SJP x 73

Today's (or more like last week's aka I only got around to posting about it today) major interior envy: Sarah Jessica Parker's West Village brownstone. Haven't you always wanted to know what her place looks like? Well now's your chance (and don't tell me I'm the only nosey person around here ;)! In this unconventional Vogue interview, you can catch a glimpse of SJP's super cool house. I was pleasantly surprised by the lived-in feel of the interior - from the super cool green velvet sofa (I never would have thought this would be a good combo, but I think I need one... NOW) to her light-up globes, this place is right up my alley. 
I also loved the crazy 73-question interview that Vogue did with SJP as part of the "house tour". Fun, super-fast and inspiring. Here are a few interesting tidbits from the interview:
SJP's favourite movie is The Way We Were.
Vietnam is a country she would like to visit the most.
A book that she read in school and that positively shaped her was To Kill a Mockingbird.
Apparently, we should all be following @thewordoftheday.
Her favorite drink is Coca-Cola.
Watch the video for more (and tell me which part of her house you liked the most! :). 

It's Been Awhile.

Well hello there!

I can't believe the last time I blogged was (*gasp*) June 3... 2013! What the what?

So much has happened since then... I:

• visited Helsinki (twice!), Maastricht, Rotterdam and last but not least, Hamburg (I totally fell in love with this ultra hip & super friendly city)
• saw a lot of great films and read some amazing books (have you read this one yet? If not... DO IT. NOW.)
• fell in love with Prague (hipster) cafés. There's so many cool cafés popping up all over the city - they're my new obsession! If you'd like to keep up with my café gallivanting, check out my Instagram. A word of warning: if you're not into latte art, don't even think of clicking on the latter link
• got into pilates, power yoga and working out in general. While I may never be a true gym rat, I'm totally enjoying keeping fit (I'm also currently trying to put together the perfect fitness wardrobe... not very wallet-friendly, let me tell ya!)

Why have I been gone for so long? I guess I just needed a (looong) break from blogging. I gotta admit, I don't read as many blogs as I used to. I still love the blogosphere, but I'm more careful with what I check out on a daily basis.

Having said that, I am super excited to be back. I already have a few posts lined up, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that at least some of you haven't given up on me. Till next time... or should I say, see you soon? :)

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