Sunny mornings - sunny days

At the window this morning.


Being housebound I enjoy the wonders of the sunny mornings, those glorious late summer days with a stillness in the air!

Little salt and pepper pigs from Berlin...

I love the dark blue sky above me as I recline on an easy-on-my-back-chair in the garden.
The children are jumping with much delight on the new trampoline, truly a live saver for my son, who misses his soccer pals and structured exercises. I am amazed how they enjoy literally hours of jumping...

Just one more day and school resumes! Hallelujah!

I have begun to edit the thousands of pictures we have taken over the last 8 weeks and there is so much, so many memories attached, so many things I want to show you still...
But, life goes on and somehow I feel we must go with it and therefore I will only show pictures which fit into the context of the coming blog posts.
While I am still under the last German design impressions I'll show you some rooms from the homes of my friends, all no decorators and true showcases of styles in Germany!

First the newly renovated house of our good friends in Munich:







And here some impressions from my wonderful girlfriend's home in Berlin, where I have enjoyed many happy times of hospitality!
She is a whirlwind of energy and joyfulness, her home a mirror image of her happy attitude to life.









Some images of my parent's lovely little nest, in which they have lived for the last twenty years! When I see their place, warm memories of my childhood years come back to me, since my parents kept many of their original pieces from the years in Dresden and brought all with them after their move to Munich! This always reminds me how wonderful continuity can be. When I visit, it is always like coming back home, even it is neither the location nor the era of my childhood...
The set up of this living/dining room has not much changed since I have been a little girl! I love this room!
The year clock, named for the fact, that it only needs winding once a year, has fascinated me since I was small. Do you love coming back (home) and finding all in it's place? Somewhere else? I feel often like that when I go back to former familiar places, where I feel a little pang, when things have much changed...I love to find what I remembered!






The embroidered linen table cloth and napkins which my sister and I gave my parent's to their beautifully celebrated 50th weddding anniversary in August!


All these places are very different and yet, they all demonstrate quite clearly a certain German way to live. Modern, bohemian, traditional. And there is so much in between!

I hope you liked this little insight into German homes.

XX
Victoria



All pictures taken by me.

A fresh European style

Take lots of white with something else...
Berlin has always captivated my style interests and the recent visit has not been any different. There is a current move into light and airy spaces, mixed with statement colors, a mix of textures, patterns and a sense of humour.


At a Restaurant, Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin.



At Green Living in Berlin.

This is not particular to Berlin, but rather a style which has emerged over the last decade, perceived from Scandinavian and other, related style sensitivities. (I still remember Sophia Coppola's movie 'Marie Antoinette' with it's modern interpretation of Rococco).

Image via here.

Berlin is always on the forefront of avantgarde design in Europe and right now I feel this new, greener and fresher style has emerged. I guess new style tendencies travel fast and having had a chance to travel large distances in Europe lately has shown me how it has spread. I would call it new European style.


Image via here.

Dagny from the fabulous blog Scandinavian Chic has just guest blogged at the stylish blog From The Right Bank about the new Scandinavian maximalism. I guess it's no coincidence...Scandinavian style has long captivated Europe and Germany in particular.
Antiques and contemporary pieces fit in easily and multiple layers of natural fabrics, cushions and carpets add comfort entering the new season.
It is an easy style, equally at home with a low budget as well as high end. Being green goes hand in hand with it.





Again modern meets bohemia!
I like the light floors, painted or wooden and rooms lit with lamps of mixed heritage...I like traces of country patterns, mod furniture and recoverd barock pieces, I like Biedermaier next to Italian leather and glass next to a sheepskin...

I can also translate this into New England or California style. At ease with lot's of white.



XX
Victoria

Berlin

Last week we arrived in Berlin and is has been a whirlwind of activities since. Berlin shows herself from her most sunny side, summery, warm and incredibly entertaining. When I came last it had been winter and I longed to explore this great city during a warmer time. Now we could.
Walking tours have been on our daily schedule and we found many delightful corners.
Berlin is a relaxed city.


Cafes, markets, playgrounds, water and parks make it so much fun, the infrastructure is perfect and getting around easy.


The Elephant Gate at the zoo near Kurfuerstendamm.
We visited one of two zoos, toured the beautiful Havel around Berlin and Potsdam,



watched the circus artists perform on Alexanderplatz and marveled at German ingeneering while visiting the new SONY center and Legoland at Potsdamer Platz.
Again I discovered local fashion and it astounds me how much creativity can be found walking alone through Berlin - Mitte.
We will finally return home on Friday, filled with grateful feelings for a wonderful summer together with our families and with many new impessions.
As for design ideas: I love the light, white, modern rooms I have seen again, the use of classic and antique furniture in modern settings, strategic colors and no fear of being different.
By now I can't wait to return home and to sort out all my impressions and show you some new ideas and more pictures.


XX
Victoria



All pictures by V.Zlotkowski

Another Taschen book - BERLIN

Berlin has fascinated me as long as I can remember. Since my girlhood visits to East Berlin to the re-united Berlin of now - 20 years after the WALL - the city has been a beloved destination, the city in Germany and now Taschen comes out with a desirable book, which will hopefully inspire many visits.
If you want to follow me through "my" Berlin and my visits there, you can find it here, here and here. And here...Wow, really a lot actually, as you can see, I must be addicted!



Not that I need prompting to visit, two of my sons live and study there and I am in love with that big, rumbling place and them! Nothing more exciting then to have two enthusiastic Berliner by choice and their friends to show me around...
Berlin is a city after my own heart, colorful, lively, eclectic, a bit crazy and full of charm! Modern yet full of history, green and a city with definite cult status!

From the Taschen website:

TASCHEN's Berlin
Hardcover, 23.8 x 30.2 cm (9.4 x 11.9 in.), 400 pages
$ 39.99

"A compilation of Angelika Taschen's recommended shops, hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars in Berlin—an insider's guide to the German capital."

It will be available in March 2010!


Wunderbar!
XX
Victoria


Image via Taschen website.