shak-shuka

Walls Love Woolly Pocket

This weekend I had the pleasure of having my best friend here visiting so I took him to Amsterdam to discover my old favorite places as well as to discover some new ones. As we stumbled by one of the many "coffee shops" down one small alley there was the cutest little shop (Hear Hear) with the cutest things that I had never seen before. Like, the Woolly Pocket. As crazy and as cool as it sounds, this takes gardening vertical and is a great space saver for urbanites who are cramped for space or for those of us who love a good wall conversation piece! To make it even better for the environment, they're made from recycled plastic! I just have to now decide which pocket, which plants, and which wall - ah, you make life first a bit difficult then more green and beautiful Woolly Pocket!

Collected by (Me and) Tas-ka

To put it mildly: I am obsessed with the Dutch brand Tas-ka. Lucky for me, the recently opened shop is just a train ride away, but if you can't make it to the shop, they have a great online store that'll get your drooling with inspiration. Even though I already have a ton of their designs in my home, I cannot wait to get the new collection up and at'em with the rest of the house crew. I'm coveting this and that fabric to make into something for our bedroom.....now if only they sold "time" on their website too I could actualy make something!

Endless (love for this) Rocker

This weekend was enough of a jumpstart to get me writing again on the blog. Life has been busy these days! But c'mon, this Endless Rocker was so jaw-droppingly gorgeous I just couldn't NOT share! Made from recycled fridge doors and done on a 3D printer (that was above my brain but Papa Shuka (who's an architect) was all about the technology) is amazing. Not only is it gorgeous, but it's actually really comfortable. I mention that because I was toying with the idea of starting a DSR Rocking Chair fund! This Endless Rocker deserves an actual savings fund, as this is more of a one-of-a-kind-hasn't-been-seen-a-million-times look. We scoped this Endless Rocker at our new hidden-treasure-store "En Designshop" right here in Rotterdam. Lucky us.

"Hooked" on Washi Tape

Our "summer weather" has taken a turn for the...well...not so summery. So I've been re-directing my outdoor gardening and organization inwards since we're spending A LOT more time (than I'd like!) indoors. That means - more interior decorating obsessing! Who's excited?!!

The kids room is almost complete, but we have this plain Ikea mirror that is low enough for Lil Miss to check herself out in (and air sing!). The problem is, that the mirror looks really bare and lonely. I have thought about "pimping" the mirror to make it coordinate better witht the room, but I don't want to make it too distracting. So, I turn to my favorite thing in the world - washi tape. Yes, washi tape! I recently discovered that there are Washi Tape Hooks for those of us who are - get ready - "hooked" on washi tape! haha - oh yes I did! They come in packs of three, in various colors, and I think that next to the mirror, holding a few necklaces and other bits of "bling" the Lil Miss might have, they'll be the perfect compliment to our humdrum mirror. We'll show you the results later!

 

FABRIKO Unique Organic Prints

One of the best parts of my job is to receive some very special emails that hold within them a gem of a brand. Lucky us that we get to sit here and be bombarded by these kind of emails!!!

The amazing brand FABRIKO was the latest to grace our inbox, and we were placing an order as fast as our little fingers could type. The prints are out of this world extraordinary, and the fact that they're made in Europe and using organic cotton and organic cotton canvas? Well, you can imagine how I feel. I am personally really in love with the "Super Fly" print and the Little Pillows are just adorable anywhere (thinking about bringing it on our flights this summer), the Reversible Quilts are so smart and useful (not to mention affordable!), and....shall I go on? Nah, just go ahead and enjoy for yourself.....

Birds of a Feather (Tchotchkes)

I've hit a rut in my quest for interior perfection (since outdoor decoration is currently on hold thanks to the nasty cold weather we're experiencing!). The walls are pretty much decorated, the floors are sorted, now just those final finishing touches of knick-knacks, or as we call them "tchotchkes" in our house. I was never really good in this department, plus I think both my husband and I fear having our house look like something like a tchotchke hoarders dreamhouse.....

When we were in Copenhagen last summer, at the HAY store, I saw these handmade wooden Birds made by Kristian Vedel (a Danish designer) and fell in love. There is something so incredibly zen about their simple shape, and faces that I think really are so cheerful without being cheesy at all. The Birds come in various sizes, and the idea behind them is that they represent a familiy of sorts, so you can pick and choose as many birds fit you and your family (or budget! :). I'm also loving the color variation so that they don't ever teeter on the "matchy matchy" scale....

Since we're in the Netherlands, we found our flock of birds here, but you can find them available in other stores worldwide as well - like here.

Smile-Inducing Tissue Boxes

Even though it's May, the weather sure is acting like it's March. Or February. Or January. Cold cold cold! I thought that April showers were supposed to bring May flowers, but our garden says differently....

Along with the lingering cold weather has come the lingering sniffles in our house. Not bad enough to be considered a "real" cold, but enough to call for an open box of tissue to be in each and every room. To be honest, looking at ugly tissue boxes has always been a pet peeve of mine. Plain or decorated, I always think they're the eye-sore of the room. Then I remembered that there was an adorable solution that I had seen years ago on Etsy by this maker named Sparkly Pony. They make the most smile-inducing tissue box covers I have ever seen. The rectangular Whale seems to be the favorite of the store, but I think the small square box Elephant is to die for cute.

So even if the weather really blows, at least you have a way to blow your nose in ridiculously cute style, no?!

How's it Hanging? (City Coat Rack Solution)

When decorating, do you ever find yourself in one of those "hanging" modes where all you can think about is getting stuff off the floor and onto shelves or hanging hooks and racks? Well even if you don't - I do and lately that's all I can think about!

We purchased this Tas-ka (a favorite site of ours, now with their own store in The Hague!) City Coat Rack and I keep running from wall to wall thinking up spaces where we need more well-designed organization. Personally I'm pining over getting another one, as I think one rack of city just isn't enough......because we always have the stuff to hang on it so it'll be put to good use!

 

Bringing 3D to the Eco Home

 

Our admiration for Jurianne Matter knows no boundaries - I mean, how could you not love a designer who puts out such amazing creations as the Blom Paper Flower, where even the packaging is eco (made from compostable corn material)? We were sold at the cool designs she makes, but the eco factor put us over-the-top into infatuation mode.

Matter has done it again with these ingenious pop-out prints that make you go "why didn't I think of that?!". Not only are the prints 3D when you pop out the parts of the Tree or Fish design of your choosing, but the background that shows through the back is up to your choosing, so you can use the included sheets of colored paper (there are 2 colors to choose from) or simply choose a colored sheet of paper that matches your decor and VOILA! you've got a one-of-a-kind print, *almost* designed by you!

The Perfect Alarm Clock

Ok so now that we have our bedroom walls under control, it's time to start over-thinking the tiny details. For instance - not just any old alarm clock will do! I can't see the point of anything that doesn't illuminate (because at this point, let's get real: I'm doing a lot of nighttime feedings so I need as much light as I can get!) but the problem with illuminating clocks is that they're usually hideous and look more like a scoreboard than anything that should be next to your bedside.

Thank you Areaware for not only reading my mind in the beauty department of what a real alarm clock should look like, but also the function department (a much smaller portion of my brain is dedicated to that) as it serves as a dock for your iPhone so that you can charge it at the same time - GENIUS! I might usually over-use that word, but in this instance, it's totally fitting. And might I say that this is such a marriage of aesthetics+function+design that I just have to iPinch myself! (Forewarning: the price of the alarm clock does NOT include the iPhone! It would be too good of a deal if it did....)