Monday Crush | 2014


2014, get ready because I want it all.

peace
vastity
sweetness
freedom
love

May next year be exactly how you want it.

xx

ICELAND | Reykjavik


As promised last week, today's post is all about the time we spent in Iceland's beautiful capital, Reykjavik. We had just a day and half split in two moments to spend here but we had a great time.

The first day in Iceland was almost entirely dedicated to swimming and relaxing in the Blue Lagoon: the best way to start a de-stressing trip to me as nothing like hot baths and mud can do the job. We arrived in Reykjavik on Saturday late afternoon, in time for a nice walk along Laugavegur to check some shops on my list and to get ready for our dinner at The Fishmarket. This place is simply stunning with a real collection of Tom Dixon's works (the entrance is defined by a group of his famous Copper Shades and pieces of the Beat Light series are placed over the tables..paradise!). D. stayed here for a business dinner while we still were living in Edinburgh but could not remember the name. Happily, someone very kind and always well informed replied to my request for tips in FB, so thanks Emma: we had the best fish of our lives, seriously. I highly recommend the place and the tasting menu that is a real masterpiece.

Emma also recommended to visit Spark Design center,  store and gallery where we could see some amazing pieces and the work of a young artist. As you can imagine, I visited all the design shops in the city center, included  Suomi PRKL! Design, a small red house dedicated entirely to Finnish brands.

The cherry on the top - as we say in Italy :) - was the lovely place we stayed. We used Airbnb.com to find a b&b for the first night and we stumbled upon Sari's flat. I immediately loved it and we arranged to stay there for both the nights. Sari's home had such a special atmosphere, very Nordic and warm. I fell in love with the small courtyard at the back decorated with string lights, the old brick wall in her living room and the cute bedroom we stayed in. Design pieces where everywhere and I still remember D.'s face staring at me when, almost jumping, I told him she had one of Susanna Vento's sacks in the bathroom... Unfortunately, we didn't manage to meet Sari during our stay but she was always so helpful and caring and it was fun to discover she works at the beautiful Iceland Design Center.

There's still something left from Reykjavik: a tour of the famous Kex Hostel. But you'll have to wait untill next week for the special post!

BARCELONA | Casa Planells


During the BCN Open House of this year, we had the chance to visti this beautiful house located in Avinguda Diagonal. The building was designed by Josep Maria Jujol, one of the great masters of  Catalan Modernsm and a close collaborator of the most renowned one: Antoni Gaudì, for whom Jujol designed the famous serpentine balauster of Parc Güell and the façade of Casa Batllò among others. The project dates back to 1923-24 and was supposed to be quite larger but had to be reduced because of budget reasons. Still, the Catalan architect managed to create a special space, austere in structure but precious in the details. The house is now a architecture office.

ICELAND | the colours of nature



I wanted to share with you the pictures of our trip to Iceland for a such a long time but it took me a lot to get the post done. So, as 2013 is about to come to an end, I thought it'd be a perfect occasion to show you some images now.  As you may recall if you follow me on IG, we flew to Iceland in a last minute trip last September: we spent few days driving along the Southern Coast and Western Peninsula of Iceland, with two days reserved for Reykjavik. 

I have to say this small country left us speechless: I never felt the force of nature so strong like here.Today's post is about nature, a bit unexpected on fnwg maybe but it's still one f my main sources of inspiration. The colours of the land, the black shores, the beautiful shades of blue greys of water and ice left such a great impression on me. The scenery was vast and sometime terrifyingly sublime like the Myrdalssandur sand desert close to Vik. 
In the next days, I will also share the picture from Rejkjavik so stay tuned.


Gudy Herder


Last week I had the pleasure to be invited by Gudy Herder to ElTornBarcelona, for a potters and ceramicists pop-up shop and exhibition. As the blogger behind Eclectic Trends, Gudy and I had been in contact for a while online until we had the chance to meet at the Kinfolk dinner, organised last month here in Barcelona (post coming soon!). 
I love Gudy's work: there's a very special sensitivity about the way she presents things on her blog and I could notice it as well in her  ceramics. The collection Gudy showed was of a selection of paper porcelain pieces:  sculptural, almost architectonic objects as light as a feather. I loved their delicacy, the irregularity of the edges and shapes, due to the special process she used. Very fascinating.  She also gave me a tour of the workshop  and of the fellow potters' and ceramists' work, like Corrie Bain's and Sophie Aguilera's.

If you are in Barcelona for the upcoming holidays, go to have a look and you won't be disappointed: they are exposing and selling during December and first week of January. More info here. But, if you are not, do not worry and stay tuned on her blog as she is about to open a webshop soon. 

PLACES | Panscape



Ninkipen! is a Japanese firm based in Osaka whose work has been vastly published in several design networks. One of my favourite projects is this small bakery they renovated in Kyoto. They adopted a minimalistic but playful approach with a very poetic attention to details: look at the small hole in the wall for a little white mouse to live in. They tried to fill the place with a contemporary boulangerie atmosphere, where handmade elements mixed up with industrial accents: this is the case of the stunning display of the window shop created with a square sectioned trunk and aluminium elements.
I also think the name is simply genius: Panscape, all the views of bread.

Photography: Kawada Hiroki


Via This is paper

Christmas at home

If you have been following fnwg for a while, you must remember the Xmas mood board I made a few week ago (if not, you can find it here). I always loved the Season but this year, after loads of Christmas decorations for the shop in Italy, my overdose had reached its climax. I still wanted to create a cosy, wintery atmosphere where white shades could mix with neutral tones and natural elements. But I really needed something minimal. 

This is a spot of our bedroom after the decoration session. It's simple but make me feel so bright and warm inside...

Many thanks to Deborah Beau of Kickcan and conkers for the lighting tip!

Monday Crush | Christmas wishlist






Very few days left for Christmas and I couldn't resist to compile my wishlist for this Monday Crush: Aiaiai tracks headphones available at Cos ; Hope CSA vase in grey; New Balance trainers ; Scribbles silk screened textiles by Alex Quisite ; &Tradition Hoof Table SW1 by Samuel Wilkinson.

Have you already made yours?

Bureau A


The project I introduce you today is hardly recognizable as an office space. Located in a 19th century attic, it belongs to Swiss BUREAU A.  From one side, the place emanates a strong domestic feeling while recalling one of those fantastic architectures by Piranesi. White is used extensively, probably for several reasons: the surfaces captures the light coming from the glass roof and also lighten the visual weight of the beams. A splash of emerald green is found all along the rustic wooden stair, that is simultaneously an entrance to the office, a greenhouse and the library.

Berlin atmosphere

 

After ten long busy days in Italy, I'm back to Barcelona and taking some time off to recover. I was back home to style the family shop for Christmas and the event we hold last weekend and, right now,  I feel just a tiny bit overwhelmed by the Holidays spirit. I need something essential to declutter my mind and start thinking of how decorating our home and thought this apartment in Berlin, styled by the German branch of Fantastic Frank, would do the job.  S. Love the industrial lights on the floor: with some green accents they would be such a nice idea for a modern Xmas party!