Farrow and Ball - Off Black No. 57

I have a new colour crush "Farrow and Ball - Off Black No. 57".  This soft black is one of the original Farrow & Ball colours. Off-Black feels milder in tone than stronger blacks like Pitch Black No. 256 or black with even more underlying cool blue tones like Railings No. 31 or Black Blue No. 95. And because of this it is more flattering to adjacent colours.  

Farrow and Ball - Off Black No. 57

Off Black No. 57

Farrow and Ball - Off Black No. 57

Farrow and Ball - Off Black No. 57

Farrow and Ball - Off Black No. 57

Farrow and Ball - Off Black No. 57

Farrow and Ball - Off Black No. 57

Seletti

Shoes, bags ... things I just love to collect. Can't help it. But there is something else I love to collect and that's beautiful or fun but always qualitative porcelain: tea sets, dinner plates, etc.etc. So no wonder that I am a big fan of Seletti.

For those of you who don't know Seletti. Seletti is an Italian story of vision and evolution. Established in 1964, in Cicognara - Mantova, by Romano Seletti. Who since 1972 travelled extensively to the Far East, especially around China with Luigi Goglio, who was an expert in international business. 

Today, Seletti is working with young Italian and international designers, who are quickly making their own mark. Their desire is to create a group that can grow and evolve together.

It is a challenge that as far as I am concerned is producing some really great stuff!

Seletti Hybrid collection

Seletti Hybrid collection

Seletti Hybrid soup plate

Axel Vervoordt Interiors

"I have always been compelled 

by the belief that all beauty is 

imperfect, incomplete and impermanent 

... as transitory as life itself"

~ Axel Vervoordt ~

http://www.axel-vervoordt.com

Old & New

I have a special fondness of using or rather mix and matching different materials in a simple interior. For me it gets a clean but warm look/ feeling. Like using rough and old combined with new somewhat minimalistic clean materials. Maybe it's easier to show you what I mean, rather then talk about it...

Black for the Home

Next week a local Dutch TV programm is coming to my home to redecorate some rooms and my garden ... it will be interesting to see what they are going to do, as I haven't got a clue? I hope it will be in the style of what I like, what do I like? Lately been fascinated by rustic materials and the use of black with a touch of  white and grey. Let me show you:

Outdoors

Interior details

For the bathroom

Paris Map - David Ehrenstråhl

Something that has been on my wishlist for some time are the street maps print by David Ehrenstråhle. I especially love this Paris one, but it would also look very good on my wall next to the Manhatten one! You can buy them @ this shop artilleriet ... they have some very nice other items as well typical Scandinavian design.

Shop: Artilleriet

The Fox and the Homester

How cute are these little scenes, you can't help it ... but they bring a smile to your face. They are the very vivid wall stickers by  Kek Amsterdam. You could have spotted them on the woonbeurs in Amsterdam this year together with the wallpaper with scrap wood design by Piet Hein Eek for NLXL.

Cool Table Design

I really like the idea of this table, it  folds into frame when not in use. It is by: Ivy Design

SWARM

I really like what Leslie Oschmann does to vintage oil paintings ... she transfers them into beautiful bags, clutches, necklaces, pillows and chairs. She finds the paintings at markets throughout The Netherlands and Belgium. Each piece of functional art tells its own story through the clever combination of painted, worn canvases.

Over time and with use, each unique object is designed to show signs of wear so that the narrative of the art can continue to be enjoyed and evolve with age. She also keeps a great blog which she updates regularly with her most recent work – the latest being a new set of fabulous bags that double as shoulder bags as well as tote.

You can see the new Swarm collection here, and learn more about Leslie here.

La Suite Cassis, a Mediterranean dream

Looking out of my window the weather in Holland is very, very cold and I am wishing it would be summer again. A stay at La Suite Cassis sounds very very good right now....

"Qu'a vist Paris, se noun a vist Cassis, pou dire: n'ai rèn vist"

"He who has seen Paris and who hasn't seen Cassis can say, I have seen nothing"  Frederic Mistral, Nobel Laureate for Literature.

About twenty kilometres from Marseille lies the old fishing village Cassis. With it's small harbour, sandy beach and crystal clear waters it is at least as picturesque and attractive as Cannes and St. Tropez, but significantly quieter.

It is called the jewel of the Mediterranean, a small fishing port nestled between the world famous Calanques and the majestic Cap Canaille. Its tightly packed old streets and bustling harbour front teem with life thanks to an array of restaurants, cafés and quaint shops.

The beaches cater for lovers of sunbathing and watersports alike and boats and canoes can be hired from the port to discover the delights of the local coastline. Alternatively, many guided boat tours run from Cassis to the nearby Calanques.

Dominating the eastern side of Cassis, the rocks of the Cap Canaille are the highest maritime cliffs in Europe. “Canaille” means the “mountain which swims into the sea” in local dialect and it is easy to see why this 394m colossus that rises out of the sea was given its name.

Here in Cassis you'll also find La Suite Cassis, a Mediterranean-style boutique hotel born from the French dream of a German stylist, Herbert Hufnagel.

I could tell you everything about how Herbert fell for the charm of the peninsula of Cassis. How the sunsets ignite the ochre stones and how wonderful the view is of the Cap Canaille and the Mediterranean Sea.

How Herbert has worked intensively to convert a typical Provencal building into a Beach Villa that would not be out of place in Palm Springs in the 1950s. How Herbert's work, he worked for all major fashion brands (from Yves Saint Laurent, Ferragamo, Mugler to Escada) and his travels have inspired him with the interior decoration.

But better than this, I can just show you.....

More info: La Suite Cassis