{Happy Sunday} String pocket shelves

One of my all time favourites! String pocket shelves by String Sweden.
Enjoy and have a good week!

VIA String Sweden

{Design} Twiggy coat hooks

I love these plywood twiggy hooks by Studioliscious on Etsy!

{Travel} My 10 favourite things to do in Paris

Once upon a time, I lived in Paris for a year. A friend recently asked me for tips and I could not think of a single one on the spot. So this is for you J.

VIA ETSY

1. Rue Montorgeuil
This is a great place to spend the day. It is a pedestrian street where you can eat well, sit in a sunny café, shop for kitchenware, and buy phenomenal breads, chocolates, cheeses, and pastries... I can also recommend it as a great neighbourhood to stay in when in Paris. Very central and still reasonable. If you are planning a visit David Leibowitz has a lot of great recommendations.

2. Hit the market
Every day in Paris, except on Mondays, there’s an outdoor market somewhere taking place. The Marché d’Aligre is a daily market, and has a small flea market in the center. If you are like me, you will love looking around for that special something that you need for your place. You can find a market no matter where you are on the complete list of Paris Markets.

3. Jardin des plantes
This is the one that made my kids happiest last time I was there. A wonderful botanical garden with a small zoo. I particularly like the Evolution gallery: beautiful displays of animals, very inspiring and educational.

4. Mosquée de Paris
I love sipping a glass of mint tea and eat Moroccan cornes de gazelles in the courtyard. If I am feeling more indulgent, I would spend half a day at the hammam. It is a lovely building and I feel transported back home. There are specific days for men and women, so I always check online before I go.

5. Use a Velib
If I could choose anyway to get around Paris, I would most definitely choose the bicycle. It is the original Boris Bike! Self hire bicycles on docking stations dotted around the city. the first half hour is free and you pay for what you use. Choose your route and enjoy. Be careful though!

6. Montmartre
Not much of a discovery there... But I can't help but have it in my favourites. I like seeing the view and the getting lost in the streets at the south-west of the sacré coeur. I can also indulge my fabric buying impulses in the shops below the sacré coeur.

7. Picnic on the pont des arts
Du pain, du vin, du boursin! Beautiful views of Paris.

8. L'Ile Saint Louis
I love to have a Bertillon ice cream l'ile Saint Louis followed by a stroll around Notre Dame. Favourite flavour: pain d'épice.

9. Macarons La Durée
I can't resist them! My favourite treat: a box of 18 macarons au caramel salé.

10. Le Bon Marché
There is more to this grand department store than great fashion. La grande épicerie de Paris is just magical: I usually raid the cheese counter, the sweets aisle and the charcuterie counter.

So this is my Paris. I notice it mostly involves getting somewhere to eat something...

Share your favourite things to do in Paris?

{Art} Further Abstract by Alma Alloro

I love this series by Alma Alloro. The lines, the grid paper, the animation.

VIA I LIKE THIS ART

VIA I LIKE THIS ART

VIA I LIKE THIS ART

Becoming minimalist

Here are some wise words to share. One of my missions for this year is to have the mother of all declutters, followed by a giant carboot sale. Everything that leaves the house, stays out! I shall succeed!

VIA KOOL AND KREATIVE

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{Food} Recipe book: Rôtis by Stéphane Reynaud

My favourite recipe books these days! Pure and simple roasts! Perfect for winter... Find it here.

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{Design} Pixel table by Studio Intussen

This Pixel table is such a clever project by the Dutch Studio Intussen. It is a really clever and simple idea, where sliding bamboo battens leave storage space while also forming a cube table. The sticks can be formed into a cube again as they adjust to their content.

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{Design} Christmas tree sledge by Tom Hartfield

The much anticipated snow has finally arrived to London! Yesterday morning the 4 of us were on the slope all kitted out by 9.30 for our first sledge run of the year. 

My favourite spot for sledging, with kids in particular, has to be Alexandra Palace in Muswell Hill, N8. It has amazing views of London, and although it can get quite busy at the top, there are shallower slopes towards the bottom that are more child friendly. If you park around the Redston Road area, off Priory Road, N8, you can even avoid getting snowed in, in the car park.

Another place we tried in our pre-kiddies era was Primrose Hill. Beautiful views of the city, and you can warm up with a mulled wine or hot chocolate at The Engineer or The Albert, in nearby Primrose village. 

By the way, my husband is threatening to take his snowboard out for a few runs down Primrose Hill if it keeps on snowing... I'll keep you posted.

On a more creative note, I love this idea by Tom Hartfield. His sledge is made from christmas trees found in on the streets of london. With roughly 1.7 million trees bought for the christmas period, it is a clever way to use the ressources around us. He uses the traditional woodworking skills called bodging, where the wood is worked "green", without drying first. Beautiful! I wish I had a workshop...

VIA TOM HATFIELD

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{Design} Hole measuring tape by Sunghoon Jung

As an architect and all round maker, my measuring tape is always handy.  I would love to get my hands on one of Hole Measuring Tapes designed by Sunghoon Jung for the IF talent award 2012.
It allows you to measure accurately and draw circles with precision. 
Innovative, simple, functional and beautiful. I’m sure you designers will love it!
Read more at Yanko Design.

VIA YANKO DESIGN

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Woodcut by Bryan Nash Gill

As a lover of natural textures, I can't help but admire these woodcut prints by Bryan Nash Gill. He makes relief prints of tree-trunk cross sections and blocks, which he harvests from felled trees, cedar telephone poles and discarded fence posts in his native Connecticut.
I love his method of cutting the blocks with a chain saw, sanding them down, burning them and sealing them with a lacquer before imprinting the result on a piece of washi paper. It seems to amplifies the patterns and tells the story of the life of the tree.

VIA BRYAN NASH GILL

VIA BRYAN NASH GILL

Unfortunately these gorgeous prints are a bit out of reach for me, but the book that will do just the trick.