A Progression

There was a really neat feature in ELLE Interiör, the Swedish version of ELLE Decor, showing the progression of a table from minimalist to maximalist (maybe).  


Minimalist:

In between:

Almost there:

Voila!  Maximalist!

(I love the giant scrabble tile on the floating shelf here!)


I normally think of Swedish or Scandinavian style as tending towards minimalism, with lots of neutral colors, clean lines, and light walls and floors, but even the last (maximalist?) picture strikes me as unmistakably Scandinavian.  There's a lot of stuff on the table there, but it's not jam-packed or visually heavy.  This isn't English country maximalism, with large-scale chintzy prints and overstuffed Chesterfield sofas!  (Which I do like.)  I think it helps that the colors of all the accessories are in the same pallet-- you'll notice that almost everything is black or white, with small pops of yellow.  


So what do you think:  is that last photo really "maximalist", or does it just look that way in comparison to the first photo?  And which do you like best?


(All photos from www.elleinterior.se)

Urban Wed, part 2

Urban Wed was fun!  It was nice meeting some of the vendors, especially those who have blogs I follow.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but Jen Huang was there snapping away, so I've posted a few of her lovely photos.

To be honest, I don't think I really learned anything at the event that I couldn't have learned from a vendor's website, but the event space was very nicely decorated, and it was fun seeing people's portfolios in real life.

I did say hello to Bryn of Paper Finger, and she said she might start teaching a calligraphy class.  I'd be first in line to sign up if she did!  She also let me play with some of her rubber stamps, which was fun.

Hatch Creative Studio did a lot of the styling, including this gorgeous table:

The stamped books on the mantle are cute:

I loved seeing Paper+Cup in person.  Very impressive-- they have a huge portfolio, with lots of different styles.  There's a Paper+Cup book coming out soon, styled by Randi Brookman Harris, and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Sam Beasley of Samuelle Couture was there with a few of her beautiful dresses.  She also had a bunch of sketches on her table, complete with fabric swatches, and those were really fun to look through.  (I'd frame one if they were for sale!)

There was a photo booth, with props courtesy of Paper Finger.  I guess the hipster mustache trend isn't over yet!

And there were adorable little cupcakes by Nine Cakes.  The frosting-to-cake ratio was a little much for me, but they were so cute!

All and all, a very fun evening.  And now I really want to learn calligraphy!  Paper Finger, are you reading this? 

(This is not a complete list of the vendors present.  I couldn't find photos for all of them. All photos by Jen Huang Photography.)

Urban Wed

If you live in the NYC area and like to read wedding blogs (guilty as charged!), you probably know that the lovely Vané of Brooklyn Bride and ten other fabulous vendors are hosting an event called Urban Wed tonight and tomorrow.  But did you know you can score free tickets with the code urbanwedMSW?  I'm going tonight, and really looking forward to meeting some of my favorite designers and bloggers, especially Bryn of Paperfinger!  (Have you seen her work?  It's incredible!)


So go on, it's not too late to get a ticket!  

Sailor Girl

Happy spring, everyone!

Isn't this little clothespeg sailor girl doll by Jill Bent just the sweetest?  Since it is spring now, I wish I could start wearing striped tees (with no jacket!), but unfortunately the only thing nautical about the weather today is all the rain coming down!  This little sailor girl looks pretty comfortable in the rain though, doesn't she?

In addition to clothespeg dolls, Jill Bent makes bags and pillows. She also blogs, and posts really lovely photos.

(all photos by Jill Bent)

Clipper Teas

 

I recently came across the British tea company Clipper, and I'm smitten with their packaging.  It's sweet and whimsical and completely charming.  And they've been bitten by the Alice in Wonderland bug too-- fortunately in a very understated way.  If only Clipper teas were available in the US!

 

 

Are you going to watch Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland this weekend?  (Did you know it was first made into a movie in 1903?  I just learned that yesterday!)

Molly Carey Jewelry

I recently came across the work of Molly Carey.  She has a dream job as the designer of J. Crew's wedding collection, and she also designs these breathtaking necklaces.  Each necklace is handmade and one-of-a-kind, created from vintage pieces.  These showstopping statement necklaces would look stunning worn with a neutral black or grey dress. 

You can read a great interview with Molly here.

 

 

I can't wait to see more of this designer's work!

Linda and Harriett

There are lots of really good letterpress stationers around these days, but if I had to pick I think Linda and Harriett would be my favorite.  And they're having a (really good) sale.  Run, don't walk!!

I have these....

and these.

And I'm going to get this:

And this:

 

And maybe even this.  If you really twist my arm.

An Alternative Dress

I don't usually post photos directly from other blogs, but I couldn't resist this gorgeous wedding dress.  It's Matthew Williamson, and it's utterly fabulous!  I don't know if I could pull off a multicolored maxi dress, but I really like alternative wedding dresses.

 

Beautiful, right? This dress is no longer available, but I found a couple of other dresses that would be great outside-the-box wedding dresses.

 

More Matthew Williamson!

 

Do you love stripes (and Thread Social!) as much as I do?

 

This lovely Grecian gown is modeled by New York City Ballet dancer Ellen Bar.  

So tell me: would you wear a non-traditional wedding dress?