"Heart For Japan".

I'm sure we all think everyday about Japan and I'm sure we all want to help anyway we can. For the last days it's amazing the amount of designers, artists and other creatives who have given a bit of themselves for such cause.

Delphine Perrot touched me in a different way the others didn't. Just scroll down and read her story and motivations.

MARCH 2011
'I reacted very quickly to this event as I was in the Pacific and we got a red alert early in the morning.
When I got back home, I came up with the idea and drew this sign spontaneously.

Then I started to spread it to friends via internet and crossed my fingers this universal sign for love and support for Japan would find its way. It was like putting a bottle in the sea.

A big thank you to Claire Boyles, who played a key role by putting me in touch with Darren Leighfield.
I am very happy to have offered my picture to this emergency situation'.
(Delphine Perrot, 11.03.2011)

If you have a blog or a website, keep spreading the word.
Thank You.

Ralph Lauren | Jardin À Paris.

Spring is around the corder and cafés with beautiful gardens become a natural habitat to all of us. Breakfast before starting a busy working day, maybe a salad for lunch with our favorite co-worker and a glass of wine before heading home are perfect scenarios in a weekday.

A la Rive Gauche in Paris you can find amazing spaces for a casual chic meal, and this is one of the best - Ralph Laurent Restaurant. Crabcake is good, but the burger is something you want to have again.

For dinner, indoors is indeed a delicious option.

Architectural Detail.

Weekend is around the corner. The weather got a bit temperamental here, though friends and nice spaces are on the list to enjoy the next two days.

Have a nice weekend.

Isn't this dining room so mysterious? It has this sense of openness though the fig tree and the stone walls give some kind of protection a space like this can very easily fail to have.

Image and interior design by Paulo Lobo

An Hotel In Paradise.

As I'm researching for nice and wishful spaces (and following a recent link) I find this amazing hotel somewhere in the world.
Unfortunately the photographer Earl Carter doesn't give a clue where it is or who designed it, though I'm pretty sure it's close to Paradise.

The walls design is what makes the space so creative and special. They make me imagine and actually define where the balustrades are and possibly the windows.

If by any change you have the locations and/or creatives' names involved in the design of such space, please let me know. I would love to know it.

International Women's Day.

As we celebrate International Women's Day today, what could be better than posting fantastic examples of fantastic women?

For that, I've chosen (some of) my favorite talks by TEDWomen - Reshaping The Future , an event which has happened in December 2010.

Get inspired (whether you're a man or a woman).











These videos are not posted by preference. I've learned and got inspired from all of them the same way.

White Texture.

Bistro Guillaume, designed by Hecker Guthrie, has this detail I totally fell in love with at first sight - the ceiling lamps. Round and fluffy are almost paradox to elegance, though it's the only word I find to adjective them.

I always find very challenging to design and style a white space. In this project the use of textures, like the lamps and the walls, is indeed what makes it so special and of course the wish to go there and taste a nice entrecôte.

Photos by Earl Carter

Areias Do Seixo Charm Hotel.

Facing the cold Atlantic waters lays one of the most beautiful boutique hotels in the western cost of Portugal - Areias do Seixo (Seixo Sand). Lucky me, it is right next door, where I can always go and enjoy a cup of coffee or a day SPA in this space located less than one hour from the capital.

Surrounded by dunes and pine trees in this hotel you will find a very balanced marriage between contemporary architecture and eclectic decó. Every room has a different story to tell and in the restaurant you can taste (real) organic food supplied by local farmers.

For now, enjoy the images, though if you're planning to visit, let me know. We can always meet up over a drink.

Oh, and if you're a surf lover, you will enjoy the best waves in entire cost of Portugal.

Photos from Areias do Seixo Website

A Sophisticated House In Kuala Lumpur.

Asian architecture has been always my favorite style in this business. The combination of straight lines and natural light brings always some kind of warmth, even if concrete is exposed like we see in Emma House (named after the initials of its four inhabitants).

With so many discrete details, there's one feature I find very strong on this project. It works both on the building's façade as well as interiors - the wooden doors. Even though they're extremely hight and vertical, the fragments of glass (bringing heat and shadows) and the different thicknesses of wood give so much movement that the cold materials (concrete and metal) and double hight ceiling are transformed into a cosy space to live in.

Designed by Lisa Foo (FOTA Design).
Photos from FOTA Design website

BIC Cristal Is 60 years Old.

“I am in your pocket, in your daughter’s pencil case, on your father’s desk, and in front of the cash register of your local bakery.
I am idolized by designers and artistic directors the world over, and major museums put me on display.
You’ve seen me in Paris, Sao Paulo, New York, Dakar, ... the list goes on and on.
You can find me in 160 countries. I am so much a part of life that every country believes I was born there.
I am the most sold ballpoint pen in the world.
I am incredibly modern.
I’m 60 years old”.

Limited Edition Gold and Silver BIC Cristal. Do you have yours?

With Eyes Wide Open.

When we like clothes and dress up is an important moment of the day, it's almost impossible (and silly) to avoid watching the most important fashion week shows, now that the internet makes the world so democratic.

I've watched a few, not all. Those that I know I can take some inspiration to enhance my very personal style. Though there's this one I can't get enough watching.

Prada Fashion Show a/i 2011 has the WOW factor. I don't think it's the best collection ever, but it's definitely the best venue ever. Levels, stairs, columns, the splash of yellow bringing down the upper level and the ceiling (and the music! perfect. dramatic. with the right rhythm.) There's so much going on here. It's amazingly engaging this fashion show. No doubts it's the best I've ever seen.



I find this whole performance reminding me "Eyes Wide Shut".