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Green, pink and gold: Felix Soho

6 November 2020

Who wouldn’t want to have a coffee at the Felix Roasting Co.?

After the great success of the Felix Roasting Co. in Midtown in New York and thousands of Instagram shares of its photos, Ken Fulk, designer, creative director and partner of the project and proprietor Matthew Moinian opened last August another hot shop in Soho, London, Felix Soho.

Like the American sibling, the interiors are lush and eye-catching. The dominant colours -a rich blue-green, a soft pink and sparkling gold- bring together different materials and patterns.

(Photographs courtesy Felix Roasting Co.)

in Arts+ Crafts, Color Inspiration, Interiors, Ispiration, Outdoor

The incredible Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech

21 March 2020

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ysl museum yves saint laurent museum, architeture, marrakech, architecture marrakesh, plusdeco blog, +deco, +deco blog, museums, cool museums, studio KO, studio KO paris, studio KO ysl museum, studio KO projects marrakech

The incredible Yves Saint Laurent Museum (incredible should be inseparable part of the name) is one of those pieces of architecture that just sits perfectly in the location where it was built and looks like it has always been there even if it has a very contemporary feeling.

I have a thing for bricks, especially red bricks. It might be because I grew up in Rome, among the Roman ruins and fascist architecture that used bricks frequently. Recently I developed a soft spot for traditional grey Chinese bricks as well, often used by the beautiful architecture firm Neri & Hu.

The Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech was designed by Studio KO on a plot of land close to the Jardin Majorelle; it covers an area of 3,908 square metres and hosts 2 exhibitions, has an auditorium, a library, a coffee shop, a restaurant and a bookshop. It was commissioned by Pierre Bergé, who recently died, in memory of his partner, the legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

The architecture perfectly balances volumes and sinuous curves, different materials like the concrete of the reinforced structure, red brick made from industrial clay, the natural terracotta with a base in pre-cast terrazza of the outside facing and golden details.

Studio KO, founded by architects Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty, hasn’t left anything to chance. The interiors are sublime. Bricks are used for patterns on the outdoor shell like wood is used to design patterns in the interiors.

Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech is an example of elegance, a happy combination of forms and colors, the perfect homage to a master of fashion and a genius creative mind. It is no doubt one of my favourite pieces of architecture from last few years.

Photographs by Dan Glasser, courtesy of Studio KO.

in Color Inspiration, Furniture, Interiors, Ispiration

Contemporary elegance in Warsaw

1 July 2019

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studio colombe, Marta Chrapka, interior design, plusdeco blog, +deco, +deco blog, elena giavarini blog, wooden floors, elegant apartments, warsaw interiors, warsaw apartment, polish interior design

We have more than once spoken about the fact that I love old things, for their quality and the stories they have.

Very modern and bare apartments are not for me.

For me there is a contemporary elegance created by the charm of natural materials, inspiration from the past, furniture tailoring; this elegance never tires the eyes.

It is what I call the ‘well made with taste’ category.

This apartment in Warsaw, furnished by Marta Chapkra of Studio Colombe, is a perfect example of this elegance. To tell you the truth, all the work by Studio Colombe is an example of this.

The wooden herringbone floor and a sophisticated choice of colors form a background for some refined pieces. The choice of natural colors, all light, is vibrant. White is presented in different hues, it is never simply white. Textiles introduce color and structure.

The kitchen, custom made like a lot of the furniture, is original but simple.

The insertion of wooden circles, the division in panels, the two colors, the marble backsplashes are all endearing elements.

The art, small and discrete paintings, add interest without dominating the scene.

I would move into this apartment tomorrow, without changing anything.

Rarely do I feel like stating something like that but in this case the balance between the quality and the taste of the decoration has really impressed me.
Studio Colombe‘s house looks comfortable to live in, really comfortable, full of wardrobes and easy to live in spaces.

If you want the see some more houses of this category, check the old converted church in Australia and the London former stable presented in a previous post.

in Furniture, Interiors, Outdoor

Love at first sight: Filicudi chair

20 June 2019

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Filicudi chair entered powerfully in my wish list. It is elegant, Mediterranean looking and with a naturalistic shape.

Designed by Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, one of the most promising young designers around, Filicudi Chair is produced by the super fun brand Qeeboo.

It takes its name from the Eolian island Filicudi, where prickly pears grow everywhere.

The seat is made of polyethylene and the base is metal; it is ideal for indoor and outdoor in all its colors, black, white, balsam green, bright green.

It was love at first sight like for Nemo by Fabio Novembre for Driade.

I am going to have to get one, thankfully it is in the market for a reasonable price!

in Arts+ Crafts, Color Inspiration, Furniture, Interiors, Ispiration

‘Terra’ plates

24 January 2019

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I was recently asked what my religion was. I instinctively said ‘Yoga’.

It was a provocative answer but practicing yoga has surely guided my mind in the last few years. It gives me calmness, confidence and it teaches me acceptance.

I have practiced Ashtanga for a few years and then, because my timetable didn’t allowed to go to the Ashtanga Yoga School, I have joined another Yoga Center and I have started to explore different styles and practice with various teachers. In my yoga years, I have learned to focus, to let bad thoughts go, to concentrate on myself (which sounds like a bad thought but it actually means that you don’t judge yourself according to what others do) and my body has become strong and flexible.

I met many dedicated individuals who inspired me with their passion and knowledge. If they are reading the post, I want to express my gratitude.

This awareness is effecting every aspect of my life and it is making me a more centred person, willing to do good.

It is not a case that in my work as well, I tend to go for natural materials and objects that have an history.

I love Julia Pilipchatina‘s collection Terra for instance.

Her gorgeous plates (shown below) look like they are made of wood and ceramic but they are actually made of clay painted like wood and ceramic; they look amazing and you don’t have the problems that wooden plates present (wood retains smells and it is effected by too much water).

I like the irregular shapes of this dishes and the combination between a color, a tiny stripe of gold and the wood look.

in Furniture, Interiors, Ispiration

Coco by Larose Guyon

22 November 2018

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I always tell my clients to invest in lights. A beautiful quality lamp is for ever.

You move it around, you change its place, you take it with you when you move and worse case scenario you store it somewhere until, inevitably, you find a place for it again.

Quality lights are better made and the details are fundamental in such a simple yet prominent object in any space.

At the end of the day lights are most lit things in your house.
Quality lamps are also generally sturdier, an important characteristic above all when speaking about floor and wall lights.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to buy a quality light. Brands like Artemide, Flos, Foscarini, Gubi have some iconic pieces that won’t break the bank and can be mixed with cheaper lights from Ikea or Muuto’s or Normann Copenhagen’s.

Then there are some lights that make a statement, that decorate the entire space with their presence, that are memorable.

These lights sometimes have important prices obviously because they don’t just fulfil their duty but they fill the room, they are sculptures like this one called Coco by Larose Guyon, a piece of suspended glowing jewellery.

in Furniture, Interiors, Ispiration, People

Gorgeous furniture by Anna Karlin

25 October 2018

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Lets speak about this.

This gorgeous, sweet looking girl called Anna Karlin…

……who designs the gorgeous, sexy furniture below.

I am not a green-eye monster generally but some people seem to be blessed with beauty and talent, some more than others, let’s be honest.

Now, the question is, does being beautiful help in being successful?

I think it can either help you or in the long run make it more difficult. If you manage to rely on your looks and actually invest in your personality and abilities, being good-looking is a strength. If you only rely on your looks, you generally grow fragile because you need a lot more than that to safely cruise along in this world.

But let’s speak about the gorgeous furniture collection the super talented Anna Karlin has designed.

The stools or occasional tables are very interesting and elegant.

The black planters are basically the only planters I have seen that look like a piece of furniture and not a cage for pots.

I am in love !!!

in Furniture, Interiors, Ispiration

Canopy beds

21 June 2018

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The truth is that I have always wanted a contemporary canopy bed but I would only put it in a period flat, in a country house or in a small room with a high ceiling.

A lot of people like canopy beds but some are hesitant to buy one because they worry it could look too much or because they associate it with a overly romantic look (men I’m looking at you).

The point is that now there are so many cool, linear, no frills contemporary options out there that we don’t have any excuses anymore.

Ikea used to have a very simple, yet good looking double canopy bed but they don’t sell it anymore, they just advertise a solution to create canopy bed curtains with some of their products. It’s a shame because the one they had was easy to paint and well priced.

There are other high street brands that sell pretty canopy beds ; Maison du Monde for instance sells 7 models, one being the bamboo one below.

Let’s have a look at some other options from other less known still cool brands.

I really like the Frame Canopy Bed by CB2 in matt iron with plated brass corners pictured below. The queen size costs 642 euros and the king size costs 734 euros.

Thewhite one underneath is Bed Led by Filo Design; it has got a cool shelf that can act a a bedside table and led lights on the pools.

The wooden pretty one in the pink room is from Urban Outfitters and it comes at a very reasonable price. The idea of having garlands of lights hanging from the structure is definitely to steal.

The unusual shape of the whiteXAM Design Studio’s bed makes it original; it comes in different colors but it is only sold to contractors, unfortunately.

The black and teak wood canopy bed (picture before last) is for those who like a more classic, masculine look. This is the Industrial Canopy Bed by Asian Arts but to tell you the truth you will find some very similar in other online shops.

Last but not least, it is a revisitation to an old canopy bed by RH Baby&Child , with a comfortable back and freed from too many baroque details. Check the entire collection on RH Baby&Child, they have some cool beds, above all for little girls.

It seems obvious, after having seen all these beautiful canopy beds, that we don’t have many excuses, it is time to get one!

SalvaSalva

in Arts+ Crafts, Furniture, Interiors

My picks from Tiffany’s Everyday Objects

7 December 2017

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I have never desired to have breakfast at Tiffany‘s even if I always wanted to look like Audrey Hepburn (I suspect I am not the only one…) and I have always found the classic Tiffany’s green annoyingly a shade to light to be cool so when I learned that Tiffany had launched a new Home & Accessories collection my expectations weren’t particularly high when I checked it out.

I was actually surprised though to see a few pieces that I would like, shiny and well made enough to remind you that they are made by a jewellery brand and to realise that the Tiffany green looks good on porcelain.

These are my favourite bits so far with prices in euros and dollars:

in Color Inspiration, Furniture, Interiors, Ispiration

An original apartment by Marcante Testa

18 June 2017

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I am going to show you today a truly original apartment in Venice designed by the studio Marcante Testa. This is the first apartment completed in the renovation of a nineteenth century building in a small canal near San Marco.

As you know I periodically ponder on the concept of originality (see my post about the Salone del Mobile 2015 and Salone del Mobile 2017) because I believe it is really difficult to do something new these days. Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa managed to mix Memphis studio inspired objects (to know more about Memphis Studio and see the inspired Kartell collection, read here) , vintage glamorous brass elements, unusual combination of colors and iron frames and furniture in bright colors.

I would have never said that all these things could look good together but they somehow do and the result is interesting and very balanced.

I love the idea of ‘framing’ the doors and windows and to encapsulate the kitchen with iron structures.

I love the fact that on the page dedicated to the project on the Marcante and Testa website you can find out, room by room, where all the furniture is from.