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Archive for November 2009

Etsy find: Prince Design UK

I didn’t manage to get an Etsy post done yesterday, but better late than never, right? Today I want to share the work of Prince Design UK, an Etsy shop run by Elizabeth Prince.

Elizabeth is a ceramicist who lives and works in Northern England, and sells her work online, as well as through independent retail shops. Her work is largely inspired by nature, but is contemporary in feel. Check out some of my favourite pieces.

This trio of Stacking Poppy Bowls is so pretty and delicate, I think they’d look great on a kitchen windowsill:

Prince Design UK

Elizabeth does a whole bunch of individual poppy bowls, too. This large Salad Bowl is gorgeous:

Prince Design UK

The perforated Colander and Fruit Bowl is multipurpose- suitable for both washing and storing fruits:

Prince Design UK

I love the Lacy Bird Bowl Duo, a set of shallow dishes that can be used for display, as well as practically:

Prince Design UK

The Flying Ducks Dessert Plate is simply adorable, and I can definitely picture serving up some pie on it:

Prince Design UK

Not exactly kitchen-related (though I suppose you could hang them anywhere), these Butterfly Snowflake Christmas Ornaments are pretty and festive, without being kitsch:

Prince Design UK

Photo find: Autumn Toast

As I’ve mentioned before, I just love the UK mail-order company Toast. Their clothing and home catalogues are so beautifully styled; it makes me want it all! I was happy to stumble across their site today, for the first time since the summer, and find some great new Autumn treats. Next week I’ll pick some products to feature, but for now, here are some images from their house&home catalogue. Happy Friday!

Autumn Toast

Autumn Toast

Autumn Toast

Autumn Toast

Autumn Toast

Autumn Toast

Autumn Toast

Home Inspiration: Reclaimed Style

Being the retro style-loving girl that I am, I always like an eclectic look in a home, especially when it’s achieved through clever reclaimed or repurposed items. To me, it says that the people who live there are quirky, creative, green-minded and fun. While it might appear that the look works best in a rustic country home, it can be equally successful in modern surroundings. Check out some of these cool ideas from reclaiming and repurposing in the kitchen.

Very rustic and country in style, this space from Living etc makes me think of a French country house. The repurposed shop counter is perfect for an island with storage:

Reclaimed Style

From the same source, this salvage-yard look is an eclectic mix of styles, and perfectly now:

Reclaimed Style

Nothing in this bright green kitchen looks old, but take another look at that awesome art-school sink. Found on Pure Green:

Reclaimed Style

I like how an old shipping pallet has been used for display and storage here, from Remodelista. I bet several of these would look great together, in a big bright kitchen:

Reclaimed Style

These repurposed stools are made of old truck springs! Found via Apartment Therapy and originally published by House Beautiful, I like the whole kitchen- it looks like the wood and lights are reclaimed, too:

Reclaimed Style

Finally, this kitchen from lorigami‘s photostream is my favourite. Modern and rustic, I love the crates used as drawers, and all the beautiful old wood:

Reclaimed Style

Look! Baked by Formafantasma

While catching up on my reading lately (some sites on my long-neglected blogroll), I came across these lovely images on Dezeen. Originally posted last month, they’re of an exhibition at Dutch Design Week, which took place at the end of October. I loved the idea and images so much I just had to share.

Baked

The Baked collection is a work by Italian designers Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Formafantasma, and was presented as part of the “Getting Lost” exhibition in Eindhoven.

Baked

Based on a Sicilian custom where flour is baked into architectural decorations, the collection includes objects made of flour, coffee, spices and other foods. Intended as an ode to the craftsmanship of baking, the result is in beautiful and changeable collection of art objects. I just love the photos- gorgeous, no?

Baked
Baked

Check out the entire post (with more photos) on Dezeen here.

Cool Kitchen: The Kitchenist Kitchen

Well, the “cool” part might be a bit subjective, this time. Several weeks ago, my sister suggested to me that I feature my own kitchen here. At first I balked at the idea, since the small, cramped kitchen in my rental flat is hardly my dream space. But then I thought about how much I love looking into other people’s “real” kitchens, so I could hardly deny my readers the same thing, could I?

So, without further ado, I present the Kitchenist kitchen:

The Kitchenist Kitchen

If you’re a regular reader of my food blog, you might deduce that the table under the window is where I take my photos. Bought for £15 at a local furniture shop’s sidewalk sale, this piece is a perfect size and shape for my needs. The top is used as a landing strip for change, mail, keys and phones to get dumped when we come in, and I keep baking paraphernalia in the shelf. It’s an old piece and in pretty poor condition, so my original intention was to re-finish it. I’m still hoping to get around to that this winter; I want to strip and re-stain the top dark, and paint everything below a glossy white.

The Kitchenist Kitchen

There’s a lot of annoying, wasted space around the sink, so I try to fill it up with pretty and useful things. The wooden box houses my scale, matches and other odds and ends, and the vintage kitchen scale is perfect for my t-shirt towels, which I use for spills and such.

The Kitchenist Kitchen

As a vegetarian, I eat lots of grains and legumes. This is only a small portion of the variety I like to have around more (there are more in the cupboards), but I like to keep these ones, in their pretty matching jars, in plain sight ;)

The Kitchenist Kitchen

I need to keep all my cooking stuff close at hand (also, there’s no room in the cupboards; they’re full of grains), so I keep a tray with oils, vinegars and salt next to the stove. The salt pig is Nigella Lawson’s mini one, which I keep stocked with Maldon sea salt- I use it for just about everything. The Le Creuset utensil jar holds just about half of my regularly-used utensils.

The Kitchenist Kitchen

This bit of counter is my favourite, thanks in part to my brand-new Wesco breadbox, a birthday present. I also keep cutting boards, a cookie jar and another utensil pot (filled with baking stuff, mainly) over here. You can also see my dark green Chasseur Dutch oven on the cooker; I use this baby almost daily.

The Kitchenist Kitchen

The far wall is the flat’s answer to a closet- we keep our coats, shoes and shopping bags here. You can also see my two aprons on the far left- the patterned one is from Kitsch’n Glam and the burlap one was a souvenir from an Italian holiday. The antique coat rack is one of my favourite things in the flat; I bought it while on a Landmark holiday with my family.

The Kitchenist Kitchen

I hope you liked my little kitchen tour; the shots are nothing special but at least it was recently cleaned when I took them! :) I think it would be interesting to see the creative spaces of other food bloggers, too- perhaps a new feature?

Etsy finds: Dansk

At the end of my holiday last month, I spent a night with my grandmother before flying home. I was in interiors heaven: my Grandma’s condo is a trove of mid-century modern design. (I teased her about how it looks like she went on a buying spree in the 60′s, and hasn’t bought anything since.)

Something I especially took a shine to was her collection of retro kitchenware, specifically a Dansk water jug in a cheerful yellow hue. This American-owned, Danish-designed brand was huge in the 60′s and 70′s, and is still in existence today, though sadly the iconic Kobenstyle line is out of production.

Luckily we can still find it, and other great Dansk pieces, on Etsy. Here are some of my favourite Dansk finds from everyone’s favourite global marketplace.

This red Kobenstyle Paella Pan sold by Uncommon Eye is just lovely, and in great condition:

Dansk

The classic Casserole in that gorgeous yellow, from modapple:

Dansk

I love the colour of this Enamelware Percolator, from LemonLimeVintage:

Dansk

Fondue parties may be lost to the ages, but maybe whoever buys this adorable Fondue Pot and Stand from Bettyninja Finds can bring them back:

Dansk

These White Teacups and Saucers look more modern to me, but just as covetable. From ravenna Girls Vintage:

Dansk