Design Supermarket

Contemporary design, is probably not what most people would associate with the Czech Republic.  Rather, a style befitting to products from countries Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Japan, Spain or Italy to name a few.  Since moving to Prague three months ago, my contemporary design radar continues to go off.  As I explore my surroundings, I take notice of Prague’s next wave of designers trying to cut through the mass, mainstream stuff by producing arty, modern products.

Walk through any of the following areas, all located outside the touristy, Stare Mesto/Prague 1, such as Karlin, Vinohrady, Zizkov, or Holesovice and you are bound to stumble upon a handful of, dare I say “cool,” design stores featuring local and international industrial designers.

This weekend it is possible to get an introduction to several of the city’s young designers at festival, Design Supermarket.  Design Supermarket provides young artists and designers with a means to showcase their work in a commercial setting and provides consumers the opportunity to purchase unique, local, hand-made pieces of work.  When I first saw the advertisement for Design Supermarket posted on the side of a tram stop the other week, I was astounded.   Could this example attempting to showcase contemporary design and new talent in the city really exist for a city where modern/contemporary design is in its nascent stages of development?

To answer my own question, yes.  Design Supermarket started on Wednesday and runs until Sunday at Palace Archa, Na poříčí 26, Prague 1.  I plan to go check it out tomorrow and will let you know about my findings next week.  I am most excited to see the work of Batousek, de-sign, Dreamer Studio, Eva Pelechova, Gabang, Leona Skanderova, and Milos Nemec.  Pictures to follow….

European Vegetarian Hotspots

As the count down to the holiday season begins, I find myself craving vegetables more and more.  I think my body knows it needs greens, like part of some sort of pre-holiday-season detox before the impending sugar high of December.  It is certainly not impossible to find vegetarian, organic or vegan food while dining out in Europe, but after travelling with a vegetarian, not to mention my own preference toward a low-meat regime, I will say this: certain countries and cities do it better than others.  Two restaurants that I think should receive attention for their cool vegetarian/vegan concepts that should expand their brand and concept around the continent are:  Juicebar from Milan and Mangolds from Graz.

Originating from two countries that tend to be more meat and carb heavy than vegetable focused in its cuisine, both Juicebar and Mangolds offer veggie-craving customers, fresh, healthy vegetarian and/or vegan options but in two very different ways.

Juicebar is more like a fast food concept and reminds me of a place I used to frequent in Hong Kong (whose name escapes me right now) that was part cafe part fast food, and focused on healthy, vegetarian take away items, and snacks.  At Juicebar in Milan, I had a super juice, a salad with tuna and barley and grabbed a pack of dried fruit and nuts for the road.

via Juicebar

Mangolds on the other hand is like Ikea, meets Whole Foods, mixed with some great typography and branding in a smaller scale format.  I found Mangolds while staying over in Graz because the carpark for Hotel Wiesler was conveniently located across the street from the cafe.  Mangolds is a self-serve salad bar with plates and take away containers where food is charged by weight, with a couple of food stations as well as a coffee bar and desserts.  It is a full sit down restaurant, with a play area for kids, a mini retail section and changing tables for babies in the men’s and women’s washroom (I know this because my male friend confirmed it for me).  The interior is Scandinavian minimalist, with soft lighting, whites and neutrals and light wood.

via Mangolds

vegan pistachio cherry cake

While travelling, I am perpetually on the hunt for interesting retail and restaurant concepts to blog about.  When these concepts happen to be vegetarian or highlight healthy, local, organic or vegetarian food, that is a double bonus for me!

Book: Nomad by Sibella Court

This looks like an interesting book to pick up for the holidays.  Sibella Court is an Australian interior stylist and owner of shop, The Society Inc in NSW.  Nomad is a collection of photographs of travel shots and styled spaces to show how to bring your travels home with you and incorporate your finds into your decor.  I love Sibella’s work.  To me, her rooms look contemporary, care-free, and “well-lived” as she expertly combines pieces from around the globe and employs her skill and creativity in layering, clustering and styling spaces.  A very “Anthropologie-esque” aesthetic meets, antique market/flea market chic. The book, Nomad, will be available on Amazon November 23 and can be pre-ordered here.  To read more about Sibella and her experience, there is a really good interview on website The Design Files.

Examples of Sibella’s work:

via the design files

via house to home

via fabric of my life

via international visual

Åhléns: move over Ikea

Throughout the history of this blog, I have intimated several times that I am a fan of Scandinavian design.  If you share my predilection for the minimalist, simple, look imbued in all things Scandinavia.  This post, my friends, will be particularly exciting- it was for me!

This morning, while skimming the Freshly Pressed posts on WordPress, I decided to click on one post that caught my eye by Another House Blog. There was a segment on Another House related to the blogger’s travel in Trondheim, Norway and, wait for it, a post about Åhléns, the most magical, wonderful, exciting, interior design department store I have ever seen (Heal’s, in London, is a close second, followed by Muji!).  Hailing from Toronto, I have never heard of Åhléns before but now that I have discovered it, it is one more reason why I have to get myself to Sweden + Norway.

The Åhléns low-down is as follows for those of you who to know a bit about the history of this design shopping mecca:  This is a full department store, that got its start in Sweden in 1899 as a mail-order company which eventually evolved to a brick and mortar operation.  They carry everything from fashion and beauty to home furnishings and their stores in Norway are interiors only.  Åhléns states on its website that the company’s goal is “to be a woman’s favourite and first on her shopping list.”  Talk about a clear brand position and identity.  I love this company’s home line.  It has such cute, colourful, simple stuff that would look amazing in any home and what I have shown below is only scratching the surface.  Happy Wednesday.

via nancy and i

via ellmania

via miss-maries

saunas, wellness centres and loyly

I am researching wellness centres and spas today for an upcoming driving trip to Croatia and wanted to write a post about saunas, wellness centres and a fabulous looking space called, Loyly in Portland.

While I am not a neophyte when it comes to spas and spa treatments, I have discovered that spas in Europe are on a whole different level of “spa-ness” than my previous knowledge prior to moving to Prague.  To give you a breakdown, there are your typical city-retail spas and hotel spas and then there are wellness centres.  Wellness centres, from what I gather, are typcially situated on large (like football field-large) , well manicured properties, in picturesque settings, housed across numerous, beautiful, modern buildings offering multi-floor activities for the spa goer or spa entourage such as 5-10 different pools, scented saunas both dry and wet, restaurants, fitness centres, and treatment rooms. You can purchase day passes or a pass for a couple of hours.  It is really quite an experience, if you have never been.

My first experience at Therme Wien, an urban wellness centre in Vienna, Austria, was relaxing, rejuvenating and a bit shocking.  Let it be stated, (and I did not know this before going in), it is 100% normal, to go naked in a spa.  After reading-up on spa etiquette, nudity requirements vary from country to country, but co-ed naked change rooms and saunas are not unusual.  I was a bit startled and entirely unprepared for a situation when I was asked to leave (read: EXIT) a sauna room at Therme Wien, if I didn’t agree to check my bathing suit outside.

After I was through with Therme Wien, I frantically Googled in search for some sort of explanation or justification as to why I was not allowed to sit in a sauna in a bikini and towel.  All the signs in Therme Wien were in German and I could not decipher the instructions, rules and regulations of the spa.  Ooops!  Beginner’s mistake.  These four articles set me straight and gave me a good laugh here, here, here and here.  Etiquette and joking aside, wellness centres are beautifully designed spaces and I was impressed to read about Loyly in Portland, Oregon.  Loyly is a public sauna, that opened just outside Portland, by owner, Jessica Kelso who was inspired by Scandinavian bath houses.  Along with architect, Brendon Farrell, Jessica successfully created a tranquil space for visitors to relax and destress outside the city.  Brilliantly, attached to Loyly is Steam’s after sauna, bar, so you can sweat, unwind and then have a drink and unwind again.

Portland Mercury

via remodelista

wall decorating

This weekend was dedicated to organization.  We’ve been in our new apartment in Prague for just under one month and we have a list of small tasks that needed to be taken care of to make our house a home.  The biggest and most tedious task is of course, hanging pictures.  Believe it or not, finding a new home for a print is harder than you think.  I think we spent at least an hour walking around carrying pictures from one room to another, lifting things up against a wall while one of us stands back and contemplates the position, the height, the angle etc.

In my apartment in particular, there are also several walls which I prefer to keep blank, due to architectural interest leaving me with fewer options for picture and shelf hanging than I had in Toronto.   Last night, we hung five pieces and still have a long way to go but at least for now, our place looks a bit more homey.

I was reminded of a brand I stumbled upon while in Berlin that I wished I had with me last night to add some colour and interest to our office.  German design firm, Pulpo, makes fantastic and colourful hooks, hangers in addition to furniture and other accessories.  I am particularly fond of their Mosaic line, some of which you can see below.  While I love my Ikea magazine rack and baskets, sometimes you prefer to a piece that is a bit smaller and less bulky on the wall.  We will continue our wall decorating project next month after we get a couple of items re-framed and get our last room set up.

via connox

via taschide

via shine.yahoo.com