Iittala Leimu lamps

I've been pinning up a storm lately, which has led me to rediscover my love for Iittala. I first got to know about Iittala when I was living in Helsinki (couldn't have been more fitting :). Finland has definitely shaped my appreciation of clean & simple design that's also highly functional (yup, I think it must be prettttty clear by now... I LOVE simplicity :).

This is why I'm totally head over heels for these Leimu lamps. They were created by Norwegian-born & London-based designer Magnus Pettersen for Iittala and were exhibited at Clarkenwell Design Week. I love the use of the word 'Leimu' as well - it means 'flame' in Finnish and since the use of light is a really important part of Nordic design, I think they couldn't have picked a better name.

The lamps have concrete bottoms but they are mainly made of glass. Pettersen has indicated that he wanted to 'combine opposites in a lamp'. Don't you think this lamp totally evokes cold & warmth? I love everything about it - the shape, the materials, the orange glass shade. Sophisticated yet cozy! Coming to an Iittala store near you this September (totally adding this to my wishlist ;).

Story via Dezeen
Original article by Dan Howarth, photos via Iittala

Basics

Lately I've been into basics - simple blue shirts, dark jeans and chic flats. Basics have (more or less) even taken over my Pinterest boards. And yeah, I've been into a sort of J.Crew/preppy-ish/Emmanuelle Alt-ish aesthetic for quite some time, but these days I'm a fan of a more pared down look. That's why I'm in love with last week's new purchases:

1. My first Ray-Bans! I've been dreaming of these sunglasses for a few years now and now they're finally mine!

2. Vagabond flats. Vagabond is my favourite (accessible) shoe brand. Leave it to the Swedes to make high-quality shoes that are simple, cool and elegant. Major love!

Have you bought any fun new things lately? Let me know!

P.S.: The weather in Prague has been really crappy lately, but this weekend I'm actually secretly happy that it's raining (shh!). I think I'll just stay at home with my new book (shh #2 - even English majors need a break from Virginia Woolf sometimes ;). Hope your weekend is relaxing and cozy!

Role Model.

Robyn 'Dancing On My Own' (Official Video) from Robyn on Vimeo.
Do you have role models? I think it's important to have people who inspire you to go the extra mile (did that just rhyme? I'm trying to be all deep and this is what comes out... great). Robyn is definitely one of my role models - despite outward appearances, she hasn't always had it easy. She's had to work hard and in the end she's come out on top. I love her music but I also love her take on life. She rocks. 
P.S.: I know my blog has been in hibernation mode as of late, and it makes me sad because I miss having all the time in the world to blog. I have decided that I will set myself some blogging goals and see where that takes me. I love writing and I love blogging, and I'm excited to be back! :) 

Signs of Spring

These are my personal signs of spring. What are yours?

Plus, here's what's been keeping me busy lately:

Revenge. I love this show! Nolan Ross (played by Gabriel Mann) is my favourite character. Awkward, snarky, sarcastic AND a (really young) billionaire. Sexy. :)

Music by Mumford & Sons. Bliss. They played a gig in Prague yesterday and I'm super bummed it was sold out. Everyone's raving about it now.

Excited for some amazing concerts - I'll be seeing Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding in April and The XX in May. Music awesomeness awaits!

My style crush isn't a girl... or a guy. It's the coolest dog ever. Can I have all of his outfits, please?

I'm still obsessed with my Galaxy SIII Mini phone & Instagram! Here's my Instagram account.

Trying to read as many books as possible and failing miserably. I really haven't been reading that much lately and I'm not too happy about it. I need to step my game up because I want to finish NaNoWriMo this year!

P.S.: Sorry for the sporadic posting lately... I spend way too much time on the computer, so I'm trying to do other things when I'm not working (still failing miserably... but hopefully I'll get there).

Betty & Me In Paris

Today's post is totally French-inspired. And no, I'm not in Paris at the moment (I wish I was, though!) - but I did feel a bit like a Parisian after my visit to Paul today. I always wonder if Paul truly is a Maison de Qualité Fondée en 1889 or if it's just a huge Czech patisserie chain & a clever marketing ploy. Seriously, does anyone else have Paul in their country? OK, I guess it doesn't matter because their stuff is pretty good (apart from the macaroons... I guess one really needs to go to Paris to get the real thing). Today I treated myself to a raisin snail and it was trop bien (today is also National Cheesy Post Day, didn't you know?). I'm such a sugarholic. Like I need something sweet after every meal. :(
Anyway! I thought I could combine my French-pastry-eating endeavours with a lovely French-themed video (which also features food!). I came across 'Betty in Paris' last week and immediately fell in love. If you love Paris, Amélie, macaroons and/or are a bit of a dreamer, you'll adore this video. It reminded me of my own visit to Paris in 2011 - as cliché as it may sound, it really was one of the best holidays ever. It's actually funny that I'm saying this because I was always one of those 'hmm, Paris... it's a bit overrated, isn't it?' people. Turns out I had to visit it twice in order to fall in love. And yeah, when I was in Paris 2 years ago, I really did feel like Betty (National CPD all over again...). 
'Betty in Paris' is part of the Olive Us series - the latter is made by Ben and Gabrielle Blair and features their six(!!!) kids. The Blair family is American and they've been living in Normandy for over a year. You can check out Gabrielle's blog, Design Mom, here. 

Betty In Paris from Olive Us on Vimeo.
Video via Prêt à Voyager

New World

Today I visited two palaces in the National Gallery (free this weekend :) and afterwards I decided to go for a walk in 'Nový Svět' ('New World' in English). Nový Svět is an area close to the Prague Castle - it's composed of narrow streets and picturesque houses. I'm such a sucker for old street lamps, cobblestones and cozy little houses, so I adore Nový Svět. I'm really proud of the photos I took as well - not because they are exceptional - my Photoshop skills are still non-existent - but because I managed to pry myself away from my phone & Instagram and actually took the above photos with my *gasp* CAMERA. I still love you, my dear IXUS...

I love how the streets were super empty and the street lamps were just being switched on. Really magical. Next week, I want to go back and actually visit the café you can see in the last picture. It's got a fireplace as well! 

Julian's 11th Dimension

Just a song for tonight. The Strokes are back with a new song and while everyone seems to hate it, I'm in love. OK, I do love Julian's (yes, of course we're on a first name basis) deep voice, I just love love love the new song. I've been on a Strokes high & came across this song which was part of Julian's solo project. I'm totally digging the 80s vibe. This man can really do no wrong. :)