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When I first saw the Swedish Interiors book I loved it but something was definitely missing. I got the book and pawed through it from cover to cover and couldn't find a single picture of Edie's house. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found out that in their second book Edie's house would be included! To me it's the perfect example of Edie and Rhonda's purist taste and defines Swedish simplicity and elegance. So make sure your watching for it in the second book, and we will have some behind the scenes peaks coming to the blog as well!

Who Says There's No Such Thing as Magic?

Doesn't everyone love an excuse to enjoy ourselves? Well, I know I do, and for any other hedonists out there this is for you. I recently became aquatinted with the handmade line of Balinese spa products called Spa Magic.  

The founder, Mary Muryn, whose travelled the world in search of the most beneficial ingredients and techniques, is a wealth of knowledge on every aspect of spa treatments. All technical knowledge aside, she knows how to treat herself well, and I really think she's onto something. She believes (and rightly so) that 'in order to look good, you need to feel good, and vice-versa.' Its good to have some one telling me not to feel guilty indulging myself, and supplying sensible arguments to persuade me. 

On a recent trip to her house I got a little tour of her store room, and the diversity of products is enough to make any girl dizzy with aromatic delight. Her products include masks, scrubs, oils, body mist, face mist, roll on perfume and sprayable massage oils among other things.  I could chatter on about all of them forever but these are my three favorites; the Aloe Marine Mask, Mud magic and the Coffee Cinnamon Body Scrub. The Mud Magic is one of my friend's personal favorites and said "It made my skin feel smooth afterwards and its premixed so it's easy to apply and it comes off really easily." I also love the Coffee Cinnamon Body Scrub because it takes off all the dead skin that accumulates in the summer from being out in the sun, and it smells AMAZING.  

HERBARIUM

I was doing a little reorganization of the library at the store and I came across the kind of thing you dream of finding in your grandmother's attic or in some antiquated little library in the middle of Scandinavia. It is an extensive portfolio entitled Herbarium by Margareta Nillson. It contains at least fifty pages of dried plants glued and taped onto sheets of paper complete with their name, class, family and location. Even for some one like me who only has a passing interest in plats, this little volume is deliciously spellbinding. It may be because it is just so incredibly old (it has to be at least 150 yrs old), but it also shows an incredible attention to detail. Each plant is stuck down, flattened out, labeled and then there are also seeds and blooms to accompany the entries. Whether it was for a class or for a hobby, the volume really is a miraculous testament to knowledge and to Sweden's history of classification

Edie and Rhonda do Woodstock

Edie and Rhonda left for the Woodstock, NY photo shoot on Wednesday and have finally returned and are ready to share all kinds of spicy details about what is going to be in the new book!

Marimekko

Chances are if your interested in Scandinavian design then you have heard of the Finnish company Marimekko which started when Armi Ratia had her artist friends put their works onto fabrics in the 1960s. They caught on pretty quickly and were popularized by people like Benjamin C. Thompson (the architect who opened the Design Research stores and included Marimekko designs on the merchandise) and style icons like Jackie-O who wore a bunch of Marimekko sundresses during her husbands 1960 Presidential Election campaign. Currently, they have teamed up with companies like H&M an Avon, as well as the Dutch company Fatboy, who makes the most amazing bean bags.

These stark 60s designs have not only plastered themselves all over Scandinavia and Europe, but they have even made their way across the Atlantic and into our Woodbury CT store. This is really good news for people like me who like revved up retro home textiles and accessories, because Marimekko has now branched out from fabrics and is getting their little Finnish hands into plates, mugs, trays, functional bags, laptop cases and even candles. And that doesn't even begin to touch on their line of children's aprons, back packs, pencil cases and socks.

It's fantastic that Marimekko has expanded, but what is really great about this stuff is that it is some of the most effortless designs to mix in with rusticated or antique furnishings. Maybe this sounds like a stretch to you, but if you walk into the Marimekko room in the store, you'll see how well the pink and black flower place mats mix with the Dansk Italian plates, and the rustic double trestle pine table from the 1800s. It truly is a great combination, with the modernity of the one piece emphasizing the hearty rustic feel of the other. If you've been paying attention to design magazines like Interior Design, Architectural Digest and even more Locally CTC&G and Fairfield Country Home, you'll notice that everyone is catching onto this old-with-new trend, whether it be in fabric or wallpaper, linens or plates.

One final word on how much I love Marimekko and believe it can work miracles in any room: I recently bought a Marimekko duvet, which I put on my iron cast bed with my little French style secretary desk, and let me tell you, not only does it liven up both of those pieces but its a whole lot more fun to wake up in the morning.