DIY - HANDMADE PURSES

DESIGN EVENT - HOUZZ OF 2018

Houzz is a website about architecture, interior design, decorating and home improvement which is hosting an event live in London right now: Houzz of 2018.

The interior design studio Run for the Hills transformed a stylish five-storey Soho townhouse into a complete flat reflecting all that's current in home design. 

If you love snooping around other people's homes, this is the type of experience you'll have, and you will be able to buy anything you see for a 15% discount on the original price.

The pop-up is open to the public between the 26th January-31st January and is free.

DESIGN SHOP - ARKET

Arket belongs to the H&M Group and defines itself as "a modern-day market". The first Arket store was opened in Regent Street in August 2017 displaying homeware and stationery items along with clothing and accessories for men, women and children.

Prices are not H&M aligned, it feels more like if Uniqlo and COS had a baby, and the baby has also a homeware line.

I've been there three times, and so far I've bought only notebooks and socks, but I'm sure I will soon surrender to that cast-iron pot, the umpteenth thin-glass set, one green vase or an overpriced terracotta flowerpot.

The in-store café has a very distinct northern European style, and good coffee.
Let me know what you think.

HOME TOUR - DARIO & MARIAGRAZIA

I have the pleasure of bringing you a stunning home tour, that just so happens to belong to my cousins.

We are all about festive atmosphere right now, but this interiors shows how that’s achievable without oversized and overtly bad design home decorations. Of course, the striking snow-covered panorama adds magic to the soothing ambient.

At the lower floor of a remarkable 16th century country house in Bergamo - Northern Italy, these rooms were once the peasant’s kitchen, the cows stable and the farm porch.

My architects colleagues will recognize the iconic pieces (MDF Italia bookshelf, Desalto table, Renzo Piano Riva Chairs, Artemide and Foscarini lights, etc.), but the truth is that Dario and Mari’s home embodies all that makes Italian homes so special. Historic details, natural material finishes, exposed structural elements, and always – always, gorgeous light. When you apply a few genius design choices, an Italian home can be hardly beat.

Floor: wax treated raw-cut slate
Exterior window frame: power coated iron
Interior doors and windows: walnut wood
Bookshelf: Random, MDF Italia
Table: Iblea, Desalto
Chairs: Renzo Piano Design Chair, Riva 1920
Chest of drawers: Kyoto, Riva 1920
Lights: Logico, Artemide + Bahia, Foscarini
Kitchen: Valcucine (former Demode)

THE CHOICE - IN THE WIND BY NEMO

Many friends fell in love with it. This incredibly contemporary and elegant beauty it's Nemo's best product In The Wind.

CITY GUIDE - AMMAN, JORDAN

Amazing trip to the magic Jordan... the city of Amman gives you plenty of occasions to buy very high quality handicrafts such as painted pottery, candlesticks and handmade textiles.

In my opinion the best places to buy quirky home decor are the Jordan River Foundation (Rainbow Street) for handmade baskets, rugs and traditional Bedouin weaving products, and Wild Jordan, (Othman Ben Affan St. - also very close to Rainbow Street) an eco-tourism spot that sells hand made jewellery, beautifully decorated ostrich eggs and organic goods like olive-oil soap. Special mention for Dare to Dream, also off Rainbow Street.

JORDAN RIVER FOUNDATION

www.jordanriverdesigns.com

INTERIOR INSPIRATION - DECORATED PEBBLES

Black ink patterns on white matte background. Who knows me since I was a compulsory doodler teenage can tell that this was my true obsession. Still is.

And the below is pure ASMR for me. Simple and yet so stylish. You can try too.

Enjoy!

INTERIOR SHOP - VERANDAH LONDON

Walking around residential neighborhoods in London you can bump into little interior shops that sell interesting goods from all over the world. This is the case of VERANDAH in Kensal Green, 116 College Rd, London NW10 5HD.

Here below some pics of the shop's interior and their selected products.

Enjoy!

WHAT TO BUY NOW - H&M HOME

Here's what I've found interesting and convenient at H&M Home few days ago.

Enjoy!

WHAT TO BUY NOW - WEST ELM DISCOUNTS!

CITY GUIDE - LISBON

Shopping in Lisbon is a great experience. Portugal was one of the European nations hardest hit by the economic crisis, but the economy has now grown for 13 successive quarters. And it shows. (No alternative to austerity eh?)

Just walk around the narrow streets of the old city quarters and you'll come across dozens of sumptuously ornamented shops that sell some of the most carefully packaged goods you've ever seen. At reasonable prices. If you are going for vacation, you'll return with a suitcase stuffed with treasures.

A VIDA PORTUGHESA

www.avidaportuguesa.com

THE CHOICE: RUGS

Carpets are the universal way to warm floors and rooms and to decorate homes since the dawn of times... but an original Persian rug is simply something else: it adds an incomparable touch of elegance to any space and it's a timeless classic. 

A fine antique carpet gives the owner the same pleasure than possessing a precious piece of art.

HOME TOUR - LAURA & VINCENZO

Stunning beginning of the century apartment in Northern Italy. Large windows and high ceilings let tons of light flow in, enhancing the ethereal frescoes of the ceiling.

The owners, two mid-century furniture fanatics, love to collect memorabilia from the best european flea markets and they've been able to skillfully mix them with some branded pieces and the historical context.

Bravo!

INTERIORS

And here come some of my works: design experiments for London's victorian houses.

I hope you like them!