Showing posts with label interiors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interiors. Show all posts

16.5.12

expressive neutrals & muted tones


today, as many other days in fact,
 my love for neutral and muted tones finds a way to be expressed through this post by sharing some favorite  corners shot recently in our home.

 above, my beloved grass woven slippers brought from my trip to Greece,
 are just an excuse so that I can share with you our finally finished
 step in the area between the kitchen and the winter garden.
 (look here for reference)

 sometimes it's worth to patiently - or perhaps quietly impatiently - wait for the final touches to be made.
 being no professional hand workers, the need to hire someone in order to have work done in a correct way  is often crucial.

 the edges of steps being areas where extreme care needs to be taken in order for safety and endurance
 to take place, we had ours finished with a mat L shaped "bar" of inox;

 specially made & placed by our hand worker,
 who also did a remarkable job in covering the pre-existing marble step
 in both its horizontal & vertical surface, as if the wooden waves of the floor naturally pass from one
  area to the other.


then, it's the rocking chair in the bedroom with the curves of which I have been totally falling in love,
as much as its fabric's texture and the details.
the leather straps on the head pillow being one of them.
 it feels as if a fine piece of Scandinavian design lives with us, when it is in fact a rather affordable 
Ikea product (Scandinavian still... )


I'm also enjoying much the sliding ceiling of the roof, and feel quite cosy under it, rocking with a warm cup of tea in hand in the evenings, looking out the big windows.
speaking of windows, they are calling for some kind of curtain treatment,
now that the summer period is here.

The sun currently rises at about 05:30 a.m and sets around 21:30 p.m

needless to say these six months pay off for the short and often dark winter days.
needless to say that I have come to love this northern light in ways I could have never imagined should we turned the clock back some let's say 5 years ago.



in the bedroom wall, where the bed's headboard is, there has still been not 
much of a progress. in fact, there has been no progress at all.

the five cupboards planned to be vertically placed the one under the other in the corner where now the plant camouflages things, are still stacked there.

the wall is still undone and waits to be sanded before the longingly wished wallpaper with black and silver grey circles finds its way on it.

Till all these are done, I simply brought home a pair of 80 x 80 cm inner cushions from my last trip to Ikea, so that finally one of the four pairs of pillow cases found at h&m home some years ago - patiently waiting the day they come out of the cupboards -
freshen things up a bit.

Typography has always moved my interest.
and despite dark blue not being in the color palette of the bedroom,
their presence has been both visually and practically welcoming.



and how could I avoid making a garland?
I borrowed it from our shop, on the virtual shelves of which it  is heading these days, until it comes to live in one of your beautiful homes.


the glass lantern in a huge pine corn form, is a spontaneous present from a friend with whom I spent heartwarming times when in Greece...
it's a typically Greek lantern, often found on islands and I seem to have forever been meaning to bring one here, at home in Germany.

"oh come on now... as if there is not enough stuff to pack with after spending time
in my parents' Apart 44"
I kept on thinking... and never actually bought one.

the appreciation of the situation totally changes when someone you cherish from the depths of your heart
offers you something, simply just like that:

" oh how do I love this lantern!" said I when visiting his uniquely styled home*
 "take it" he said...

after a few refusals insisting that should I have thought that this would lead to that,
I would have never said that,
I left that night with a wonderful souvenir to cherish...

something made in the country of light where I proudly originate from, currently going through such incredibly dark times,
something given from a person I deeply cherish and feel connected to...

it is lit almost every night, its flame reflected in the round mirror...
the room is different... a little bit of magic takes place...
with all walls undone and other things unfinished,
this room feels like a warm place to be at.


{* how could it not, he has been the art director of my beloved Maison et Decoration magazine}




kind regards & wishes for a wonderful rest of the week to everyone.
please be visiting our shop often, as garlands and other updates are to be taking place these days.

                                                 ..............................................................

Picture styling & creation: Iro Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy 2012.

10.1.12

Be the change you want to bring to the world ~


now... how will I manage to keep this a minimal post word wise my dears?
 {I will not, wanna bet?}

 all I basically want to say is that much as {the current moment, the present, is our present, our gift in this life  time of ours} we all are synchronized in,
 so Life itself is upon each one of us to color.

 Three might be the basic colors for us all to paint with on our life canvases,
  but then none of us will make the same painting.
 we' ll use and mix our colors differently

 some of these paintings will be masterpieces,
 some not.
 some will be nice, some ugly
 the world might know or might not know about them
 in all cases.

whichever the case, the painter of our lives can be only one person:

OURSELVES

we can choose where to focus,
how to think,
what to see,
what to keep in our hearts,
what to let go,
what to do,
what to do again,
what to not do again,
which words to use,
what to hear,
how to behave,
how to dress,
how to build our interiors,
and everything will be nothing but a reflection of who we are.

need Love? let us give Love
need to have more? let us give from what we already have
need to be forgiven? let us forgive first
need to see the Light? let us stop being afraid of darkness

the mere existence of Life itself is Dual.
choose where you focus on
accept both sides

let us acknowledge our fears
see how small & unimportant we all are
& then be grateful for the grandiosity of our existence

LOVE & PEACE ON EARTH
 my friends

LET US BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO BRING TO THE WORLD 
THROUGH OUT OUR JOURNEYS HERE


this space whispers tranquility, love for life and peace with one's self, doesn't it my dears?

this is to a marvelous Tuesday for you all
{and no, this is not another "Aujourd'hui j'aime" post but a "Life of awareness" one ; )}

collage credit: Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy, using clockwise the following pictures:    

also... listen ~

9.1.12

Aujourd' hui j'aime...



Bonsoir mes amis,

 hello my friends & a wonderful new week to you!

 was the weekend a good one?
 nothing to complain about here & lots of beautiful moments, apart from a little
 emotional turmoil caused - quite probably - by the full moon,
 resulting in some temporary family tension.

 oh, aren't our closest ones those to receive it all first? both the good & the bad? 
 and vice versa of course...

 how about you?
 are you affected in any way by nature' s cycles?

all right, enough of small talk,
 let's get down to serious talking cause there are things I wish to share with you.
So...

 my love for French & natural inclination to speak this language is intensifying these days
& didn't hesitate to create a new series for the blog under the name:

Aujourd'hui j'aime...
{Today I love... }

several times so far some of my instant choices shared here were filed under... well... {instant choices}.
Nothing wrong with that, other than the fact that simply something wasn't there name wise...
 if you know what I mean...?

Concerning blogs & anything creative,
I appreciate everything & everyone that evolves naturally & step by step.
Originality & honesty are also appreciated. A lot.

Actions or posts brought forward in order to impress others,
rather easily put my away...

Naturally, this blog & myself are gradual and constant developers as well,
remaining always faithful to what is important to us,
to what characterizes us.

{Aujourd' hui j'aime...}
is a collection of pictures that inspire me and create a visual story for me.
much like the {moodboards}, I'm also loving to make.
Not necessarily from one artist, or one art, but a combination of them.
As much as it is created instantly, its effect is permanent.
Its images mark me & stay with me for a rather long, long time

Interior design
Decoration
Fashion
Styling
Photography &
pretty things

have always been inspiring me... after all who doesn't get inspired by them?

 in my strong effort to avoid repeating other blogs
and keep an honest & personal approach in this blog,
lots of my choices were kept for a long time private.

In the meantime, and thank's to Pinterest as well,  where everyone can simply have access to each member's  taste, I feel that my presence here is distinct enough & has an aroma,
a sound, a feeling of its own.
For the fact that I feel this way, I need to thank SO many of you,
that should I start, I have to be very careful and remember to include all of you in the list!

I'll skip this part for now
 & just go back to {aujourd'hui j'aime...}

I love visual stories and about 2 years ago, I had started writing stories under the collages {such as here & thereI was creating with my favorite pictures from friends & contacts in {flickr}.
I think {this} must have been the fisrt one.

In the meantime, it has become clear that
favorite styling both in interiors & fashion,
as much as stunning photography and breathtaking details
simply fire my brain cells,
while pleasing my eyes.
It's not only that though. 
It doesn't stop in the "visualization" & dreaming level.

The images that inspire me are actually kindly invading my life, the way I decorate our living space, the choices I make,
the way I dress and style myself,
the way I think & behave,
 and of course the way I work with others.

So darling people, allow me to be opening a window to my mind, heart & soul to you
through my choices, mostly grouped in my Pinterest boards and likes.
You must be a little familiar with that through the
{etsy treasuries} also curated by me.

Today's inspiration is all about secretary style,
intellectualism,
espressos,
truffles,
geometry,
wood & metal.

Enjoy & c u soon!

.........................................................

oh! not to forget:
 this feature is not bound in any way to be daily, weekly, bimonthly or anything similar.
Due to the spontaneity of my nature, it can be once a day, a few times a week or simply taking a rest for a while. Sometimes, it might even be more frequent that once a day.

 Each post is going to be mainly recognized by the date that it is posted under the label:
{Aujourd'hui j'aime...}

Merci!

... and oh! #2, if you wish to read a bit on maximasing space in an open air loft
and see how I managed to do so in our previous home,

Thank's so much for your comments, 
being here & following me around the web
 in every possible {nice} way you can!

xxx :*)


[via]


collage crated by Iro - Ivy Nassopoulos for Domestic Stories with Ivy combining the following images clockwise: 1. 2. 3. 4.