Ivy & Piper - a new wonderful online interior design magazine!

Lazy Saturday. Time to catch up on some blogs and I immediately hit the jackpot with Ivy & Piper! A fabulous new online magazine on interior design
Dive in and get inspired by contributions of trendsetters like Anna Spiro. I am not going to reveal more as you just need to check it out yourselves!
Founders Melanie and Elizabeth can be really proud of their first born. Congratulations and thank you for this new wonderful source of inspiration.

images from the magazine Ivy&Piper, Anna Spiro, Kelly Green

The Irresistible Piet Paris

 

 Saks 5th Avenue window display

Runway Victor & Rolf

 Piet Paris at the exhibition
signing the MMM Hair pencil drawing

Paris' original illustration on my wall

Yesterday I showed you my latest art purchase, a pencil drawing, not revealing who the artist was. Well it is by gifted creative director Piet Paris (1962). Paris is a fashion illustrator extraordinaire. His distinctive colorful, graphic work is made with stencils created from an initial sketch and colored with acrylic, gouache or pastel using a paint roller. He has done illustrations for many magazines like Vogue Japan, a wonderful campaign for Saks Fifth Avenue and the runway design for Victor & Rolf Spring RTW 2011 collection. Besides making illustrations Studio Piet Paris also designs products, on commission as well as under its own label. Paris runs the Studio together with dedicated Marc Kwakman.
20 years "in the business" was recently celebrated by a sales exhibition and a book launch here in Amsterdam. It was a an instant hit and a complete sell-out! And so well deserved!

Studio Piet Paris is on facebook.

The Glamour Files - Part I

 

"MMM Hair" pencil drawing on my wall

Lifting a tip of the veil. As announced I am editing my appartment by adding some glamour. First element is art. Although my walls are already covered with quite a selection I recently purchased two wonderful pieces by a gifted Dutch fashion illustrator. His signature pieces are usually in mixed media/collage, but one of the works I purchased is a pencil drawing called "MMM (Maison Martin Margiela) Hair". It was instant love..... Can you guess the artist's name? I will reveal the second signature piece tomorrow!

 

A Touch of Modern Glamour

Pages from Glamour by Michael Lassell

Hope you had a wonderful spooky weekend. Halloween is not that big in The Netherlands so I enjoyed a quiet family weekend partly browsing books for inspiration. Next month there will be another magazine shoot at my appartment and this is such a trigger for change. I am especially charmed by touches of glamour so I am figuring out how to implement those in my existing setting.
This summer I bought the book Glamour by Michael Lassell. Michael Lassell is a gifted writer and editor and former features director of Metropolitan Home. Here are some pages to give you a flavour. The book shows interiors with a high wow factor, it is simply inspiration heaven. If you love Glamour it is an absolute must have and you can find out more about Michael through his website and blog.

Follow me over the coming weeks while editing my eclectic appartment into something just a bit more glamorous.


And to conclude with a totally different book. The winner of my book give-away Before (During) After (Louisiana Photographers reactions to Hurricane Katrina) is the lovely Jeanette of Everton Terrace (blog).

Southern Delights - an impression

nervous before speeching (I am just better with my brush)

handing the first card box to Francoise Oostwegel

 elegant Judith Oostwegel with my proud mother

 well deserved glass of wine :)

all my paper products "spinning around"

with Chef Hans Snijders celebrating his 30th anniversary as Chef of Chateau Neercanne

With Chef Vincent van Vierzen of Kruisherenrestaurant

It was a busy but wonderful weekend. Here are some impressions of my exhibition at bookstore Selexyz Dominicanen. The location is just amazing! In connection with the exhibition I created a culinary card wallet for Camille Oostwegel Chateau Hotels and Restaurants. Inspired by delicious recipes of Chefs, Hans Snijders of Chateau Neercanne, Otto Nijenhuis of Chateau St Gerlach, Vincent van Vierzen of Kruisherenrestaurant and Roland Vincken of Restaurant Pirandello I made 5 paintings to illustrate their culinary art! Charming Judith Oostwegel and artistic daugther Francoise were guests of honour.
Maastricht is so much worth visiting and if you do, staying at one of Oostwegel's spectacular historic hotels is an absolute must!

Photo's courtesy photographer Linda Ruepert

Silence is Holy!

I know, (again) I haven't been blogging for a couple of days but all for a good cause. I am preparing for my next exhibition in Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht, according to The Guardian one of the world's most stunning bookschops. The vernisage is this Sunday and the exhibition will continue until December 31.
Above you see the area where my work will hang (in the picture it shows an exhibition of artist Klaas Gubbels, a man who I much admire!). This former church was redesigned by Merkx+Girod architects. I am glad that my work has powerful colours, otherwise it would just disappear in this amazing space!

The week in pictures - From GLAMOUR to Joan Sutherland

LATIN AMERICA. The cherry on "this week's cake" was the October edition of GLAMOUR (LATAM) featuring one of my paintings and 2 pillow designs in connection with the exhibition at Design Within Reach in West Palm Beach. To view my work and designs directly available in the US go to Interdecorations.

 Aurélien Poirot in action

AMSTERDAM. I finished a series of commissioned illustrations for BRIDGES, the hip and happening fish restaurant of 5 star hotel Sofitel The Grand in Amsterdam. The illustrations will be published as boxed culinary cards with recipes by briljant French chef Aurélien Poirot. The cardbox will be launched towards the end of November celebrating the restaurant's one year anniversary so expect a full report then (and sorry I can't reveal any images yet)!

 The Sofa Studio - Dubai

DUBAI. My pillow designs are now available through The Sofa Studio. 

 Joan Sutherland with my mother Tine van Grootel in Maria Stuarda

GENEVA. Sadly Joan Sutherland died aged 83. I had the pleasure of meeting her on several occasions during the time that my mother sang with her. She was amazing.

 Expat Living (October 2010)

SINGAPORE.  Earlier this week I blogged about some wonderful publicity in Expat Living featuring happy clients talking about my work.

Rowan Metzner's fish picture

Elizabeth Kleinveld's Spring Exhuberance

NEW ORLEANS. I did a very special book give away of "Before (During) After", Louisiana Photographers reactions to Hurricane Katrina. You can still enter until October 26 so PLEASE DO as the story should not be forgotten! To enter click here.

Enjoy your Sunday xox!

New press - Happy clients in Singapore!

Today I received a wonderful suprise in the mail, the October issue of Expat Living (Singapore) featuring charming Marilisa Busatta and her husband in front of my painting Interior with Chinese Screen. I met Marilisa when I was exhibiting in Singapore in October last year and told me that she had seen one of my "parrot in cage "paintings at a friends house in Paris and that she fell in love with my work. We had an immediate click. So thank you Marilisa and Expat Living. I feel honoured with such tribute!

Before (During) After - Louisiana Photographers Reactions To Hurricane Katrina -Book giveway!

 The Book: Before (During) After

@ the Amsterdam book event - Caroline Griep, Elizabeth Kleinveld,

Eric Paul Julien, Paul Cliteur

 Elizabeth Kleinveld's limited edition photo in my son's room (featured in the book)

 Before During After: photographer: Eric Paul Julien

Elizabeth's photo of toxic waste. After the water levels dropped this is what it looked like

almost poetic

 nola's toxic waste on my wall

Last week I attended a very special book event here in Amsterdam of Before (During) After.

In 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, one of my best friends, New Orleans born and raised Elizabeth Kleinveld was there with her husband and children for their summer holidays.
We were al doing "our thing" at the time. At the event, friend and editor, Caroline Griep recalled during her speech that"her thing" at that moment was experiencing the most scary thunderstorm of her life inVenice not realizing that something much more material happened on the other side of the Ocean.
Many of us can recall the moment the news hit, but for the people that were actually in the midst of it, it will remain part of them forever. When Elizabeth returned safely to Amsterdam she was desperately searching for a way to find peace with the event and decided she needed to make a book. 5 years of passion, persistance and patience resulted in "Before (During) After:  an estetic and elegant collection of photographs of a devestating event. Twelve photographers contributed photos and essays:  Jennifer Shaw, Frank Relle, Lori Waselchuk, Rowan Metzner, Samuel Portera, David Rae Morris, Jonathan Traviesa, Eric Julien, Zack Smith, Elizabeth Kleinveld, Mark J. Sindler, and Thomas Neff. Their photographs are a melancholy record of both the damages (some small, some enormous) and their own feelings and experiences.

Although my own art and designs are collourful and happy I fell instantly for the intensity of the photographs. I got sucked into them completely. I just had to have at least a few on my wall and so it happened. It is difficult to share the emotions the photographs in the book evoke but you will have an opportunity to have the expierence.


And yes I know it might not be the usual glamorous suspect on your coffee table but here is your  opportunity to win a copy of this beautiful, inspiring, touching book signed by Elizabeth Kleinveld. TO ENTER:

- be a follower of my blog
- like Before (During) After on facebook 

and of course tweet as an addtional entry!

The winner will be announced on October 26.

....and if you don't win the book can be bought online amongst others through Octavia Books