Trendspotter (Jessica Thomas)

Trendspotter: Copenhagen Field Report, Part 2

Written on December 22, 2009 at 10:22 pm, by Trendspotter (Jessica Thomas)

I’m back with part 2 of my Copenhagen field report (check out yesterday’s post for part 1).

Antique and vintage stores can be found throughout the city but mostly concentrated in the neighborhood of Ravnsboorggade. In a different neighborhood we went to a vintage boutique and café called Butik Fisk, where I fell in love with a collection of stuffed animals and adopted a green turtle. Whimsy is appreciated in Copenhagen, and I attribute this to Hans Christian Anderson’s influence.

The Danish Museum of Art & Design was inspiring. It showcased 16th century to modern furniture and art. One exhibit displayed one-of-a-kind art pieces, furniture, and clothing made from found materials, and I had to have these great houses that were hand-painted on wood. The museum shop didn’t disappoint! I snapped these up, and they are currently displayed in my kitchen. Aren’t they fun?

A close second was the Statens Museum,

which had an amazing and inspiring permanent painting collection.

I want to decorate a room around this painting:

The Danish Design Center is small, but ithad a great exhibit surrounding the climate change conference. It also featured an exhibit detailing ways to use sustainable materials in design. I loved this felted cut-out chair:

Notable restaurants for both décor and food include Aamanns, where the space was sleekly painted a beautiful apple green with glossy black architectural wainscot and trim with animal silhouettes in black. (Check out the website to see the interiors). For lunch we had great smorrebrod (openfaced sandwiches), but we were more obsessed with the wall color.
Aamanns menu:

Noma restaurant is located in a beautifully renovated stone building that also houses Scandinavian consulates in the Christiania neighborhood. It has a more organic feel and features a regional menu. The décor included teak wood tables, bent wood chairs with sheepskin draped over the chairs, and of course lots of candles. The food was the star — artful but not pretentious.

If you want the royal treatment don’t miss the changing of the guard at the palace.

Loved the guards’ houses, which were painted red and had the Danish heart.

And to really appreciate the way the royal family lives, we treated ourselves to pastry at La Glace

Fall cakes in the window at La Glace.

And we sipped tea at Perch’s Teahandle. Both Perch’s and La Glace sport the official royal crest).

Another highlight included attending the Royal Ballet at the Opera House.
Awe inspiring architecture.

I was in Copenhagen only five days and six nights, but I can’t wait to return for a longer stay. I still have much to explore, eat, and of course buy. If you can’t wait to start scoping out more Danish style, I recommend these sites:
Huset
Finn Style
Saga Living

Denmark50
Danish Teak Classics
Unica Home

For an off-the-beaten-path guide to Copenhagen, check out Unlike.

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Trendspotter Field Report: Copenhagen, Part 1

Written on December 21, 2009 at 3:57 pm, by Trendspotter (Jessica Thomas)

I just got back from Copenhagen, and thought I should share all the inspirational things I spotted while I was there. Thanks to the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, all eyes were on this great design center.

This was my first trip, and I had the benefit of traveling with two experienced Copenhagen visitors, David Anger, professional Minneapolis stylist and someone who could spot a chic home or fashion boutique a mile away, and his partner, Jim Broberg, our appointed and trusted foodie, who scouted out all the great restaurants, tea houses and confectionary cafes. Here are Jim (left) and David (right) at La Glace pastry shop.

Of course in Denmark, Danish modern design is everywhere. Our hotel, Hotel Alexandra, is decorated from lobby to rooms with famous Danish architects furniture and period art with iconic names such as Aarne Jacobsen, Kaare Klint, and Finn Juhl to name a few. I stayed in the Finn Juhl room, which was beautifully outfitted and even had a Royal Copenhagen bowl of fruit as a welcome. Very inspirational décor.

It made me appreciate royal blue in a whole new way.

Lobby of the Hotel Alexandra

This bookshelf totally makes me want to paint custom cubbies in primary colors for my collections.

The city is young and vibrant with plenty to do. The vibe is hipster, and styles are very layered and cozy (hygge in Danish), with lots of panache and personal expression. Fashion is key; to get a sense of the modern layered look that most men and women are displaying, check out Copenhagen Street Style.

My favorite Danish fashion label was Day by Birger et Mikkelsen, which also features a Home collection photographed by Ditte Isager. The collection embraces modern design with folk layering. Great styling, too.

Home stores abound in Copenhagen. They are filled with beautifully designed items, but not everything costs a fortune. Discount stores such as Tiger were filled with deals on great-looking functional home items.

Copenhagen’s big department stores are Magasin and Illums. The fashion and home departments make your head spin with so many well-designed accessories. Even better, Illums has its own home concept store called Illums Bolighus. Not a day went by that we didn’t just “pop” in for another look, and we always found something new. I bought some great felted slippers called Glerups – super comfy and warm.

David bought Muuto wood hooks, which have already been installed in his Minneapolis townhouse. I love the yellow, and they also come in natural and black. They are available in the U.S. at Unica Home.

Front and back cover of the Illums Bolighus catalog

We stopped at a Marimekko concept store (concept stores are popping up in the U.S. — look for them), which was amazing. It has a full line of home and fashion and it was hard not to walk out without something. Marimekko style has always been a great mix of pattern and color without being overwhelming. I love this shot from the new collection magazine.

Marimekko fashion. Purple was everywhere as the color of the season.

Another great design boutique is Rue Verte Plus. Lots of great style and very trend-setting.

Me in a great concave mirror.

Lots of fun things to looks at!

Be sure to check in tomorrow for Part 2 of my field report from Copenhagen, including details on the city’s antique and vintage stores, the Danish Museum of Art and Design, and more.

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Trendspotter: My Of-The-Moment Etsy Faves

Written on November 5, 2009 at 11:58 am, by Trendspotter (Jessica Thomas)

Best of Show, a special section in the winter 2009 issue of Do It Yourself magazine, was one of the most fun and interesting stories I’ve produced, from conception to the final photo shoot. We shopped and surfed hundreds of Web sites, craft fairs, blogs, and books to find the best handmade items around. It was hard to edit all the great finds, so here are more from Etsy that inspire me, appear on my personal wish list, or just make me smile. Some are artists from Europe or even as far as South Africa but all ship internationally.

(Check out more outtakes from our Best of Show photo shoot here.)

TickledPinkKnit’s scarfs and wraps are beautiful and stylish. so “right now” in terms of the folds and ruffle effect.

I love the graphic yet whimsical nature of this artist from Spain,
blancucha

Merit badges never looked so cool. These are from Lee Meszaros. Merit badge for being drunk as a skunk:

Merit badge for taking the cake:

These ceramic poppy bowls from PrinceDesignUK are perfect to keep little whatnots in. Or use one as a jewelry cache on a dresser. And the love bird just makes me happy.

Skinny laMinx is a South African artist with fun and funky tea towels. I love her style, especially this design:

I am totally obsessed with these paper cutouts by Elsita

Show and tell time! Which Etsy sellers and goodies are you loving right now?

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