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

Guest Post: Dutch Design Gift Guide

I'm baaaaack. I feel like I have been saying this way too many times lately (way too much for my liking anyway). Anyway, back to something more exciting: today's post is by one of my favourite people ever, Joke! I asked her whether she'd be up for compiling a Dutch design gift guide a while back (as you can see from her tumblr, she's got a great eye for design) and she came up with some really cool stuff! I know this gift guide is a bit late, but that's totally MY fault - Joke sent it to me some time ago. Also, I'm pretty sure some last-minute Christmas shoppers (or am I the only one? ;) will appreciate these rad ideas. 

Hi Third Culture Cool fans! Martina asked me to come up with some nice gift ideas. So here is some Dutch design inspiration!

1.       For anyone who is forced to take their shot of caffeine from the office coffee machine; Rob Brandt’s crushed cups at least make it look good.

2.       For the bird lover who wants to give her garden visitors a three star dining experience; Marcel Wanders Birdhouse.

3.       For your friend who just loves a good leather bag; My Paper Bag by Ramon Middelkoop.

4.       To brighten up your kitchen; Tejo Remy’s famous Milk Bottle Lamp (single).

5.       For the IKEA-lovers out there. A Dutch-Swedish collaboration; PS Jonsberg designed by Hella Jongerius.

6.       This lamp which will put a smile on everyone’s face; Miffy!

7.       Interesting (and expensive…) World Skin Colors Scarves for your friends from all over the world by Reineke Otten.

Thank you SO much, Joke! What's your favourite item? I just love the Miffy lamp - I will definitely have to buy it one day. :) The crushed cups are pretty amazing as well.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

Emerald 2013

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for going AWOL - it was not my intention, but sometimes life happens (OK, I think my 'cheesy statement' limit for this post is officially up :). I am getting really excited to blog more over the holidays (a gift guide may be in the works ;).

Today I wanted to talk about the colour emerald green. Why? Every December, Pantone releases its colour of the coming year and this year, emerald green ('17-5641 Emerald' to be more precise) is the 'winner'. Check out Pantone's Holiday Look Book Pinterest board, which features emerald green-inspired gift ideas. Plus, isn't this emerald iPhone 5 case really cool?

What do you think of this choice? Personally, I love it. It's a bit strange for me to say, though, because I've never really been a fan of the colour green (not only emerald, but most shades of green). That all changed this summer though - I think I got bored of always (ALWAYS) buying pastel-coloured clothes and, well, things in general. I also fell in love with this nailpolish - it so wasn't 'me', but I think that's why I loved it (and love it) even more. Sometimes you need a crazy pop of colour in your life.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the whole emerald subject. Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas holiday season (I'm still waiting for snow). x

Story via Whitney Port
Photo from Christmas Stock Images

Guest Post - Washi Tape Christmas DIY

Today's post is a bit of a blogging milestone - it's the first guest post here at Third Culture Cool. I recently asked Jana from Mode de Boulangerie, one of my favourite Czech blogs, whether she'd be up for writing a guest post for my blog. Needless to say, she was more than happy to do so, and in return I contributed to her blog (I compiled a Christmas gift guide, check it out!).

I guess Jana is a mind-reader because her guest post DIY is washi-tape-themed (and you all know my obsession with the latter ;). (English version in italics)

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Dobrý den! Dnes jsem tady na návštěvě a proto jsem chtěla přispět něčím, co mě baví, co mám ráda, co mě tak trochu vystihuje. Ráda se obklopuji krásnými věcmi a snad se mi v tomto duchu daří zařizovat i naše bydlení. Proto jsem se rozhodla o příspěvek typu DIY, který mi bude navíc blízký i tématicky. Tvoření ve spojení s interiérem mě neskutečně naplňuje a je to můj největší koníček hned po mém blogu. Tvoření s washi páskami je velká zábava a když si tím ještě zkrášlím bydlení, tak to vůbec nemá chybu. Kdo mě čte pravidelně ví o mé posedlosti po parůžcích. Miluju jeleny! Proto, když jsem viděla tento obrázek, bylo rozhodnuto.

Hello! Since I'm a 'guest' on this blog, I wanted to contribute with something that I like, something that's 'me'. I like to surround myself with beautiful things and I tend to decorate my house keeping that in mind. This is why I decided to do a DIY guest post which would also be close to my heart thematically. One of my biggest hobbies - apart from blogging - is working on the interior of my house. Working with washi tapes is a lot of fun and when I get to make my house prettier when using said tapes, it's even better. My regular readers know that I am obsessed with antlers. I love deer! This is why, when I saw the photo below, I knew what I wanted to do.

Pro toto vánoční období mi bude ozdobou jelení hlava vytvořena washi páskami. 

This Christmas holiday, my place will be decorated with a washi tape mounted deer head.

Thank you so much, Jana! Isn't this a really cool idea? And really easy as well (perfect for people who aren't such skilled crafters.. *cough cough*.. ME). This year, I won't be able to make this mounted deer head (not enough space). Hopefully that will change sometime in the near future.

First photo by Therese Winberg, styled by Linda Åhman, via PLAZA Interiör.

Christmas Feeling

Holla! I'm beginning to get that Christmas feeling... Not really when I'm out and about though, a lot of the Christmas decorations in the centre of Prague are (sadly) quite tacky. Plus everyone is going CRAZY with all the shopping. These days I really don't like going to big shopping centres or supermarkets (and let me tell you, I usually don't mind indulging in a bit of shopping) because of the huge crowds. But in general, I really love Christmas. For me, it's all about the 'cozy' feeling (there's a perfect Dutch word which describes this: gezelligheid). Cheesy, but true.

This is why I'm feeling the Christmas spirit these days:

On Monday I received a parcel from Canada and this is what was inside it! My friend Jason sent over all of these things - what a cool dude! :) I really wasn't expecting any of this, it made me super happy. I mean, books, chocolates AND Spongebob.. what could be better? PLUS check out that wrapping technique! Thank you so much, Jason (& my friend Anja who helped pick out the chocolates)! I guess this is my first Christmas present. :)

Christmas goodies! OK, the 'kruidnoten' aren't technically associated with Christmas - they're eaten at Sinterklaas, a Dutch holiday which takes place in the beginning of December. I got them from my friend Joke who clearly knows just how much I miss the Netherlands. She brought over a Dutch goodie bag when she was here in Prague a few weeks ago - maybe I should do a post on all the cool stuff as well. ;)

Plus it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (bad pun, I know :) in our apartment.

Are you already feeling the Christmas spirit? Or are you still in denial (like I was up until a few days ago)? x

Matthew Williamson 15 Years

Isn't this short film celebrating Matthew Williamson's 15 years in fashion magical? Stunning images such as the ones in the film above are what fashion is about (for me, at least). And I love the 17th century country house featured in the video - when can I move in?

Washi Tape Obsession

I've got a brand new obsession - washi tapes aka masking tapes. I guess I'm 'kind of' late to this trend (cough cough :), but if it weren't for my friend Risa, I wouldn't have gotten so obsessed in the first place. She sent me my very first Paperchase washi tape (the blue one at the very bottom). And then I read a post on one of my favourite Czech blogs, which was talking about a really cool Czech washi tape e-shop. And the rest is history... Obviously my collection is still very humble, but hopefully it will grow in the not-too-distant future. :) The thing is, I'm not really a 'crafts' person. So what do I use the tapes for? Well, I love paper, stationery, notebooks... So far, I've used the tapes to decorate my Moleskine notebooks and also to spruce up some of the weekly entries. Also, washi tapes are really useful when it comes to wrapping presents. I'm sure you've seen loads of pictures of presents wrapped in simple brown paper and decorated with washi tape - it looks amazing! I plan on wrapping my Christmas presents that way this year. :)

What do you think, are you just as obsessed with washi tapes as I am? Or maybe you're even more obsessed (seriously, that video gives me major washi tape envy!)?

P.S.: Check out a really easy washi tape DIY from one of my favourite blogs (I know, I know, I seem to have many faves... I read a lot of blogs though! :).

Interview with Maiju from 'my 2nd hand life'

TGIF! I'm really excited about today's post and I hope you will be too! On Wednesday I dropped a hint that I would be posting about something exciting soon and, well, it seems that 'soon' is today (I'm pretty impatient, if you haven't noticed yet ;). Soooo... a few days ago I asked the lovely Maiju from my 2nd hand life if I could do an email interview with her and she said yes! She was super nice about it too. :) For those who don't know Maiju's blog, it mainly centres on interior design - Maiju often blogs about her own home as well as things that inspire her. You really have to check her blog out, it's filled with beautiful photographs (Maiju's house is just amazing!) and witty posts. It really is one of my favourites! I wanted to interview Maiju as I was curious to find out about the story behind her blog.

Tell us a bit about how your blogging journey began. When did you start your blog and what inspired you to do so?
I started blogging in 2007 on my maternity leave. In Finland the maternity leave is 10 months, so I needed a nice hobby that I could do at home. I have always been interested in interior decorating, but when I at the time discovered interior blogs, I really became fascinated with the field and wanted to start my own blog too. My 2nd hand life blog I have had for two years now.

What do you like the most about blogging? Has blogging changed your life in any significant way?

Yes, it has definitely changed my life in a positive sense. I'm a creative person and blogging is a great way to express yourself and your ideas I think. And to get inspiration from other bloggers. Also the feedback from the readers has been amazing and really made me more confident about my visions and skills! And that's priceless, I think!

Apart from blogging, what do you fill your days with?

I'm a mum for a 5 year old boy and soon for a little girl too, if everything goes like expected. I'm also a public servant on the public sector on daytime - a job that isn't that creative all the time, but needs constant rethinking and new ideas too. I think that these two sides (being a blogger and having an administrative dayjob) go well together :)

 

You have a great eye for interior design, where do you draw your inspiration from? Has your 'interior style' changed at all in the past few years? What 'motifs' do you love using in your place?

Thank you, I read lot of blogs from everywhere - mostly from Europe though. I love the Danish style of interior decoration - black and white, contrasts, vintage items, playful details mixed with good design. A bit bohemian look I guess. To live in an older home with wooden floors, old windows and doors, several fireplaces and so on is something that I enjoy and appreciate everyday! I think my style has changed from more ruff industrial vintage to more clearer style with more modern design during the recent years.

What's your favourite thing about living in Finland?

Four seasons absolutely, all though having a long and dark winter feels many times a bit tuff...

Finland has so many amazing designers, who is your favourite?

This is a difficult question, I really can't pick one. But I think that for example Marimekko has a nice brand and products.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hopefully happy with my family of four persons! I would also like to develop my blog and blogging to a stage, where I could earn some of my income from there. Just to have more freedom in life and do the things I love!

Thank you so much, Maiju! You rock :)

Photos of Maiju's house courtesy of my 2nd hand life

Jen Ramos

I really love these paintings by New York-based artist Jen Ramos. I'd love to buy one when I have my own place! They're all sold out at the moment, but hopefully Jen Ramos will paint some more in the future. :) Totally my style!

Check out the artist's blog as well - really inspiring.

Photos by Cocoa & Hearts 

Moleskine Store in Prague

A few days ago I visited the Moleskine store here in Prague and I was struck by how amazing the interior design was. I had actually already visited the store when it first opened about a year ago, but I didn't get to appreciate its full glory due to the fact that the place was PACKED. But when I visited the store this week I was actually the only customer there, and apart from checking out all the new additions to the Moleskine family, I got to admire the interior.

I really love the all-white theme as well the shelves which make the notebooks look like works of art. The drawings by young Czech artist Martin Kubát also give the place more character so that it's not 'just another Moleskine store'. The place comes complete with a hipster bike but sadly the latter isn't featured in the photos below. :)

I think a lot of Czech stores - and interiors in general - could learn from this place. I feel like a lot of stores here in Prague are super impersonal but I guess people are only just beginning to realize that visiting an original and nicely decorated place will make the customers want to stay that much longer.

And yes, I did conclude my visit with a purchase of a Moleskine notebook. Oops!

Photos by Dorota Špinková for Moleskine Czech Republic: 1, 2