To buy or not to buy?

photo by Sharon Radisch for Cereal Magazine

If I had a dedicated work space at home I'd like it to look something like this picture perfect set up à la Justin Chung.  Simple and uncluttered with a black and white colour palette and THAT chair.  Things don't change much around here … see chair, find chair, buy chair.  I narrow down potential candidates based on cost until I find something in the 'cheap as chips' department.  No mean feat when the starting point for one's search contains words like 'Danish' and 'rosewood' but then I like a good challenge.

Unable to find anything by Niels Møller with those arms - let's just take a few moments to admire those arms please - I tried the sans arms approach.  Nothing.  But then a pair of 're-upholstered' chairs by Arne Hovmand-Olsen popped up.  Nothing wrong with 're-upholstered' per se, but beige linen with rasperberry-coloured velvety stripes just doesn't cut the mustard when it's an original woven seat I was after.

Not. To. Worry.  Buy chairs, remove offending upholstery, get weaving.  Sounds like a plan, except I'm no weaver.  But then Modern Chair Restoration.  Ever since reading this post on how to tackle a CH23 chair by Hans Wegner I've wanted to give this weaving thing a go.  I mean, how hard can it be?  Hard.  Do I have the time to start another restoration project?  No.  To buy or not to buy?  Buy.  When will I learn?  Never.

edit #5

I'm in the midst of sprucing up the kitchen … it's been an unworkable space for far too long and enough is enough.  I've decided to do away with all the wall cabinets to create an illusion of space and rearrange the existing base units to make for a more cohesive, fitted look. There's still lots to do - painting, faffing, tiling, procrastinating and so forth - and the end is nowhere in sight.  So what better time to waste time thinking about stuff I could buy (but won't buy) once the hard work is out of the way than now ...

The model 265 wall and ceiling lamp by Flos 'cause a girl can dream about directional lighting, right?
This chopping board from Plümo because marble, because hexagon
I like the functionality of this crate by Merci … stackable and foldable, I'm sure I'll be able to put it to good use
A little something from Hay … I'm thinking utensils from a fancy shop may improve my cooking experience and/or my actually cooking!
Because as objects go, this Hario pouring kettle ticks all the aesthetically pleasing boxes

A whole lotta love

photos Ricardo Bassetti

Designed by Brazilian architect Felipe Hess, this bright and spacious apartment is located in a 1960's modernist building in São Paulo.  Yeah yeah the light-filled space, limited colour palette, clean lines and the like … I'm just diggin' all those classics.  I spy Le Corbusier, Hans Wegner and a whole lotta Jean Prouvé;  I just hope all these chairs are loved, enjoyed and, most importantly, sat on.

An Armchair

This.  An 'armchair' that is currently not on public view at the Los Angles County Museum of Art.  When it first popped up in my Pinterest feed I thought 'no, no, no, it's all wrong' … my default position being strictly DCW.  No deviations please.  And that means no arms.  I wasn't sure if I liked the look of a DCW with arms.  But it's since grown on me.  It's difficult not to fall for all those curves.  Come to think of it, it's difficult not to fall for this one full stop.  Why it never made the cut is worthy of some research … someone?

Found via Obsessilicious on Pinterest … his Eamesilicious board is definitely worth following!

Yvonne Koné

photos Yvonne Koné / Line Thit Klein

Forever dreaming of having my own workshop, forever looking at pictures of other people's workshops … hence these inspirational images from Yvonne Koné, a Danish footwear and bag designer.  I'll let the fashion bloggers do the necessary when it comes to showcasing Koné's designs, suffice to say that Yvonne Koné the brand encompasses traditional craftsmanship inspired by raw, natural leather with an industrial non-colour feel … what's not to love?  As for me, I definitely don't have the skill set to design bags or make shoes, but a workshop full of interesting tools, a space to tinker and experiment … yes please.

Seventies living

photos via Share Design

This brick-built home belongs to Danish architect and designer Knud Holscher.  Dating from the early 1970s, and no doubt ahead of its time, Holscher's home is unpretentious and understated.  With its clean lines and unassuming interior, I find the combination and use of materials - the exposed brickwork, concrete ceilings and all that glass - extremely pleasing.  And it's not often I say that about anything from the Seventies!

Click here for more images of Holscher's home and to find out more about the designer.

Noden Collective

photos via Noden Collective

Generally speaking I don't like to mix my woods, but today I'm making an exception.  I mean, what better way to tackle my 'mix and match' issues than with these striking images from NODEN, a vintage Scandinavian and European furniture dealer based in Singapore. This compilation I've put together contains pieces in teak, rosewood and oak - all equally delightful, all possessing the grace and good looks one would expect of designs by the likes of Børge Mogensen and Hans Wegner.

The unfussy nature of the styling allows each piece to speak for itself.  Whether it's the organic shapes, tactile curves or angular edges, the rich tones or pleasing patinas, it's the furniture that does the talking.  But if it's words you're after, NODEN is pretty good with these too … I just love this quote from their website:

"Vintage items can have a way of holding you to the ground.  When you think of how long (and how far) a vintage object has travelled … its presence seems all the more significant – its character alluringly full."

edit #4

EDIT : a place for objects that have caught my eye, ideas I'd like to explore, inspiration I'd like to capture …

I love this look by Studio Nicholson - in fact I've been swotting up on Nick Wakeman and her minimalist womenswear label and I'm sold
PCK wire chairs by Eames, yes please and thank you
Ib Kofod-Larsen's Kandidaten sofa - the craftsmanship, shape and materials … what more can I say
My fascination with peeling paint continues unabated … just look at the wonderful texture it creates
For no other reason than just liking this picture of an arrow
I'm smitten with the cherry wood structure of the Cesta table lamp designed by Miguel Mila in 1964

Finnish flair

What better way to kickstart the new year than with a selection of pictures from a girl after my own heart … I mean, look at all those chairs! Carolina's instragram account (@carolinavd) is a treasure trove of mid-century goodness which features, in part, her Finnish apartment.  From the lighting to the seating, the iconic classics sit happily alongside contemporary pieces from the likes of Hay, Muuto and Normann Copenhagen.  Carolina's natural flair for mixing things up is, in my opinion, only outdone by her ability to create a space that doesn't look too curated.

The same goes for Carolina's instagram feed, which also features snapshots of her trips abroad and visits to the family's summer house (think vintage ARTEK … everywhere).  And then there's the pictures of FINN JUHL's home and those taken at the ALVAR AALTO MUSEO.  And with a penchant for highlighting Finnish designers - I've spotted TAPIOVAARA and JUHA LEIVISKÄ as well as AALTO - Carolina's feed keeps the mid-century and Scandinavian modern part of me extremely happy.

And I haven't even mentioned Emma, the West Highland Terrier … for all you dog lovers out there!

Follow @carolinavd HERE