Design

May

2018

Timeless design

Timeless design. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018

I have some items which I have inherited from my parents which I still use. They all have a very timeless design that is good. These items are still very useful.

These funnels for instance I use very frequently to fill bottles or other things when I need to. they are enameled metal from Kockums. White with a blue rim. I’ve seen them all my life. Nowadays the enameled items from Kockums are collectors items and frequently sold at auctions.

Another funnel/with holes in/ from the same time is the above of stainless steel. Still useful. Never brakes…

A tool for pancakes. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018

Then there is timeless tool for turning pancakes around to its other side. It is old and ugly and has been used at least since I was a child. This is the only tool which is reliable to flip a pancake to the other side when done on the first side. For a long time there were none of this tool to be found in shops. I really tried to find a newer and better-looking one to exchange this one but didn’t manage. Now it has reappeared. Still the same form of it though as this is the only one that works. Some use regular turners for this purpose, but they are not as good at turning the pancakes around.

Pancake iron. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018

Then there is the old pancake iron. Made of iron. Heavy. But the best to make pancakes in.

Pancake iron for small pancakes “plättlagg” in Swedish. Photos: ©nini.tjader.2018

And then there is the fryingpan for making small pancakes. Called “plättlagg” in Swedish. Both the above I’ve inherited from my mother and have seen all my life. I use both on and off still today.

And the iron pot which was/is used for stews or casseroles. Also heavy iron. Can be used on open fire. When I was little we had a gas stove and it was used there in its oven for the casserole we got once a week as long as my mother was alive (she died at age 55). A really timeless kitchen item with timeless design. Still very useable. I got really fed up with the Sunday casserole though and have never cooked that again in grown-up life. Other casseroles though I like and sometimes use this iron pot for them.

Timeless design for iron pans. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018

I’ve also kept the two ironpans. They are way too heavy though to cook comfortably with. But they are good.

There are also some ceramic pots that have a timeless design. Like the one below. When I was a child it was used to store butter in and kept in the cold storage cupboard we had. There were no fridges at the time. It presently serves a as a flowerpot for some small cactuses which are planted in a pot that is smaller than this one and put inside.

Timeless design. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2018

These are only some examples of timeless design that lasts still today. These will be around and used for many years still.

Feb

2017

Where did I see this before?

Image from Instagram

Some time ago this image of this bookcase/room-divider appeared in my Instagram flow.

I immediately thought: Where did I see this bookcase/room-divider before?

Well… Ikea of course. Their bookcase called VALJE. Not the same of course, but very similar though the Ikea model has a backside, the above does not.

Similar? Yes. I would guess that the price is far from similar though…

Ikea VALJE. Image from Ikea.

Aug

2016

Table-basket?

Table-basket from linea.se. Picture borrowed from linea.se

Table-baskets… I wonder: how come that designers seem to get the same idea of a design at the same time? Now, for instance, those table-baskets (or whatever they are called).

Table-basket from IKEA. Image borrowed from IKEA.

There are slight differences between them both in price and looks. But the basic idea is in my eyes the same.

Table-basket from Bloomingville, sold at ellos.se. Image borrowed from Ellos.se

They are supposed to be used as sofa-tables or similar and the top can be lifted so you can use the “basket” under it. Or maybe you cannot with the one from Bloomingville? It has no “bottom” and has a marble top.

I actually like them all. The price varies wildly though.

The ones from Linea.se are actually a set of 3 called Vincent. Costs SEK598 for all three of them
The one from IKEA is called KVISTBRO and costs SK299.
The one from Bloomingville which is sold at ellos.se is called Svante and costs SEK 2499. The price is high, probably because it has a marble top.

Jun

2016

The Josef Frank Exhibition at Millesgården

The Josef Frank Exhibition at Millesgården. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

Yesterday Ulla and I visited the Josef Frank Exhibition at Millesgården. The exhibition was about his patterns, furniture and paintings (aquarelles actually). Josef Frank lived between 1885 and 1967. Read more about Josef Frank here.

The Josef Frank Exhibition at Millesgården. Photo:©nini.tjadr.2016

The exhibition is in the building just inside the entrance to Millesgården.

Ulla sitting in a chair by Josef Frank. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

I’ve always loved the patterns of Josef Frank and their colors. Now we had a chance to see them in real life, and also his aquarelles, which are less known to the public. He started painting at the age of 68.

The Josef Frank Exhibition at Millesgården. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

I knew he made furniture and particularly that long sofa with the tulips pattern is famous.

A typical Josef Frank pattern. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The patterns are colorful and picture plants and animals with a lot of fantasy. They are very decorative.

The Josef Frank Exhibition at Millesgården. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The pattern in the middle in the picture above is called “Italian Dinner” and have pictures of all the ingredients in an italian dinner, like vegetables and sea-food among other things.

Carpet by Josef Frank. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

Most of the patterns I’ve seen before in various contexts. But not his carpets. The above carpet was created in the 1930-ties. Hard to believe that they did carpets like this at that time. The pattern of this carpet has been replicated in a planting outside in the park, filled with summer flowers.

Painting by Josef Frank. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The mural on this wall is an enlargement of one of Josef Franks paintings. Behind this wall is the exhibition of some of his aquarelles. The audience here was not really of the kind I normally see in the places where I go. Lots of elderly ladies of the upper classes, with a particular way to speak. Among them a few younger persons and some that very much wanted to look like artists. Interesting… There were more visitors there than we had expected for a Wednesday afternoon. Tourists? Yes. But not too many.

The Josef Frank Exhibition at Millesgården. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

Joes Frank started painting at the age of 68. He said he didn’t have the techniques required but he enjoyed painting. I love his pictures and think they are really good.

Greek mythology by Josef Frank. Photo:©nini.tjader.2016

The above pictures look like they are illuminated from the back of the pictures, but they are not. The effect is there because they are placed against a black background and because of the colors in the pictures.

Aquarelles by Josef Frank. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Aquarelles by Josef Frank. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The landscapes he painted… Just love them. Particularly the last one above. That, and the light, is exactly how it looks just about everywhere around the Mediterranean.

The above is a timeline about the life and works of Josef Frank.

One of the visitors. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

We then had a look at what was on offer in the gift shop. As usual with these kind of places the prices are high. No. I didn’t buy anything. The guy in the picture was noted though. Trying very much to look like an artist?

The small glass vases below was also for sale at the gift shop. I don’t remember if they had anything to do with the Josef Frank exhibition or not. I noticed them as they look so very alike to some other small glass vases I’ve seen elsewhere for a fraction of the price asked here.

We then went out into the sculpture park at Millesgården and to the sun and blue skies.I will publish those pictures at a later occasion.

Feb

2016

Printed carpets, why?

Printed carpets. Image from www.olssongerthel.se

For some time now a trend of printed carpets in primarily black and white has appeared.
Why?
Cheaper to produce?
Faster to produce?

They are printed on pretty simple and thin weaves. Very thin. Wool or cotton.

Personally I think they are ugly. Carpets should be woven. Not printed. These patterns in the examples above and below could be really nice on a woven carpet. But printed? No thanks.

What happens if you need to clean the carpet? Does the pattern disappear then? Or do you just throw the carpet out and buy a new one?

Hoping this trend will disappear fast.

Printed carpet. Image borrowed from the internet.

Feb

2016

Powder coated steel shelves

MENU powder coated steel shelves. Photo borrowed form the internet.

There are a lot of powder coated steel shelves out there presently. The above ones come from MENU. They are nice, come in various sizes and colors and can be put on the wall in various directions. The only (?) thing that differ them from other very similar shelves is that they are open in one end. They call it “corner shelf”.

VIPP powder coated steel shelves. Image from the internet.

The first similar one that comes to mind is the VIPP shelf. Nice, but really expensive. Also comes in various sizes and colors.

IKEA Botkyrka powder coated steel shelves. Image from Ikea.se

Then there is the IKEA BOTKYRKA shelf. Clearly the least expensive of these ones. Comes in dark grey, white and yellow. One size only.

I am sure there are more similar ones out there. They are nice. If I had a space on the wall for them, I would like to have a couple. What I DO have is a smaller variant from IKEA that they no longer sell. Got two of them before they disappeared from their stores.

What I like about these shelves is the simplicity och cleanliness of form. Makes them very easy to place and versatile in use.

My powder coated steel tea-shelves in the kitchen. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Feb

2016

The Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair 2016

The entrance hall at the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair 2016. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

I visited this years Stockholm Furniture and Lights 2016 fair on its last day which is dedicated to us regular people and non-professionals. I git the impression that there were more visitors this year than previous years, but still not too crowded. Probably because this fair is HUGE and spread out in several halls. Usually I manage about 3 hours at a fair, this time it became 4, and I was more or less done with.

Cushions. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Impressions of the fair? Lots of rice-paper lamps. Lots of natural materials. Lots of cushions in various pale color hues. Lots of clothes-hangers and chairs of all kinds.

Clothes hangers. Photo:©nini.tjader.2016

I am not much for memorizing brand-names, but the below chairs are from Normann Copenhagen. Why everyone this year put the chairs either on the walls or in piles though? Saving space for the exhibitions?

Chairs from Normann Copenhagen Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

There were lots of paletts too, just like last year. Where there were most new things and innovative solutions was on the lightning front. A lot is happening there nowadays with LED light making it possible to create innovative lights. As many others have said, the next big thing in interior design will probably be the carpets.

It was as always hard to take decent pictures at the fair as the lighting is what it is. All pictures have therefore been edited in Camera Raw to get rid of most of the yellow cast on them.

Here is a gallery of all my pictures from the fair, mainly uncommented. It might take some time loading. It is a lot of pictures.

Feb

2016

Little boxes on the wall

For some time now, little boxes have been very popular to hang on walls to solve various storage needs.

One of the bedside boxes. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

I have had mine, in the bedroom, for a couple of years by now. My problem was that I couldn’t find a bedside table small enough to put there. Space is limited and bedside tables were usually too big. These two boxes are prefect for my needs.

One of my bedside boxes. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Thes two I bought from Ellos for a reasonable price some years ago. They are no longer sold, but you can find similar ones in several places. They can be hung either horizontally like here, or vertically if you prefer that.

My bedside boxes. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

In addition to the little boxes Iv put a picture ledge, slightly longer than the width of the bed and the bedframe above. I use it for pictures and decorative items, but of course you can use it for storage too if you like.

Little boxes from Svenssons i Lammhult . Image from their website, slightly cropped.

The above little boxes are from Svensson i Lammhult, and expensive. Attached to each other, or not. For more examples and prices visit their website. If you don’t want to pay ridiculously high prices, IKEA has alternatives as well, the VALJE series for instance. As do most furniture stores presently. With or without doors. With or without backsides towards the wall.

Does a simple little box have to be expensive? In my opinion no. As long as the finish is good I prefer a cheaper box from the more expensive ones. If the size is right.

Little boxes are a nice solution for many storage needs and very flexible.

Little boxes. IKEA VALJE. Image from Ikea.

Jan

2016

A crocheted pillowcase/cushioncase

The new pillowcase. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The old cushion/pillow. Photo ©nini.tjader.2016

I have this old cushion/pillow from Ikea since a couple of years back. It is meant for outside use, summertime. The cushioncase is very colorful and totally wrong for the inside (though it has been used in the chaiselongue occassionally). Took it off to investigate the pillow inside (and to put it in the laundry).

The cushion without a cover. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The pillow itself is OK. Quite big. Round. Soft.

Crocheted pillowcase. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

So I decided to use a jeans-blue cotton yarn I recently re-covered from a former sweater and to crochet a new cover for the pillow. It is easy chrocheting. You just go around and around in circles until you reach the desired size.

Crocheted pillowcase. Photo:©nini.tjader.2016

You start on one side with a few stitches. Then go around and add stitches at intervals as needed to each row to keep the crocheting round and flat.

Crocheted pillowcase. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

When half of the pillowcase is crocheted, I left an opening wide enough to be able to insert the pillow into its cover and then continued with the same amount of stitches on the next row around.

This particular pillow has a straight edge of about 10 cms where I therefore stopped adding stitches for the number of rows needed, made the opening in the middle of the straight part, and then, when reaching the end of the straight edge, started reducing the number of stitches as needed to keep the other side of the pillowcase flat.

The opening of the pillowcase. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

When the entire pillowcase was ready, I crocheted an additional row in the opening, plus one row with simple stitches to make the buttonholes. I then bought as many buttons as I had buttonholes in an appropriate size and sewed them to the other side of the opening of the pillowcase. Odd thing was that I actually had to buy buttons… I have a fairly large button-collection which I inherited from my mother and have kept adding to over the years. But this time there wasn’t any buttons in the right size in my collection.

Crocheted pillowcase. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

I then inserted the pillow into its new pillowcase.

Crocheted pillowcase. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

And closed it with the buttons.

Crocheted pillowcase. Photo:©nini.tjader.2016

Done. So where did I put it?

The new crocheted pillowcase. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

I put it on top of the pouff in the livingroom. It might not be its definite place, but the size of the IKEA pillow happened to be of the same size as the top of the IKEA pouff.

Unfortunately the light conditions had gone from bad to worse before I could shoot this picture. It was, and still is very dark presently and hard to get decent light conditions to take pictures in natural light. That explains the very grainy pictures above and below.

The new crocheted pillowcase. Photo: ©ninit.tjader.2016

Jan

2016

Ikea GJÖRA – an empty bedframe?

GJÖRA bedframe from Ikea. Photo: IKEA

IKEA recently announced a new bedframe among several new items for what is coming this spring. The bedframe/bedboard is called GJÖRA and will appear in shops sometime in Februari.

It is a bit different to normal bedframes. The bedframe is “empty”.

What is the point of a bedframe that is just a frame and not containing anything but empty air? If you put it in front of a window, like in the above picture, of course it doesn’t cover the window and the light, which is good (I am otherwise totally against putting beds in front of windows). But what is the point of the frame? To hang things on it? Your clothes? Decorative items? An extra blanket or throw?

Ikea GÖRA bedframe. Photo: IKEA

I certainly wouldn’t like to have my clothes hanging from the bedframe. Neither on the short side, nor on the tall side. The tall side, by the way, is a bit over-powering and very high.

If the frame is empty, you can as well have a bed without a frame, right? Isn’t the purpose of a bedframe to keep bed-linen in the bed, pillows on the bed and not falling out and to the floor and to protect the wall behind it (if you don’t have enormous bedrooms where the bed can be freestanding on the floor)? If the frame is “empty”, then what?

Ikea GJÖRA bedframe. Photo: IKEA

One of the press-pictures shows it with a kind of curtain on the tall side. Now we are back to olden times when curtains obscured the bed from its surroundings and its content from the room it was in. Google “beds with curtains” for examples.

Instead of hanging the curtain as in the above picture, if it had a textile covering that was put onto the frame and drawn flat from top to bottom, then I would understand this kind of bedframe. The bed itself and the wood it is made of looks nice enough. But the empty bedframes? No thanks. Neither practical, nor useful, nor nice. I can too easily imagine the mess they would create with all the stuff hanging from them. Or falling down into the bed in the middle of the night disturbing sleep.

Sorry Ikea, but this I don’t like.

Jan

2016

Lookalike shelves and tables

Shelf by byLassen. TWIN.

There are certain things that seem to pop up everywhere in more or less the same form looking very much alike. Shelves, like the one above from byLassen, is one of those forms. When I saw this, recently announced by byLassen, my first thought was that I had seen it before. But where? Also available as a table.

Olivia, sideboard by MIO.

Was it the one at MIO? I have the above sideboard. Also available as a table and some other models.

Olivia by MIO.

We can also compare it to IKEAs series VITTSJÖ, which gives the same expression.

Vittsjö by IKEA.

VITTSJÖ by IKEA.

All come in either black or white and sometimes some other colors as well.

Is it only me that find them very similar? Except the price of course which varies wildly. I like the form of them, their expression. In the end what you choose depends on the measures and the price.

Oct

2015

Pillows and pillowcases

Pillows and pillowcases. Image borrowed from the internet.

One of the simplest tricks you can use to change the look and feel of a room is to change the pillows and pillowcases in the room. Just by changing their color themes can change the whole room.

If your sofa or your chairs are in one color, no patterns, and colors are neutral, it is even easier to create a combination that works well. Keeping the pillows in approximately the same colors but different patterns makes the combinations calm and interesting at the same time.

Elephant pillow from Svenskt Tenn. Image from the internet.

Pillowcases and pillows come in various materials, patterns and styles. They also come in various price classes. The pillow above from Svensk Tenn and costs SEK 950. I think that is a ridiculous price for a simple pillow. This is printed on linen. I would never pay SEK 950 for a pillow, no matter it being a famous pattern like this one, or that it covers a down-pillow (just guessing that it does).

Nadja Wedin pillow. Image from the internet.

Some pillowcases are made by famous designers, like the above by Nadja Wedin. Costs SEK 695. I think that is ridiculously expensive as well.

Pillow from MIO. Image from the internet.

This one is from, MIO and costs SEK 359. Still too expensive in my opinion.

It is EASY to make a pillowcase all by yourself. The pillows inside can be of any kind and you can find inexpensive ones at IKEA for next to no money. IKEA also has pillow cases for reasonable prices.

All you need to make the simplest pillow case is cloth of the size of the pillow it should cover + some extra for the sewing. If you make a pillowcase in envelope-style, some more cloth than the actual pillow. You can close the pillow case either with a zipper, or buttons, or straps. If envelope style, the cloth itself closes it.

Knitted pillow case. Image from the internet.

For some time now pillows covered by knitted or crocheted covers have been seen in various interior design magazines and pictures. The above is about the simples model there can be to knit yourself. Why pay a lot of money to buy one? Unless, of course you have no knowledge of how to knit… You only need yarn of some sort (preferably thick yarn) and 2 knitting needles. How you close the cover is up to you.

Knitted pillowcase. Image from the internet.

If you Google the internet for knitted pillowcases you will find plenty of descriptions about how to make them.

Knitted pillowcase. Image from the internet.

If course you use colors according to your own wish, and patterns too, just as if you were knitting a sweater…

Or crochet the pillow case. Use your imagination. Pillow cases do not need to be expensively bought.

Crocheted pillow cases. Image from the internet.

May

2015

New details at home

I’ve recently added some new details at home. Not expensive, just nice ones, that I found at Ikea. (And no, this post is NOT sponsored by Ikea. I actually do not have ANY sponsors for my blog – I just blog for the fun of it).

One is a hallway clock (SEK79), pattern designed by Olle Eksell. He is the designer that made that famous poster with the Mazetti eyes on which you see everywhere in interior design. Ikea has made several items that use Olle Eksells figures and designs.

I think it is a fun clock. Not that easy maybe to see what the time is, but… it is decorative.

At first I intended to hang the clock in the bedroom, but it turned out that it ticks. Loudly. So couldn’t have it there. Looks good here in the hallway though I think. And here I hardly notice the ticking. (Gustav, the neighbor cat, noticed it though the other day when he was visiting).

I also got myself two new pillows with patterns by the same Olle Eksell. Just love those figures. I alos love the price, SEK39 a piece is really cheap.

The black and white one sits perfectly together with my other black and white Ikea-pillows in the chaiselongue.

Also got a colored pillow with his match-stick pattern. Presently placed that in the livingroom sofa. I like that pattern.

There are plenty more products with Olle Eksell patterns at Ikea. Some of them I like, some not. Those with green and orange colors… I don’t like those as I am no fan of green and orange in my home. I do like the match-stick posters, but I don’t know where I would be able to put them if I bought them.

Feb

2015

Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair 2015

Saturday I spent 4.5 hours at the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair 2015 at Älvsjömässan in Stockholm during the day that we, the general public, had access to the fair.

Got the impression that there were more people there this year than previous years. But, the fair is big and used all the halls, so people were rather spread out. I made Hall A and Hall B pretty thoroughly as those were the most interesting (in my eyes). I made a quick visit to the Green House hall, and an even faster walk-through of Hall C. Hall C was the least interesting och mainly a lot of carpet mongers, lamp shops and regular furniture shops without anything particularly new to show. I’ve understood afterwards though that I missed out on the trend-exhibition in Hall C. Have no idea where they had hidden that one…

Generally can be said that there was a lot of furniture with lacquered steel, fewer sofas than previous years, lighter and smaller furniture, many small round tables, transparent lampglass with the inner lamp visible through. Still a lot of brass, but less copper. Almost no bathrooms or kitchens. More colors than previous years, but at the same time a lot of black. And blue. And natural materials. The interiors also often used green plants, a lot of cactus, in the interiors.

The mirror at the top of the page with the lighting has real plants around the edge. And it is me in the mirror.

To walk around the fair for 4,5 hours was hard work. My step-counter reached 12 413 steps or 9,3 km. That includes the walks to and from the buses and the commuter train to get there from home and back. I didn’t walk any more that day.

My images from the Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair 2015 images are published here. You can also reach the images via the menu above under Galleries. NOTE that there are around 98 images so it might take some time to load the first time. Don’t give up though, they will appear in the end.

Feb

2015

Clamp spot-lights

I recently bought this lamp from Ikea, RANARP (above). The intention was to put it in the bedroom over the bench where I have flowers so they could get some more light this dark season. Tested it there but it was no good as I always got the light into my eyes as soon as I entered the bedroom. Because of how you attach it, it ended up here in the end, in the livingroom, replacing a book-case lamp I moved to a bookcase where I had to replace one lamp that had a sudden and final death of the whole lamp, not just the bulb.

I like the form and look of this lamp (Ikea has several other models of it), but… Why does it have to have such a huge label inside it? As it is a clamp spot-light, usually put a bit higher up on a shelf or similar, you see the label inside it when looking up. And why does it have to have such a complicated construction for fastening the lamp to the shelf-edge? I have reasonably strong hands (despite my age) but almost couldn’t get it in place as it was hard work to get it to open up enough to place it where I wanted it. Then it also has a thing you screw up through the fastening to make it sit securely there.

This (above and below) is the spot-light it replaced. Also an Ikea-lamp, no longer sold, much smaller. You screw it into the shelf itself, no clamping. I have several of those, so when one broke, I couldn’t just put a new of another model in its place. On these bookcases, there are three in a row.

Here above the wardrobes in the bedroom, also three in a row (as you can see I am not finished painting the walls in the bedroom yet, one corner and one wall to go). High up, angled to be able to see what is in the wardrobes. And one more over the other two wardrobes in the bedroom (yes, I have five wardrobes there…).

If another one of those spot-lights brake, I will have to find a replacement. And I do not want one of Ikeas cheapest, which i still have one of in the living room and long have looked for a replacement for.

I am not prepared to pay some SEK2000 or so for a designer lamp though… not that I don’t want one, but I cannot afford it.

Might move the RANARP clamp spotlight to this location and find something else to put above the stereo.

My favorite clamp spot-light is the Artemide Tolomeo lamp. It costs around USD 185 though, which is way to much for me. But I just love it. Small, unobtrusive, good quality, nice-looking… Comes in various colors too.

Artemide Tolomeo clamp spot-light. Image from the internet.

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