A Living Room Project

In this project I had the opportunity to recreate a living room. Dark furniture and floor created a sterile ambience.  Electrical cords could be seen and the antique furniture became to small for all the books, vases and accessories. The room has a beautiful ceiling with ornaments, which could hardly be noted. The lamp doesn't work properly anymore and should to be replaced. The family loves this couch  and the coffee table has been following this family for a long time. Both should stay. 

Therefore it was very important to choose elements which suit to couch and to coffee table. I went for neutral colours and furniture with a fine look. To achieve the contrast between walls and ceiling, I changed the colour of the walls . It emphasises the beauty of the ornamental ceiling.  Some shelves covering all the right wall were placed for  electrical appliances, books, vases and pictures.  A floor lamp was placed on the left side, creating a division between living and dining room.  The antique cabinet will be placed in another room. It would be a pity to get rid of it as it is a family treasure. I am very excited about the results as the room became charming and clean. 

Spring starts earlier in Zurich as the gardening event Giardina takes place until the 15th of March 2015. This year the exhibition is focused on balconies. 

Venue: Messe Zurich 

           Wallisellenstrasse 49 

           8050 Zurich

Opening hours: Saturday and Sunday from 9.00 to 18.00

I hope you can enjoy it!

2015 - The Year of the Sheep

2015 is the year of the sheep in the Chinese horoscope.  Looking for some ideas about the figure of sheep in interiors, I was surprised how often sheep patterns, sculptures and pictures are used to decorate homes. 

Should I really be surprised? The sheep is a gentle and calm animal. People love it. Observing the pictures, I realise that sheep images and patterns create a charming and welcoming ambience. I love the sheep pictures as they express the beauty of sheep and nature. 

The sheep is described as "The White Jade" because of its precious and delicate skin. Since ancient times it has been used to keep us warm. In interiors, it is not different, it brings warmth to the space.  

Cushions, blankets and rugs with sheep patterns give a cozy look to spaces as bedrooms or children's rooms. 

Nevertheless, there are also some eccentric ideas. The artist pair Claude and Francoise-Xavier Lalanne created in the 60's  "Moutons de Laine" which became one of the most recognisable icons from their work. Absurd or adorable?  

Home of Yves Saint Laurent with "Mountons de Lane"

Coco Chanel found it très chic and had  these wooly life sheep in her Parisian apartment. Marcos Jacobs and Valentino own them too. What about you? Would you have one of them at home? 

Pictures via Pinterest. 

Happy New Year! 2015 is the year of the sheep in the Chinese horoscope. The sheep is a lovely and gentle animal. Therefore I wish you a "kind" 2015 to you!

Verner Panton

Do you know that kind of furniture which is not only amazing but also makes you smile? Verner Panton created such pieces, like the Onion-shaped suspension light and the Shell  lamp.

However, Verner Panton never limited himself to one single object. He  designed lighting, furniture, wall panelling and textiles putting them in a context and incorporating the whole space into his creation. 

He was a kind of a gipsy, who once arranged his office in a VW van and travelled through Europe for three years. This experience definitely inspired him on his creations. 

I also like to the fact that he met the big love of his life in a small island in the Mediterranean sea (if you know me, you know the reason ;)

In the 70's he immersed himself into the world of colours and forms. For Verner Panton colour should resemble fireworks. 

Verner created the Panton chair (in white) in the 1960s, the world's first  moulded plastic chair  which is considered one of the masterpieces of Danish design. 

What an infant terrible he was! Nevertheless and above all, he was a businessman who learnt how to use his talent to make a life. It is great when somebody has a gift and knows how to use it! 

Pictures from Pinterest. 

Smooth... Smooth...

When I smell the taste of some exotic fruits as papaya, acerola and pineapple I do remember about my childhood: my lovely mum used to prepare smoothies very early in the morning for my day in a metropolis far away from home… At that time they were not called smoothies. For me they will be always "sucos" as we say in Portuguese for juices. 

Nevertheless I bought a book with some ideas to fortify the immune system and I loved the ideas of using superfood in smoothies. 

Nowadays you mix salads, vegetables and herbs that I don't think my mum would ever dare to put in the juices. I will try them with the kids and see how it works.  

Vanilla sugar and some curiosities

Things work like this for me: sometimes I read a book and it leads me to read another 5: I am reading a book about a botanical explorer which is taking me into the world of plants. How amazing I was when I found out that vanilla is a Mexican flavour and it derives from an orchid. I thought it was an European spice and had no idea from each kind of plant it comes from. 

Vanilla and chocolate were both introduced to Europe in the 1520s. The initial attempts to cultivate vanilla outside Mexico didn't succeed because the vanilla orchid  needs its natural pollinator (the Melipona bee) to set the fruit from which the flavour is derived. It was only in 1841 that global cultivation became possible, after a slave, a twelve years old boy, discovered that the plant could be hand-pollinated. I am sure this was a clever guy but it seems like he didn't have the opportunity to show it or didn't make a good use of his intelligence  as he died in poverty. 

Growing the vanilla seed is a long process. Therefore vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron. 

Well, reading some much about this delicious flavour, I thought I could show you how to make your own vanilla sugar. In Europe you have got vanilla sugar  packages in all supermarkets but in other places of the world it can be very difficult to find it ready. Anyway, it tastes much better if you prepare  it yourself. 

You just need vanilla beans and your favourite sugar. I took a brown one:

Cut the beans in half and scrape out the seeds with a knife. 

Mix the vanilla beans, seeds and sugar all together. 

Close the pot and let the mixture age for approximately two weeks.  The longer you wait, the more flavour the sugar will get. 

Have you never used vanilla sugar before? You can try it on cakes, desserts and teas. It is delicious or as Frederic Rosengarten Jr. described in the book Book of Spices: pure, spicy and delicate. 

Mandalas and Interiors

"I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing,… which seemed to correspond to my inner situation at the time…. Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is:…the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is harmonious."

Carl Jung

The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung knew about the importance of mandalas and introduced them into his therapies. In a new project, which demands improving concentration in an ambience, I am using mandalas. 

I am fascinated about mandalas. Their beauty makes you feel good when you look at them and at the same time, it brings you balance. 

Therefore I think they can be useful in interiors, if you don't exaggerate in colour and size. If you do exaggerate in size (as at the pictures above), them be minimalist in colour ;)

Pictures via Pinterest

Mandala's stickers

My stickers finally arrived and I was able to decorate that boring furniture I had. I love its new look. 

Stickers for your furniture

Have you got  some boring furniture or a lifeless wall? Watch what you can do with it:

The wall-stickers above are waterproof and you can cover all kind of furniture and walls. You can also use them on the kitchen and bathroom, except on the shower wall ;)

If you live in Brazil, you are lucky, you can find these stickers here.