A night in a jumbo jet in Stockholm

Photo: Damn cool pictures

Now that's a cool airport hotel to spend the night in when you have an early flight to catch the next day!    Located at Arlanda, Stockholm, the Jumbo Stay is a hotel/hostel built in a retired jumbo jet with 76 beds in 29 rooms. If you want something more private than a dorm bed (and if you're not on a budget), you can book the fancy cockpit suite for a unique experience! All rooms have a flat screen TV and some of them also have a private bathroom. If you don't have to spend the night in Stockholm but have a few hours to kill between flights, you can just go for a visit and have a drink or a sandwich at the Café. And there's even a conference room if you're in town to do some business! The rooms look quite small, but the design is great, and you wake up already at the airport. No stress, no traffic. And for once, you get a good night's sleep on a plane!

Photo:Damn cool pictures

Photo: Damn cool pictures

Photo: Flickr

You don't need to be a nicotine addict to love the snus pillows!

Photo: Wikipedia

I never liked tobacco. Of course, I tried when I was younger and needed to look cool. But I never enjoyed it,  I can't even be a social smoker. This can be annoying sometimes when you work in an office and all your colleagues go outside for a cigarette break! In Sweden, with the snus, it's less of a problem, you just stick it under your lip and voilà, no smoke, you need to find another excuse to leave your chair! I tried that too when I arrived in Sweden. I was curious as you see it everywhere. But no, not for me either, I find it quite disgusting to be honest.

Even though I'll never be a nicotine addict, I love the snus portion pillows! I love the humor but also the color (goes with everything in the house), the texture and the size (35cm X 75cm). Designed in Finland by Denz & Son, they're currently sold out on their website, but you can also find them here.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Photos: Denz & Son

Thrift store find: Vintage "Green Landscape" painting

Photo: Nordiska Style

I found this painting today at my favorite thrift store in Malmö. I have no idea who the artist is (initials MT), but it was painted in 1955, and I fell in love with the colors and the stylized trees as soon as I saw it! And then, another girl grabbed it... She spent 10 minutes looking at it, turning it upside down while talking to someone on the phone. I was standing next to her, pretending to be interested in a pile of dirty rugs. Of course, I completely ignored the painting. When she finally decided to put it back on the shelf, I did a happy dance in my head! I love it! And to the girl who changed her mind: Thank you!

50's inspiration: The "Wind" Pendant by Anna Andersson

Globen Lighting have some new designs, and my favorite is by far the "Wind" pendant light designed by Anna Andersson. Inspired by the 50's lamps, the designer uses organza instead of plastic (like the vintage one I have, see last pic!) and "wraps" the textile around a metallic frame. Simple, playful and classic!

Photos: Globen Lighting

Photo: Nordiska Style

Marrakech Design: Best floor of the year!

I received a few days ago Elle Interiör's latest issue, the 2013 design awards edition which features the best swedish design of the year. Lots of beautiful finds, I can't say that I love everything, but it's a great way to learn about up-and-coming designers!

Marrakech Design won for the "best floor" of the year, and they truly deserve it,  I've been eying those tiles for a few months now!

"Marrakech Design is a Swedish company specialized in encaustic cement tiles. The tiles are made by hand according to a production process developed in southern France towards the end of the 19th century. Nowadays, however, the world’s major production center for cement tiles is Morocco. The new collection by Claesson Koivisto Rune is all made at a factory just outside of Marrakech."

I love the moorish/hispanic designs of Morrocan tiles, but the modern/nordic twist given by Swedish architects Claesson, Koivisto and Rune to the traditional tile could almost convince me that I need new floors...

And look how you can play with the tiles to create different patterns! 

Photos: Marrakech Design

Mid-Century Swedish Teaching Charts

I love, love vintage educational charts. My boyfriend and I found a big lot of old charts a few years ago in an antique shop in the countryside. Most of them are in the attic right now as we don't have enough walls to put them all on display, but at least, when we feel like changing a little something in a room, we know what to do! Of course, not all of them would look good in the living room. Who wants to look at a cow's digestive system while drinking a glass of wine on the sofa?

I don't have pictures of all those charts right now, I just wanted to show you my latest finds: super cute swedish teaching charts from the 50's! The condition is not perfect. Some of them have light stains. But I don't mind, they look adorable! The trip to the supermarket is my favorite. And the one featuring a mid-century home! Ah, gender roles in the 50's! Dad is reading the newspaper while mom is busy in the kitchen! The other one was made to help the kids to tell time, and the last one shows different activities and interactions in a schoolyard.

They were all painted by Gunilla Edelstam.

(And sorry, the pictures are not great, they look so much better in real life!)

Images: Nordiska Style

Anna Ekre Spring/Summer 2013 Collection

"Flowers and Jewels". This is the new spring/summer 2013 collection from Swedish designer Anna Ekre, where you'll find, well, flowers and jewels but also exotic animals in a colourful, psychedelic jungle! Ok, rabbits are not exactly exotic, but what a fun, cute print! I was not very familiar with Anna Ekre's creations but I really fell for her original prints mixed with clean, classic lines. Another 'wish list' for me I guess!

Photos: Anna Ekre

Bukowskis Market auctioned off this gorgeous dress in Sept 2012 for the AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation):

Photo: Bukowskis Market

Happy new year!

Photo: Nordiska Style

I hope you had a wonderful holiday, and I wish you all the best for the coming year!  xK

Christmas and vintage textiles

Photo: Nordiska Style

Merry Christmas everyone!

I love all the beautiful vintage Christmas textiles that can be found in the second hand stores in Sweden in november/december! I have a small collection, but the one above, hand embroidered in the 50's is one of my favorite. Another favorite is this gorgeous wallhanging, also hand embroidered and dated 1949:

 Photo: Nordiska Style

Kila Design: A new life for broken vintage nordic porcelain

Photo: Kila Design

Scandinavian designers produced the most amazing porcelain between the 50's and the 70's. Some of the designs, like Berså (Stig Lindberg), Mon Amie (Marianne Westman) or Zebra (Eugene Trost) are still sought after today, and you have to be ready to spend quite a lot a money for a complete set (well, if you can find it!). But porcelain is fragile, you drop it on the floor or throw it against the wall during a fight, and it's gone... (no, don't do that! At least not with mid-century porcelain.)

Anyway, Cecilia Claesson, the founder of Kila Design has found an original way to recycle damaged porcelain: she uses the pieces to create jewelry. And all rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches or cufflinks have parts of pure silver. I really love the idea of wearing a piece of what used to be an eggcup somewhere in the 50's!  Nostalgic and poetic! And a lovely gift for a loved one (or yourself)!

Photo: Precis en sån    (Krokus, Arabia)

Photo: Kila Design   (Daisy, Figgjo Flint)

Photo:  Precis en sån

Photo: Precis en sån

 

Photo: Kila Design

I love many different designs, but Berså (Stig Lindberg) will always be my favorite. Many years ago, I fell in love with the famous stylized green leaf. I didn't know much about scandinavian design back then, and I started doing some research on the internet, reading books, going the the second hand stores (in Sweden)... And I discovered amazing designs and designers.  Since then, I'm hooked! 

Today's finds at the second-hand store

Photo: Nordiska Style

I went to the second-hand store today and found this really cool earth globe shaped advertising moneybox from the 60's. It was made for the Skandinaviska Bank (a swedish bank) but was made in Finland. As I love everything related to the space age, I had to take it with me!

I also found this great book:

It's from the early 70's and it's filled with pictures of interiors, furniture, accessories from scandinavian designers. The text is in english, french and german, and it's the no.3, couldn't find the rest of the collection, unfortunately. Here are some pictures from the book, I'm so happy with it!

Photos: Nordiska Style

Retro Magazine on a Sunday afternoon

Photo: Nordiska Style

Isn't it great when on Friday, just before a cold, snowy weekend, you find in your mail box the new issue of your favorite magazines? And when, like Hus & Hem Retro magazine, it's published only 4 times a year, it's even more exciting! If you like collecting vintage scandinavian items, no matter if it's classic pieces of furniture, teak sideboards, mid-century glass, textiles or clothes, you'll find interesting information about designers and prices, tons of amazing vintage pictures and the chance to visit beautiful homes filled with scandinavian treasures!

It's in swedish, which is not my first language, but I can read it. I think that even if I couldn't read it, I would still buy it as the pictures are a fantastic source of inspiration!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Photo: Nordiska Style

The world of John Bauer: Trolls, witches and fairies

A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the John Bauer Museum in Jönköping. I felt like a child again, captivated by his illustrations of an enchanted swedish forest filled with fantastic creatures!  Bauer was born in 1882 in Jönköping and became the favorite fairytale artist in Sweden when he illustrated between 1907 an 1915 "Bland tomtar och troll" (Among elves and trolls), a book published annually at Christmas. Trolls meeting tiny boys and girls, witches, fairies, dragons, princesses and knights... a walk in the forest feels different once you're familiar with Bauer's world!

In 1918, Bauer and his family decided to move to Stockholm to start a new life and try to save a troubled marriage. They decided to travel by boat instead of train after a well-publicized train accident, but the canal boat sank and John Bauer died at only 36 with his wife and their 3 year old son.

His legacy lives on through his beautiful, magical illustrations, and a century later, he still fascinates!

Photo: Wikipedia

Photo: Wikipedia

Photo: Artsy Craftsy

Photo: Artsy Craftsy

Photo: Artsy Craftsy

Photo: Artsy Craftsy

Photo: via Nordic Thoughts

Photo: via Monsterbrains

Photo: via Monsterbrains