Contemporary as well as modernist, clean, uncluttered and with clever space solutions, Connie Braemer’s body of work has made her one of Canada’s leading interior designers. Love her modern interpretation of the log cabin and that rich chocolate bedroom is sexy. The black kitchen with white sofa? Striking!

Jason Maclean is Maclean Bespoke Interiors, specialising in one off interiors and custom furniture. His passion for vintage furniture is obvious (and I’m envious) but he doesn’t build sterile shrines to midcentury modernism classics. Clean, lean and oh so sophisticated. His collaboration with fashion designers Eley Kishimoto merges surface decoration and furniture form.

People often ask us where we find all the truly inspiring and creative people we feature on the blog. Mainly hours of following link after link on the web. Sometimes it’s a quiet cup of tea and a new design book. That’s how I found Bastienne van Bockel of Studio BAS_I.C. I always check the credits especially if I love the images. (Chic modern: choosing styles, colours, materials and furnishings, introduction by Ali Hanan, Conran Octopus 2002 is the book by the way.) A google away and I found Bastienne’s website. I love the fresh, uncomplicated modern girl feel to her work, the definite European vibe and the fact that this could be your home too…. if you had a great eye like Bastienne 😉 Simple and stylish.

Last week we dipped our toes in retro pools. This week it’s time for tea on the terrace or a party on our patio. Al fresco living never looked so good. It’s hard to believe these outdoor rooms are over 30 years old. Scanned once again from Pools and Terraces, House & Garden Guide to Landscaping and Furnishing, Gail Heathwood, Collins London and Glasgow in association with Conde Nast, 1974.

WINKS – weekend links. Here we list what has come in during the week, things we’ve found and things we think you’ll want to see. If you’d like to see your blog or website featured email us and if we think it fits with our readers we’ll link you. So what’s in this week?

• So many beautiful things in my inbox this week. I am speechless over this one. Misha Handmade Wallpapers selects, produces and distributes silk hand-painted wallpapers. You must must must go to their website and drool. Misha also creates stunning contemporary furniture with a twist. Clean modern lines combined with rich, luxurious, hand-painted papers reviving historical patterns. Trust the Italians to take wallpaper to the next level. Go…. what are you waiting for? Swoon.
• Oh my, oh my, oh my!!! More beautiful furniture, some of the most stunning organic lines I have seen for a long long time. The company is Ode Chair…. contemporary organic chairs hand made in Northumberland, England. The creative genius behind them is Jolyon Yates. Must have please please.
• Lina lives in Stockholm, Sweden and has a home styling company. She’s just started a webshop C’est la vie Home featuring pretty little decorating objects as well as luxury chocolate and tea. In Swedish of course but that’s what page translators are for. Beautiful pictures speak all languages. Check out her blog too. Good luck with your online business Lina!



• Caroline from Belgium recently started her blog, Carrie Can, as a way of collecting and sharing her inspirations and work with her readers. Pop over and say hi!



• Another new blog alert. Designer/artist Annie Coggan emailed to introduce Chairs and Buildings. “I am a new faculty member at Mississippi State University teaching design studio and furniture design. (I was in Brooklyn and teaching at Parsons and Pratt for 10 years). This new life has given me time to organize my thinking for lectures and projects so I started a blog as a sketchbook.” It’s visual food for thought.



• Jonathan Adler has gone country? Yay? Nay? Or Ye-ha!



• Have you seen the blog Lime in the Coconut yet? Love Linda’s profile – “Living life in a humble Florida hacienda…surrounded by family, dogs, art and PLENTY of sand on the floor. Oh, and a lizard or two that always seem to find their way in the open doors and windows. Hey, what can I say…Sometimes it just isn’t pretty. But it IS home.” The blog is full of eye candy with special emphasis on tropical style.



• Where does Erin from Design for Mankind find the time? The woman is a creative dynamo. She’s collaborating with the Art House Co-Op, an Atlanta-based gallery on The Scavenger Project. “We’re making a book and we need your help! We’re going to send you a list of 24 things which will end up being the 24 chapters of the book. Each chapter is a reference to a moment, scenario, or item and we need your help visually representing each item.” Find out more here.



• James Saavedra from Decor Fellow has a new online magazine fellow* and it is soooooooooooooooooo good. Stylish and right on the trends. Can’t wait for more!

Please forgive me if I stop here. I have so much to share but not enough time today. There’s always next week!