Milano - Missoni casa

For the first time I managed to visit the Missoni Casa (Home) collection in their beautiful showroom in the centre of Milan. Colors and soft textiles were everywhere; it was like to be in a beautiful holiday resort, surrounded by fantastic materials.

Milan - Studio Job

Job & Nienke (Studio Job) explain their concept: "we used the icon and religion as canvas and metaphor to visualize and express how our 'high culture’ becomes more fantastic by the minute. the abstract truth is more exciting than physical evidence. in many ways that's a great source of inspiration." Really a great exhibition in a special location.

Milan - Moroso

Moroso presented the works of great artists and exponents of contemporary african culture. The installation was designed by african-american designer Stephen Burks.

Milan - Established & Sons

Great projects at the beautiful location La Pelota, centre of Milan, for the UK Established and Sons group. This year the products were exhibited inside a special wood costruction from Nex architects of London. I loved the Quilt chair by the Bourellec brothers (top right).

Milan - Design Academy Eindhoven

Attention to the design process was the message that the DAE brought to Milan this year.

Ready for Milan

Dear All

this is a really interesting time. The International Furniture Fair in Milan will begin next week and we all wonder how much impact the actual economic crisis will have on the design world.

I promise you a full report from the design scene once I am back!!

Ciao Anna

Happy Easter

Dear Friends in blogland, enjoy the warm spring sun! Anna

Christian Burchard

At the coming Collect 2009 at Saatchi Gallery in London, you will find these beautiful baskets in bleached Madrone Root, by german sculpture Christian Burchard.

NRC newspaper selection

Dutch newspaper NRC Dagblad sells a limited collection of ceramic cups designed by dutch designers for the Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum. Above you see Studio Job set of cups. Inspired by the russian matrioskas and old dutch farm images (plus some humour), Job and Nienke decided to place themself on the cups, the result? a new Dutch matrioska!

Alexander van Slobbe (fashion designer and new Design Academy Eindhoven Creative Director)

has chosen for a minimal approach. He simply captured the essence of the skin colours of the beautiful Dutch Lakenvelders cows.

Studio Makkink & Bey designed cups with no front of back, their theme is "slow gardening" and "slo-car". See more sets here.

Tina Roeder

Designer and friend Tina Roeder had her first solo exhibition at the Appel Design Gallery in Berlin. At "White billion Chairs 33", you could see a collections of old and rare monoblock chairs. Each chair was individually perforated (up to thousands holes each) and sanded in order to give them a new life and appreciation. The Monoblock’s beauty lies in its democratic concept -it’s the most sold chair worldwide, everyone can own it. The project is an attempt to reveal the beauty of that idea and to make visible what lies beneath the surface. A mass product made into a limited edition raises the question of its material and immaterial/societal/cultural/aesthetical/ethical values. Very nice work Tina!!

Guillaume Delvigne

Campane is the name of this delicate and poetic table lamp in blown glass and corian, by french designer Guillaume Delvigne. The lamps and other designer works can be seen at the exhibition "Jeunes Pousses" organized by the ToolsGalerie in Paris till may 2009.

Hadley Hutton

Beautiful special print work by Hadley Hutton, I find them on her Etsy shop. Hadley's technique is a mix of monoprint printed on an etching press using ink and/or watercolor pencils.

Visit also her web for info about her coming exhibitions.