Sitting up high...

A dream came true this week...I managed to get my hands on a set of four...yes four Bertoia stools! I'm in design classic seating heaven!


I was perusing Evilbay as usual and there they were, they started shouting at me instantly and well you know me, I just had to listen. David had recently said that he also liked them and was very quick to say when I dropped them into conversation "Would you like them for Christmas"! I of course weighed it up from every possible angle as a Libran does but it didn't take me too long before I said "Yes please!!"


They really are gorgeousness on a stick and as the seller said "they're built like tanks". I have to agree because the build quality really is something rather special. I'm not too sure about the purple seat pads, I like them but not sure if I like them enough. I would much prefer black or grey but they are 150 quid each, what do you think?


So Merry Christmas one and all, mine has turned out to be very merry already!

Mixed salad...

I have been meaning to tell you all about one of my latest purchases, a melamine Krenit Salad bowl and severs. They were included on my recent obsesslist and I could wait no longer. The salad severs were recently reissued by Norman Copenhagen along with the bowl, it's the same design by Herbert Krenchel which was launched onto the world in 1953 but in a new material. I was concerned that the bowl wouldn't be as gorgeous as the originals I bought but it is just in a different way.

I also bought the Habitat floor lamp which was on my list for the loft and there will be pics soon. I've been hard at work up there and it's getting there slowly. I have just been informed that something else which is on the list will be a birthday present from David and it's something I have lusted after for a very long time with a hefty price tag! I can't wait and I know the perfect place for it!!!

obsesslist...

A new occasional feature about what has caught my obsessive beady eye. A check list of gorgeousness if you like of what keeps me awake at night because I simply must have them ( eventually ) and how they will look and where they will go in our apartment...

1. Photographic lamp base and shade ( I'm thinking for the loft....) Habitat

2. Manhattan screen print ( already bought one for David for Christmas, just need to get it framed! ) ORK

3. Orb 3 piece pestle and mortar JosephJoseph

4. Flap clock ( bought one recently and it looks awesome in the kitchen) Habitat

5. Krenit salad bowl and servers norman- copenhagen

6. Sarrinen side table ( this is in the realms of big time money and long time lusting! ) Knoll

Bowled over...

...I posted about a new Krenit obsession a few weeks ago and well I've bought four more to keep the red one company! I just couldn't help myself. At least they don't cost as much as my Eames chair addiction although they are rising in price lately.

OUTRAGEOUS!...

NO NO NO!!!! I'm so fucking annoyed! Look at what Paul Smith has done to the gorgeous Cylindra range designed by Arne Jacobsen! And he was officially asked by Stelton to do so for their 50th anniversary! It's like they have no idea of the subtlety and under played beauty of the design, the handles are black for a reason. They are not there to scream out at you "Look at me look at me, some designer has added colour and isn't it oh so clever"....ummmm....no it's not! I'm sure Arne Jacobsen is turning in his grave right now. Why mess with it? Leave it alone! I'm off to smash my head against a brick wall...

It went bang!...

Our cooker hood that is. Yes it blew up on me one night when I was staggering to find the button to turn the lights on! After five months of trying to get our insurance company to cough up for a replacement it has finally arrived and very gorgeous it is too. So because the old one had to come down I decided to get rid of the stainless steel on the wall (it was always a hassle to clean it!) and the wall cupboards because they didn't have a lot of stuff in them anyway. When I pulled the stainless steel off it did take a few chunks of plaster with it...ooops! The whole lot needed painting again and I decided to replace the wall cupboards with IKEA lack shelves. It now looks even bigger than it did before! The cooker hood is obviously not up yet but I need help with that and lets just say I won't be asking David...

Kitchen harmony...

Here it is! A few things to finish off like the back of the unit where the stools are, the side panels on the wall cupboards and the bit between the dishwasher and washing machine. Oh and the whole lot needs repainting because it has all discoloured even though I only painted it last August!!! So I will have to paint the whole lot white again and I am considering painting the wall behind the hob a colour, I will post some mock-ups that I have done. I'm extremely pleased with it and the white glossiness of the units makes the kitchen look much bigger and brighter. I'm so glad that the devastation is over...

Kitchen chaos!!!...

Well most of the kitchen is now done but it wasn't the easiest of journeys! Above  are the larder units from start to finish. Trying to remove the old metal legs and replacing them with the plastic ones late at night was eventful to say the least. At one point I was half lying under them thinking that they would collapse on top of me! I was amazed when I cleared out the cupboards at how much was actually in there! Now we have loads of room and David is like someone possessed making sure that all the bottles of alcohol have their labels facing to the front! There was me thinking that it was me who was the one with an obsessive compulsive disorder.....

A spoonful of sugar...

Why do the things we expect to go smoothly never do?? Well i have made a start and it is going well so far apart from some damaged doors in transit, I have had to sort out some different legs (thanks to a very kind friend on the Livingetc forum who found some spare ones which will fit in her garage and she has posted them to me today!!!) because the plinths wont fit properly. I like the metal leg look but it's time for a change. I phoned the helpline today after being told by the store that I would have to wait six weeks for the replacement doors and he said I will have them next Wednesday!!! Very good service! I'm also missing twelve plastic plugs for the wall cupboard doors! They have changed the way the door is attached to the spring hinges and they didn't include any but they are posting some to me. Then there was David who "helped" me to attach a side panel to the sink unit today and decided to move the spoon which was keeping it level (it was the only thing I could find which raised it just enough!! LOL).....strange really because he never usually decides to pick up something and put it away for me!!??? More pics as it progresses....

K Day...

It's here!!!!!!!! Yes finally the day has arrived and the new kitchen is in my hands!!! I'm so excited that I feel quite nauseous! As you can see there are boxes everywhere and I have included a shot of the drawer fronts in all their glory. I'm very impressed with the look and quality of it and I cannot wait to get it all done now. I will keep you all posted with pics along the way and now I'm off to start pulling things apart!!! WOO HOO!!!

Four more sleeps...

....until we have the new kitchen delivered!! It feels like the build up to Christmas or when I was waiting for our Eames lounger to be delivered (we had to wait about three months and that really was unbearable!!). We had the first bit of work done today which was a new cooker point put in for the new oven and now there is grey dust from the drilling everywhere .....one shade of grey that I am not keen on in this flat! So here I wait for the giant puzzle to arrive...

Kitchen countdown...

Yes it's two weeks today until we will receive delivery of the minimal, white, handleless, deliciousness of our new kitchen!!! We have had to wait for seven weeks so far and I'm chomping at the bit now....I want it, I need it, I crave it!!! No doubt there will be parts missing or damage to something and then I have the job of putting it all together. We are having a new larder unit and the rest is just replacing the doors, drawers and side panels. I shall just stare at the beautiful space in the above pic while I impatiently wait......sigh......

Orla madness...

The rush is on in the US for Orla Kiely's low price designer range for Target! Unfortunately for all the Orla devotees out there outside the US the only place you will be able to get your hands on it is good old Evilbay. I suppose we can't really complain in the UK because we do have her beautiful shop in Covent Garden to wander around and her range in Heals. We bought my sister the multi stem bedlinen for Christmas and it really is beautiful and the packaging is amazing! Loving the above graphics for Target. Via Print & Pattern

Gorgeous green?...

I'm not sure why but I have a real thing for rich greens at the moment!?? I've never been a great lover, infact I was more of a great hater! I remember when David and I first got together that his hallway was painted the exact same green as in the kitchen pic above and I loathed it with a vengance, it wasn't long before I painted over the whole lot with white....it took about 5 coats of good paint to cover it!! Anyway I keep eyeing up the wall where the hob is in our kitchen thinking it would look great with the new white handle-less look of the units when they are done. Will I...won't I??....you will just have to wait and see but knowing me I will wait until David is away for the night and just do it!!!

Pics via Flickr , Primed for Design and Flickr

Handle-less inspiration....

A few pics that have inspired the look of our new kitchen. Via Inspirationbubble and Livingetc

Kitchen sink drama...

We are going to update our kitchen, the above pics are the kitchen as it is now and when we knocked it through about five years ago. It's the only "during" pic I can find. Taking the wall down was something I wanted to do from the very first day we viewed the flat and what a difference it made! The area to the left has gone from the most unused and dead part of the flat to the most used especially during one of our parties. We desperately need more storage space and because we can't buy the matching doors we have decided to go for a gloss white handle-less design by adding another larder unit on the opposite wall and changing the doors, drawers and side panels. The stainless steel work tops are staying and although they are a complete pain to keep clean I absolutely love them. I'm obsessing about it all now as usual and just want to see it all done...