I just fell in love with a web shop because this is seriously cool stuff. I found it via a wonderfully creative German blog called Ohhh… Mhhh… and the store is called Supermarket Sarah. Sarah Bagner lives near to Portobello Road in London where she has a rather interesting concept – a shop in her home where she posts things up, literally, to her walls and then invites you dear web friends to click on her wall and purchase what you see. How brilliant is this? I love it. I mean, this is truly the coolest thing I’ve seen in a very long time. Way to go Supermarket Sarah!
“Sarah decided to leave the corporate world behind her and has set up shop in her own home. Her home, round the corner from Portobello Market where she has a stall, is now overflowing with treasures and delights and she welcomes visitors with tea and cakes.”
How cool. I mean, really. Everything is one-of-a-kind so once it’s gone, it’s gone. Happy shopping!
(images: supermarket sarah)
Oooooh I have some gorgeous inspiration for you today from a magazine that is new-to-me called Mad & Bolig published in Denmark. The more I see Danish magazines, the more I want to drive up north to visit a country that obviously has amazing taste and style. Mad & Bolig is a magazine that I found today via the lovely artist Sidsel Gaustadnes who authors the Spagat blog (please be sure to visit her blog!).
But yes, back to this fab magazine… as I sit here and get lost in the virtual pages of Mad & Bolig I’m starting to feel like the winter lull will soon be over and perhaps then I’ll feel motivated to travel. I’m excited to plan some Summer vacations up north because I’ve never stepped foot into Denmark and I think going there would be just delightful. Plus, why move to Europe and not see these places, right? Many of our German friends drive up and stay in vacation homes on the Danish coast, it’s pretty common for the northern Germans I think — so perhaps I’ll join them. But for now, until I can be there myself, I will bask in the glow of the beautiful Danish magazines that I’m finding online. Ah.
Don’t you just love these rooms? They make me daydream of owning a summer cottage by the shore. Fresh, colorful, position — each injected with such spirit and personality.
(images: mad & bolig)
Well hello there friends! How are you today? Having a good February so far? Today was busy for me, but a good busy so I’m not complaining. It feels good to be back home with my cozy laptop to sit here before you and share some Etsy finds for the week. I’ve been thinking about this while out and about today… who can I feature this week? And these five shops came to mind. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.
Kiersten Essenpreis is an artist/illustrator living in Brooklyn who is quite imaginative with her whimsical prints. Some of her clients include GQ, The New York Times, LA Weekly, Paper Magazine, Nylon Magazine, and Coach Handbags so Kiersten’s work just may be familiar to you for a reason!
Studio Flower Power in Canada creates cards pretty enough to frame using digital imagery, hand drawings and real pressed flowers on each one.
I have a few girlfriends who are pregnant and I keep looking for something handmade and special to give to them… these knit hats and baby booties from Mama Rosa’s just may be what I’m looking for! How I love hats with ears…
Krize and her “smiling shop” as she calls it is a Lithuanian children’s book illustrator living in Spain and selling mostly her illustrations as prints and accessories. They are so sweet how can you not smile. :)
Indobay creates modern hand-printed textiles with a simple touch for the home. There is beauty in this work because it is not made by a machine but with love by hand — everything has unique character and one-of-a-kind charm.
(images: linked to their sources above)
A contact of mine on Facebook, Caroline Panico, has asked for a favor and since you are all quite the well-traveled bunch I’m sure many of you have some great travel tips. Here is her question…
“Hi Holly, I am going to Paris in March with my husbands band, Montage Populaire, do you or any of your readers know of places to go/shop/eat/visit which wouldn’t be in the tourist guides? I would be really grateful and I know you and your readership are just the right sort of people to ask!!!“
Well first of all Caroline, Mon Pop sounds great – I’m so glad to know of your husband’s band. And secondly, I don’t think that you can really go wrong in Paris no matter where you go but sure… I’ll bet lots of decor8 readers can help you so I’ll leave it to them. And they’ll also be helping me and my husband as we plan to take the train over in the Spring.
Any good tips to share?
(image: top: Alicia Bock and bottom: Little Brown Pen)
This morning I found Maria Kallin, a photographer who calls herself an amateur (I think she’s so much more) who takes square bokeh shots that show such attention to the often overlooked details that surround us each day. It’s relaxing and refreshing to view these winter shots because there is real heart + soul in her work. Maria lives in Stockholm and her recent winter shots feel so cozy don’t you think?
And they’re a sweet reminder, as I sit here watching the snow fall, that winter soon will melt into Spring. You can enjoy more photos from Maria here.
(images: maria kallin)
Artist Camilla Engman just made a few of her tea towels, designed alongside Third Drawer Down in Australia, available in her web shop. I particularly like the yellow and white towel and enjoy seeing it simply tacked to a wall above a chair – nothing fancy but quite lovely and relaxing to look upon – don’t you think?
One does not need to fuss around perfecting their interior environment, often a simple statement makes the biggest impact and can also cost the least amount of money. I often wish those who stress about decorating their homes thought about design in the way that I do, that you do not have to buy extremely expensive things or go into debt to impress others — but to simply challenge yourself to not spend a lot of money and still create an environment that speaks to you.
Some try to make their home fit the expectations of others or to fit a popular lifestyle trend simply “fit in” that their own heart and soul has been removed and replaced with brand name chairs and fancy wallpaper. Some crave that others will like their style and see them as cool or stylish — they want them to be impressed, but they’ve forgotten a key element — a truly stylish space is one that reflects the authenticity of those living in it and the life and joy and experiences they have had in the past.
When I see such beauty in simple touches that look and feel very cozy and personal I cannot help but think some worry way too much and if they’d only relax and decorate from the heart then their spaces would magically fall together. Perhaps that is the missing link in design, what sets apart one space from the next, not expensive things or copying the ideas of others or even replicating some common style or catalog theme but to simply do what you want to do – decorate from the heart – how would you decorate your bedroom or living room if you knew that no one would ever see it – only you and your family? And then perhaps with that thought in mind, you can feel free to paint birds on your ceiling and paint your moldings black against white walls and paint the legs of your dining room table chairs bright yellow. Maybe one just needs to free themselves from the expectations of others and pretend for a moment that only your decorating sense matters and go with it.
What do you think?
(image: camilla engman)
Tara just rolled out the most adorable letterpress “love” cards, surely a nice way to kick off a new week as the idea of love certainly fills one with hope and new possibilities. Tara Hogan, designer and founder of INK + WIT, has such great taste and I appreciate her aesthetic because she always knows exactly when to pull back and edit her work so that the finished product never feels cluttered or careless. Aren’t these cards perfect for expressing love to someone whom you hold dear?
Speaking of love, I had the pleasure of watching Miss Potter and Coco Avant Chanel last night as I was home alone and in need of some me time and oh… what powerful, motivating films! I loved learning more about the beginnings of two famous woman, one an author and another a fashion designer, because both women displayed true gumption and a moral certainty that they possessed talent and would do something with it despite the roadblocks and challenges involved. And both succeeded to not only reach their own expectations but to exceed them. What nice thoughts to take into a Monday morning and a new week, so I thought that I would share them with you. If you’ve not viewed one or both of these films I encourage you to do so as I cannot think of any woman (or man) who would not take away something positive from them. I’ve included links to the trailers of both films above so be sure to view them — I could live in both of these movies as the set design and locations were sublime. Did you see either of these films? Thoughts?
Happy Monday — I will return shortly with some inspiration for you to enjoy.
(image: ink + wit)
H is for Hedgehog in English but it also stands for Have… as in Have a great weekend and I’ll meet you back here on Monday morning because I’m running out the door on a slew of appointments… If you happen to wonder where this beautiful image is from below then you’re in for a treat because it is from the Tear Jerker issue #7 of online magazine Utterly Engaged.
The first image was shot by Gabriel Ryan and the bottom photographed by Max Wanger.
And for a little feel good Friday, check out the video embedded in page 59 of their magazine — adorable! Love is a beautiful thing…
See you on Monday! Schönes Wochenende! Byeeeee!
(image: utterly engaged)
In the advertising world bold typography is often used as a key ingredient to create an unforgettable ad. In modern homes, typography displayed in the form of prints are used to create an unforgettable room — lots of people display prints that rely solely on text to convey a particular message, always something meaningful to them.
I just heard from Made By Girl founder and designer, Jennifer Ramos, about a new line of Love and Hello prints (16 x 20″ and $25 each) that she just rolled out — I’m sure they’ll be a hit with their sleek charcoal background and white lettering with your choice of either Hello or Love in multiple languages. There is also something quite subtle about these posters that you may not notice upon first glance. In each of them either Love or Hello in English can be found hiding in light gray. Did you catch that?
How did she select the languages? Jennifer picked the top fifteen countries where her readers tune in from to read her blog each day. How thoughtful!
(image: made by girl)
I just heard for the first time about Dutch freelance photographer Jeltje from Irene Hoofs who wrote about a photo she’d taken showing a swing indoors. While I love the idea of a swing I nearly fell down when I clicked over to Jeltje’s portfolio and was saw some of her work – she is only in her twenties and has accomplished so much already. Have a look for yourself.
Jeltje has had her work featured in popular Dutch decorating magazines like 101 Woonideeen and Ariadne at Home, both ones that I really love and find so creative and approachable. I realllllly like all of these spaces above — so fresh and light, and ones that I can really imagine living and working in. I love the mood board with the mostly gray palette, gray is one of my favorite colors and looks so good with just about any color no matter what the tone – it’s so versatile like white or black but not as strong. Gray is soft, enchanting, moody… a bit come hither.
(images: jeltje photography)
As I was out shopping for flower bulbs earlier and I started to think about my post yesterday and how so many of you connected with what I said, and how nice it was for me to hear that and to make the connection. And then I thought that perhaps you could use a little free space to just talk to me, one another, to the universe… just to vent I guess — to vent your frustrations and then to end your comment with a note like… I hate how isolated I feel working from home BUT I love that I can wear bunny slippers and have my dog lay on my feet all day.
I will call this space the “Half Empty, Half Full” corner today. It’s where you can literally dump what makes your life, or job, or anything “half empty” but make sure that before you end your post you include your “half full” feelings, too.
Okay, so why don’t we get started. Who will go first? I can’t wait to see your half + half comments, this could potentially be a lot of fun!
(image: holly becker for decor8)
Ah… a lovely bed greeting you as you enter your sleeping quarters. Bliss! One that is dressed simply but beautifully making it a gorgeous focal point but also a cozy spot to curl up in and leave your cares behind. Would you like to see a beautiful bed? This is Danielle’s bedroom in her gorgeous country home outside of Amsterdam, she shot a photo of it because she just received a limited supply of vintage bedspreads in white — no two are the same — and she offered me one and this is what I selected…
It just arrived today and I scooped it up out of its box like a newborn baby — holding it up into the air smiling like a total dork from some cheesy fabric softener commercial. But when you find something so lovely you cannot help but feel a sense of pride overly a newly acquired gem.
If you like this one, Danielle has about 8 more in different sizes and patterns that she will list on Ebay this weekend. You may want watch this page (currently there is nothing in stock but that will change!) to make sure that you do not miss your chance because trust me — you really will love one of these on your bed!
(image: danielle delange)
