pretty pictures

These two ads are beautiful.

keep my time

On my wish list: the ball clock designed by George Nelson.

The photo is a page in one of my favorite interior design magazines; Living etc.

boats

I just realised I have quite a few photos of boats. There must be something about the colors and shapes I really like. I'm a little ambivalent about being in small boats though. I get easily sea sick... But I love swimming!

See all the boat photos in this new Flickr set simply called boats.

dress tree lamp

I found this flyer in my e-mail inbox today. Such a beautiful photo. In fact, I love it so much I instantly bought the poster. Now there's only 14 left in stock (of 500). I should go to London and see the exhibition. Or maybe I should just buy the book.

More info about the Tim Walker exhibition on the Design Museum website.

slow work

Even though it's raining and it doesn't feel much like summer, it definitely feels like my head is on vacation. Most people at my office are gone fishing or what ever, and it's hard to focus on work. Yesterday I did a lot of planning and today I'm updating my work website.

Some of you might remember that I was in Moscow for work last year. If you didn't get hold of the international issue of no magazine, don't worry, you can read my Moscow story here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and download the pdf - it's in English!

I don't know why, but I didn't take so many photos in Moscow. Maybe because I only brought my small Olympus mju point and shoot (with film). The two photos above are my favorites. See all the Moscow photos here.

Speaking of travels, as the rain continues to pour down, I long to go back to this place and have meals like this and this. I also wonder were we should go for our honeymoon. Any suggestions?

freelance life

I really enjoy being a freelancer. As long as I don't have any appointments, I can do what ever I want. Sleep in, read magazines all day and call it "research", go thrift store shopping with my friend M, bake cakes and eat them too - also "research". It's summer and I don't have a lot of deadlines at the moment. In fact, this whole week I have done a lot of "research" (= I didn't plan to take the day off, it just happened). Also, I can take the day off (on purpose) and drive home to my parents one day before planned to have dinner and talk about our wedding. That's what I did yesterday.

Today I'm home alone in my childhood home while my parents are at work. I should work too. Although I don't have a lot of deadlines these days, I have one on Monday. Time to write the article about the local artist I interviewed a little while ago. I have had the whole week to write this article, but the big procrastination bug bite me... So, today I slept in, had breakfast while Flickring, photographed around the house, talked to my maid of honour for about an hour on the phone, and read blogs.

The blog reading is the reason I wanted to write this in the first place. I have come across a couple of Norwegian blogs about freelancing. I know of a few similar English blogs, but the Norwegian blogs are just so much more familiar to my work situation. When I started freelancing in 2003 (oh! it's already been almost five years!) I had NO idea what I was doing. I wish these freelance blogs existed back then. Even now, with a few years of freelance experience, these blogs are really inspiring reads.

Frilansliv - Frilansjournalisten - Frilansinfo

organic cool

I like this pillow from Danish Mow Living. I'm not a big fan of yellow, but it works so well here. The bonus is that it is made of 100 % organic cotton.

wedding preparations

Today our wedding is 1 month and 2 days away. We are getting more and more ready, but there are still preparations to be done - like getting Sølve an outfit. Since our garden wedding is in my mother-in-law's childhood home (photos here), we have to do things like prepare the garden (it is big!), paint the flag pole (it hasn't been done in 30 years, so the wedding is a good excuse to do it), and clean the house (we might have to go inside during the party). Some of the projects have been going on for a while, and some of them we started this weekend. I spent some hours high up in a ladder painting the flag pole in the sizzling heat. At least I got a slight tan.

One preparation we did this weekend, that I especially enjoyed, was the hike to Stalheim. It was our first time there, and it was truly amazing! Most of our wedding guests are coming the day before the wedding, since none of them live at Voss. We want to have a fun, informal meet up before the big day, so we plan to take them on this hike to Stalheim, and have a traditional meal at the Sivle gard (Sivle farm) on the way back.

See the photos from our Stalheim hike here.

PS: Click on the image above to view it bigger (and better).

great style, part II

Here is another home style I love, also found in Rom 123 (like this). It's the home of the Norwegian photographer Trine Thorsen.

great style

These are some photos from the home of the Norwegian stylist Margrethe Gilboe. It was featured a little while ago in the Norwegian interior design magazine Rom 123. I love her style!

happy minimalism

Ann Sophie Stærk has been one of my favorite artists for a long time. Her work is often called happy minimalism and neo pop art. I would love to have one of her painting on my livingroom wall. Ann Sophie's boyfriend is Leonardo Annecca, he is an Italian designer and architect. Take a look at his inspiring work here.

the table

I love that table.
(Via the style files)

PS: I updated the blog header some days ago. June is the month when summer officially starts. Doesn't feel like summer today though. It's so wet and grey outside...

Montana

Recently I told you what kind of bookshelves I like. The Danish Montana shelving system is another one I like a lot.

for the love of light

I just ordered my copy of the book. Did you?

Get it here.

a travel story

Let me take you to Greece. I have uploaded all my photos from my recent travel to Halkidiki, Greece. See them all in this set. The photo above is from the last day, when I packed my backpack to leave.

String

Bookshelves filled with books, magazines and other inspiring things are great furniture. They add so much personality to a room. I must admit I always seek a peak in people's bookshelves when I'm visiting. Do you?

I prefer simple (white) bookshelves. If I were to change our white IKEA Billy shelves for something else, String would be a very good option. A Swedish design classic.

PS: I love the wishbone chair to the right in this photo. But I already told you that.

Everyday Holy

...is the name of this cool cup from Muuto. This is how the designer, Ilkka Suppanen, describes it:

I wanted to create something different from the iconic coffee mug with handle found in office cubicles around the world. Modern people don't just have coffee; They have lattés, cappuccino, espresso, tea or Chai. So I wanted a mug which would look and work equally well no matter the content. On a more emotional level I was thinking that the time we share over a cup of tea or coffee is often a sacred break from our hectic everyday lives. Among other things this inspired me to work with the iconic Holy Grail in the shaping of the mug.

I have mentioned Muuto before, here and here.

traveling

I'm so glad the airport strike is over so we can get to Berlin this weekend.

Here are some Flickr favorites that in one way or another fit the theme "traveling": 1. viv love... (and love this cross-processed expired kodak ektachrome 320T too..), 2. Perfect lighting., 3. lost highway. this way., 4. Untitled, 5. west, 6. 31, 7. Untitled, 8. ug, 9. Untitled

Speaking of traveling, here is an article (in Norwegian) I enjoyed about American motels. If you don't read Norwegian, at least take a look at the photos, by Sune Eriksen. They look much better in the magazine.

beautiful bowls

I love the shape of these bowls from Höganäs Keramik.

the vase

I'm not much into interior decoration knick knacks. For example, I love cut flowers yet I only have one "real" vase - the one to the right in the photo above. It's beautiful. So simple yet elegant and timeless. Normally I put flowers in carafes or old Norgesglass, but I think I might want to expand my collection of real vases. Of course it has do be from Iittala's Alvar Aalto collection. I'm a big fan of this Finnish designer and architect. I'll show you more of his design later.