two new

magazines i'm looking forward to discovering: block and makeshift.

design in geneva

what with all the traveling lately, i would almost forget posting my favorite moments of the past geneva design days. it's a small town, but it has great potential. i wonder why there isn't more visible design around.

pantonize it

 

i wish i could have attended this class by jan van mol at crea genève... pantonizing the city sounds like exactly the kind of activity i would have thoroughly enjoyed. now if i could only get a hold of an affordable pantone color chart, i would be all over this project.

qubique

 

 

i'm ready to get back to work, but to be honest, i'd love to hop right back on a plane and head to berlin for the inaugural edition of design fair qubique instead. sounds like an inspiring trade event - and as much as i love fashion fair bread & butter at tempelhof, i think the historic location will suit design and furniture much better as a background. i also think the organization is doing a very good job enticing visitors with extra activities and exclusive launches. it all sounds mightily interesting, so who should i follow on twitter for real time updates?
images via qubique

taking a break

 

so it turns out southern europe is not quite done with summer yet. good news all around.

image via the natural world

style file

sometimes i need a reminder that fashion doesn't revolve around fashion editors, style bloggers and catwalk pictures. i get it: it's about expressing your most individual self, as originally and authentically as possible. blah blah. i'm so happy whenever i find a snapshot of someone who looks impeccably stylish, who i can still relate to. now, let me just grab my hard graft macbook cover and my all stars, and i'll be right with you.

image via emma elwin

this + that

i always said i'd never, ever get a tattoo. but i gotta say, that was before i saw the coolness of typography on your body. if i ever do get one - blame freja.

images via thepursuitaesthetic - another tumblr you might want to start following

golden oldie

not a fan of the mania surrounding them, but you have to admit there's something about them. i still love this old shoot by steven klein for w magazine: much sexier than mad men could ever be.

frankenfont

this project captured my attention: recreating the frankenstein story through typography. read more about the methodology here, and be sure to check out fathom's other - pretty cool - infographic projects, too!

via kottke

this + that

i have to admit, tumblr and i have had our issues. i used to approach the platform like any other blog service, and i realize that was my mistake. once you accept the format as a purely visual moodboard, an actually pretty inspiring world opens up. that said, i still like my images with a little more context - but i'll gladly make an exception for douglas musiolik's average swedish guy tumblr stream. if this is what's on the mind of the average swedish guy, i'll take one.

time for barcelona

as you read this, i'll be packing my things to head off to spain, and of course i had to get in a few days of barcelona. several online guides (like this one, this one, and - naturally - this one) have gotten me excited to discover all sorts of new spots that weren't there before when i last visited the city years ago.

pictures from the places we're planning to visit: tatiana kourochkina galeria d'art (with an exciting pietro ruffo exposition while we're there) / bar lobo / hotel praktik / casa paloma / bobby gin / cornelia and co / big fish / fastvinic / vinçon / lexington / mutt bookshop / bravo24

urbio

so did you notice that when i tell you i'm obsessed, that's really what i mean? here's my latest green discovery, urbio. it reminds me of this and of this, but somehow i still feel attracted to the system, perhaps because it offers the combination of keeping stuff and plants at the same time? in any case, i love how this is a kickstarter project that shows serious promise - including funny videos and a good logo. so, shall i get in? 

let it go

'let it go' - it's been my mantra for such a long time now, and still i struggle with it. steve jobs must have, too. this article at the washington post is probably the most poignant and moving tribute to steve jobs i've read so far, and i think it really touches on the core of what he changed in the world - so much more than gadgets and technology.

in a twist

yes, streetstyle can be inspiring. but have you seen this? l.o.v.e.
via gagventures

be still my beating heart

you can keep your haute couture. i don't want a shiny new car. i promise to never covet another useless trinket or accessory again in my life, if i could have this small little thing. not much bigger than a shoebox, really. just a teeny, tiny east village apartment. okay? okay then.

via dornob

brooklyn love

it doesn't surprise me that i want to go to every. single. new restaurant in brooklyn because they all just seem so damn cool. but i rarely see pictures of the food served that get me even more excited than the design. enter colonie, which i discovered over at petitepassport.com. it has everything i love: industrial design, a plant wall (my new obsession), great typographic elements and food that looks nothing less than delectable and refined. take me there please.
update: apparently my internet friends have come to know me well. lovely pauline, aka @petitepassport, actually suggested this place to me in a comment to yesterday's post - which i didn't read until a few seconds ago. what was it about great minds they say again, pauline?

live the language

this genius campaign for international language center EF by gustave johansson makes me wish i was 18 again so i could go live in one of these cities for a while. i love how these videos convey the actual feeling of living somewhere - and the cool typography by albin holmqvist is an added bonus, of course.

go green

i've been slightly obsessed with everything green and even remotely plant-y lately - pinning away like crazy on my greenery pinterest board, gathering ideas on how to make our antwerp and geneva apartments cosier, warmer and more welcoming with some oxygen-makers. i'm leaning heavily towards californian-like vegetation. our upcoming trip to l.a. probably has something to do with that, but as a rule, i find that palm trees, succulents and cactae have a cool, modern look.

1. the ever inspiring interior of brussels boutique hunting and collecting // 2. very cool cover of the new york times style magazine // 3. a vertical plant garden - seriously thinking of copying this // 4. the raddest view from a window ever