Interior design inspiration: Designeria Berlin

Situated on the relatively discrete location of Hohenzollerndamm in the Western side of the city, Designeria Berlin offers interesting reconverted industrial design and furniture items as well as clothes, at medium prices. 

Vintage pieces refurnished for the needs of a modern house are its main strongpoints, which brings a nostalgic feeling and make you think about your grandmothers' cosy homes.

There are two big showrooms, stuffed with a lot of interesting objects, predominantly in wood and neutral colours. All you need is to have a lively wallpaper to bring more joy and colours into your room. 

Some corners are ready made to be taken away and installed as such in your room. I particularly loved the lamps, minimalistic yet chic, that can be snuggled easily everywhere. 

The clothes section is not the strong point of the store, many of them keeping up with the vintage, old style which does not necessarily suit any age.

Jewellery pieces are vintage too, recoverted from various items. I've found many of them too complicated or heavy to wear every day, but some of them are interesting. 

The ambiance was pleasant, with classical music in the background. The customer service was non-intrusive, meaning not too keen to help or ask questions or assist at all.

5 Blue Outfits from ZARA. And a flowerly bonus

Blue is my favourite colour that I am wearing as a makeup, bag, shoes...everything possible. It is the colour that reminds me the clear summer sky and the hope and, in general, that also good things happen to good people too. I do not have any complexes to wear it all round the year, but particularly in the summer, it is the best outfit colour choice. On a research visit at the big ZARA store in Berlin, close to the iconic KaDeWe, I noticed the following blue beauties:

A very simple stripped dress, that reminds me of gardening parties. Simple yet feminine cut, easy to match and to wear. The local price is 49.85.

A blue leather jacket makes a very elegant statement. You do not have to read a motorbike, but to wear it with elegance and lady-like attitude. It looks like jeans but it is more elegat than that. Available for 49.95 EUR.

Either you pack for a long beach weekend or you need an outfit for an evening in town, this printed dress is too interesting not to consider as an important item of your luggage. The purchase price is 39.95.

This blouse took my heart away. First, the colour, then, the cut, and the possibility of oh, so many combinations with skirts and shoes and bags. It costs 39.95 EUR.

The beauty of blue can go even much further: inequal blouse with long sleeves, but made of a material that suits even the much warmer seasons. Recommended for work, special meetings or just in one of those moments when you want to show yourself how much you care about you, you and only you. It costs 39.95 EUR.

And here are my bonus discoveries, two beautiful flowerly-print dresses: elegant, simple, with an inspired choice of colours, that can be weared all round the day and on many occasions. The prices for both are 49.95 EUR.

This medium length dress brings joy and happiness. Can be weared with a pair of jeans and any style of shoes, from simple to very high heels. As a bag, I will rather wear a mono-vivid colour clutch.

This second dress is more serious and may bring some mystery for the long summer evenings. Add some black shoes and some long earrings and success is your middle name!

What about you, blue lover reader? What are your main summer finds?  

5 Sport Shoes for a Sporty Summer

I am not the sporty kind of person, but as a mother that should carry the buggy every single day, I realized that my usual medium-heels shoes are not appropriate for the moment I am living. Thus, I had to make some changes in my wardrobe, by adding some sport shoes. Here are my latest choices: 

For a very very sporty statement, this Goretex/Adidas shoes are perfect. Biking, walking, hiking, baby morning errands, are just a few options offered by this pair. Available for 84.95, they promise to write a long love walking story.

These Esprit shoes are close to my style. I definitely love the colour - although I would not say 'no' to more lively variants -, the shape and the promise of fitting even less sporty outfits. One pair costs in Germany 39.99 EUR.

Also from Esprit, I could not keep my eyes from these simple flip-flops. I see them together with a long white dress and some flower print blouse. All the materials used make it a very comfy choice.A pair costs 29.99 EUR.

Nike has some very interesting models, that could make a fashionista interested in high science. It has many customized offers which can go from adding some Swarowski stones to adapting to various sports, from jogging to basketball or biking.

The colours are also divese and tempting, but first and foremost, the high-end medical considerations made these shoes a top choice on the market. 

What about you? What are your favourite sport shoes for the season?

6 Outfits from Desigual for a Colourful Summer

Summer time, and the live is the best - at least for me.The sun is shining and I can go around the city searching for interesting fashion items. When I am in the search for a colourful combination, I know that Desigual has always the right balance between price and quality - although the prices are usually from medium to high, but it is a worthy investment -, plus, in most cases, a helpful customer service. With so many nice items, a choice is not easy, but as for now, I made the difficult selection of only 6 (six) items that I can fast buy for a nice impression and a good feeling.

This blouse goes well any time of the day, and even of the year, for holiday or a casual Friday at work, with jeans, denim skirt or any kind of skirt. Available out of the sales season or 69.95 EUR.

I lately made a passion for clutches and this ethnic imprint stole my heart. Available for 59.95, it is elegant and sporty, with enough space for a purse, a phone and some make up too. 

For some more special elegant evening in the city, in summer and autumn, this yellow trench made a difference. Add to combination some skinny white or black skirt, with high heels - as high as you can - and a breathtaking view will follow. All being said and done, the heart breaking season is over!

This dress caught my eyes for its colours and shapes and mysterious messages. A definite choice for an elegant person, it makes a statement of romance yet independent personality. For the modest fashion, it can be weared as a blouse, with a black silk skirt. Available for 49.95 Euro.

Finding the right shoes, especially if you are looking for a combination between style and bold fashion, is not easy. With this flowers imprint, you have the right answer. With a bit of imagination, you can wear it either for the weekend in the woods or for a casual date, as they go very well with almost everything modern and youthful.  

First, your eyes are caught by the flower silk, but there are many more details to this dress. For 59.95, you can take it at home and find out what is the right combination for surprising your friends again and again. 

What about you? What are your best summer choices from Desigual?

What you need to know about London food culture

Out of many city and foodie choices in the whole world, London is one of my favourite places to discover new cultures and tastes. With a high diversity of gourmet restaurants that turned every simple foodie item into a piece of art, this exquisite city developed in the last decade a high culture of good food and pleasure of tastes. Thus, a book fully dedicated to its delicious stories makes a lot of sense and brings a significant amount of inspiration. 

In the author's words: 'London has become a city of passionate eaters and beloved restaurants'. The mission of the book is to discover and reveal these culinary secrets. Although it has a big share of presenting recipes, success stories of different restaurants, this book has the merit of going beyond the pure gourmet curiosity. It introduces the history of British tastes - with an initial bad reputation, by the way - as well as the city itself, with all its fancy or less known corners. 

It happily combines careful and inspiring food writing with beautiful travel recommendations, for any writer with a tasty heart. 

The book is organised up to various meal categories: vegetarian soups, sea food, fowl etc. The recipes are presented in the finest detail, most of them easy to make at home - including the famous food staple of fish&chips or the inspiring tahini cookies introduced by the well educated chef Ottolenghi. 

Overall, it is an inspiring book, recommended to both the travel and foodie writer, as well as to anyone keen to known the gourmet history in the making of a city that is much more than its politics. 

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange of an honest review