Dipped Wooden Bowls

How beautiful are these dipped wooden bowls I found on Etsy from seller, Wind + Willow Home?  I love these!

I am off to Dresden tomorrow to do some biking along the Elbe river, weather permitting.

Until Monday- Happy weekend.

Photo Source: Wind + Willow Home

Riga the hip

Lots of fun things going on in my neighbourhood.  Firstly, two wonderful small businesses just opened, which I promise to blog about in June: Veltin, a wine bar specializing in wines of the countries who were part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and a bubble tea shop called Tea 2 Go (I think that’s the name) that I just checked out this afternoon for a small taste test- yes it’s good.

There is also a movie being filmed the next block over so the street is rammed with camera crews, lights, trucks, special roped off areas and actors.  Fun to watch.

My post today is on Riga (the city in Latvia) and how I almost booked a last minute flight, prompted by a 50% off seat sale for next weekend.  Riga has been floating around my travel radar since I landed in Prague last year.  The initial hook was an article I read about the city’s Jewish baked goods and particular style of rye bread which I am dying to go try.  The second hook is its seemingly blossomed design scene.  In a panicked consideration whether to book the 50% off flight or not (the decision ended up being not- but I will get there), I did some quick research on hotels.  Low and behold, there are some impressive looking boutique hotels that have opened or were renovated/reconstructed in the past five years not to mention interesting design stores and restaurants- I’m sold.

One hotel in particular which caught my attention was, Hotel Bergs, located in an area called Berg Bazars.

Photo Sources: 1-3

Hotel Neiburgs also looks great.  The hotel is housed in an Art Nouveau building in old town and is owned and operated by members of the Neiburgs family who were involved in the construction of the building 1903.

Photo Sources: 1-3

Then there is the very cool concept store, Riija where customers can experience the Latvian design and craftsmanship under one roof.  It looks like country, minimalist chic to me.

Photo Sources: 1-3

And of course the hip eatry, Cydonia Gastropub (cydonia is Latin for quince) that recently opened.

Photo Sources: 1, 2

While my trip to Riga won’t be happening this month, I will visit the city sometime this year (I hope) and happily report back to you, my design inspired travel readers/followers of this blog!

Miller Goodman

I have a couple of friends who are having babies this spring/summer and as a result, I have found myself hunting for “appropriate” baby gifts.  I will admit, the pictures below are not necessarily the most practical representations of gifts for babies and would probably be more suitable for older kids.  However, I could not pass up sharing these Miller Goodman works of art.  Surely it is the type of gift that a baby could “grow in to” when he or she is older.

The whimsical wooden toys and art from Miller Goodman, a UK based design team made up of Zoey Miller and David Goodman, are just fabulous in my books and I fell in love with their animated block sets and sculptures.

The wooden block set (picture above and below) is called “face maker” and I think would make a great gift for a kid, don’t you think? I’m an adult and I would love one in my house. The two sculputres seen below the Face Maker toy are not for kids, but are also neat.  I like all the shapes, colours and textures they use in the faces.

Photo Sources: Miller Goodman

From what I can see, the Miller Goodman website is being revamped but it does contain contact information for the brand.  However, the Miller Goodman blog is full of fun content and gets updated regularly.

To finish off, there is even a neat little video that I thought you might appreciate if your brain is screaming Yes! about this toy/work of art.  The clip was posted on YouTube to show you how fun their products are in action.

Katrin Moye

I have a philosophy about tabletop items.  My philosophy is that people develop an emotional relationship with the stuff (tabletop items) they use and the items with the strongest emotional connection get used the most.  Think about the items in your home that you may be “afraid” to use because of how breakable it is, or it has been categorized as a special occasion only item because it is fragile.  UK based artist, Katrin Moye has a down to earth perspective on tabletop items and why she got into ceramics: she wanted to create pieces that people were not anxious about handling.    Just look how sturdy her mugs, dishes and jugs look.  I love the items from her dotted stripe collection as well as her tiny hoops and dandelions collection.

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 

Räder Poetry et Table. Breakfast

I am a big fan of breakfast sets (dishes, plates, cups and bottles), so I have to share my new find this weekend; An adorable line of breakfast-ware titled “Poetry et Table. Breakfast” from German design company, Räder (Hartmut Wheels).  I have never heard of this brand before but was immediately drawn to its  in-store display which had a beautiful breakfast scene set up on a large wooden table, accessorized with Räder’s breakfast accessories (similar to the photo below- minus the food).

I love the simplistic design of each of the ceramic pieces and how the design integrates graphics of chickens,  cows and pigs in an artistic and modern way.  I don’t speak German so I can’t translate what is written on the items but I would imagine it has to do with the company’s sweet, “poetic” product description on their website which reads:

“All in butter. The day begins. The eggs cook. Life is’ today ‘higgledy-piggledy. The grapefruit is sour again. But where the milk to the coffee kisses, because the joy of sitting at the table. Take newspapers, bread and a poached egg. And Sundays sometimes two.”

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

31 Bits

Hello blog readers.  I hope you had an exciting weekend full of sunshine.  It was 32 degrees with plenty of sun in Prague and the streets were rammed with tourists.  The city is in full bloom with the smell of lilac bushes.  Lots of exciting things are going on that I will share with you over the month of May including a series of photo shoots I am organizing for a new project which will launch in July.  My team and I had our first photo shoot this weekend at a friend’s house and it went off without a hitch and we all learned a few things to help us better prepare for the next one and feasted on a tasty vegetarian lunch.

I have been meaning to blog about social jewelry company,  31 Bits, as I think they are worth talking about.  I shared with you all earlier this month that my wedding clock is ticking away and we are soon approaching our wedding date in August. While most of the event pieces are falling in line nicely,  I currently have no dress, no shoes and no jewelry so my hunting efforts have kicked into overdrive.  I decided to start with jewelry and work backwards from there!

I can’t remember the first time 31 Bits crossed my path, as several terrific people have profiled them this pas year including 100 Layer Cake, glitter guide, and apartment 34 (to name a few).  However, when I checked out the 31 Bits website and read more about the brand’s story, I fell in love with their purpose, designs and more importantly, their recently launched bridal line.

31 Bits is a great company and is getting a lot of well deserved attention these days.   The company has a terrific entrepreneurial story and social community focus to their business.   They work directly with a community of women in Northern Uganda who specialize in making paper beads (the designers of the company).  If you are a bride or bridesmaid, it is perfect timing to have a company like this cross your radar as the festive wedding season has officially kicked off and I know how stressful the hunt for finding the latest and greatest can be to make sure you are primped and polished to the max before walking down the aisle.

I love their caramel dust look (below).  There is one more necklace I like but can’t find it right now for some reason.

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6