Friday, July 31, 2009

Friday dogs

If you like vintage photos and you like dogs, chances are you will also like this book, 'Dogs' by Phaidon. There are some great-looking people in it too.




For more images, look here.

Wishing you all a nice weekend.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

You asked for it. More Stockholm pics.

It seems I'm not the only one who can't get enough of Stockholm, so based on your comments recently, I give you more:
Crossing the bridge from Norrmalm to Skeppsholmen (to go Moderna Museet). I like this particular spot, as you have a great view of the city in all directions.

A view across to Gamla Stan and the Royal Palace.

Dresses in the vintage section of the Ikea at Liljevalchs exhibition.
Another view from the Rosendal gardens.

'Brilliants' earrings by Maria Sköldin, from her 'Granny' collection. Made of brushed steel. I got these from the museum shop at Moderna Museet and I love them.

And now for something I didn't get, but was very attracted to. A Stockholm serving tray from Designtorget. (I got the postcard instead.. much less to carry home :-) Maria Holmer Dalgren is the designer. If you like this, you should also check out her other items.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Friday fish II

From Figgjo Flint, two vintage dinner plates with some pretty psychedelic looking fish on them. My latest vintage scoop. They are going up on the wall eventually. Have a fun weekend.

Last Stockholm pics. Promise.

Gamla stan, the old part of town.


The charity shop Stadsmissionen (the Gamla Stan branch) had these beautiful Terma pots and pans for sale. Not too expensive, either. (150 kroner for the coffee pot. I was tempted...) Designed by Stig Lindberg for Gustavsberg.

This was my favorite restaurant on this trip. I love Thai food, and this one really delivered. I had BBQ chicken satay - it was a huge portion and so nice I couldn't leave any behind, so I was pretty stuffed after my visit to Koh Phangan at Södermalm.



Outside Moderna Museet they have these sculptures by Calder. Inside they showed a fantastic photo exhibition called Reality Revisited.

Rosendals Trädgård was another great stop we did. They serve all ecologically, home-grown food in the café and you can also buy food to take home from their shop.


As we walked around Djurgården we came across this restaurant. I think the huge bean bags on the lawn is such a clever idea.

Flickorna Helin & Voltaire is a little gem of a place situated on Rosendalsvägen 14. The building used to be an exhibition hall for Stockholmsutstälingen in 1897, and it has some fantastic details, like the lettering on the staircase. We sipped a glass of rosé wine on their terrace, enjoying the late afternoon sun and the view of all the people jogging or strolling past.



All the lovely looking cakes at this place is home made. I will try some next time around, for sure.



I'll leave you with a great view of Strandvägen, as seen from Djurgården. So long Stockholm. See you next time.

IKEA at Liljevalchs Konsthall

This exhibition was worth going to. Vintage Ikea catalog covers. I particularly liked some of the early ones from the 60s and 70s (surprise).

Cool looking baby seats, but they probably would have failed every safety test around these days.
The first plastic chairs from Ikea were produced at a bucket factory. I love the lamp in this pic. (I found a white one at Gamla Lampor, but it had a dent in the screen and was priced at 900 kroner. I did not buy it.)

I think this sleeping couch looks great.

Some of Ikea's vintage fabrics were also on display. These two were my favorites.

The café served 'Six cookies and a dream' for 69 kroners (a favored price at Ikea, it seems. The entry cost the same, as did the exhibition catalog.)
The more bizarre part of the exhibition took part in the basement. It housed a vintage shop, where people had donated their surplus Ikea items for the museum to sell on. All for a good cause, of course (Stadsmissionen). In one corner they had even installed a very authentic basement storage room full of old Ikea furniture.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Nordiska Galleriet

Here are some of my favorite furniture pieces from Nordiska Galleriet in Stockholm. (Sorry about the reflection in the window.)





The fantastic one-of-a-kind drawers (designed of vintage drawers) are by Wis Design.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Stockholm purchases

There is so much great design in Stockholm that it's impossible not to bring any of it home. Apart from the Lagerhaus items, this is what I bought this time around:
A yellow Ballograf bank pen. Now I will never again have to look all over the house for that one ballpoint pen that writes black and that someone 'just borrowed'.

'Thank you for tidying up so nicely'. What better incentive for wiping the kitchen tops? The yellow one is from Lagerhaus and the red horse is from the Dala horse museum.

My only vintage pottery purchase from this trip! A german cup and saucer from Stadsmissionen.

When I first told my son (soon to be 3 years old) that I was going away for a few days, I asked if there was anything in particular he wanted me to bring back for him. The reply came instantly: a yellow horse. This was a bit surprising as I hadn't heard him express any wishes for a yellow (or any other colored) horse until then. But if he wanted a yellow horse, he should damn well get a yellow horse. This brought me to visit the Dala horse museum in Gamla Stan. (Dala horses are traditional wooden, hand-crafted and hand-painted toys in Sweden. Now used mostly for decoration.) The museum shop did have a yellow one but is was over 700 kroner (about $100 US) which I wasn't prepared to pay. In a moment of creativeness, I asked them if they perhaps sold unpainted ones, and for 180 SEK I had myself a little craft project. I was home at 11 pm Friday night, and quickly gave the wooden horse a yellow make-over (of acrylic paint) so that it was ready to be presented when my boy got up in the morning. Now, kids have a tendency to change their mind about things, so just to make sure, I put the same question to him in the morning.'What was it you wanted me to bring back from Stockholm?' Luckily he gave the same answer as earlier, and I'm happy to report that the horse hasn't left his hands for very long at any one time since. I call that a success.


Seeing as I have a thing for yellow details at the moment anyway, I'm rather pleased with that little horse. The bright velvet fabric in the picture was picked up in the sales at Marimekko, and I'm thinking cushions again. Possibly for the kid’s room.

And talking about kid’s room – I was unable to resist buying two vintage miniature 'Syveren' chairs by Arne Jacobsen when I found a whole stack of them at Gamla Lampor. I already had a red A.J. stool in the kitchen of my dollhouse, so these go really well.

Lagerhaus, Stockholm

I had seen some items from Lagerhaus in Swedish interior magazines before, but never actually been in their shop. Being in one was a mixed experience, as they had lots of fun stuff, but also blatantly copy other designers.




Like these lotus patterned salt and pepper shakers, for instance. Such a Cathrineholm rip-off.



And this coffee set looked nice at first glance, but it's too similar to a German 'Thomas' range, and the fact that they have named it 'Berså' is enough proof that these people have no shame.


Having said that, I couldn't resist this bedlinen... Or the flowery paper cups and plates.