XMas break

from the Flower Book - Dietmar Busse

Dear Blog Friends,

you may think "hey where is she gone???"

No worries, I am still here, but I was doing that little thing that I need to do everyday from 9.00 till 17.00, ah what's called again? ahhh woooork!

So sorry for the silence, but work related projects & personals projects demanded my attention.

I take a short break now, while travelling through the "Bella Italia" I will be collecting inspirations to share with you in january.

Happy Holidays!

Anna

Chiara Clemente

Italian, but NY based, documentary maker Chiara Clemente did portrait the stories of five artists women in New York city. The result is "Our City Dreams" a beautiful movie, have a look at the trailer here.

The Book of Job

My dear friends and designers Job Smeets and Ninke Tynagel are launching a beautiful and limited book about their work in New York. Congratulations dear friends!

Nathalie Stämpfli

Swiss designer Nathalie Stampfli did develop this soap dispenser which is using solid soap.

Nathalie says: "Today, most of the soap we use is liquid soap, which contains a lot of water. Block soap instead is more concentrated and therefore has some ecological benefits: You don’t transport unnecessary water around. In place of plastic bottles you can simply use paper for packaging. The solid blocks can easily be piled and allow a greater space efficiency in a truck."

Her Soap Flakes looks also very nice.

Remi van Oers

Here a beautiful solution which will make drivers, and women, extremely happy in the future!

Remi van Oers did design a simple, yet good looking, car jack system. It is a compact system that allerts the other drivers when your car is in trouble and that helps to move the car for changing tires.

Lucas Mullie'

Dutch BA graduate of the Design Academy Eindhoven, Lucas Mullie', was inspired by the industrial atmosphere of the city Eindhoven, where Philips industrial heritage is still extremely present.
For his graduation project he then decided to design a restaurant where the presentations, the services and the all food organization will make you feel as a semi-industrial production process is taking place.
Lucas was a chef before to attend the Design Academy, and with this project he did find the perfect combination between the two industries, food & design.

Maurizio Montalti

Young italian designer Maurizio Montalti did write an extremely interesting research concerning fungi.

His experiment shows that this new organism is able to modify plastic. Have a look at his project here.

Dutch Design Week

Dear Blog friends,

the Dutch Design Week did start, it is busy and inspiring, so check later this week for more reports.

For now I just tell you that the new Piet Hein Eek restaurant is lovely, he did set up an informal space in a old Philips factory, it is full of Piet's famous design products, chairs and these beautiful re-used lamps!

Kate Spade pop up store London

Kate Spade has recently opened a lovely pop up store in London.

I discovered this well known american bags designer years ago, and I did like immediately her love for bold colours, Kate's green en pink are vibrant colours. I did read one of her books "Style".

The book is not particularly deep, I mean Kate gives general advises for choosing outfits, but the illustration are lovely. In this pop up shop you can find all the Spade signature products, the bags and stationery.

Kate has also started a small fashion collection, which I find pretty and different form the collections available around, have a look at it!

Oloop Design

The OloopDesign , a group of Slovenian designers, has several interesting projects in their portfolio.

One I like particularly are these felted soap bars, they are handmade felted woolen soaps for the body which are intended for gentle massage and skeen peeling.

Holly Fulton

Fashion Designer Holly Fulton is the mind behind these beautiful Smythson stationary goods in leather.

I lover her illustrations, and colours combination.

The collection is going to be available in the coming weeks, so run..........

Aldo Lanzini

Aldo Lanzini crocheted masks were used during the last S/S 2011 Missoni fashion show few days ago in Milan.

Aldo is an italian artist who is working with textile, knit and crochet techniques.

Through the masks he wants to describe “the condition of contemporary man, some kind of conscious schizophrenia.”

Madeleine Boulesteix

Madeleine Boulesteix's chandeliers are made by re-used items. Aren't just beautiful, I love them even more then a usual chandelier. Follow Madeleine creative finds on her blog and see more chandeliers on her website.

Patrick Dougherty

If you are in NY do not miss Patrick Dougherty installations at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, it is your chance to see live his fantastic woven-wood structures.

Anna Aden

Lately I find difficult to find interesting stuff around.......I apologize for my sporadic posts.

Then today I saw the lovely and magical work of Anna Aden and I got inspired again!

Do not miss her photography work here and her blog here.

Tracey Neuls

A while ago I did discover Tracey Neuls lovely shop in London Marylebone Lane.

Now her Fall/Winter collection 2010 is ready for you. Tracey designs are perfectly fitting the trends for the coming seasons, aren't they just beautiful?! See the complete collection here.

Jeremiah Goodman

Jeremiah Goodman is one of the last great interiors illustrators.

Take a look at this master work here.

Here some Goodman work for the ACNE London boutique recent grand opening.

The Gentlewoman magazine

There is a new and interesting publication, is called The Gentlewoman, I have just discovered this fashion/trends magazine and is intriguinging, looking for to the next issue.......

Helen Beard

Lovely "ceramic" stories from ceramic artist Helen Beard.

Helen did develop a technique that reminds a bit of watercolors.

The drawing is transferred on the ceramic using a form of relief print. Colour is painted over the drawing using different washes of ceramic stain, and finally the pots are dip-glazed and smoothed down ready for the final stage of firing.

Back!!!!

foto by Anna

Dear IDEE blog friends,

I hope you had a wonderful summer break! I did, and I am back again in this space with lot's of stuff to share with you.

Alberto Marani

Italian fashion designer Alberto Marani (based in Paris) did combine interesting images, taken inside the Vatican offices, as print for his Fall/Winter Collection 10-11. Interesting combination, don' t you think?!

Helen Murgatroyd

Is Helen Murgatroyd and Artist or a Designer? I love how she combines printing techniques "attempting mass production on a domestic scale" as she says.

 

Jane Bowler

Recently RCA graduate Jane Bowler did research a new un-conventional textile against rain.

Jane says: "My collection is derived from a fusion of traditional Japanese straw raincoats and the iconic British Mackintosh. I have combined stitchless heat forming techniques and ultra-sonic welding of recycled plastics. Through sumptuous colour, lustrous gloss and a harmonious mix of synthetic and natural fibres I am pushing the boundaries of rainwear".

Society made in Limonta

These are some of the many lovely imges from the Society Limonta catalogue. Limonta is an italian company specialized since long time in products for the interiors such as quilts, sheets, pillows and more.

When i was in NY, few weeks ago, I discovered their products in ABC, a huge shop for interiors.

I was glad to see it is an Italian brand, but shame on me for not having spotted their range and quality before.

Their catalogue reminds me of my summer holidays in the country house........check more Society Limonta's beautiful products on their web.

Saskia Dietz

How cool is this bag made by synthetic paper.

It is the result of the collaboration between Stefan Dietz & Saskia Dietz  brand. They are ultra lightweight, super strong and water-resistant but look like design mock-ups. The material is produced by Luxemburg based manufacturer DUPONT© and later on processed by specialists in several sites in Germany.

Visit Saskia on line store for more bags options!

Mike & Doug Starn Studio - Big Bambu'

Dear all

I know I did not write for some time, you have to forgive me, at work was super busy and then last week I attended an extremely nice and intensive program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
While in NY I could visit this amazing exhibition, right on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum.
If you are there make sure you go. The twin brothers and artists, Mike & Doug Stern did built a special organic structure, made of bambu'. They work on it every day improving and changing the structure all the time. So each visitors has his own personal experience: "Visitors witness the continuing creation and evolving incarnations of Big Bambú as it is constructed throughout the spring, summer, and fall by the artists and a team of rock climbers. Set against Central Park and its urban backdrop, Big Bambú suggests the complexity and energy of an ever-changing living organism."
Simply beautiful.