Monday, June 3, 2013

Iittala Leimu lamps

I've been pinning up a storm lately, which has led me to rediscover my love for Iittala. I first got to know about Iittala when I was living in Helsinki (couldn't have been more fitting :). Finland has definitely shaped my appreciation of clean & simple design that's also highly functional (yup, I think it must be prettttty clear by now... I LOVE simplicity :).

This is why I'm totally head over heels for these Leimu lamps. They were created by Norwegian-born & London-based designer Magnus Pettersen for Iittala and were exhibited at Clarkenwell Design Week. I love the use of the word 'Leimu' as well - it means 'flame' in Finnish and since the use of light is a really important part of Nordic design, I think they couldn't have picked a better name.

The lamps have concrete bottoms but they are mainly made of glass. Pettersen has indicated that he wanted to 'combine opposites in a lamp'. Don't you think this lamp totally evokes cold & warmth? I love everything about it - the shape, the materials, the orange glass shade. Sophisticated yet cozy! Coming to an Iittala store near you this September (totally adding this to my wishlist ;).



Story via Dezeen
Original article by Dan Howarth, photos via Iittala

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Basics



Lately I've been into basics - simple blue shirts, dark jeans and chic flats. Basics have (more or less) even taken over my Pinterest boards. And yeah, I've been into a sort of J.Crew/preppy-ish/Emmanuelle Alt-ish aesthetic for quite some time, but these days I'm a fan of a more pared down look. That's why I'm in love with last week's new purchases:

1. My first Ray-Bans! I've been dreaming of these sunglasses for a few years now and now they're finally mine!

2. Vagabond flats. Vagabond is my favourite (accessible) shoe brand. Leave it to the Swedes to make high-quality shoes that are simple, cool and elegant. Major love!

Have you bought any fun new things lately? Let me know!

P.S.: The weather in Prague has been really crappy lately, but this weekend I'm actually secretly happy that it's raining (shh!). I think I'll just stay at home with my new book (shh #2 - even English majors need a break from Virginia Woolf sometimes ;). Hope your weekend is relaxing and cozy!