Pepe Heykoop Paper Vase Cover

This is another discovery from the Amsterdam trip. I saw these a few times in Amsterdam and then managed to pick one up during the Woonbeurs. Unlike some foldable vases this one is a bit more stable because it is not actually a vase, rather a paper cover that you can fold and adjust to suit the bottle or container that you put inside , holding the flowers.

The design is quite ingenious ( and it won a 2013 Interior innovation award ). The sleeve which is made of a tactile laminated card has been scored and prefolded numerous times allowing you to squeeze and adjust the shape. Once in place it creates a very striking mix of geometric patterns. I chose a green one but you can also get it in black , white or grey. It comes complete with an mailing envelope of similar card and a leaflet explaining how

What makes this item more special is the story behind it. Pepe has set up this project together with the Tiny Miracle Foundation, which his cousin founded. Their idea is to help a community of around 700 people who live on the streets in Mumbai to escape poverty by helping with healthcare,education and jobs. You can see a video of how the vase works and something about how they are made here. You can find out more about the Foundation here.

VTWONEN & Jurianne Matter Instagram Contest

Another follow on from Meet The Blogger in Amsterdam – we were lucky enough to get rather lovely goodie bags at the end of the event. There were a lot of fun or useful items in there , but I was especially delighted to get one of Jurianne Matter’s new paper garlands. I’ve been a fan of her work for a long time (and have written about her work before here ) – so this was a real treat.

In addition VTWonen decided to run an Instagram contest to see how this range could be photographed. Well, that was a challenge I couldn’t resist and I submitted the three images here. Lucky me, they chose the first picture as one of their five winners. Thank you VTwonen – you were already one of my favourite magazines – now I like you even more !

If you use Instagram you can find me at @rhiannonmc – you can also follow what VTwonen post at @vtwonen.

You can find out more about Jurianne at her website – and if you are in the UK then the amazing lighting shop Radiance is one place to find her work.

And today is the last day to take advantage of the free shipping on my new cushion range. There some already waiting to go to the post office.

Ta-Da – The Cushions Have Landed

Really “chuffed” as they say here, that my cushions are finally ready to put out in the world ! It has been great fun working on the designs and all the other elements. I hope you’ll like them too !

The cushions are available from the “shop” section of my own website and for 48 hours I’m offering free shipping – world wide for the cushion covers and for the UK covers plus pads as well.

Amsterdam Woonbeurs 2013 – Meet the Blogger Part 2

The Meet The Blogger event was deliberately timed to allow us to visit the Woonbeurs on the second day and I think that made the trip even more interesting for those of us who had travelled some distance. This big interior fair which is also open to the public is hosted by Sanoma media who are the publishers of most of the well loved Dutch interior magazines.

As a kind of "press" in the modern world the bloggers were allowed to attend the press launch and hear what the organiser of the fair had to say about current trends and the ways in which the consumer finds out about these things in this digital age.

After that we were off to the VTWonen space as they were one of the main sponsors of Meet The Blogger.

Regular readers of each magazine would have found it quite easy to identify which magazine had created which space inside the fair as they did stay quite true to their print personas.

Of all the magazines VTWonen had made the most ambitious use of their space, creating a huge shaker inspired barn – in only 4 days. It was not so much a liveable space as a hive of activity, with the kitchen area set up to make pizzas, the bath room area turned into an old fashioned barbershop and also an artisanal workshop area. I was very impressed with the girls who were casting ceramic items and even firing them in an onsite kiln. They really embraced the shaker custom of using a lot of pegs and hanging items.

101 Woonideen had a very brightly coloured area with lots of little alcoves and details. As well as a huge table for some hands on cutting and pasting of moodboards.

Ariadne at Home is a magazine I read less frequently as I find it just a tiny wee bit too pastel tinted for my taste -but I have to say that their house was a very calming and relaxed space. I could definitely imagine moving in there – so time to review some of my thoughts about interior colours.
Alongside these structures many of the well known Dutch brands had stands showing their latest designs or colours and it was good to get an impression of what is current in the Netherlands.

All in all it was a very enjoyable day rounding off Meet The Blogger and a good way to get a taste of Dutch interior trends .