Category Archives: Design, designers and online finds

Sleep in a suspended bed on the island of Sicily


Monaci Delle Terre Nere is a boutique country hotel set amidst a Sicilian Estate in the foothills of Mount Etna. This Sicilian retreat is deliberately small and discreet, providing an unpretentious hideaway tucked away from hurly burly of life”.

Thus claims the website of what indeed looks like the perfect getaway! Owner Guido Coffa stumbled upon this old Villa and decided, more or less on the spot, that he’d own it and restore it back to the glory it once had. And he succeeded. 

One of the eight rooms, the one with suspended bed, in the Monaci delle Terre Nere boutique hotel on the Italian island of Sicily.

Photograph through Wallpaper/ Monaci delle Terre Nere

With the smallest 3D printer you can draw in the air!


This is amazing! Launched just yesterday on Kickstarter, this little gem of a pen, the LIX, is the new deal in 3D printing!

3D objects created with the LIX pen

A Spanish holiday retreat made by a cow!


This is amazing! Design company Ensamble Studio brought in help of a special talent to build this neat little holiday studio; a cow. They covered stacked hay bales in concrete, buried this, and once hardened, allowed Paulina, the said cow, to eat away the hay inside. This took about a year, she took her time I guess, but the result was very much worth the wait! They call it The Truffle.

The Truffle by Ensamble Studio

The Truffle by Ensamble Studio

The Truffle by Ensamble Studio

Yeah, I can see myself taking a breaker there….

Source: Worthytoshare

Photography: Ensamble Studio

Breton stripes. Nothing adds more timeless elegance to a home


So simple, yet so chic and effective. In both fashion and home-deco, nothing oozes timeless elegance more than a Breton stripe. For as long as I remember I have owned at least one Breton jumper. Perfect for when a wool v-neck has gotten too warm, and short sleeves are too chilly. In the home it works year round. It adds to the warm and cosy feel in autumn and winter when combined with checks, warm fires, (faux) furs and candles. And in spring and summer it matches with the green of plants in full bloom, wooden patio furniture, cool drinks in elegant glass ware and flowers. Try using it not just in patterns on throws and cushions, but also on walls (horizontal!) and even ceilings or floors.

Floor, ceiling and walls. Both horizontal and vertical. Jean Paul Gaultier meets Versace meets Chanel……

Kate Collins cushion – Breton Stripes

Again used horizontally on walls – Breton Stripes

A wide, horizontal stripe adds drama – Breton Stripes

Amazing use of outside space – Breton Stripes

There’s a reason some of the greatest creative minds love them 😉

Andy Warhol loved them – Breton Stripes

Picasso (by Robert Doisneau) in Breton Stripes

Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn and James Dean – all in Breton Stripes

Jean Paul Gaultier turned them into ART!

For me Breton stripes bring back memories to holidays in France with my parents and brother and sister. Throw in a pair of espadrilles and a baguette with Nutella and it’s all coming back!