Impressionen is a mail order company here in Germany that specializes in women’s fashion and home accessories along with some furniture, always on trend, and the website is such a pleasure to browse with their collaged images and pretty color combinations. These images give you an idea of some popular trends here in Germany.
I’m really enjoying all the natural textures and colors lately and find myself torn between an all-white room with accents of taupe, silver, and lavender and colorful playful rooms with no set focal point, just lots of patterns against a neutral base.
Since this blog’s inception, I’ve followed all the big trends and built a personal database of more companies that I’ll ever need to reference. I’m sure, whether you blog or are simply obsessed with reading them, you also are quite savvy and know more about design than ever before. But as my personal likes and dislikes forever change, I’ve concluded that I need to stick to a neutral base devoid of pattern and swap out my patterned soft furnishings and accessories per season or at least, every 6 months, so I don’t die of boredom. I can commit to wallpaper in small spaces (hallway, bathroom, or as a single accent wall in a larger space), and to flooring (I’m a wood floor fan), but I cannot commit to patterned sofas or chairs unless I can slipcover them whenever the spirit moves me. I prefer wood seating that I can alter myself with a staple gun and a piece of fabric for the seat or back, for instance, or with cushions. And this is coming from a girl that saw a patterned sofa at Svenskt Tenn and nearly collapsed from sensory overload. I loved it. But I wouldn’t own it.
It’s pretty funny how we embark on blogging with a strong sense of who we are and what we like, and then realize down the road that we were only beginning our journey and that design and decorating while for some may be meaningless (I have friends who could care less), but for others (like us!), home improvement is a constant thought in our minds. Improving our living space is our passion, but it’s only fun once we realize that there’s no end point and to just chill about the whole thing. Decorating is the unattainable goal, it’s the size zero, the long legs, the high cheekbones. It’s like reaching personal perfection, we’ll never be perfect but we strive to be our very best and have fun doing it. It’s the same for the home. It will never be perfect, for some there is no ‘end’ point, but the joy is in the journey and to finally be comfortable with this fact is absolutely freeing for me. I just thought I’d share this thought with you today.
Perhaps you can relate.
(images from impressionen)
{Update 10/26: Contrary to what their website states, Funktion Alley does deliver to the states. You just have to email them for rates before placing your online order. Yay!}
This post is dedicated to my UK friends, in a second you’ll see why… Funktion Alley is based in Malm? and their mission is to promote Swedish and Danish functional design, particularly in the UK where they have a small store in a design complex called Redbrick Mill not far from Leeds.
From decorative window film (for privacy – complete with birds), to textiles, furniture, and the Knoppa suspended baby cradle (I want one of these when I have babies someday), their site is a terrific resource for those living in the UK since they do not offer shipping outside. That means the rest of us can only look, drool, and hopefully not feel too left out of all the fun. View it as incentive to travel or open your own store selling these things in your part of the world.
Psst: Check out Maija Isola’s P??ryn? textiles from Marimekko, they just went on sale. So fresh for the kitchen!
(images from funktion alley)
Bantie is Ulrika Gyllstad and Wilhelmina Wiese, Stockholm-based textile designers with a collection of patterns that definitely scream I am Scandinavian, don’t you think?
The more popular prints that I noticed around the city are Kokeshi, Paradis, Bubbel and Korall, especially Paradis with the birds and Korall with the organic circles resembling something from the sea.
Click here to locate their textiles, or if you own a shop and would like to offer Bantie to your customers, send them an email to info AT bantie.se. You can also purchase their fabric by the meter.
(images from bantie)
While I’m here in Europe, I’m trying to cover some of the more popular brands that I come into contact with, along with a few of the more out of the way unknown talent that exists. I have been quite busy with family and friends, as our time here is limited so we’re trying to fit in a bit of everything. But I hope you’ve been enjoying some of the coverage I’ve been providing. :) If there’s anything you have questions about or would like to see, you can always ask and I’ll try to see if I can provide some feedback.
Another brand I noticed in Stockholm is Ceannis, Pure and Simple carries lots of their things and I couldn’t stop touching them. This season, I noticed that many stores in Stockholm leaned towards a pale, more subdued palette vs. the bright and cheerful patterns most of us think of nowadays when the word “Sweden” comes to mind. But if you really think back to traditional Swedish design, visions of Swedish Baroque, Biedermeier, and the Rococo periods dance in your head. Pale grey and blue walls, cream painted wood furniture, gold accents, pure linens and 18th century Gustavian furniture.
Ceannis takes traditional Swedish design into modern times drawing on a similar color palette, and in addition to gold, there’s also bronze and silver as accents. And additional soft hues are introduced, like plum. Could be the influence of Asian design in Europe right now, or the Moorish influences coming up from Marrakesh, something that I saw dotted all over the city of Stockholm in fashion and interiors stores.
How I see these things in a space:
I see a living room with lots of texture. Medium grey walls (the color of concrete floors) as an accent with a few hand painted motifs in the top corner cascading downwards, perhaps a large paisley or simple floral pattern, in a lighter tone of grey so it’s a soft accent and not too obvious. I also see an L shaped grey tweed sofa with a tight back and seat, lots of soft pillows (also on the floor), a leather ottoman and a large silver tea tray coffee table — both from Morroco, lots of pillar candles in various metal lanterns with cut out patterns, an ornate framed mirror on the wall with twinkle lights around the top and sides (of course!), fresh flowers in purple tones, and a fluffy white rug and blanket for snuggling on the sofa. Of course, this big silver leather handbag slouched on a chair with some of your favorite magazines peeking out. :)
Oh, and I smell lavender by L’OCCITANE and I think I’d be listening to Ana Caram. I love her voice.
(images from ceannis)
Did you notice the new feature blogger enabled yesterday? Follow up comments, yeah! So now when you leave a comment on decor8, if you have a blogger/gmail account, you can check a box asking for follow up comments be emailed to you. This is so cool, as I often forget where I’ve left comments on other blogs and now I can keep track. I think this makes blogspot even more interactive now because when you ask a question and someone answers, you will know via email!
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