EMMAS DESIGNBLOGG

Design and style from a Scandinavian perspective

Haussmann era Paris apartment, 3D pictures

Can you believe these are 3D generated images? Looks just like real photos to me, and very beautiful ones at that, depicting a classic Parisian apartment. The project is called Baron Haussman, after the Haussmann era which inspired the creation of the images. I'm especially impressed with the textures and lighting in the close-up of the marble fireplace in the third picture, but really the lighting and textures are outstanding in all the images.
 
Images: Bertrand Benoit






 
 
 




Follow that guy! Saša Antić

Have you seen interior stylist Saša Antić's tumblr blog Field Notes? It's one of the most beautiful tumblrs I've seen, and a great place for inspiration.
 
 
 

 
 
 




Trend Alert! Lamps in off places

Have you noticed this trend of putting lamps in the "wrong" place? I'm not talking about the work or desk lamps above the kitchen worktop that we've been seeing for years, what I mean is people placing floor lamps on tables, ceiling lights on the wall, and desk lamps by the bed, or any other place you can think of. I think it's a great way of adding some surprise in your decor. What do you think? I'll give you some examples to show you what I mean.
 
 
Clockwise from top left: Vinge table lamp by Note Design Studio, Design*Sponge Sneak Peek, A Merry Mishap, Vosges Paris.
 
 
 




Ilse Crawford style Stockholm apt for sale

This Stockholm home belongs to Pelle Lundquist, the Art Director behind these beautiful Alcro campaigns, and also the previous owner of this apartment that I showed here a year ago. Well, Pelle is moving again (congratulations to the coming extension of the family!) and that means that this apartment is for sale!
 
I don't have any "before" photos to show, but I can say that this is one of the best excecuted renovations I have seen. Everything from the original wood floors (treated with lye and white pigmented oil) and the white painted skirting covering the walls in all rooms, to the kitchen and bathroom (built in situ, designed by Pelle) with their matching tiles and carpentry works perfectly together, creating a whole that is more than a well planned concept. For some reason, probably the gray cabinets combined with the marble and brass, it reminds me of Ilse Crawford. I think she would like this place.
 







 
 
 




Giveaway: Fog Linen cotton blanket from Babyssimo

Let's start this sunny week with a giveaway! The prize is a soft cotton blanket by the Japanese brand Fog Linen Work (130x205 cm, value €99.90), generously offered to you by my sponsor Babyssimo.
 
Babyssimo is a webshop, based in Germany, carrying a carefully selected range of baby and child products from all over the world. Many items are only available in small quantities, as they are handmade with love by small scale producers and independent designers. But it's worth a look even if you don't have kids because they also have a category for adults where you will find beautiful interior and spa products, as well as magazines and books like Kinfolk and Cereal.
 
 
To enter the competion, follow these two steps:
1. Subscribe to Babyssimo's newsletter. (You will find it at the top of their site.)
2. Tell me in the comments below which product from the Babyssimo webshop that is your personal favorite and why.
 
 

 
This competition is open for one week, until May 20.
 
 




Tortus, Danish handmade ceramics

I've been having a crush on handmade ceramics lately, the kind with irregular glazes that reminds me of 70's ceramics, but better. So I was very happy to discover Tortus Copenhagen, a small pottery studio consisting of two established danish ceramists, Eric Landon and Karin Blach Nielsen.
I've always loved visiting pottery studios, there is something quite irresistable about the messy clay, little pots of glaze and pigments, the incredibly hot kilns and rows of pretty items waiting to be fired, and the thrill of never knowing exactly what the results will be like. I hope you will enjoy this small peek into the Tortus studio! At the end of the post is a short video, showing the process of throwing ceramics (don't watch if you are prone to seasickness). 
 
 







 
 
 




Edit pendant light by Joanna Laajisto

Interior designer Joanna Laajisto shares my passion for great lighting, and had been looking for a small and simplistic pendant for her projects (I've shown some of them before here, here and her home here), but couldn't find the perfect one. So she decided to design her own.
“When the idea of designing a light fixture started to form in my mind, I knew what it had to be: expressionless but interesting and classic but modern at the same time. Just like my aesthetic for all design.”
Although Laajisto knew what she wanted, the design process wasn't easy. The fixture required countless hours of designing, revising and editing. Hence the name Edit. Available in three different finishes and as a ceiling or wall light.
 
 

 
 
 




At home with Soft Gallery

Yvonne Koné and Line Klein just released a new set of pictures in their series of home visits. This time we get to peek inside the house of Barbara Hvidt, photographer and co-owner of the wonderful childrens fashion brand Soft Gallery. I love to dress my youngest in their clothes as the quality is great and their cuts and prints are really nice. And as Yvonne points out in her post, it's quite easy to see the visual connection between the brand and Barbara's home. They are both quite minimal, but with a touch of whimsy.
 
Photography: Line Klein
 
 



 
 
 




Verso Skincare, great graphics and a short review

As I wrote on Facebook, I was invited to try this new Swedish skincare line. I usually don't do those kind of things, especially not if the products aren't related to interiors, but this time I had to make an exception. The graphic design of the packaging, created by Today Creative, was too alluring, I just couldn't resist the thought of having these nice bottles on my bathroom shelf. (And I have to admit, I saved the boxes and put them on display too.) As the Facebook post was so well received and many wanted a review of the products, I figured I would do that here, where there is a little more space to write.
 

 
 
Verso means reverse in Latin, so as you can imagine, this is an anti aging series. I love how cleverly they used that in the graphic design, with the reversed numbers. The products contain Retinol 8, a newly developed substance that takes all the positive effects from traditional retinol (the most proven effective substance in anti aging skincare products), but without the drawbacks like skin irritation and not being able to use in sunlight. So this is what Verso promises to do:
  • The substance stimulates the production of collagen and increases the flow of nourishment  to the skin, which leads to improved skin elasticity, a more even skin tone and a reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.
Before going further into this, I should tell you that my skin has more issues than Tyra, and has tried more substances than Ozzy. I have combination skin that is oily but dries out easily, it's sensitive and prone to breakouts. If I just wash my face with water from another source than my skin is used to, it's a perfect recipe for disaster. Trying new products always results in a few weeks of pizza face to start off, and then after that horrible time period I can see some improvement, or not. Strangely enough, that didn't happen this time. I've been using Verso for two weeks now and this is my result:
  • My skin is clearer, has more of a healthy glow than an oily shine, and the overall structure is smoother. Not in terms of wrinkles or pigmentation spots, they are still there, but my pores are smaller and I see fewer blackheads/whiteheads or other small irregularities. My nose got a bit dry/flaky after one week, but I think that was actually a good sign because the skin feels much better after that.
Conclusion: I need more time to see the full benefits of the products, but so far, it's all good. While Verso does claim that the Retinol 8 is eight times more efficient than other retinol products, they also say that users will need a couple of months before seeing the full effects. So I guess I will just keep on using this and see what happens!
 
Bonus facts: Verso products contain no mineral oils, dye or parabens, only minimal fragrances and preservatives and has not been tested on animals.
 
 
 
 
 




Designer Loft in NYC

Hello Mr Di Simone, can I move into your NYC loft? I promise I'd be really nice and not change much at all. Only the chandelier above the dining table. And those ceiling fans have to go. But the rest I could live with. And in case you aren't into women (I'm guessing not, because straight guys can rarely create great interior design), I'd be happy with sleeping on the couch, any one of them. Just say when, so I can book my flight. Oh and by the way, I'd be bringing my three kids, so I hope you have some spare rooms...
 
Via FvF
Photography: Brian W. Ferry
 
 






 
 




Airy apartment designed by Emma Persson Lagerberg

We all loved the pictures of interior stylist Emma Persson Lagerberg's own home, and lots of us dream of living in an apartment like that. Now you can, as there is a huge Malmö apartment for sale which she designed. With a whopping 170 sqm, all perfectly renovated, and a view that is described as "unreasonable", this shouldn't be hard to sell. I especially like the kitchen, with a marble splashback and worktop, a mix of white and steel cabinets, and the glass fibre Eames chairs in different hues.
 
I don't know if you are aware of this, but here in Europe, the license for the Eames chairs is held by Vitra, and their version of the chair is made in plastic, not fiberglass like the original. While the plastic shells are more flexible and therefore a little more comfortable, there is something very charming about the fiberglass version. Every fiberglass chair is unique, as the strands in the material have their own life that creates small "imperfections", and also a lovely glossy surface. The original chairs are very hard to find in Europe, but there is a Swedish retailer called Decoscope that imports them directly from the US manufacturer.
 







 
 
 




A home with feminine simplicity

Doesn't this look like the perfect home for a modern girl? Simple, but with feminine touches, and a few rough details like the wooden wall in the kitchen, that patch of bared brick wall in the bedroom and concrete floor. For sale through Stadshem.
 
 
 




 
 
 




Est Magazine + Northern Delights

The latest issue of Est Magazine is out today, looking great as always! It's one of my faourite e-mags, and I was so happy when they asked me for an interview about my book. You can read the whole seven(!) spreads here, together with lots of pictures from the book that haven't been published before. But don't forget to check out the rest of the magazine as well, because there are some really nice features!
 
 

 

 
 
 




Currently Coveting: Silhouettes & Spheres





It's all in the details

A few days ago, I published a link on Facebook to a beautiful home for sale, shot by Mikael Axelsson. I just saw that he updated his portfolio blog today with another home, so I had to check it out. While the general styling of this home wasn't exactly my style, I really loved the little detail shots.
A lot of thought seems to have been put in to these small vignettes, even if they look very relaxed, and they come off as personal and very stylish. It's just simple things, nothing extravagant, and most of them are easy to copy for your own home if you'd like. While finding a shark jaw like this might be hard, filling whisky bottles with homemade schnaps, putting them on a shelf and attaching some stamped paper tags (in this case seed sachets), or ripping stylish pics out of magazines, is very doable.
 
Styling: Rebecca Facey