29 Apr 2011

A Reason for Love

On this beautiful Royal Wedding day, where princes and princesses depart from fairy tales to briefly invade our thoughts, and when daydream becomes sweet and rosy, it seems that love is everywhere to be found, and this print incarnates the most appropriate statement that we imagine HRH Prince William to have whispered to his blushing bride.


Source: Limited edition (1-100) print, hand-printed on an antique 1893 printing press on 100% cotton rag archival paper by Bespoke Press in Brisbane, Australia.

25 Apr 2011

In the Mood for White Interiors

Those of us with an inclination to believe that white home interiors are bland, clinical, urban, austere, impersonal, unpractical, high maintenance, modernist or simply a figment of design fantasy, might be in for a surprise with this small selection of cosy, warm, stylish, period country homes that also happen to be family-orientated and easy-care; those of us who are white converts can simply rejoice in further inspiration (with the promise from Mirabelle of more interiors features in the pipeline!).


Sources: (1) Marie Claire Maison, 'Visites Privées : Un ancient couvent transformé en maison-atelier' (A former convent converted into a house & workshop). This is the spacious character home of German furniture designer Katrin Arens, located in the Lombardy region of Italy, by the River Adda, and only a short drive away from Milan. There is an interesting balance going on between the pared down, sober and timeless lines of the monastery interiors, white painted walls, concrete flooring and worktop, set against the warmth of the mid-brown textured, grainy, slightly rustic, naturally old or aged wood, with touches of mid-century modern design (Arne Jacobsen chairs) that don't look out of place. In passing, we'll note the clever repurpose of a wooden pallet into a china display shelving unit. (2) Dreamy Whites blog, 'A Favorite Flower and My Tin Ceiling' (22/05/10). A fresh bouquet of old-fashioned peonies or roses takes Spring home and enhances a white theme by adding a romantic accent to a tabletop. (3) Marie Claire Maison, 'Visites Privées : Une ferme hollandaise où le style champêtre et le design cohabitent' (A Dutch farmhouse with a successful mix of country style and  design). From outside, the actual fabric of the farmhouse has remained untouched, while indoors designer Thomas Eyck has cleverly incorporated elements of modern design to the more vintage pieces, brought together to the eye by the white canvas of the walls, in order to create a modern homely home. In passing, we'll note the Delft-style fireplace that so beautifully typifies The Netherlands. (4) Coastal Living, 'Homes: Soothing Beachy Bedrooms/ Take a Second Nook' (photo by Jonny Valiant). The colour white makes a room luminous and shouldn't be limited to walls, ceilings and/ or furniture and soft furnishings. Woodwork, from skirting boards and staircases to a boat galley and nook like here, with a white satin finish will give a room a soft yet sophisticated appeal. (5) Ceramic badges and pendants by Austrian design pair Mischer' Traxler, available to purchase from Designboom. These are quirky one-off pieces carefully cut out from vintage crockery using a diamond drill. Although these are made to be worn, why not purchase a handful of them to scatter on a coffee table or bedside cabinet to create the unexpected? (6) Muse Interiors, 'Portfolio: Interiors - Mudroom'. Tongue-and-groove panelling, cornicing, vaulted ceilings give white its depth of character. A natural wooden floor sets it off. So then, who said that white had to be flat, bland and boring? It wasn't Mirabelle.

18 Apr 2011

A Colourful Design in Movement

Colour is at the basis of visual communication at large - from arts and media to the more mundane, either used randomly, or to create an ambience, a pattern, a symbol, convey a message or reinforce brand identity. Here each of the following two colour-strong images has tickled Mirabelle's fancy for a reason; the first one for its symbolic rigid static geometric stance, whereas the other - by contrast - for its movement, fluidity and vibrancy.


Sources: (1) Canadian Confederation Centennial logomark designed in 1966 by Stuart Ash, one half of the Gottschalk + Ash Canadian branding and design agency, via Aqua-Velvet. (2) 'Rainbow Swirls' mosaic (close-up) by Natalie Swarne (2008), via Flickr.

11 Apr 2011

Inspiration & Happiness

This beautiful pearl of wisdom, freshly netted out of the Pinterest treasure trove, might be - we hope - the key to the title; worth pondering about, if only to feel a touch more in peace with oneself and the world around us...

02/03/2015 Update: Pinterest used to have this fabulous function that allowed the automatic embedding of Pinterest-sourced images into personal blogs. Unfortunately when they had to disactivate the functionality (due to copyright infringement issues), the embedded images gave way to blanks... I have not been able to relocate or source the original image I had included to this post, and have therefore replaced it with another.


Source: Marcel Family by P22 Type Foundry

5 Apr 2011

Carl Kleiner's Sweet Sensations

Last year Swedish photographer Carl Kleiner cooked up a storm in the Ikea kitchen with his spiced-up revisit of the humble recipe book, where he gave free rein to his visually innovative destructured interpretation of the recipe concept, with photos alone doing the talking, bringing an end to the perplexity of words, unclear instructions and approximate translations, while proving once and for all that the proof of the pudding is not just in the baking!


Pict 1-7: Carl Kleiner for Ikea (styling by Evelina Bratell): Vaniljhorn, Mandelmussla, Kolakakor, Lussekatter, Lingonpeparkaka, Ruts Hästsko and Prinsesstårta.

4 Apr 2011

A Spring in Your Step

Winter is gone ladies, so shuffle no more this Spring! Become part of the well-heeled pack instead, thanks to those little darlings that will take you effortlessly from office commitments to official engagements, via late-afternoon get-togethers, evening outings and Saturday shopping with the girls.


Pict 1-4: Charlotte Olympia, 'Bebel' textured cotton platform pumps; Tabitha Simmons, two-tone leather pumps; Bally, 'Alicya' block-heel peep-toe pumps; Jimmy Choo, 'Verse' suede platform slingbacks; all available to purchase from Net-à-Porter.
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