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