Tranquility

                                                              For oft, when on my couch I lie
                                                              In vacant or in pensive mood,
                                                              They flash upon that inward eye
                                                              Which is the bliss of solitude;
                                                              And then my heart with pleasure fills,
                                                              And dances with the daffodils.

Orangemania

Every year in September, the design blogs are flooded by a sea of orange decorations. Quilts, wreaths, candles, candy, pillows, throws, toys. I love orange all year round and it's a shame we only think of it in association with Halloween. The only notable exception would be some gorgeous retro interior, lost in the portfolio of some French designer.

I was born in the summer heat and I am weather dependent. A little touch of orange brings in the sun and reminds me that summer is just around the corner.

The orange sheets match the little square frame above the headboard.

In the happy entryway, an awesome orange stool pledges my love for fantastic plastic and organic shape.

On the tiny balcony, my favorite (and only) teapot winks at me with its orange ceramic smile.

Winter outside, spring inside

Spring buds!

Not really... Not YET.

I'm not in the habit of forcing bulbs. I always let nature take its course. I like things happening in their due time. And one of the perks of having an enclosed balcony is that my little green pets thrive in the (not so cold) conditions, away from the cats. The Muscari show wonderful narrow leaves, no buds yet. I can't wait for their pretty little violet domes to glow in the morning sun!

As for the narcissus, should I be worried about that they are all about strong foliage and no flowers yet? I'll give it another week or two. After all, it's a miracle that they sprang from last year's remains, isn't it?

And a little treat, just in case nothing else happens with my wonderful bulbs: the iris! It came from the shop and not my personal balcony pots. But hey, nobody's perfect!

In the MIX

"In the MIX" is a keeper! I just love it! Hopefully, there will be one post every Saturday from now on :)

This is what makes my heart beat faster: a mix of colors, patterns, textures, shapes, aromas. Every time that things come together instead of being isolated, I feel butterflies in my stomach. Different feelings intertwine, that's what it's like for me.

Click here to see all the "IN THE MIX" posts :)

Four lamps and an unmade bed

Good design is about form and function.

Function aside, good design is about volumes, shapes, proportion and harmony.

And colors.

Oh, and texture.

Back to shapes and proportions, God is in the details. Take my bed for example. I first slept on the floor, on a giant sheep skin (it might have been a Yeti skin!) which did wonders for my aching back. By the "bedside" I had a rice paper lamp for my art catalog collection, before sleep.

Then I installed a proper bed (which I really hate and I'm going to change it this summer) and improvised with two IKEA floor lamps. Like any thing temporary, those floor lamps became permanent. For the following three years, anyway.

Then I finally installed my beloved suspension lamps and the whole room changed for the best. I don't know if it's about the proportions or just about personal taste, but the overall effect is great.

The adjusted height is adapted to the bed's dimensions. What used to be bland gloomy grey is now optimistic white. The (much too) narrow shape was replaced by an organic bombastic. And most of all, bye bye contemporary/traditional. Welcome, retro future!

Last year's living room

Good news, everybody! I mean, me.

Just found some lovely photos with a former version of my living room. I think these pictures are 2 years old. The pictures on the walls are the same as now, only the furniture was differently arranged. Take a look:

You can see it's summer time by the flowers on display. And by the lack of a rug (which is what I do every summer: get rid of the fluffy thing, let those gorgeous floors breathe!)

365

Jan 21st: Unfinished Christmas project, as you can see from the color scheme. Never mind, I've just started making some pillow cases, as you could see here yesterday.

Jan 22nd: The VW Golf with the "Pink Floyd" inscription! I finally got it! For those of you who don't get my excitement, sometime in the 80s VW released four personalized rock'n'roll cars: Pink Floyd, Europe, Scorpions and Bon Jovi. I cannot imagine what were they thinking when picking this distorted rock band assortment.

Jan 23rd: The mini scare-crow in my tiny balcony is still wickedly awesome, even in winter time. She sits in the fern branches, offering the sight of a splendid hooked nose and the bluest hat a mini scare-crow could hope for.

Jan 24th: Splendid day. Took a walk to the frozen lake. Watched the reed dance in the warm wind.

Jan 25: Shooting session in the entryway. If you want to study it closer, please visit here!

Click here to see all my 365 project posts :)

Workstation in the kitchen

I do have a proper workstation, a desk and everything...

But I blog from the kitchen table. Which looks like this:

But now it looks like this:

I've switched the pillows and the kitties :))

Now seriously. Remember this from a previous post?

TA-DAAAA! I just made my first pillow case! From the stripy  fabric on top of the textile stack. And the rest of the fabrics are going to have the same destiny (later this month, depending on how lazy I get). Please observe one more time:

Bookmark

This winter I wrapped a Christmas present for a friend. I made a Christmas tree out of punched paper as a decoration. My friend likes it a lot and wanted to keep it as a sweet memory. I offered to turn the wrapping paper into a bookmark. So here it is! A little bulky and sturdy, but not bad for my first bookmark ever...

Light waltz

The morning light is fluffy and golden. It comes through the window uninvited. It goes round the kitchen and dances on the walls. I never get tired of watching it spreading on the counter and on the splash back. It changes everything it touches and everything it leaves untouched, as well. It swirls on the walls, licking the cups and the little bowls. it gives them new shapes and volume. And if you look at it steadily, the light seems to stay forever in the same place. But if I turn around and make some tea, the light has already passed to another different place. 

The light dances in my kitchen and plays with my mind.

In the MIX

Hello everybody!

I think I'll start a new weekly post named "In the MIX". Because this is what makes my heart beat faster: a mix of colors, patterns, textures, shapes, smells. Every time things come together instead of being isolated, I feel butterflies in my stomach. Different feelings intertwine, that's what it's like for me.

Leave the pictures like that? post a little explanation? I haven't made up my mind yet. Let's go with the mistery for a while :)

Click here to see all the "IN THE MIX" posts :)

365

Twenty days have passed, I am twenty pictures richer. When I have my coffee in the morning, I can't wait to discover what will I photograph for the 365 project. Please, let this "phase" last for another eleven months!

Jan 16th: The ice glance and the "pagoda ears" are not peaceful signs. Cat fight ahead! Cat owners know...

Jan 17th: My favorite pic from the most recent gift wrapping photo session. My best friend John will be so pleased with this present :)

Jan 18th: A poetic winter scene right under my balcony, at noon. You can see the night version here.

Jan 19th: On my way to my art supply store (shopping list: double sided adhesive tape, white FIMO, white gel pen, black liner, orange acrylic paint). A Scandinavian shade of turquoise and a decadent hint of gold (!)

Jan 20th: I've posted some of these 365 pics on Flickr and I've noticed that many members strive for better quality and better technique in their photography. This is my first attempt to achieve a deeper background and more dramatic light in my pics. See ya!

Click here to see all my 365 project posts :)

Things talk to me

The hippo: "What do you see out the window, Mr Zebra?"

The zebra: "I don't see anything. I'm facing the opposite direction. What do you see, Miss Lamp?"

The lamp: "I don't see anything. I'm so pretty, it's the others that see me!"

Lazy girl

I keep postponing the dreadful moment when I have to undo the eco christmas tree and to sort the pile of stuff in the bedroom. After all, this pile would have never happened if I hadn't taken out those boxes in the first place (in order to re-organize them, ha! ha!). So here I am, finding new excuses for not sending every item in the pile to a more proper and permanent destination.Today's excuse for doing nothing: "They look so pretty!".

I think that my next decorating style will be "Boho gypsy with a twist".

Winter

This post is not from the house, but from outside the house - just a little reminder of the magic that happens each year under my balcony. At night, everything stands still in a cotton cocoon.

Junior Justice

As much as I try to focus this blog on interior design and nothing else, I feel bound to make an update on my cats. After all, they are pretty and decorative as well, aren't they? As I was browsing through my pages in order to revise (and admire) my work so far, I noticed that Anais (the white and black cat with a natzi mustache) features many pics, whereas Junior (the red and white cat with the big nose) is almost absent.

In order to set the balance straight and fight injustice, please observe some of Junior's favorite poses.