never feel distracted. It is completely different when the buying becomes a part of a project. Professional buying applies a filter to browsing that confidently edits, reshuffles and combines the finds with all the other elements of the design, such as room wall colours, flooring finish lights and so forth, that I do not have with me when shopping.

Half birthdays – Set the perfect table!

When I first thought of celebrating a half birthday for my daughter I thought I’m quite unique. She absolutely loved the idea and since, we have a little ritual.

The kids variable in renovations

I’ve had food on the ceiling and radiators pulled out from the wall – all because of toddlers… I had the kid-proof water from the cooler draining the floor when the kid outsmarted the machine. There is nothing that resists them. Kids, the force of curiosity and imagination. They are the blast that tests every…

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Remembering Summer

This was just such a nice soft summer day… the ROM echoed with the sound of the street band weaving happy tunes in the warm summer air.

Milan inspired

We’re in for flamboyant interiors with vibrant brushstrokes inspired by the colour and pattern of the 2018 Milan Fashion Week.

Beautiful things, urinals

Let’s face it, some spaces or things are just simply more interesting than others. We spend more time in living rooms than we do in bathrooms, we like using nice table settings rather than camping ones. Good design is enjoyable in very different ways. Not all spaces get regular attention beyond functionality and requirements of all…

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The US architectural symbol of democracy, Lincoln Memorial

Symbols are an evolving library of information that pulls us together into the same conversation. Many symbols go beyond religious and cultural markers that are recognized by all, while some need to be learned before they are used and understood.

The key ingredient in a symbol is meaning. Anything can be a symbol, if it has meaning and sufficient recognition or use, it will eventually make it into the library of symbols of a religion, nation, the western or the eastern world, or humanity.

Neoclassical architecture as it is present in North America and especially United States has been associated with many meanings out of which in the case of Lincoln Memorial is democracy.

Breaking the rules on lighting placement

Breaking the rules is invigorating, we all know that. Rethink what the chandelier or a suspended light can do to the room before you decide to place it smack where “it’s supposed to be”. Look how successfully it applies to these two beautiful spaces: