4.2.2013

inspirations  : summertete

If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies

Now that the long awaited Spring is here, we are dreaming of beaches, dolce vita, warm hues… we want Summer!

inspirations  : summer

3.26.2013

inspirations  : orange turquoize

3.24.2013

inspirations  : arcadian wall mural anthropologie etch etching retro nostalgia

Office for two and two for an office

We have decided to redo our home office. The challenge is to make comfortable for each of us. Weather we need to draw, pursue researches on the internet for hours or forge complicated algorithms (You might know by now, Mister C. is an IT specialist, with a Return from the future’s Doc side). This space communicates with the living room, opening it not only to our three children, two dogs and two cats and to the mess they create but also to the eyes of any visitor, so it can’t be an ugly soulless functional space. As if I would have wanted that anyway. For starters, an Anthropologie Mural Wallpaperinspirations  :  my uncle brought me back from United States(see the picture above), and a black chalkboard wall so my Love can visualize his brain’s peregrinations:

inspirations  : Chalkboard

I don’t want too much of an office feeling so I had to find something cozy that I can also use when I work on the internet for long stretches of time. Round (day)bed from Ikea? Bingo! Too bad they don’t produce it anymore so I had to find a second hand one. Adding a lot of fabrics(linen, window curtains and drapes) and pillows so it doesn’t look too much like a bedroom either. Mainly grey and belgian linen of course. Did I say I was Belgian? Finally, a gigantic black Anglepoise lamp,an Eames office chair and a little table to put my cup of thee and my magazines. Still lurking at the extraordinary Rockett St George kiss neon lamp, but wouldn’t it look amazing on the black wall?
The main course: a big desk in old wood, big enough for the two of us and looking something like this one:

 

inspirations  : bureauluimeme

What do you think about it?

 

3.20.2013

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Candy chang: the artist that made a groupie out of me

Candy Chang  is an incredible New Orleans artist. She inspires me as an artist, as a struggling human being, as an engaged citizen of her city and her neighborhood and by the very singular and free spirited way she embodies those aspects of life.

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Candy makes city art interventions that invites people to participate, question their implication in their neighborhood, express themselves and feel part of something. Art, just the way it makes me want to continue to be an artist.

 

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One of her work was this chalkboard wall she created on an abandoned building in New Orleans. The building before her intervention:

 

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She used a stencil to write
“Before I die I want to ____________” again and again.

 

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And then, SURPRISE, people not only wrote stuff but quickly filled the wall…

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As she received many requests from around the world, she and her friends made a kit you can use to create a “Before I Die Wall” in your neighborhood.

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So now, there is « Before I Die Walls » all over the world. How cool is that?

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I would like to make one in Brussels, but I will have to make stencils (laser cut?) in french and dutch, and ask permission to the city administration first. I will tell you about that when I know more !I leave you with this nice video of Candy Chang’s TED talk:
3.13.2013

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3.13.2013
3.6.2013

THE WORDS

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through
Ira Glass

WWW
3.1.2013
uncategorized  : Delightful1

MID CENTURY INSPIRED BUT CREATIVE LAMPS BY DELIGHTFUL

You might remember I fell in love with a lamp inspired by the late singer Amy Winehouse and got all obsessed? Well my birthday is coming very soon so I’m sending hints to Mister C. Big hints. So big you can’t even call them hints anymore. Here’s one: I LOVE Delightfull lamps! Not only Amy, no, you can pick sweetheart. This company can build solid pieces looking groovy and classy at the same time and most of their stuff makes me want to max out my credit card. Then again, this might be what made me loose my credit card in the first place. This lamps though clearly inspired by classical designs from the past, mainly mid century modern, have often something more. I love the idea that many of the models are inspired by great Jazz Icons like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone or Louis Armstrong. Here are my favorites:

DES LAMPES D’AUJOURD’HUI POURVUES D’UNE ÂME D’HIER

Vous vous souvenez peut-être de mon coup de coeur pour une lampe inspirée par la chanteuse Amy Whinehouse, coup de coeur ayant -un tout petit peu- tourné à l’obsession. Eh bien, mon anniversaire arrivant à grands pas, il est temps de semer des indices à Mister C. Pas des indices subtils, non. Parce que bon, la subtilité, j’ai déjà donné, et on ne peut pas dire que ça paye. Des indices tellement évidents qu’il faudrait être aveugle et sourd pour réussir à les ignorer. En voici donc un: J’adore les lampes Delightfull. Pas seulement Amy, non, tu peux choisir chéri. Ce studio réussit à créer des pièces influencées par de grands designers du passé, principalement du milieu du 20e siècle, tout en leur donnant du chien, de la classe et ce petit quelque chose en plus qui les garde de ressembler à des copies sans âme proposées sur des sites marchands pour bobos désargentés… Et qui me donnent envie de faire exploser ma carte de crédit (peut-être est-ce ce genre de pulsions qui m’ont fait perdre la dite carte de crédit).
J’aime beaucoup l’idée que beaucoup de leurs modèles soient inspirés par des icône du Jazz comme Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone ou Louis Armstrong. Voivi mes préférées:

uncategorized  : Delightfuln

2.28.2013

Or more if the chemistry is good… 23.

Et plus si affinités...23.

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2.26.2013

STOCKHOLM 2/5 : VISIT SUBVERSIVE EXHIBITIONS

VISITER DES EXPOS SUBVERSIVES

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VISIT SUBVERSIVE EXHIBITIONS

I was lucky enough to visit. It’s a choral exhibition aiming to show the ongoing in chinese society and to give expression to subjects such as identity, standards and sexuality.
I am always interested by art when it’s addressing issues related to the individual and to his relationship to society, norms and other people. No exception here. If you happened to be around while it is still on, go, it will be time well spend!

also visited the David LaChapelle show. No surprise here, but I seized the opportunity to see his work « In real life » which is a pretty appropriate expression about his work. At some point, my inner child might have asked « It’s ok, I get it, can we move on? ». Some visitors seemed impressed and others more doubtful. It’s worth the detour anyhow.

 

WWW

 

Fotografiska, Stockholm center for contemporary photography

Fotografiska, housed in a former industrial Art Nouveau style building, aims to exhibit world-renown photographers and to engage and inspire a dialogue on photography via exhibitions, seminars, and courses. It’s definitely worth the detour.

Fotografiska, centre de la photo contemporaine de Stockholm

Abrité par un magnifique édifice Art Nouveau, le centre de photographie contemporaine de Stockholm tend à exposer le travail de photographes de renommée mondiale ainsi qu’à engager et inspirer le dialogue au sujet de la photo à travers des expositions mais aussi des séminaires et des cous. Je vous en conseille la visite qui vaut le détour

Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities

If this museum doesn’t inspire you to make the trip to the little Skeppsholmen island, you can take a look when you visit the really awesome Modern Art Museum which is located on it too!
Le musée des antiquités est-asiatiques

Si ce musée ne justifie pas le déplacement à vos yeux, comme il est situé sur la petite île de Skeppsholmen, vous pouvez passer y jeter un oeil après avoir visitéqui s’y trouve aussi!
2.23.2013

Stockholm, I said Stockholm!

J'ai bien dit Stockholm! (1ere partie)

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SO I WENT TO STOCKHOLM

I went to Stockholm and I liked it. I did. The city is gorgeous, the people are very friendly, and they have all elegantly spoken English to the touron I am. Very well I must add.All right, I admit it, if I had brought a decent jacket like the big shaggy sheepskin I have instead of a stupid trench, I might have enjoyed it even more. It was still a great discovery and this trip was so inspiring my head is totally inflated with ideas. I stayed at some kind of youth hotel with wonderful vibes, free pasta and fridges where anybody can put some food. I walked until my legs seemed about to fall off but I still fell in love with the city. I now intend to visit all Scandinavia as soon as I can and tell you all about it (Hotels and tourism agencies, if you believe it’s a hint, it is).

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WWW
SLEEP So if you stop by stockholm and you would rather spend your money on shopping than accomodation here’s the link to the youth hotel:Interhostel.se
DORMIR Si vous passez par Stockholm et que, vous aussi, vous décidez d’allouer une plus grande partie de votre budget au shopping qu’au logement… Voici le lien vers l’auberge de jeunesse:Interhostel.se
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EAT And if you want to eat a cheap, tasty and large thaï meal around the corner (I know I did): Jai Tai
MANGER Et si vous désirez manger un morceau dans le coin et que, comme moi, vous appréciez la cuisine parfumée qui arrache dans des assiettes copieuses (autrement dit thaï): Jai Tai
OPEN YOUR EYES You have a few days to spend there? You definitely want to check out the Stockholm city guide written by Emma from Emmas Design Blogg, than. This girl is so talented that reading her blog might convince someone to move in a dead cold city with a 5.4 sunshine hours average a day!
OUVRIR GRAND LES YEUXVous avez quelques jours devant vous à Stockholm Le city guide de Stockholm écrit par Emmavous indiquera tous les spots à ne pas rater. Cette fille est tellement talentueuse qu’elle pourrait convaincre n’importe qui d’aller vivre dans une ville où la moyenne d’heures de clarté par jour dépasse à peine 5h!