Surface To Air.

For a nine year old company, Surface to Air from Paris is tres bien. It is a multi-disciplinary company dealing with film, communication and fashion. Sounds like an odd mix at first but when I realised that it was started by a group of friends who wanted to pursue their passion, it all made sense. 

By the way, they have a fabulous sale online for their clothing. Highly recommended!

Surface to Air Studio 

Surface To Air creative direction and consultancy studio is a group of Art Directors operating worldwide in highend fashion, art and luxury markets (Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, L’Oreal Luxe, French Ministry of Culture, Tsumori Chisato, EMI, Sony, Chromeo, Scenario Rock)

Surface to Air Film

Surface To Air film consists of a team of cousins Jeremie Rozan & Martial Schmeltz. Each with their own culture, have developped together a particular style that we recognize in their commercials, and music videos (Louis Vuitton, Sony, Justice, Diesel, Scenario Rock)

Surface to Air Men's and Women's Collections

Surface To Air is first of all a collection which offers a modern interpretation of classic and technical garments. From printed tee shirts, well tailored coats and jeans, to fine accessories and bags for men and women. Every season, alongside the collection, we also develop special collaborations with people from different fields (artist, designers, musicians) who are linked to Surface To Air. The collection is now distributed in Surface To Air’s own stores (Paris, Sao Paulo, and soon Copenhagen) and in more than 106 stores around the world (Barney’s, Le Bon Marché, Le Printemps, Lane Crawford, Isetan)

Wanda Jeans.

Leaf Top.

Chung T.

Blazer Cardigan.

Pinpoint Shirt.

Dwell Studio.

I think that to be able to crease your bed linens is a luxury. Maybe that's why I would even bother ironing my sheets and duvet covers. I love bed linens. It is an obsession that my mother has infected me with as a child. 

During this time of the year, just before Chinese New Year, my mother would take me to departmental stores to buy (Sheridan) bedding. She loved cotton sheets with generous amounts of pastel floral details. She often reminded me of how beautiful it is to have the sheets match with the duvet covers. She loved them as a set, from the same collection.

I, however never realised that I have had the obsessive disease till I went away to study. Being in engineering, the boys never bothered about bedding and were hardly the house proud sort; as long as they had their telly, bed and food, they were happy campers. I remembered how lovely it was to walk through shops looking at the latest homewear. I loved country road's bedding. They had the simplest yet most outstanding designs. I would be planning which sheet sets or duvet covers to get when they would go on sale. 

There is so much to learn about how to make the bed inviting. I would recommend goose down pillows and duvet, crisp (very crisp) cotton sheets, and a few (but not too many throw pillows). I would even go as far as to iron the sheets with a little rose water or eau de linge (only when laying out a clean set). Everyone loves crisp, lightly perfumed sheets.

What sheets am I into at this moment? Sheets from DwellStudio. 

Dwell Home Furnishings was founded by Christiane Lemieux in 1999 in an effort to bring modern textile design to the world of home. Christiane was soon joined by Jennifer Chused as Partner and Vice President of Sales and Merchandising, and later by Christiane's husband, Joshua Young, as President and CEO. The company quickly established itself as a leader and innovator in the bedding market - and expanded to a fuller offering of home furnishings products, including table, baby, and junior. With a unique sense of color, an unwavering commitment to quality, and always remaining a step ahead in design, DwellStudio continues to create its own distinctive interpretation of home furnishings design.

Hedgerow in Saffron.

Draper Stripe in Ash.

Stanton in Blue.

Sketch.

Thicket.

Thomas Paul.

Thomas Paul was born and raised in New York City. He got his start in the fashion business working as an intern at DKNY in the mid-nineties after graduating from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in textile design. While working as a colorist and designer for a silk mill specializing in neckwear and scarves, he worked on neckwear collections for such designers as Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, and DKNY. This eventually led to the creation of his own neckwear collection, the short-lived digities in the late 90's. From this was born the start of the thomaspaul pillow collection, launched in 2001, which was originally conceived of as an idea of utilizing the silk printing mill's capabilities for home accessories instead of personal accessories. Since then the line has steadily expanded into other categories apart from silk pillows to include tabletop, stationery, and lamp shades. The ultimate goal being to have products covering every aspect of the home, all with Thomas Paul patterns gracing them.

I love the colours and the choice of graphics. There is a little nostalgic feel when you look at his work. My favourite without a doubt is the Oology pillow. I love how a bird's nest looks; so rustic and sometimes you might find something unexpected waiting for you (like speckled eggs, maybe something someone lost or in the saddest case, a plastic wrapper.) Life is sometimes too expected; too mundane. We constantly need surprises. 

Some of these pillows have very refreshingly different graphics from the usual boring prints and patterns. It is sure to command a second or even a third look from your house guests.

Oology Front.

Oology Back.

Herbarium Front.

Herbarium Back.

Sarah in Beet.

Greyhound in Dove.

Blossom in Indigo.

Damask in Moss.

Matryoska in a lumbar pillow.

Matryoska as a square pillow.

In a Glass of Your Own.

As Chinese New Year draws nearer, you know that it is another inevitable season of entertaining. The importance of stemware is always neglected. There is nothing like drinking punch out of a beautiful glass. It makes the guests feel instantly important. 

On normal days, how about pouring your favourite wine or making yourself a cocktail and sipping it in your favourite crystal ware to celebrate making it through another hard day? 

Here are some glasses that have caught my eye.

Mosaique Crystal Tumbler in Olive from Baccarat.

LSA Coco Liqueur Glass.

Elizabeth Stemware By Marc Jacobs for Waterford.

Alissia's InsideOut Martini Glass.

Alissia's Inside out Collection.

Sugared Flowers and Pineapple Tarts.

Since Chinese New Year is fast approaching, I decided to bake pineapple tarts. I did do some research on baking them and after modifying the recipe, I came up with what I thought was the ideal recipe. By the way, this is not for giving away, it's for the guests.

Chocolate Banoffee Cake. The sugared flower are from etsy. They have finally arrived.

Home-baked Pineapple Tarts fresh from the oven.

Vincent Van Duysen.

There is no other designer that understands and defines obstinate minimalism and formal reduction like Vincent Van Duysen. His approach to architecture, interior design and industrial design is sensual with an explicit clarity. His is an architecture of quietude and calmness, never straying far from the essence. He never subjects himself to style or fashion, only seeking his own brand of timeless expression.

In 1985, Vincent Van Duysen graduated in architecture at the higher institute for architecture in Sint-Lucas, Ghent (Belgium). From 1986 to 1987, he worked as Aldo Cibic's (a very famous Italian architect whose works are very well received. He also designed some items for Herman Miller, Kartell and Bisazza) assistant in Milan. Finally, he founded his own architecture office in Antwerp in 1990. His qualities as an interior designer didn't stay unnoticed. Hence, he was commissioned to do a lot of interior designs, but there is more. He had received assignments to design lighting and furniture for producing companies such as Obumex, Modular, B&B, Cappellini, Swarovski to name a few. Nowadays, Vincent Van Duysen is operating on an international level. His work can be admired in every part of the world from New York to Tokyo.

Maybe someday, he'll design for me a house to live in. Maybe Someday...

M Pavillion.

VDE-L Residence.

VB-HB Residence.

Finca Mallorca Interior.

Atelier Table.

Tiles for Obumex.

From the Primitives Collection.

From the Primitives Collection.

His design for a kitchen piece.

Inspiration for his kitchen piece. Look at the drawers.

Cousy Sofa by Arflex.

Ceramic and Wood Containers from the "When Objects Work" collection.

Swarovski Cascade Chandelier. His grand and powerful tribute to the often baroque and fancy chandeliers.

Save Iceland.

I am terribly clueless when it comes to economics, despite taking a module or two of it in the past. I think that it is such a great pity that a country which was ranked number one on the United Nations Human Development Index for 2007/2008 and the 2nd longest living nation (with a life expectancy of 81.8) has come to this sorry state.

Iceland is especially hard hit by the ongoing 2008 economic crisis, because the debts of its banks are around six times its annual gross domestic product of €14 billion ($19 billion). In October 2008, the Icelandic parliament passed emergency legislation to minimize the impact of the financial crisis. The Financial Supervisoral Authority of Iceland has used permission, granted by the emergency legislation, to take over the three largest commercial banks of Iceland, Glitnir, Landsbanki and Kaupthing. Icelandic officials, including central bank governor Davíð Oddsson, have stated that domestic operations of the banks will be separated from foreign operations and that the state does not intend to take over any of the banks' foreign debts or assets. The Icelandic economic crisis has been a matter of great concern in international media.

On 28 October 2008, the Icelandic government raised interest rates to 18%, a move which was forced in part by the terms of acquiring a loan from the IMF. After the rate hike, trading on the Icelandic króna finally resumed on the open market, with valuation at around 250 ISK per Euro, up significantly from a 1:150 ratio the week before and a 1:70 ratio during most of 2008. Iceland is still appealing to Nordic countries for an additional €4 billion in aid to avert the continuing crisis.

Maybe a little tourism would help them revive their economy. They do have really beautiful countryside landscapes; serene and a tat moody. Great for running away from all the hustle and bustle of the city life.

Such a peaceful scene.

Lovely Blue Lagoon. Looks chilly though.

Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Out in the country.

The Northern Lights as seen from Iceland.

Oldest turf houses in Iceland.

Another view of the countryside.