10 Wallpapers from Cole and Son

I am very interested in wallpapers, as more than the simple paint on a room wall, it can be a simple yet very creative investment in the interior design and general look of a room and house in general. In addition, you can change it often, without too much of a hassle, as it is the case with general painting. In terms of financial investment, it is also fine, as you need only to pay for the wallpaper and the special glue, without spending money on workers or other tools that you need time to learn how to use yourself. After a while, you can call yourself a wallpaper expert and in one day, your entire house can look completely different.

My latest discovery, with models that suit any room and type of house - from small apartment to mansions - is the Cole and Son, producing fine and high-end designed wallpapers for decades. You can order them online, and the website is available in both English and Swedish.

Here are my top 10 choices, out of too many to mention, but you have a look on the website to find the right wallpaper that suits your budget and your style.

1. Bamboo

Delicate prints, available in different colours, that bring a touch of elegance to any corner of the room.You can choose a complete make-over or to cover only one corner, the effect is the same.

2. Archipelago Border

It is a world in itself, that this wallpaper brings into your home. Think about the Alice in Wonderland lost in a forest of colourful vegetation. It is definitely my favourite design for my working room or for the library.

3. Luxor Geometric

Jazzy geometric labyrinths, creating the feeling of movement. This is what you need to give more depth and dynamism to your space. I see it as a wall in the lobby, as an invitation to the visitor to start the journey of discovering your world.

4. Plume

Inspired by tribal art from around the world, it has fine brushstokes of greys, charcoal black and metallic gold. It matches an elegant minimalist living room, preferably with pastel furniture.

5. Balabina

Named after the Russian ballerina Feya Balabina, this beautiful elaborated design with peacocks covered by a luxuriant vegetation are a good adornment of the bedroom, or some walls of the living room. It indulges stylish vintage furniture. It is available in different colour combination.

6. Orchid

This design of orchid resting on stylish leaves is available in different colour combination. It can embellish the lobby, or a corner in the living room, with a stylish colourful chair or couch part of the landscape. For fixing, a special glue is recommended.

7. Flamingo

When it comes to flamingos, my objectivity fades, as I can see them everywhere in any corner of the room. Thankfully, I can choose between different colours - blue, grey or yellow, for instance - and patterns, and why not, have a house full of them! As colours on screen might be different from the real design, it is recommended to order a sample - for 1.5 pounds - to figure out if the pattern is what you are looking for.

8. Woodstock

Brought to you from the psychedelic times of the hippy revolution, this wallpaper - available in different colours - makes you feel forever young and ready for a change. It suits simple yet colourful pieces of furniture. Where do you want it fixed, it is up to you, as it suits any kind of setting, as long as you are into pop-art.

9. Opera

A bit of sophistication and style are always in need. For a stylish furniture, this wallpaper created in 1959 remains in fashion. The luxuriant combination of flowers and fruits, resting lasciviously on three-tired structures can suit your living room very well. With such a view in the front of your eyes, even the long family dinners are tastier. 

10. Bellini

Named after the Italian composer Vicenzo Bellini, this wallpaper uses the motif of tiles, broken by curves forcing the eyes to follow the various shapes into a labyrinth of flowers and leaves. Out of the four simple colourings, this is my favourite, and I see it very well embellishing the kitchen. I bet it can make me more creative when cooking something new.

Pictures from the Cole and Son website, English version

In the world of Fatboy

Having a baby means a completely change of the perspective and shopping agenda, also when it comes to interior design and furniture choices. During my regular trips to interior design shops I am interested in finding inspiration for the boy's room and, as usual, for smart products. The Dutch design is such a source for me and I cannot have enough to discover new and new creative companies. My favourite of the last week is Fatboy, located on the huge interior design and furniture shop in Kantstrasse 17 in Berlin. I spent there more than half an hour, discovering the products under the professional guidance of the extraordinary sales representative. The shop in Berlin is the first worldwide, but online shopping is possible for the less luckier fans of the brand. 

What I appreciated at this brand is the multi-functionality and the creativity. Although the great outline of the product is set, you can pick up your own choices and do an inspiring setting, like in the case of this lamp, made up of different pieces of different shapes. This lamp can be hanged inside or outside, for a party or an intimate dinner. Many of their products are water proof.

 Another fun discoveries are the bed lamps that are rechargeable and comes in a unique shape.

You can never have enough of them as you can change the cover all the time. A nice choice of a present, I think.

The lounge chairs, water proof and made of different materials can be put together to create a bigger chair or even a sofa. The prices are moderate to high, but when thinking ahout the multiple destinations of many of the products, there is a worthy investment to do. 

Interior design inspiration in Dresden: Vivere Shop

Visiting various interior design shops is usually part of my daily travel schedule. Although not as often as I would like to, I succeed to discover a lot of interesting ideas and inspiration that although I will not put into practise, at least will bring a little bit of colour into my life. During my one-day trip to Dresden, I had a (too) short stop at the Vivere shop, on Wilsdruffer Street no. 9. It is situated on the ground level of a communist-looking block of houses, but once I spotted the asymmetrical chairs at the entrance, the grey feeling dissipated instantly, being replaced by the joy of life in all colours. 

The style of most of the pieces of furniture, not necessarily organized according to any criteria, is very modern, with simple objects, that match the need for simplicity and space constraints of the modern world. 

One or two piece can be enough to create cosy ambiances. Given the prices - around 40 Eur. for a flower-like pillow - the budget might be limited, but the live in Dresden, at least for now, it's cheap enough to afford some savings for interior design decorations.

Some ideas are very simple, and as usual, the concerns for not taking too much space are one of the main feature of the objects presented in the shop.  

The pillows were one of my favourite. The materials used are relatively simple, but the design can change the perspective on the whole room!

 The old-looking clock can be easily integrated in different kinds of design contexts.

 The same about the funny hangers, that can be primarily used for the children room, but not only.

 With the omnipresent owls, at a more than affordable price.

This support for forks and knives, available for around 400 Eur. can be a good idea for a crowded kitchen. Especially if you have in mind the usual small kitchens that you might find in the average German apartments. 

Some parts of the shop - which is expanded on two levels - are offering samples of room corners. At least this corner reminded me of some old style former communist Germany interiors. The leather shaped chairs added to the wooden simple table, look very serious. 

But there are also some modern settings too. Some of the lamps are made of simple materials, but their price can go to around 1,200 EUR.

And if there is hard to make a choice, asking one of the specialists of the shop. Not an outstanding example of friendly customer service, but you can make your way through the many options offered by Vivere.

With choices for all tastes and budgets, Vivere is a good option to keep in mind if looking for some interesting interior design solutions for your Dresden home. 

Polish Design in Berlin: No Wodka

I am following the achievements of Polish design, especially the one introduced to the Berlin/German audience, for a while but did not have any idea that there is a full shop dedicated to it, where else but in the fanciest and most design-oriented part of the city: in Prenzlauer Berg. To be very honest, I did not know what is the nationality of the design works presented in the shop I passed by on Pappelallee 10, but I felt invited by the honey colour of the wood and the natural inspiration of some of the objects. 

Under the shop brand of No Wodka, the Polish design is introducing to the Berlin audience its best production, be it interior design, furniture and fashion. 

Out of the many choices presented, the fashionable part was the least attractive: the colours too aggressive for my taste, the lines too chaotic and the style different of mine. 

Recently open, the organization of the space is not the strong point of this shop, that has though a friendly customer service, communicating both in German and English. The crowded space can accommodate though the irregular shapes of the tables, perfectly fit, it seems for the design needs of many apartments in Berlin. 

The 'herbal' design of the bed linen are one of the most interesting products. The high-quality cotton satin is designed to look like a big stack of straw, reminding of the hot sunny Polish summers. I tried to imagine this gay chaos in my home and realized that, regardless of the grey season outside, it creates a certain feeling of freedom and well being that would love to keep at home all round the year.

The pieces of furniture presented are light, very colourful, with a lot of reminiscences of the pop-art but less pretentious and for sure less kitsch. 

It's not a single aspect of design that seems to be missing from the shop. The simple white plates are decorated with a lot of humour. 

The room lamps are minimalistic, answering the technical needs of the high concerns for less energy consumption - it suits various types of bulbs, created effects that offer the best light while avoiding the waste of resources.   

The mixture of colours and elegant spectacular line made my afternoon, and the feeling of well being when I see something interesting kept me company for a long time after I left the shop. Maybe I should come back a couple of months after to check out what's new and get back in touch with a certain chaotic yet joyous Central European spirit that I am missing sometimes.