Emery & Cie - incredible decoration store in Belgium

Hello everyone,I have been wanting to post this for a little while. When I was in Antwerp in October, I discovered as I was walking in the city centre, the beautiful showroom of Emery & Cie. This is the decoration shop of the great Belgian architect Agnes Emery. You can find some incredible Moroccan inspired tiles, some fabulous lighting, tableware, paint and wallpaper. I was very lucky to be able to take pictures in this enchanting showroom. If I had to renovate a bath or a kitchen, I know where I would by my tiles. I am completely in love with the cement tiles. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of this very atmospheric shop:

Website: Emery & Cie Shop in Antwerp: Reynders Straat, 202000 Antwerp Shop in Brussels: 78 Quai des Charbonnages, 1080 Brussels

Das siebte Zimmer - Welcome to paradise

Hello everyone, Have you ever heard of das 7. Zimmer (the 7th Room) in Hamburg? I think this is the most poetic place I have ever seen in my life - and this is one of the reasons why I was happy moving to Hamburg. A lot of German interior magazines, such as Living at Home or Schöner Wohnen work with this shop and when I read them when I lived in Berlin and came across a piece of furniture I liked, a lot of the time it came from das 7. Zimmer. So when I moved to Hamburg, this is the first shop I visited - and now I live just around the corner.

If you have never heard of the shop, you can pass by a hundred times without noticing it. The shop has a tiny (and usually beautifully styled) shop window in the Hegestrasse with a sign indicating the opening hours and a note saying: there is more  to see in the barn on the other side of the street. The actual shop is situated in the attic of a very old building in a courtyard. The stairs are very steep and there is not much heating but it is definitely worth it! The place is just magical and full of candles with some loud classical music in the background giving the place an incredible atmosphere. Everything there is unusual with a lot of French antiques and a couple of original Eames and Tolix chairs here and there. You have the feeling of being all of a sudden in another century. I hope you will visit this place if you have the occasion to. Please let me know your thoughts on this very unique place!

Das 7. Zimmer Hegestraße 7 20251 Hamburg

Monday   : 13:00 - 19:00 Tu. – Fr.  : 11:00 – 18:30 Sat.            : 11:00 – 16:00

Lovely scaffolding

Yes, scaffolding can be lovely! You read that right.Today I want to share something I saw in the streets of Hamburg, just before my holiday in Antwerp and Amsterdam. I am still working on the photos and thinking about which stories I want to tell you about. They are currently working on the building of the beautiful gourmet food shop "Viola" in Hamburg Eppendorf and instead of disappearing behind the scaffolding, the shop-keepers had the lovely idea to just decorate the scaffolding with ribbons and Japanese washi tape. I think it is a fantastic initiative for a shop to do something like that, it makes the customers curious rather than letting the shop become invisible behind the scaffolding.

By the way, I love this shop and there will be a blogpost about it soon, to complete the "lovely Hamburg" series. I will not let Viola disappear behind the scaffolding, I promise!

Speak to you soon!

Elodie

Red berries bouquet

In autumn, I like to do bunches of berries. The last longer than flowers and look beautiful with a little bit of sunshine.

lovely still life #1

Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subject matter, most typically a small grouping of objects. Still life photography, gives the photographer more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within a composition. This is the definition given by Wikipedia. In this series of photos, I only used ornamental apples, in a Japanese bowl I received as a gift for my engagement from my dear friend Fabienne.This is a first try, but this is the kind of photography I enjoy, I hope you like it too!

I found the little black stand at the hello handmade market  on Sunday in Hamburg. It is from the label 3PUNKTF. I visited the market with my Hamburg blogger crew: the lovely Clara from tastesheriff, Susanne from Serendipity and  Maria from villa ♥ stoff - and came without my camera, but all I was thinking about was my blog! and I found some pretty cool props for my photo shootings!

my living room or I'm not a minimalist

So here are some more photos from this week-end photo shooting with the wide-angle lens. I hope you like them: The lovely cat sitting in front of the lovely bookshelf Our bookshelf comes from the Scandinavian shop bolia. We have been researching a lot, before buying this one. For me it was very important, to have a bookshelf that can fit books, magazines and records. I also love the colour of the wood. The only problem is its weight, when you need to move...

The lovely grey wall We thought a lot about the right shade of grey for the wall. I think dark walls give a very intimate atmosphere to rooms and give you a very good background for displaying art and playing with light. The fabulous Tiger print on the wall is from the fantastic design shop in Hamburg Human Empire.

The lovely home cinema I really love not having a TV in the living room. I think that they just look pretty ugly, even the wide-screen, expensive ones. The beamer is still in the middle of the room, next to the sofa, but I think that you can much easily forget it than a big television.  If you have the possibility to hang your beamer in a corner of your room opposite to the screen, you want to project to, it is even better. It really transform the DVD nights in a cinema experience.

What do you think? Do you like grey in general and grey walls in particular too? Do you also hate televisions? What do you think about my wide-angle lens? the room looks huge doesn't it? I am sure that estate agent use that type of lens when they do pictures of a flat to make it bigger!

Speak to you soon!

Elodie

Oh the lovely living room - The wide-angle experience

As I told you on Sunday, I rented a wide-angle lens this week-end: a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM  from Calumet Photographic in Hamburg. It was really easy and cheap - 23 € for the week-end instead of 722 € if you buy it.I would recommend anyone interested in photography to rent a lens from time to time. It  is such a great option for trying out different type of photos, like portraits, still life or interior photos. I wanted to try a good lens for interior design photography. My living room is very narrow and long, and it is pretty tricky to take good pictures of it with a standard lens.  The result is quite good, but it was not a revelation like the first time I used a  Canon EF -  50 mm f/1.8. So there you go, here is a picture of my grey living room with Mr. Cheds right in the middle sitting on his throne as usual!

and another one from another perspective:

madame love loves: La cerise sur le gateau

La cerise sur le gâteau (Cherry on the cake) is a beautiful French brand from the talented designer Anne Hubert. Anne is pretty famous in France, and her house has been featured in various interior design magazines. Her screen printed creations such as cushions, tea towels and pretty bed linen are very fresh. She uses a lot of neon colours and animal prints.

You can find some of her stuff at my perfect sunday in Hamburg (I got a gorgeous tea towel) or via her e-shop (in English and in French)

The very talented photographer Coco Amardeil has produced this very cute video for the launch of her new autumn/winter collection: NORMAL IS BORING - and I just love it. What about you?

Normal is boring by La cerise sur le gâteau collection automne hiver 2012 from La cerise sur le gâteau on Vimeo.

Magic mushrooms

I am sorry I have been away for a little while, but I had a nasty tooth operation and was so down that I even lost interest in blogging! It was so bad that I couldn't even taste the cake that Clara baked on Saturday for the Blogst Workshop. But I am back now.Look at what I found during our little walk on Sunday afternoon. I discovered a little mushroom family with red and white spots, well hidden under loads of autumn leaves. Red is one of my favorite colours for decorating - and I love the red and white combination: very Swedish! My kitchen is completely red and white.

 I have alway been a fan of polka dots, and those mushrooms, are just perfect. You just have the impression that they come out of the kitchen of a famous French chef patissier, even if they are most probably very poisonous.

Minibibo - mini white sculptures from Hamburg

Tonight I writing a post, I have been wanting to write for ages. Do you remember the white dinner in Hamburg?  I discovered the Minibibo during the white dinner as they were decorating the big table just next to mine. The "Minibibo Miniaturen" are a creation of Sylke Fischöder alias dekofysch. These white sculptures are kept under a cloche and illuminated with LED and the light intensity can be controlled by a remote control. This one is calles "Scene to eat"  This one is called "Speisenaufzug" (Food Elevator)

and this one is my favorite one: It is called the "Hamburger Kessel" (Hamburg Kettel). It just looks cute and poetic with all the animals, but it is based on a true story. Kettling is a police tactic for controlling large crowds during demonstrations. It involves the formation of large  cordons of police officers who then move to contain a crowd within a limited area. Protesters are left only one choice of exit, determined by the police, or are completely prevented from leaving. During a demonstration by anti-nuclear protestors in Hamburg on 8 May 1986, Hamburg Police cordoned approximately 800 people into a "kettle" for several hours. The sculpture is a poetic reference to this political event.

If you like this sculpture, you can get in touch with Sylke, through her Facebook Fanpage: Minibibo on Facebook

toc-toc-toc! or why curiosity is wonderful sometimes.

Do you know the French magazine toc-toc-toc! ? toc-toc-toc! is the French way of saying knock knock and it also a new French magazine from Sophie Denux, exploring the interior of creative people.I received lately the 6th issue of the magazine from the online shop Line+Liv, the only retailer in Germany. Don't worry if you can't speak French: The magazine comes with a little booklet with the translated interviews in English. I love the size of the magazine (17 x 24 cm) and the beautiful photos inside. The idea is not new, I have been a fan for a long from the publications of the Japanese editor Paumes, showing the interior of creative people or family in different countries of the world. Online I also love The Selby and the German FvF. But let's have a look at toc-toc-toc! tonight!

In this issue, there is a portrait of

• the French stylist Aurélie Lécuyer and her home in the countryside next to Nantes.

• Valérie Gentil from the French online grocery shop beau et bon
• Charlotte Desmullier & Elise Durand Wallon from the French label Rockmafia
• The dutch label TAS-KA

Photography: Sophie Denux

The best way to prepare a trip: Wallpaper City Guides

We are currently preparing a trip to Benelux at the end of October. Actually, we will not do the Lux part of it and will go and explore the Netherlands and Belgium.We will start in Antwerp, then go to Brussels and visit friends and then visit some other friends in Amsterdam. For me a city trip is always a good reason for buying a new Wallpaper City Guide from the fantastic "Phaidon Verlag". For me they are the best companion for visiting a new City. They take you to hidden and cool places and show you the favorite bars and restaurants from people actually living in the city. This is not the guide you need if you want a description of the Cathedral and other typical landmarks of a city - but thank to a Wallpaper guide, we discovered straight away the designer district of Kyoto and a fabulous boutique hotel in Barcelona.  The guides are very affordable, as they cost 7,80 € on amazon and are usually available in English and German. The format is ideal and fits in any bag. Last but not least, they look fantastic on your shelf and just make you want to have them all! The photos are very minimalistic and very stylish. Here are a couple of photos from the Amsterdam and the Antwerp guides. The one from Brussels is arriving next week. Yeah!

Globe story

Yesterday I went to a very good flea market in Hamburg the "Turmweg" flea market which takes place twice a year in Hamburg. I felt in love with a beautiful new globe to complete my  globe collection.I think collecting globes is a sensible and natural collection for expat and international minds like Mr. Love and myself. I reminds me that we still have so much to discover and so many countries to travel to. I like the fact that our globes come from Eastern Europe (one from Russia, one from Poland and one from the Czech Republic). The one we found Yesterday is from the former GDR. The guy who sold it to us revealed us a fun fact if you want to know if a globe comes from the former German Democratic Republic. Here is how it goes: You have to look for Taiwan and if it's a socialist globe, it will written: "von den USA okkupiert": "Occupied by the USA"! I don't only have a physical globe collection. I also have a virtual one on pinterest: LOVEly globes, if you want to pay me a visit there. So here is the new globe with someone trying to hide behind it: If you look at the centre of the picture, you will see the communist detail:

Here are some other globes from my collection:

I think a collection reveals a lot about yourself. What about you? What are you collecting?

Morgenthau - absolutely beautiful shop!

Morgenthau is one of the lovely lovely interior design shops in Hamburg that madame love is in love with! The shop owner used to work as a stylist for the advertising industry - and she definitely has a sharp eye for what works and what doesn't. This shop is just cinematographic, and each corner tells a story.I love the atmosphere inside the shop and the beautiful dark colour of the walls. At Morgenthau, you will find some expensive as well as some affordable design pieces, furniture, interior accessories and lamps. The style of the shop makes me think of the brilliant British interior designer Abigail Ahern and her love for dark backgrounds. You should go to Morgenthau if you are looking for something unusual for your interior. One thing I can assure you: you will not think that you have seen the things in the shop in 50 other interior design shops before. When I visited the shop on Saturday, I had a very nice talk with the shop owner who had just come back from Paris where she visited the biggest interior design fair "maison & objet" and she told me that she ordered some pretty cool stuff there, and I should come back to visit the shop again with the new decoration - and I can tell you: I can't wait. This shop is like a film set - it tells a story one day, and a completely different one on the next day.

Morgenthau Facebook Fanpage Weidenalle 4 20357 Hamburg Mo. - Fr. : 11:00 - 19:00 Sat.            : 11:00 - 16:00

my perfect sunday: a little giveaway

Last week I told you about my new discovery in Eppendorf; Wiebke's lovely shop my perfect sunday.Today I would like to offer my readers a little giveaway from this charming shop: the nightie "Lilly" is the perfect outfit to spend the perfect sunday. Lilly is from Wiebke's nightwear and homewear label Crisp. This elegant white nightgown is made out of organic cotton and is available in the sizes 34 to 44 and is worth € 119.

All you have to do is to leave me a comment under this post and tell me what are your ingredients for a perfect Sunday by September 15, midnight CET. The winner will be picked at random on September 16 and informed by e-mail. The winner will be able to pick up the nightie in her size in the shop if she lives in Hamburg, or alternatively will receive it by post.

For me a perfect Sunday can be a brunch with my friends, spending the afternoon with my sewing machine, having a chat with my family on skype, cooking something delicious. What about you?

madame love wishes you the best of luck!

★★★★★ UPDATE★★★★★16.09.2012★★★★★THE CONTEST IS OVER!★★★★★Thank you for your participation!

The comment number 6 has won! The lovely Masumi will look gorgeous in her new nightie from the label Crisp. She is also lucky enough to pick up herself the giveaway at my perfect Sunday in Eppendorf and get to know the charming Wiebke in person! Congratulations Masumi - I have sent you a private e-mail with the details.

My little assistant part#2 - the interior design cat

Good morning, so here comes the second post of the cheddy series. I am slowly transforming into the crazy cat lady, but I got very inspired...I want to show you today that a cat can be useful. Here are a couple of fotos, I took in my flat in the last couple of month:

1- Cheddar loves trying any king of chair or stool, just to check if it is comfi:

2- here comes Cheddar, the famous ipad holder:

3- and here is the cat lamp:

My little assistant part #1 - the fabric lover

So as the today is the World Cat Day, I decided to say thank you to my little assistant the famous Mr. Cheddar, by dedicating a series of posts to him. The first one will be about our common passion for nice fabric. He is a bit crazy about nice patterns (he has a basket with little crocodiles) but his favourite fabric (and I can't blame him) are the Liberty of London fabric. He loves (just like me) the floral prints and the softness of it. So here are a couple of pictures of Chedds on his favourite spots in the flat.

Tea Party by Miss O.

I followed the instruction from the invitation, and went to Miss O's place at five o'clock on Sunday for tea.To go with the tea - I prepared some cucumber stars in the afternoon. The dress code had been perfectly respected: red, blue and white with some floral print. and obviously, we had some pimm's, to pimp up the tea! It was a very fine tea party indeed.

My favourite room

Lieblingszimmer (favourite room) is a fantastic furniture shop in Hamburg Eppendorf. It is a bit hidden from the main road on the Ludolfstrasse 60. The shop sells antic furnitures and accessoires in pastel colours. From gustavian grey to pale green in the provencal style. You almost have the impression to be in the middle of a french vintage patisserie surrounded by beautiful macarons.The antic furnitures either have kept their original patina or have been renovated in the workshop. The total surface of the shop is 170 m2 and you can find almost every kind of furnitures - from bedside tables to cupboards or vintage vases. I especially like the vintage kitchen table. It is the perfect place to go if you want some furnitures with a soul but still at an affordable price.

Nordlys - scandinavian design in Hamburg

You know I like Hamburg because it is so design orientated. I also like it because it has a lot of Scandinavian influences. In some small shops like Nordlys, I have got the impression to be in the city centre of Copenhagen! This very pretty shop is situated in the Görnerstrasse 4, in Hamburg, Eppdendorf.They sell some  pretty brands such as Bloomingville, Green Gate , Liv or Rice. You can also find a large selection of ribbans - that are really gorgeous as well aa a selection of pretty clothes. You can also drink a a nice Milchkaffee in the shop. The good thing is that the shop is also open on the Sunday. You can't miss the danish flag at the entrance

When you go - you have to have a look at the back of the shop to see the two beautiful cats of the shop owner having a nap in their wooden basket through the window

Görnerstrasse 4