Karin's Style Blog

The other day, Astrid sent me this and today Holly at Decor8 has written such a lovely post about my work. And Ina sent me the link to Daily Candy. And my chandelier was featured at MoCo Loco! How about that?!

It makes my heart swell with pride. And let me tell you also how very, very much I appreciate all the comments on the blog. Big thank you!

Rena at Rare Device points towards an article in Metropolis Magazine about indie shopping. It’s about shops selling a carefully chosen mix of products that aren’t available everywhere. It mentions shops such as moss in New York and Colette in Paris as spearheads of this movement. I think perhaps 10 corso como in Milan could fit in. The article also links to some great “curated shops".

I couldn’t help myself, but bought this hugging bear (or Krammebamse as it’s called in danish!), designed by Caroline Lisfranc. He’s obviously supposed to have a partner to hug in his long bear arms, but for now he’s in the good company of all those books (that I’m saving for another post).

I found him in the shop at Louisiana, the museum situated in Humblebaek a 3o minute train ride north of Copenhagen. Louisiana is one of those places that will always be special to me, I remember it from being a kid when my parents used to take us there and we swam in the sea below the museum garden. Last year, me and Eva visited the Gerhard Richter exhibition and this time another german painter’s, Georg Baselitz, paintings were on show. Baselitz is rather famous for turning his subjects up-side-down, in an effort to challenge our way of seeing. I was drawn to the paintings he’s done during the last few years - light and expressive.

After Baselitz, I sat down with a delicious tomato soup followed by apple tart in the cafe. I was reading issue 8 of Kunstuff, the danish periodical for applied arts and design. I’ve taken out a subscription so will be sure to tell you more about that in the future!

Sunday morning and time for web browsing in the sofa with a cup of tea. I spotted this really nice tea container in Sabine’s kitchen and she took me to Illums where they sell the tea. From now on, I’ll be drinking Kusmi tea out of my favourite teacup. And I’ve got five little Kusmi’s for future presents.

Both the cup and the tea has a history. The cup is by Richard Dewar, an english potter in France. I bought four cups of him, two for my dad who likes his teacups big and two for me who love these cups! The tea has this fantastic history which began in St Petersburg in the 19th century, with a man called Pavel Michahilovitch Kousmichoff… that name alone would spark my interest in the tea! Read the whole story on the Kusmi site.

Illums is a very nice department store, good for fashion (although I only had eyes for tea this time) and here’s the scrumptuous display of flowers outside (and pink danish fashion for men…).

And so for the browsing…

“Self healing", an illustration by Caroline Hwang found via Ringo Lo.

I like the diverse style of OGIgraphics, found via chewingthecud. The image is from OGI’s show at the Receiver Gallery last May.

Before I leave my comfortable position in the sofa - I agree with Tribunal of Good Taste that “good blogging requires authenticity and some degree of vulnerability” and thinks she’s succeeded with her dip into cultural antropology!

There are bikes and people riding bikes wherever you look in Copenhagen. I’ve always been fond of their black bikes, they manage to look robust, cool and friendly at the same time. Here are some bikes casually arranged outside a bike shop in Nørrebro, next door to emmerys, another cool and friendly place selling homebaked bread, coffee, wine, chocolates…

While browsing for some info about emmerys I found this really nice list of places to eat (compiled by Thorsten Overgaard), one of which is emmerys in Århus. Part-Time Pro Bono Baker has also been to emmerys.

Compared to Stockholm, Copenhagen is rougher around the edges and I really like that. It’s alright if not everything is spick-and-span, it actually adds to the experience. The flowers become even more beautiful against a chipped fasad and the sleek industrial design stands out when viewed beside something with a different feel.

Ravnsborggade is peppered with antiques shops and inbetween are places like Kiertner where they sell ceramics by Rikke Jakobsen, felt table mats by Verso design and knitted critters by Kenana. I can’t get enough of the lovely shapes of Verso’s table mats.

Coming to Copenhagen makes me realize that I live quite far north, where February is a winter month and snow is to be expected. In Stockholm, you will find no furniture or flowers outside the shops for a long while yet…

After a train journey that left me despondent of SJ, I finally arrived in Copenhagen two hours late. This was however quickly forgotten and I had a lovely stay! Thursday was spent around and about town and I saw some different sites than at last years visit. I quite like finding my way through a city on foot and with a good map, but having a local showing you the hotspots is really very very nice.

We got off the bus at Blågårdsgade in Nørrebro and found fashion shop Klædebo, run by four young local designers. On the same street is a cute little shop called Mayol and I liked their door handle…

Across the street from the door handle is second hand shop Time’s up. The whole area of Nørrebro is filled with a mixture of shops, cafés and bric-a-brac - more to come in the next post!

I love it when you send me information about interesting stuff!
I might not always use it, or it might take a while before I do so, but I always appreciate it.

Recently, I was told about an exhibition at the University of Stellenbosch Art Gallery in South Africa. The exhibition is called “Crosstalk” and features work by seven artists working primarily in glass, but also mixing in felt, wood, poetry…

Swedish glass artist Helena Kågebrand is one of the exhibitors, above is a picture of her piece “Life’s frailty” (not shown in this exhibition).

Read more here. On show until March 11th. Thanks Helena!

If any of you were thinking of popping in to my workshop on Thursday…it’s going to be closed cause I’m off to Copenhagen to see my friend Sabine! Perhaps I’ll bump into one of you there? I’m going by train through which I love, I don’t have to change anywhere so it’s 5 hours of uninterrupted space and time just waiting for me. If I feel like it, I might start sketching down some new ideas that I’ve had floating around in my thoughts lately. I know I’ll definitely be listening to the latest podcasts of Mark Kermode’s film reviews and perhaps I’ll do some reading. Bliss.

mirror mirror is the first web-only shop selling my work. Paola has taken some beautiful images of my vase, showing the rose garland pattern trailing along the underneath. And she has done a great job styling the beakers.

mirror mirror sell jewellery, handbags, scented candles - all sorts of nice things, but I’m especially fond of these ethereal porcelain bowls by Mizuyo Yamashita, just beautiful.

mirror mirror is also equipped with a blog (and having just read today’s post, I’d say she needs a little pick-me-up).

The combination of drawings / sketches / photos / writiting never fails to catch my eye and this dress and pattern at K’s Gallery was no exception. Via the excellent Japanese crafts books resource Crafting Japanese.

The New York Times Style Magazine did a really inspiring display of the holiday gifts, laying the product or a photo of the product on a piece of paper, plastic, tissue or whatever. I also like the mix of products.

Here’s another nice combo, by Goldgelb, the contrasting colours, the textures, the angle - like it lots.

Tonight I went to the open house at Handarbetets Vänner. The name means roughly friends of handicrafts, and in their building on Djurgården here in Stockholm they have a weaving studio, a gallery, a shop (where they sell their heavenly coloured yarns), a workshop where they colour the yarns and a school.

Developing the expressions of textile art is at the heart of HV Studio activities and the open house evening was a very inspiring and lovely way to present these activities and the resources available at HV.

This embroidered painting was hanging in the upstairs studio and is one of the many collaborations HV has with artists. I’m ashamed with myself for not writing down who is the artist, my apologies for that. I thought of Natalie’s paintings when I saw it.

Another collaboration is with Ulrika Mårtensson who’s the artist behind this stunning “three dimensional textile sketch” (isn’t the idea of a textile sketch something very nice?).

This little dishcloth makes drying my workshop tabletops almost a pleasure. I love the colour (and have got several more in other colours, you might say I’ve become something of a collector) , I love the feel of it and to top it all off it becomes as new when it’s washed (or boilt for a little)! It’s from Iris Hantverk.

In my opinion Christabel should definitely be as pleased as punch of her pirate mittens.

Something like beautiful material qualities and simplicity in form? Because that’s how I’d describe this pochette and these torchons.

By Les petites emplettes who’s blog is part of favorite choses, a group blog with many talented artists and designers. In french, but I guess I’ll have to polish my poor little french vocabulary up again.

This l’ours géant is by anomalies.

Designboom is throwing a mart at ICFF in May. It’s a great way for designers to show their work and make contacts and it’s lots and lots of fun! Here’s my experiences from last year’s mart - hope it inspires you to apply, but be quick and send designboom an email (mail@designboom.com) today!

It is also high time for designer/makers to apply for Crafts Council’s new event in Somerset House in October. Deadline 1st March. I’m sending my application today!

I’ll leave you with some more beautifully simple, down-to-earth textiles where embroidery meet rough cotton - Gruppo di Installazione

My heartshaped stone was given to me by my dear friend Caroline and today it’s for all of you!

Some smooth websites - layout and content - I’ve come across lately:
Verzameldwerk gallery, explore the birds.

Aaron Jansinski Via Coudal, like music.

Ghulam Sakina is featured in the February 06 issue of Selvedge, the website is like an inspirations wall. His clothes are sold at Browns in London.

And this is a dress made out of a Norwegian postsack! I like the idea of something old finding it’s way into something new. The designer Susanne Hæstad has made a whole collection out of postsacks from all over the world.

This has been some kind of a wonderful Sunday. It started with my favourite morning past time: blogreading (actual reading, not only skimming) in the sofa with a cup of tea. After this, I went long ice skating with my fellow beginners from the long ice skating course. I’m slightly apprehensive of the thin ice and the deep sea, but just a look at these pictures (the pic above is from there) makes me conquer that fear! And you know, it’s a lovely feeling when the rythm and the balance is there and you hear just the sound of the skates against the ice.

When I got home, I typed Rigmor Gustavsson into Pandora and started going through the ever increasing pile of magazines threatening to take over our living room. While doing this, I emptied the fridge of one thing after another. I was thinking about things that the fridge should always have a supply of… Chocolate, coffee, milk (for the coffee) are three of those things. Right now I’m wishing that the Pyramides des Tropiques from Pralus was available from my fridge. Found through Seth’s blog and all you lucky Americans can get hold of it from Dean and Deluca.

To conclude my nice Sunday: I’ve found a fellow potter blogger!

Love the “Outties with a chain line” and “Storm” earrings. Both from Lisa Levine

These glass teacups have the same crisp but light quality as the jewellery above. I think they’re absolutely gorgeous and have had this crush ever since I saw them on design*sponge ages ago. From the Float range by Molo Design.

On a jewellery related note, from 14th February until 31st March my favourite Stockholm jewellery gallery Platina (best viewed in explorer) is showing “Love according to man” (link to a page in swedish but with pictures of the seven exhibitors!). Seven men, working in areas from composer to marine archeologist, are giving their view of love.

I even read the adverts in Selvedge with interest and that is where I found Sri threads, a gallery specializing in textiles from Japan.

The cuts and the material and the pattern in kimonos are always an inspiration to me. This festive kimono is like a piece of art and if I was the owner of it and if it’s not disrespectful I’d hang it on my wall so that I could enjoy the sight of it everyday. Here is a baby kimono - have you seen anything as beautiful?

I think it was Maditi who posted about Saiso some time ago, also stunning Kimono work!

I love buying things from small businesses! In Stockholm, Street market is a perfect place for finding designer makers rarely seen elsewhere. Here are my latest finds that brighten up my everyday.

I am hopelessly devoted to corduroy and so I fell like a log for this bag by sprinkler. It doubles up as my computer bag, perfect.

Third time’s the charm… I’ve been hankering for this beltbag twice before and finally I did something about it. From glamorous Lo Lo + Gretch.

I’m very pleased with the knitted flower that now lives on my hat, it’s from annodesign. They also make sweet socks…

Laleh is an amazingly talented young Swede who’ve just won a bunch of awards for her music. Download and listen to her beautiful song Live Tomorrow (requires Quicktime (www.apple.com), Windows Media Player (www.microsoft.com) or similar). It was Susanne at Fransson Kane Design (another talented swedish woman) who made me look at the video. Thanks, Susanne!

Helen Felcey makes stunning bone china and porcelain pieces that breathes harmony. Bone china is a material with a will of it’s own and I admire the exquisite finish of her pieces. Helen’s website has been under construction for an awfully long time now, but hopefully we’ll be able to see some more very soon! Read her statement on Photostore and view more of her work at Peter’s Barn Gallery.

Take a look at Caravanstyle’s inspiring web tour, some of the images doesn’t show up but don’t let that put you off - just keep clicking that arrow!

Camilla finds the best illustrators, here’s Alain Corbel.

With all this snow that just keeps falling, I should take a sleigh ride to the workshop tomorrow! I just need someone to pull. Any takings?

One of my favourite things lately is to let Pandora introduce me to music I might like. So today, I typed in Mav’s tip, Cat Powers which has led me to lots of great music - thanks mav (and Pandora)!

And here’s a painting exploding with colour, by Annette Brosch.

UPDATE: Last.fm is another kind of radiostation. While Pandora bases her choices on the musical attributes, Last.fm takes it cue from what other users like (who’ve said they like the same kind of music). Have fun!

For at least two years I used to pass Antoni + Alisons studio everyday on the no 19 bus. I found their window decorations intriguing, but never really understood what it was they did. Now I know. Vogue are showing their spring-summer 2006 collection. I like it.

The image from their sketchbook (above) is from the archives at the V&A. Below is an image from the Photographers Gallery in London where Antoni + Alisons photography is represented (I enjoyed reading the text about them).

Talking about fashion, check out the new Odd Molly collection. I like their way of inserting a ribbon just above the waist, very pretty. And the lovely cardigan is now available in pink, *sigh*.