24 December 2014

Lunch break with Elisa - English version

This month's interview is the first one I didn't use Skype for! I managed to book my friend Elisa Muterle for a Christmassy coffee and a chat. Elisa works as an Architect for a team of local Architects and occasionally designs houses and furniture with her husband, who is also an Architect (they sign their work ViVrA studio). Elisa is creative and full of original ideas. She loves making stuff out of recycled materials, dress making, knitting. Recently she has made some beautiful bags out of recycled newspapers and advertising posters. A wooden table produced and exhibited locally. And a seating sistem for the parish choir, where Elisa will be singing Christmas songs with her friends.

I asked Elisa for some tips on how to add a designer touch to the festive season! And a few ideas from her family Christmas!

Me|a table
Choir seating sistem
A trip for the festive season? New Year in Turin! There are the Luci d’Artista, ideal for all art lovers. The museo del Cinema, and many exhibitions... My dream destination. New year in a city in Northern Europe. 

Ideal Christmas Menu? My family tradition is to have tortellini in brodo or pasticcio di lasagne and cured meat. For dessert we have my mum's tiramisù and panettone!

How do you wrap your presets? I like to use brown wrapping paper, possibly in two tones, so I can fold the edge. To tie the present I use kitchen thread and make a nice bow. For something extra? Make a bow out of strips of paper and staple together. 

How do you decorate the table? A neutral tone for the table cloth and colourful decorations. For example I make water lilies with paper and then make a center piece by adding fruit and a candle. 

How do you add a touch of style to a room? My husband and I have recently bought a stencil online. We placed the silouette of a little girl holding balloons at the top of the step ladder we have in a bedroom. So it looks like she has climbed up the steps to catch the balloons. It's not Christmassy. You can use them all year round! 

Your nativity scene? A wooden musical box with all the figurines attatched.

Your Christmas tree? This year my husband and I made it out of paper. He made the tree out of cardboard and I made the baubles using they are origami patterns. Next year I'll work on a version with lights! 

Your Christmas outfit? Something comfortable and pretty. Thick tights or leggins and a wool or knitted dress. This year I'm using a brwon dress I made especially for Christmas day!

To find out more about Elisa visit:

ViVra Facebook page


For her creations we have to wait next year! (I will add photos when I get hold of them!)

I hope you are enjoying my series of interviews. The New Year will bring new interviews with more creative ladies and lots of inspiration and ideas for us all! Merry Christmas!

Copyright: All photos used in this post belong to Elisa Muterle.

Lunch break interview with Elisa

Questo mese ho fatto la prima intervista dal vivo, ovvero non su Skype! Ho avuto il piacere di prendere un caffè e cioccolatino Natalizio con la mia amica Elisa Muterle. Anche quando non è impegnata a collaborare come Architetto per uno studio di Vicenza o a qualche progetto insieme a suo marito (si firmano ViVrA studio), Elisa è una creativa piena di idee originali. Ama lavorare con materiali di riciclo, confezionare abiti, fare a maglia. In particolare ha creato delle bellissime borse con carta da giornale plastificata e vecchi cartelloni pubblicitari. Inoltre ha disegnato e prodotto un tavolino di legno, che si può trovare in mostra in un negozio del centro. E la pedana per il coro parrocchiale di cui fa parte, dove canterà insieme ai suoi amici questo Natale. 

Ho chiesto ad Elisa qualche consiglio per arricchire con un tocco di design le feste e anche qualche curiosità sulle sue tradizioni di Natale! 
Tavolo Me|a
Pedana del coro
La destinazione per un viaggio durante le feste? Capodanno a Torino! Ci sono le Luci d’Artista, l’ideale per gli appassionati di Arte. Il museo del Cinema, la Mole e molte mostre alternative. C’è anche una convenzione con la quale se ti fai la tessera puoi visitare tutti i musei...E un mio sogno sarebbe fare il capodanno in una città del Nord Europa.

Il Menù di Natale ideale? Per la mia famiglia il menù tradizionale è tortellini in brodo o pasticcio. Per antipasto adoro l’affettato di lingua. E per finire il tiramisù di mia mamma e un buon panettone artigianale!

Un'idea per impacchettare i regali? Mi piace usare la carta da pacco, magari bicolore, così faccio il risvolto che dà un bordo al pacchetto. Poi lego con spago da cucina e faccio un bel fiocco. Un idea in più? Fare un fiocco con delle strisce di carta e poi unire con una graffetta.

E per decorare la tavola? Tovaglia su toni neutri e delle decorazioni colorate. Ad esempio faccio delle ninfee di carta e poi creo un centro tavola aggiungendo frutta e candele.

Come dare un tocco originale ad una camera? Recentemente abbiamo usato uno stencil, ordinato online, per fare una composizione. Abbiamo attaccato la silhouette di una bambina con i palloncini sul muro sopra alla scaletta a pioli. Non è Natalizio, può andare bene tutto l'anno!

Il tuo presepe? Un carillon di legno con tutte le statuine già integrate.

Il tuo albero? Quest’anno l’ho fatto con mio marito. La struttura di carta l’ha fatta lui. Io ho preparato le palline. Sono degli origami. L’anno prossimo lavorerò alla versione con le luci!


L’outfit per il giorno di Natale? Qualcosa di comodo ed elegante. Leggins e un vestito di lana o di maglia. Quest’anno io uso questo vestito marrone che ho confezionato per l’occasione!

Per sapere di più se Elisa potete visitare il sito:

Studio ViVra, pagina Facebook


Per le sue creazioni bisognerà aspettare l'anno nuovo! (aggiungo le foto appena posso!)

Spero che vi stiate godendo queste interviste. Per l'anno nuovo ne sto preparando di nuove con altre donne creative che vi daranno la carica e vi riempiranno di inspirazione e idee! Buone Feste!


15 December 2014

More from Meike

Here are two pieces of design that are both original and beautiful, by German Designer Meike Harde.

Hybrid Cabinet, design 2014

This is a storage and display cabinet made out of a fine woven metal mesh. It is produced in two versions, brass or dark steel. As the pictures show these are ideal to display fine glasses or china. 

I can imagine them in an elegant minimalistic dining area, with pastel colour walls (mint?) a white table and dark wooden chairs!


hybrid cabinet in two versions

10 December 2014

Christmas decorations

Super basic Christmas decorations to make with the little ones:

1. Use cards in different colours, felt tip pens, sparkles

2. Draw and cut out a star shape out of each card.

3. Decorate as you wish! (OR. Follow your little person's instructions! He or she will tell you precisely what to do!)

4. Let the stars dry and then stick them to your windows!



Come preparare Decorazioni Natalizie ultra basic. Fatte a quattro mani mamma-bimbo.

1. Prendere cartoncino, pennarelli e brillantini gel. (O anche sticker, brillantini in polvere, o altro che avete in casa)

2. Disegnare e ritagliare una grande stella per ogni cartoncino.

3. Decorare a piacere! (Oppure. Ascoltare le istruzioni del vostro bimbo che vi dice esattamente come decorarle!)

4. Lasciar asciugare e poi incollare alle finestre di casa!

Buone Feste!


25 November 2014

22 November 2014

Colourful chairs

Here are some lovely chairs I really want you to see! What colour would you choose for one of these Aluminium chairs by Italian producers Vitra?

Aluminium chairs by Charles and Ray Eames





And here are two animal inspired chairs produced by italian producers Kristalia, both by designer duo Neuland. I love the rocking version of the elephant chair!

14 November 2014

Interview with Clarice Lopez, founder of Roost in Green

This month's interview is all about a busy artistic mum who's just started her own business. I started off asking Clarice about her art work then found out there was a lot more going on... Read on to find out more about this lady's approach to making art and how she has gone from studying Architecture in Brazil and Visual Arts in Venice to launching her first web-based company, Roost in Green! All this while being a military spouse and being the mother of a happy little girl! 


Artist and founder of Roost in Green, Clarice Lopez

You studied Architecture in Brazil and Visual Arts in Venice, Italy. How did your course of studies help shape your approach to the arts. Architects are tailored to think in a structured, organized way. There is a consequence to every line you put on paper. It could be something as uninteresting as the position of a toilet, to the actual impact of a building in a community. The complete opposite of abstract art. Architecture, when thought beyond the scope of profitability, is an art in itself. One that goes beyond the individual. It is the portrait of a civilization - the built form of how a society thinks and interacts with its own environment. 
My observations when transformed into artistic work are undeniably structured. However, you will always see some sort of confined movement to it. It’s like I am trying to break away from the confinement of the 90 degree angle. It’s a real struggle. I think it says a lot about me, really!

'RestoreGreenAction'
inspired by an Architectural mindset
You have lived in many different countries and speak many languages fluently. How does this affect your craft. I remember how much my head hurt through the first month at the Accademia. I knew very little Italian. Close to none. All of a sudden I am immersed in college level Italian, deliberating on philosophy and other things. That was extremely hard! But the ability to speak different languages is really liberating to me. I like to play with words a lot, and that was actually part of my first piece at school. Capolavoro in Portuguese is translated to Opera Prima. So it made a lot of sense to play with those words in my very first piece of art. It developed into deconstruction of painting and the importance of labeling things. It was fun. I took a lot of heat for that but that was expected!
How has becoming a mother changed your approach to art? Oh, my. Becoming a mother has changed my approach to life. Funny thing is that I was still finishing up my Laurea at the Accademia when I got pregnant. So, clearly, my work Untitled, 2011 was influenced by it. While pregnant, I struggled so much to write cohesive paragraphs, but everything else was on an optimized level. 

Somewhere to put your keys

Do you have trouble finding a good place to put your keys when you get home? Would you like to give your hallway a touch of colour and do some diy?
Here's something you can easily make in just a few hours. So the next time you have a free afternoon and it's raining outside, have a go at making your own arty key holder!


What you need:

wood panel (this one is 60x25cm, and 1cm thick)
acrylic paints (red, blue, yellow and white, or any other colour)
paint brush and a cup of water
some finishing varnish (either in a pot or in a spray can)
pencil and ruler
metal screw-in hooks
hammer and nails
two hooks for the back of the panel

8 November 2014

Lovely textiles and comfy seats

Here are some comfortable looking chairs, stools and sofas.

Kenny and Sugar designed by London based designers Raw Edges for Italian furniture company Moroso.

Kenny by Raw Edges

26 October 2014

Swarovski pearl earings....

made with Silver and swarovski pearls 
...For a special sister-in-law!

24 October 2014

More cool chairs!

Here are three lovely chairs, all designed by Italian Architect Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia.
I especially like the foldable leather chair!


Iuta '14




23 October 2014

Cool chair

Here is a really cool chair by designers Lili Gayman and Julie Arrivé: Le Feuilleté 
I didn't get to try it, but it looks comfy as well as cool. And you can slip your magazine in it while you sip your coffee!

15 October 2014

Lean and clean

Here are some illustrations I made last year for my husband's Lean consultancy. They represent the 'Five Ss' practice which is used in Lean management to tidy up work spaces and make them more efficient. Now I really should have a declutter of my workspace too!
This is where I always put my spanner

2 October 2014

Interviewing Lot Bakker of Lot of Architecture and Design


Lot, short for Charlotte, working on a painting
This month I had the pleasure of interviewing my good friend Lot Bakker, Dutch Architect, Designer and Illustrator and owner of 'Lot of Architecture and Design'. Our Skype chat starts with a house tour of Lot’s apartment in Delft. Her quirky flat is arranged over two stories plus an attic. Every floor has a worktable where Lot keeps many different materials and tools to draw, sew, and make holes in things.

27 September 2014

Illustrated Recipe

I'm so excited that my illustrated recipe has been approved and published on They Draw and Cook website.

If you haven't heard or read about this website yet you should definitely have a look at it. There are some beautiful illustrations and delicious recipes.

www.theydrawandcook.com

This is the link to my recipe:

http://www.theydrawandcook.com/recipes/yummy-saltimbocca-by-laura-stratta


Illustration by Lou!

13 September 2014

Illustrated ceramics and colours in the kitchen



I really like this series of illustrated ceramics by Mark McGinnis!



And this colourful kitchen display by Doimo Cucine.

I have recently had a chat with a friend about Synesthesia, the ability to experience sensorial stimulations in associated and mixed ways. For example you could experience Colour as Sound, or Taste as Colour, and so on. Some people see the days of the week as colours.
The conversation got me thinking about colour in the kitchen and how it would have an effect on the taste of what we eat. So I dug up these photos of the Design Week in Milan.
Could wine taste better from a green glass or a pink one? Or would a meal benefit from being served on these illustrated ceramics?


Photos by Lou

8 September 2014

Pinboard fun and cool hooks

For anyone looking to accessorize a small hallway or room here are two objects I really love.


Pinorama, by French designer Inga Sempé

This perforated metal grid has a cork panel at the back so you can  pin cards, notes and postcards on it.  You can add a mirror, a small shelf, and a pen holder. It would go really well in a hallway, or above a desk, or even a sink!



Pinorama in blue


Pinorama in white



Hook by Danish designer Line Depping


Hook by Line Depping

Made of compressed ashwood, this minimalistic, original and multitasking hook is produced in several colours.

(By the way, I'm not sure why the yellow net bag had been left on the floor, but that's very cool too!)


PS: Some of Inga's work is now on show at the Design Museum Holon in Tel Aviv, as part of the collective exhibition 'GATHERING: from Domestic Craft to Comtemporary Process'.
Photos by Lou

22 August 2014

Monthly interview - intervista del mese



Now the Summer is coming to an end, LLD has got a project for the coming year.

There is going to be a monthly interview with designers, illustrators and photographers.

If you are a designer, illustrator, photographer, interior designer, and are interested in taking part, you can contact me at:

littleloudesign@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Laura


Con l'avvicinarsi della fine dell'estate LLD sta per imbarcarsi sul suo progetto per il nuovo anno. 

Ci sara' una intervista al mese con designer, illustratori, fotografi.

Se sei un designer, illustratore, fotografo o architetto e sei interessato a partecipare puoi scrivermi a:

littleloudesign@gmail.com

Ci sentiamo presto!

Laura

Time to dance

If you are a dancer, like dancing, like watching people dance, have a thing about ballerinas, or if you simply need a new clock, you are going to enjoy this post.

A few months ago I published a post about the Salone Satellite, where I was impressed by young German designer Maike Harde and her work.

Here is her latest creation, 'Time is dancing'!





A wall clock made with acrylic and ash wood, where a ballerina's legs and body swivel around telling you the time. As you can imagine, sometimes she is in rather uncomfortable positions, but other times she is elegantly performing dance moves and looks gracious. The idea is to merge the concept of movement with the concept of the passing of time.



The clock is produced by Klein&More.

Meike's work is on show until the 25th of October at the Design Museum Holon, Tel Aviv.

More about Meike on:

www.meikeharde.com

Photos in this post by Beam Studio (curtesy of Meike Harde).

22 June 2014

Sketchbook update!

I have just uploaded some photos of watercolours on my Tumblr sketchbook.

Care to take a look?

Ladybirdsketches.tumblr.com



11 June 2014

Architects and their homes

Dove vivono gli Architetti - Where architects live
Salone del Mobile 2014

On my way out of the Salone del Mobile I managed to fit in a gem of a show. My Interior Designer friends had decided to wait for the coach at a café, so I was able to take a quick look round the pavillion dedicated to Bathrooms. Within it there was an exhibition which I had seen advertised all over Milan. The exhibition, curated by Francesca Molteni, was dedicated to eight great architects of our time and their homes. Eight stands for eight architects: Shigeru Ban, Massimiliano Fuksas, Zaha Hadid, Marcio Kogan, Mario Bellini, David Chipperfield, Bijoy Jain/Studio Mumbai, Daniel Libeskind. Withing each space a different experience made of shapes, sounds and a video, showing each architect being interviewed and telling the story of his or her houses and homes.

4 June 2014

Bath time

During my trip to the Design Week we visited an exhibition of Italian products called 100% BE Original Design organised by Elle Decor Italia.

The exhibition took place against the backdrop of the Palazzo Reale, in the Duomo district of Milan.

I was struck by the beauty of the products by Italian ceramic company Flaminia.

Don't you think these three designs would make any bathroom a very elegant place?

Monoroll by Japanese design company Nendo


Monoroll in 'ardesia' (slate-grey)


Rocchetto by Italian Architect Alessandro Mendini.


Rocchetto in all five versions


Boll by Italian Architect Paola Navona

Boll in white and deco'


Read more:

Flaminia at the Salone del Mobile

Flaminia at the Fuori Salone

Be Original

All photos by Little Lou Design

30 May 2014

Pretty earings..


...for a pretty friend.

Amethist and Swarovsky earings by Little Lou

13 May 2014

It's not just about jeans - Non solo jeans

This year, at the Salone del Mobile, Diesel Living was launched.
The Italian fashion brand joined forces with three other Italian brands: Scavolini to create a range of kitchens, Foscarini for Lighting and Moroso for Furniture.

At the fair the various designs were both combined and displayed separately to show living spaces and objects with a signiture industrial Diesel style.









The main stand for Diesel also showed a range of china ware produced in colaboration with Seletti, which will be officially launched this Autumn.

Diesel with Seletti

Read more about:

Diesel Living Kitchens with Scavolini

Diesel Living Lighting with Foscarini

Diesel Living Furniture with Moroso


All photos in this post were taken by me.

Diesel in the kitchen



Diesel kitchen, launched this year as part of Diesel Living, was one of the stands I most loved at the fair.

The Italian fashion brand managed to give all the designs, from the kitchen ventilation system, to the kitchen cart, to the lighting system, a distinctive look. The trademark industrial feel merged with a tasteful use of colour and materials, resulting in a elegant kitchen space with an edge.


 



My favourite touch. The jeans button on the yellow cart.



22 April 2014

If Tarzan and Jane had stayed in Milan for the Design Week...

... They would have found a mini appartment to stay in just up their Street (metaforically speaking. Of course there are no streets in the jungle).
That is, if Gervasoni and Marie Claire had let them use the showcase rooms that had been prepared in via Durini, at 'Gervasoni Furniture Industry since 1882'.
The installations of the rooms was curated by Marie Claire to show Gervasoni's armchairs 'Ghost Out.'
The whole appartment, covered in exotic wallpaper and fuzzy liane, had a striking effect, evocative of a holiday home of past decades. 

GhostOut in turquoise and tangerine
the corridor with seating area, leading to the bedroom
the bedroom, a jungle in black and white

the en suite

an outdoor/underthesea living area

sun chairs in the sun
All photographs in this post were taken by me.