Polish Brighton

On the sandy beaches of North Poland lies Sopot, a seaside town, which is the polish answer to UK’s Brighton. Vibrant, stylish, extremely cool and at the same time very relaxed, Sopot is often referred to as Monaco of the Baltic.

Although it has always been a place famous for its location, unique climate, lush forests and abundant spa waters, recently and gradually Sopot has had a makeover worthy of a world class resort. Let me start at the beautiful, Sofitel re-vamped Grand Hotel, where I enjoyed a glass of perfectly chilled Moet, as in the past did the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Charles de Gaulle, Greta Garbo, Charles Aznavor.

This 5-star hotel has been beautifully and luxuriously restored and looks grander than it ever did.

An absolute alternative is the wonderfully quirky LaLaLa Hotel. Tucked away from the central area of Sopot this cool boutique hotel has been individually designed by the most talented artists and has the best wine degustation events.

Architecturally, the charming neo-baroque, neo-classical and eclectic villas that have remained here, sit juxtaposed against new building like the controversial “Warped House” by M.&S. Szatynski. I contemplated it’s design sitting in the opposite Cafe Blekitny Pudel, where if one is lucky to get a table, one can enjoy watching the parade of the weird and wonderful people from all over the world accompanied by a fantastic mojito.

One never looses the connection to nature in Sopot. The 4.5km of golden, sandy beach is always full of people enjoying a quiet stroll, or dancing till dawn in one of the clubs. The stunning wooden pier build in 1820, cutting into the sea by over 511m is the place to be when the sun sets. Here on a warm summer’s night, under the open sky world cinema movies are being played.

All this makes Sopot a truly magical place, filled with sound, music that hums, stays with you long after you leave the Baltic shores.

www.sopot.pl

www.lalala.lu

http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-3419-sofitel-grand-sopot/index.shtml

Discovering Paris

The beautiful capital of France is a special city. Every time I visit Paris I find myself on an adventure of discovery. This time round I have found a few interesting and unique shops, most of which reside in the fashionable Marais area. First, 'Les Mille Feuilles' - an interior decoration shop filled with seasonal, hand-picked objets d'art rarely seen in the mainstream.

Then I came across 'Carrelages Du Marais', which boasts the most unusual collection of tiles and floor coverings. Certainly useful if you are looking for an authentic period floor tile.

Strolling down the Vieille du Temple I came across not only a great gallery, but an interesting concept, too. The idea is very simple: exhibit original art by a variety of 30 artists sold in four different formats, for four different prices. "The first goal of Carré d’artistes is to bring art within reach of everybody", says the website from which one can directly purchase. The gallery has been a big hit in France, no wonder then that the company has just opened a venue in London, at 9 South Moulton Street.

My day in Paris ends at the peaceful Atelier Brancusi, ingeniously conceived by the architect Renzo Piano. Reading the booklet I came across this very apt quote about Brancusi:

"He saw an artist as an intercessor who reveals 'the cosmic essence of the material' lying at the very heart of the medium he uses." Sitting opposite the glass encased space which replicates, in almost its entirety, Brancusi's studio and workshop with all its intricate tools, I could not help but wonder about this artist's relentless dedication to material, its form, movement and beauty.

As far as a great place to stay, try Le Petit Moulin or Le Belle Chasse. Both designed by fashion designer Christian Lacroix, these boutique hotels are both daring aesthetically and yet luxuriously playful.

www.les-mille-feuilles.com

www.carrelagesdumarais.com

www.carredartistes.com

www.centrepompidou.fr

www.hotelpetitmoulinparis.com

www.lebellechasse.com

Our choice

We have been fortunate to redesign a drawing room in a Regency period house up in Leamington Spa. Apart from collecting an array of fabrics and choices of furnishings, the emphasis right now is predominantly on the lighting. This beautiful Coral pendant light from one of our favorite Italian brands Pallucco, is most definitely a strong contender.

We also liked the message behind its design:

“We wanted to create a light that was both visibly rich and articulated, starting from a very simple module. The module repeats itself like a fractal (a geometrical shape which is repeated throughout its structure in different sizes) and grows following the principle of nature – from simplicity to complexity.”

Coral Light; Design: Lagranja Design; Production year 2009

Photographs courtesy of:

www.pallucco.com

Power of thought

Last year, I came across two very inspirational artists:

First, Theo Jansen, a Dutch artist and engineer whose 'kinetic sculptures' harness the energy of the wind, creating the most amazing and moving spectacle.

"The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds."

Secondly, Joshua Allen Harris, a New York based artist whose Inflatable animal sculptures are ingenious creations. The effect of the installations is both enchanting and sad, highlighting the presence of death and passing in a place that is fast and merciless. What occurs is that people stop, observe and think, a task increasingly difficult to achieve.

What is timeless interior?

“If a writer wrote merely for this time, I would have to break my pen and throw it away”

Victor Hugo

The question I get asked quite frequently is: What makes a timeless interior design?

To answer this I must start by quoting a hero of mine, Josef Frank, the father of modernism in Sweden:

"....A home does not need to be planned down to the smallest detail or contrived; it should be an amalgamation of the things that its owner loves and feels at home with.”

He believed that a home must never be restrained, predicamental to fashion and trends, but reflect the personality of the owner and his way of life. The founder of Svennskt Tenn, Estrid Ericson incorporated treasures from her adventures around the world, juxtaposing them against other possessions, from stylish, self-designed furniture to delicate objets d’art. This allowed the person stepping into her home to immediately get the impression of her worldliness and created an unusual, personal collection of objects which most certainly intrigued the observer.

I think timelessness is in the combination of first considering the space and maximizing its potential and then applying the best possible solutions to the interior, be it a colour, fabric or piece of furniture. Always bearing in mind “...the owner feels at home...”.

This takes away the dishonesty of trying to design a space that is merely a statement to fashion and the current, most sought-after designer rather than a comfortable, ‘intelligent’ home that works.

Photographs courtesy of:

www.skonahem.com

www.elleinterior.se