Sense and Sophistication: (*hopefully) coming to an airline near you

I think a great way to combat the distasteful tasks of modern air travel would be to up the design and sophistication quotient on the entire in-flight experience. I remember collecting soaps and playing cards from my early flights as a wee traveller. Where did all of those charming bits of airline loot & booty run off to?

I found these exquisite El Al Israel Airlines playing cards on grain edit. Created by Israeli artist and designer Jean David.

Look at the interesting face card designs; the joker is a riot and the deck design itself is so amazing.

Postal Love

Real mail is a treasure. It absolutely makes my day when I get a letter. I am such a sucker for beautiful paper, pretty stamps and the postal stickers for airmail. I found these airmail papers today and got inspired.

Vintage Kitty Hawk airmail stationery.

I adore these flirty cards from Field and Sea on etsy.

Airmail stationery and stickers from Donovan Beeson also on etsy.

French Organic Body

I found these while shopping for hand cream (I'm so dry here from the radiator heating!). I think that the packaging is fantastic and the art on the bottles is simple and on-point. A nice treat to welcome in the sunny weather; smell fantastic and feel good with these scrumptious products from Patyka. 

On a project with the Hotel San José we put together a lovely room service bento box with select food goodies and spa items. I think a room service box with all kinds of yummy body products is a delightful departure from overpriced m&m's and mini liquor bottles. 

Heavenly

It's so sunny here in Heidelberg today. Spring is so close, I can taste it. I went for a long hike yesterday in the rain and could start to smell the first buds of trees and flowers sprouting out. 

I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but it smells heavenly.

Hanky Panky: Everyday Elegance

A handmade linen handkerchief certainly provides a bright spot of sophistication in your day. Fog Linen (site in English and Japanese) has amazing products and a finely curated website. They sell a wide-range of products. In addition to these grand hankies, I think that the ropes & twine category is sensational.

I could live in these pants.

I'm convinced that our recession/depression is a fine solution to cure us of our addiction to low-quality, disposable goods. I'm happy to see designers, retailers and consumers support functional, well-crafted wares. Handkerchief vs. Kleenex....no contest.

Library of Taste

In Paris a friend shared la cocotte: librairie du goût with me. It is an amazing store and they have a comprehensive and whimsical website. Their concept is all about food, culinary design, the culture of eating, and education. 

Workshop

Pimp my Cupcake. 

Does it get any better than that?

Farm Love in the Heart of the City

Found this great site today - Pistils Nursery: Country Life in the City.

"We started Pistils to create a unique gathering place for people who are as passionate about plants and urban homesteading as we are … a place for discovery, conversation, and above all, sharing."

They have a great list of workshops and a very nice shop. Portland people lead the way once again. Seems like a very community-oriented business and a fun model of how to incorporate learning, sustainability and retail into your operation. 

Newfangled Furniture

SchubLaden in Berlin takes old drawers and creates new settings for them. The combinations are smart and look great. They mix textures, sizes, ages, materials in all of their pieces. They pair parts of disparate provenance in an organized, standardized fashion. The furniture is functional but not stuffy.

Farm Love

I recently returned from a two week farm stay in Grafschaft Bentheim (northwestern Germany). It was arranged by Stefan Westhuis of the Landwirtschaftskammer in Bad Bentheim (Agricultural Extension Service). I was hosted by local family that raises pigs, steers and dairy cows. During my stay I learned about the regional farming practices and visited a number of area farms. I had the opportunity to work alongside some of the farmers, my host family included. The farming industry in this area is primarily family-run and farms are small to medium-sized operations. The majority of these family farms sell their products to larger operations (dairies, groceries, etc.). 

One of the most interesting parts of my stay was learning about agricultural certification and education. Germany has a multi-track education system (which has its ups and downs). Vocational education is one track of study. This vocational track consists of extensive practical and experiential training and education that farmers in Germany are required to complete. You cannot call yourself a farmer without this training - seriously.

It was interesting for me to take a couple of steps back from the current US-food security debate and see how important it is to insure stable food production by supporting agricultural education.

When my host family asked me how one becomes a farmer in the States, I had vague, insufficient answers...., really guesses more than answers. Handed-down education? Earn a degree in agricultural management? FFA? 4-H?

Even more interesting was the thought that these young farmers emerge from their education debt-free....zero student loans. That is a step in the right direction.* 
Farm Links:
Bunte Bentheimer Pigs: Delicious Pork Products
Ekenhorst Dairy: Milk, Yogurt, Cheese

(*from article to appear later this spring in GOOD)

Greatest Suitcase

The Dallas Roller from Bree is the greatest suitcase I've owned. I bought it from client Currie Person at Spartan in Austin. It's felted which gives it a great all-weather functionality. When I pack for a trip I say, "I can't believe I fit all that in there..."

Chevrolegs

These shoes are saving my life. I can walk for hours and am super stylish. Handmade shoes from Trippen.

Quality Packaging

When I was in Paris last month visiting friends and attending Masion et Object, I did a lot of grocery shopping. Visiting groceries and fresh markets is one of my most favorite travel activities.

On one shopping jaunt, I found these yogurts from St. Malo. I was drawn to the logo and the packaging: various kinds of yogurt, same logo, different colorways for each; waxed carton tub (vs. plastic!) and foil tops.

At my local market here in Heidelberg, I found another packaging treasure: Yogurt la Fermiére. These yogurts are in ceramic pots with a lovely logo imprint. 

The ceramic pots are made by Cermer. I love to see this kind of quality in product presentation.

Tie me up with a Textilkabel

I'm seeing more and more woven designs every day. One particular woven art supply has been very hard to find! I have been on the hunt for woven electrical cable for a couple of projects. Woven cable (Textilkabel) is an insulated cord that is usually found on irons in Europe. Today I landed on Textilkabel-Lowenstein in Frankfurt. Not only do they have woven cable but they have an amazing color selection! They also sell hard-to-find ceramic lightbulb housings.

Four out of Five Senses Agree

Seems like there could be unlimited uses for this new creation from PolyIFF®. It is a type of plastic that has the ability to hold a scent for a very long time. Possible also to use in paint or other design element or component as it can have any color, opacity, density or flexibility. IFF also offers a professional "nose" service to help create a special fragrance that specifically suits your purpose.

"We are prepared to be radical."

Ross Russell and his wife Sally challenged dRMM architects and Ross' old schoolmate, Alex de Rijke to design a sliding house that provided 'degrees of shelter.' Together they've created a mold breaking house that changes shape and form with the power of two car batteries. In dRMM's brief to the Ross family, they proclaimed, "We are prepared to be radical." Looks like their intention helped set them up for a most radical success. Via mocoloco and wallpaper*

Don't Let the Next Step Scare You

Whether or not Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat Pray Love is your thing, her talk at this year's TED conference is impressive and she speaks directly to the terror that hides inside (or outside - whatever the case may be!) all creative people. Via swiss miss.

Frown

One of my favorite stores in Berlin is closed. I visited last week and learned that after three years in business, they decided to close shop. I know there's a bright edge to the economic squeeze. I'm convinced that collaboration and creative thinking can ease the struggle.

Here's a link to über. They have a few things on their website still on offer. Saludos to such a beautifully curated store. 

Paper Light My Fire

I worked on a project about six years ago and I was so excited to work for the first time with a lighting consultant. Lighting is a special aspect of design and creating a mood. These handmade lights by Anna Hössle reflect her background as a professional bookbinder. The detail and quality comes only from this kind of handmade craftsmanship.

Peace Out - Beatnik Family by Jonas Lindvall

Clean, strong, simple tables by Jonas Lindvall for deNord. Key element of famous Japanese restaurant in Malmö - Izakaya Koi. Tables and chairs can often be so stuffy and over-thought in cafes and restaurant. It is a pleasure to sit and enjoy wonderful food atop quality-made furniture like this. Via Midsommar.

Uniforms

These would be fabulous for cafe uniforms. From DECOPUR - Belgium

At Home in This

Venus et Jules make lovely clothing that is in their own words, "cosy at home but also sensual and seductive." I would love to have these kinds of things to lounge in.

Perfect Ceramics

I saw this pottery from Atelier Belart Creation sometime ago in Elle Decor and ran into it again at Masion et Object in January. I was at their booth and was looking around and realized I knew their work already! Their light fixtures they had in their area (thin gauze over wire with a naked blub) were so interesting; all so perfectly displayed. The gentleman there as the rep was fetching - in an chartreuse caftan, dark skin and fashionably short salt & pepper hair. They were doing some kind of interview and photo shoot while I was there so I got to watch the performance.

I would love to see hotels have their products in these kinds of vessels. 

Can you imagine using some fantastic bath foam or private label sun lotion out of a bottle from Belart? 

Spring Is Coming

Makes me want to plant a garden!

Completely love how orange the carrots look.

Miss and kiss to my sweet Oma! What a beautiful face this woman has.

Frieda Maria - Belgium

Cocoon Time

Can decide if I love this or not. It's interesting nonetheless.

By Jo Pond

Pretty White in Paris

One of my favorite places I visited in Paris was Le Petit Atelier de Paris in the Marais. The store has lots of things in white and the mood of the store is homey and a warm, yummy kind of simple. There is a workshop in the store and adds to the general creative feel of the atmosphere. They have ceramic electrical hardware pieces and a to-die-for ceramic tool box.

New Wave Woolen

Claudy Jongstra keeps a flock of 200 sheep. She keeps this herd for land management and as a resource for her wool. She uses the wool as raw material for her art. These days, felt seems to be everywhere. These pieces are created by hand and result in a product that is unique, warm and true to tradition. This felt does not rest on uniformity but rather relishes in the imperfections and irregularities of the material. 

"Made with the Very Best of Everything..."

How simple and perfect. Love the lace and the finery of these 'inner wear' pieces. Made with love from Norway by Vera & William. I'm so excited about the return to classic pieces with style. How 50's and solid.

Thick and Thin

Hut UP Berlin line of clothing combines select pieces of felt with delicate materials to create garments with subtle power. Yellow is so yummy!