Stylist Irina Graewe
Good morning! There are so many great things to share with you this week so let's continue with more inspiration, shall we? I briefly mentioned German stylist Irina Graewe back in 2008 but I was reminded of her dazzling portfolio again yesterday while reading Sodapop. I think you will really flip over her so please join me for a peek because her endless talent is bound to inspire and pick up your mood today! She shares several themed collections on her site, so I encourage you to visit her to view them all. I've selected three of my favorite themes to share below.
The first is called Bonjour Tristesse. I love the inky blue and gray tones -- so moody and sensual. Notice the big shoes next to the clothing rack. Are those not the best?
I also love the mood in her Patchwork collection of pinks and neutrals along with ethnic prints and patterns. I think my favorite is also the most simple arrangement of the four portraits tacked to the wall with a simple string of pom pom trim in an "L" shape placed very casually near them as a partial frame. These little adds are so interesting to me, I tend to pick these things out when I look at photos to try and figure out exactly how a mood was created and what about an image pulled me in. These images above are quite alluring don't you think?
And lastly, her Culture Club ensemble is another favorite in and lots of pretty pink but mostly for the feathers all a-flutter and the huge rice paper lanterns, you can find these from IKEA in white and decorate them with black dots to create a similar look for a few dollars (they are so cheap, I have one in my living room and it was around 5,- Euros).
Irina got her start as a tailor for Jil Sander in Hamburg and then relocated briefly to London to attend the London College of Fashion. Upon graduating, she realized her true calling was not in fashion but interiors, so she relocated back to her home country to pursue a career in interior styling and set design and her work has appeared in top magazines throughout Germany so unless you read them you may not have heard of her before -- which is why I felt even more inclined to share her on decor8! Her work shows her passion and eye for detail and a whimsical approach which is so appealing to me because interior styling becomes a bit dull when it looks too perfectly arranged in my opinion.
What do you think of these images that I've shown you from Irina's portfolio? Does anything in particular about them, from the colors to arrangements and beyond, connect with you on a personal level? I'm surprised at how drawn I am to the first collection, Bonjour Tristesse. It's not something I'd normally gravitate towards but something about it feels very cinematic - I can almost put a story to them -- can't you?
(images: irina graewe)