Kikoi banana tree products - ihanuudet banaanipuun lehdistä

Kikoi banana tree oval bread basket

Well, it's been some time I've been here the last time :)! When the flu catches me every 15 years or so, it REALLY does. Not more about that subject.

Most of you know (perhaps) by now my love for natural fibers and materials. They just intrigue me for some reason.  The THING for me this season? The fallen banana tree leaves. You see them there on the ground, big and chunky and then you bump into these bread baskets and laundry baskets on the side of the road, and you get a big smile on your face - HE saw them too and had an idea! Wow!!

Don't you just love these new products made by Robert? One of our best sellers this past season, and we keep on going, now with a few new alternatives, as well.

Kikoi square banana tree bread basket

I simple adore the square and the oval bread baskets for your morning rolls. And for the kitchen spoons and this and that (made of wild olive tree, of course!) the perfect one is the small high basket.

Banana tree products - plenty to choose from :)

Kikoi banana tree oval basket, S - coming soon!

We are also looking forward to receiving a wonderful, wonderful Rose selection for the spring/summer 2014. Made on combined sisal and banana tree, it is stunning, and it lasts and…what can I say. I'll be sure to make THAT post when we get the items from our stock in Nairobi to here.

And - meet Robert :)

The smily, wonderful artisan we can always trust with the quality and the deliveries. We <3!

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Hui, onpas aikaa taas kulunut! Kun flunssa iskee 15 vuoden välein tai jotain semmoista, se näköjään todella ISKEE. Yöks. Ei enempää tästä masentavasta puheenaiheesta.

KOHTA ON KEVÄT!!!! Vaikka just tuli talvi, mikä sekin on ihqua, pääsee möksälle tekemään ei-mitään.

Mutta mutta - näitte tuossa yllä vähän kuvia uusista banaanipuutuotteistamme. Mitäs tykkäätte? Olen tällainen materiaalifriikki, ja nyt tämä banaani todella puhuttelee. Näin mm. USAssa Crate&Barrelilla banaanipuusta tehtyjä tuotteita tuossa jokin aika sitten, ja oli nekin kyllä tosi tosi kauniita.

Niihin pudonneihin, isoihin lehtiin kun törmää tuolla (ei täällä ;)), ja sitten kun näkee tienvarrella upeita leipäkoreja ja pyykkikoreja ym.ym., tulee kyllä iso hymy kasvoille - HÄN näki kanssa nuo banaaninlehdet vähän eri tavalla! Vautsi! Eikö olekin aika ihania nämä Robertin tuotteet? Nämä on niin jykeviä ja ihania, ettei ole toisia samanlaisia oikeasti. Me rakennetaan näistä niin upea koti kesäjulkaisuun, että olen nyt jo ihan pomppeissani koko projektista!

Kikoilta on myös tulossa kokonaan uusi Rose-sarja, jossa yhdistellään lunnonväreillä värjättyä sisalia ja banaaninlehtiä - todellista luksusta, sekä laadultaan että ulkonäöltään.  Siitä sitten enemmän, kun saamme tuotteet tänne pohjolaan tuolta Nairobin varastolta :).

Kikoi Iroko oval bowl - just beautiful

Kikoi Iroko oval bowl

Today is pure administration, but thought to post some pretty images for you first ;)

This Kikoi oval bowl made of Iroko tree is so pretty. It was sitting there on the table, and instead of reading the newspaper on Sunday morning, had to take some photos.

I love oval bowls - they are pretty and handy on a table.  Especially this oval bowl - just perfect. Hand-carved from wood, it is hard with soft forms. And it is large, just the way I LOVE it.

A true luxury product.

Kikoi Iroko oval bowl and Cottonhut linen napkin

Kikoi Iroko oval bowl and Cottonhut linen napkin

Crochet carpet - Knit Hit Kit virkattu matto

Crochet carpet - virkattu matto

Do you like crochet carpets? I love them. I was a bit skeptical about the practicality, need to admit, before I got one on our bathroom floor from our wonderful, beautiful crochet queen Salla.  It is there, in front of the shower, and gets wet every day. It dries well, and feels wonderful under the feet. And gets washed every week, and tumble-dried (I have this severe allergy for that dish-cloth smell - if I even sense, it is on it's way somewhere in our house, the object gets to be washed in 60 degrees. No exceptions.). Crochet carpet seems to be getting better every time.

Crochet carpet - virkattu matto

Crochet carpet - virkattu matto

Crochet carpet - virkattu matto

And - aren't these just pretty? The Novita Tube weft is perfect, perfect, perfect. Soft yet strong. We are starting to sell it as soon as we get the product open in the shop, but the Knit Hit Kit carpets are available already in 3 colors - unfortunately the instructions are still only in Finnish.

***

Tykkäätkö virkatuista matoista? Itse olen ihan rakastunut niihin. Täytyy tunnustaa, että olin vähän skeptinen niiden käytännöllisyydestä ennenkuin sain yhden meidän ihanalta, kauniilta virkkauskuningattarelta Sallalta. Mutta nyt - virkattu matto on tuossa kylppärin lattialla, ja vielä suihkun edessä, ja kastuu ainakin pinnalta joka päivä. Kuivuu hyvin, ja tuntuu ihanalle jalkojen alla. Se pestään koneessa joka viikko, ja pyöritetään vielä kuivurissa (Mulla kun tuppaa olemaan tämä tiukka allergia sitä tiskirätti-hajua kohtaan - jos vaan tulee sellainen tunnekin, että joku kohde kotona saattaa alkaa haisemaan, se joutuu heti 60 asteen pesuun. Ei poikkeuksia.). Siellä pesussa tämä ihmematto tuntuu paranevan kerta kerralta.

Ja - eikö nämä nyt ole vain kauniita? Novita tuubi, jossa on 50% kierrätyspuuvillaa, on täydellistä, täydellistä, täydellistä. Pehmeetä mutta vahvaa. Ihan kohta saatavissa tuolta kaupastakin, tällä hetkellä saatavana Knit Hit Kitteinä 3 eri värissä. 

I'm in love with Kilim carpets, patch-work carpets and other beauties

Kilim carpet restoration

Kilim carpets are just beautiful, aren’t they? There are as many color and pattern combinations as there are Kilims, and I had a chance to meet with some BEAUTIFUL antique pieces.  I spent the end of last week in Istanbul meeting Weranna’s suppliers, and looking for new ones.

Some how I feel that in the Grand Bazaar you always see what’s the biggest thing in the world trends at the moment. Now it feels like it is not only Kilims – it is OLD Kilims. Those which are not so perfect anymore, perhaps they have been fixed by a Kilim doctor ;) (like pictured here), or perhaps the pieces of old Kilim’s have been sown into floor cushions or  new patchwork carpets.

I had the nicest, and the LONGEST chat with one of the carpet sellers. He was upset - telling me about European customers, who want to order their own designs in large quantities, of course using the old Kilim weaving tecniques. When they are told, that sure, but you need to understand that the next delivery might be a little different color, as the yarn is hand-dyed and it is impossible to get the same exact tone 2 times in a row, they say – well, no then, I will order from another country. It’s cheaper anyway. Ahh – okay. This is how far your love for Kilims goes ;). How I just love to talk to these Turkish men with temper – they really make me smile ;). 

Kilim carpet restoration

This restoration project I saw from beginning to the end – there was a hole in this old piece I fell in love with, and it was fixed right there, on the spot. First the ‘Kilim doctor’ would remove all the yarn even slightly broken, and replace the warp.

Kilim carpet restoration

 See that pile of yarn? Well, there are old Kilims, which just can’t be fixed anymore, so the old yarn is being reused restoring those pieces, which still CAN be fixed. After finding the correct colors, the fast repair takes place – the speed!! The carpet was tightened to a frame (with nails), and after finished, all the ends are cut and BURNED. As everything is 100% wool, you can do that without risk.  In a carpet shop packed with carpets…talk about trust to the material around you…

***

Kilimit on vaan kauniita, eikö? Aitoja Kilim-mattoja ei ole kahta samanlaista, ja minulla oli kunnia tutustua aivan upeisiin antiikkimattoihin. Kirjoittelen tätä siis lentokoneessa matkalla kotiin Istanbulista, jossa vietin juuri muutaman päivän tavaten Werannan tavarantoimittajia ja etsien uusia aarteita valikoimiin.

Jotenkin nimittäin on sellainen kutina, että aina pitää päästä Grand Bazaariin käymään, niin näkee, mikä on maailmalla kuuminta hottia juuri nyt. Kilimit – eikä vaan Kilimit, vaan VANHAT Kilimit. Ne, jotka ovat vähän nuhraantuneita, ehkä ne on jo kertaalleen korjattu Kilim-tohtorin toimesta. Tai ehkä mattoa ei ole kannattanut korjata enää, vaan sen palasista on tehty uusia mattoja, tai lattia- ja sohvatyynyjä.

Sain kunnian käydä parhaimman, ja PISIMMÄN keskustelun erään mattokauppiaan kanssa. Nyt on tosin Ramazan, joten tuntui hassulta juoda kupeittain omenateetä näiden paastoavien herrasmiesten seurassa, mutta eipä tullut mieleenkään kieltäytyä tarjouksesta, on se niin hyvää.

Tämä Ramazan-herra (sopiva nimi) oli kiukkuinen – hänellä on eurooppalaisia asiakkaita, jotka haluavat teettää omia mallejaan isoina sarjoina käyttäen perinteisiä Kilim-kudontatekniikoita. Hän tietysti sanoo, että onnistuu, mutta täytyy pitää mielessä, että seuraava erä voi olla hieman eri sävyä kuin tämä ensimmäinen  -kun langat värjätään käsin, on mahdotonta saada 2 kertaa täysin sama väri. Siihen oli juuri yksi tilaaja sanonut 1. Erän jälkeen – ai jaa, no ei sitten, saan samaa väriä eräästä toisesta maasta ihan niin paljon, kuin haluan. Ja halvemmalla. Okei, kyse ei ollutkaan rakkaudesta Kilimeihin ;). Ymmärrän. Voi kun tykkään jutella näiden herrasmiesten kanssa - he saavat hymyilemään.

Tämän korjausprojektin näin alusta loppuun - vanhassa matossa, jonka halusin messuille näytille, oli reikä, ja se piti korjata. Siinä vaan yhtäkkiä. Vähän kuin villasukan paikkaus muuten ;). Ensin Kilim-tohtori poistaa kaiken vähänkin kuluneen ja rispaantuneen reiän ympäriltä, ja pujottaa uuden loimen rikkoutuneen tilalle.

Näettekö tuon villalankapinon? Lanka on otettu matoista, joita ei voinut enää korjata, ja se käytetään korjauskelpoisiin mattoihin. Oikeiden värien löytämisen jälkeen (kyllä, myös kuviot palautetaan ennalleen) alkaa nopea korjaustyö - TODELLA nopea. Silmät ei pysyneet neulan mukana. Kun neulomistyö on valmis, ylimääräiset päät leikataan pois, ja viimeistellään koko työ polttamalla kevyesti. Kyllä - sitä uskaltaa kaupassa, joka on pakattu täyteen mattoja, tehdä tällaista, kun on 100% varmuus materiaalista. My kinda place.

Colorful playroom - värikäs lastenhuone

Colorful playroom inspiration - värikäs lastenhuone

How to solve the following puzzle in our new (or old) house? We have 3 kids (girl 8, boy 7 and boy 3), and there's 1 large room upstairs, and one smaller room downstairs. Need to think how they will sleep, how they will do their homework, and how they will play so that there won't be too much fighting.

Aarrggh...my thoughts go around and around. Before we always had this let-them-sleep-in-one-room-and-play-in-another-room-concept. It worked always perfectly - calm colors and so forth for the sleeping 'quarters' and lots of color and fun for the playroom! In this last house we've lived in for 2 years now, we changed that - we gave the boys 1 room, and the girl the other. Guess where they sleep? Yes, correct, all in the same room. Guess where they play? Downstairs in the living room. Loose-loose situation.

So I've sort of decided to solve the puzzle so that they will all sleep in 1 room (again, and actually it is a room with 3 spaces on the sides where they can have their beds and own little 'room-in-a-rooms'), and we will have 2 desks and shelves in the room itself for homework.  But what happens when they have friends over?

Downstairs will be more a playroom, as the little one doesn't feel comfortable playing anyway away from her parents. BUT - it is attached to our living room. And think of all the toys and all that stuff that will be floating around...even more than now. And in this case the playroom can't have too much color, either. Ahhh...I don't know. I'll just need to make a collage and draw and all the usual stuff.

In these photos you see some images from the playroom of my sister's house. Isn't it pretty?

Colorful playroom inspiration - värikäs lastenhuone

Colorful playroom insipiration - värikäs lastenhuone

Ajatukset kiertää kehää, tässä pähkinä purtavaksi - meillä on 3 lasta: 8 v tyttö, ja 7- ja 3-vuotiaat pojat. Talossa, johon olemme muuttamassa Suomeen, on 2 huonetta lasten käyttöön: 1 iso yläkerrassa ja 1 vähän pienempi alakerrassa. Näihin kahteen huoneeseen pitäisi mahduttaa nukkuminen, läksyjen tekeminen, kaverien kanssa oleminen ja leikkiminen.

Meillä oli pitkään sellainen tapa, että jaettiin homma kahtia: lapset nukkuvat yhdessä huoneessa ja leikkivät ja piirtävät jne. toisessa. Se on toiminut ihan loistavasti sisustuksenkin kannalta: rauhallisia värejä 'nukkumishuoneeseen' ja väriä ja kaikkea iloista leikkihuoneeseen. No, nyt tässä vikassa talossa, jossa ollaan asuttu 2 vuotta, muutimme asian, kun ajateltiin, että 'kyllä niillä lapsilla pitää olla oma huone'. Arvatkaa, missä ne nukkuu? Kyllä vaan, samassa huoneessa. Arvatkaa missä ne leikkii? Alakerran olkkarissa, paitsi silloin kun on kavereita. Silloin omat huoneet on ahkerassa käytössä.  Vähän kaukana mistään ideaalitilanteesta.

Eli nyt sitten ajateltiin, että muutetaan takaisin tähän vanhaan malliin: Saavat nukkua kaikki yläkerran huoneessa omissa alkoveissaan, rakennetaan sinne vielä kolmas samanlainen vinttitiloihin, ja laitetaan hyllyt ja kirjoituspöydät itse huoneeseen. Alakerran huone olkoon leikkihuoneena, koska ei tuo pienin viihdy vielä itsekseen leikkimässä vanhemmista erossa muutenkaan. Mutta mitä kun on niitä kavereita kylässä?? Miten tämä kuvio sitten toimii. No ei toimi. Ja lisäksi - miettikää sitä lelujen määrää pitkin olkkarin lattiaa, kun nytkin niitä on tuossa ihan tarpeeksi...en tiedä. Joskus näin aika hauskan ratkaisun, jossa juuri tuollainen rintamamiestalon yläkerran pääty oli jaettu 2 huoneeksi hyllyllä, mutta meillä on siinä keskellä ikkuna, ja kun on suojeltu talo, julkisivua ei saa muuttaa, eli ei voi laittaa 2 pienempää tilalle ja seinää väliin. Alkovin rakennus alkaa maanantaina, joten ei tässä sen kiiruumpi näitä ratkaisuja miettiä ;). No, täytyypi tehdä joku kollaasi ja miettiä.

Nämä kuvat ovat muuten siskoni luota heidän leikkihuoneestaan. Eikö ole nättiä?

Earthy decor inspiration

Earthy interior inspiration

This home, located in the northern Stockholm and featured in number of interior magazines, is probably one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen live. It is truly a home, no question about it, but also a visualists haven. Where ever you turn your eye, it catches something inspirational. 

I've written couple of years ago using logs in a city home - admittedly in an extremely skeptical way (now I just can't find the post!!). Well - today it just seems like a perfect idea ;). I have them myself, only painted white, but after seeing the above version, now I could actually think of just peeling them and putting some lacquer on top. And wheels, so I can roll them around as side tables!

Just got 2 other ideas, as well - wait 'til the summer. There is plenty of material at our summer house, if you remember from last summer... This lady of the house needs to take down some trees (read: asks the other family member to fix it somehow ;)) every year, because they grow, and then there is no sunlight (well, there isn't really anyway, but would be nice to enjoy those 3 beams we usually get each summer) on our terrace. In the eastern part of Finland you don't need to think of getting any shade on the summer house so it doesn't get too hot indoors - no problem with that. Where was I?  Got too inspired again...

This gorgeous home. The home was just featured in an excellent article by Seija Killström/Paula Kukkonen in Anna magazine in Finland just before Easter, 'like candy' the title said. And the home truly, truly is.

I would love to post here some more images, but the quality is so bad they wouldn't do justice to this beautiful home...Getting ready to buy me a proper camera. Perhaps today even!

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maanläheinen sisustustyyli, puupöllit sisustuksessa, tee-se-itse ideat

My favorite trend 2013 - earthy

Earthy colors, earthy forms, earthy materials, earthy production techniques (=hand-made)...needless to say, it all sounds so Weranna's -like.

I have this corner in our upper floor - it's 'my corner'. That's where I sit (yes, even now) when the kids are playing in their rooms (read: at my feet) or watching kid's channel, and that's where I knit. With good light and a warm blanket (one could say I should blog about spring and summer, but it is SOOO COLD I just cannot give up my Kenana blanket (pictured above) and Samantha Holmes slipper boots just yet).

Anyways - the color of my corner keeps on changing. It's gone from lavender and blue to earthy, to red for Christmas, and now back to earthy.  Cottonhut cushions (available among other resellers at Stilrummet) are my very favorite - these are the use-and-wash type, which are the only option in this family.

My interior magazine basket is leather and from Balmuir, of course, and the hand-woven linen carpet from Cottonhut.

The idea for the crochet garland I got from a Swedish magazine 101 Ideer - there was a wonderful article about Annelie and her hand-made home decor ideas (more in her blog 'Tant brun' http://www.betongsnackor.blogspot.se). I just had to try using Novita's Hanko yarn. Perfect. The pattern is ridiculously easy, and I got my garland done in about 2 hours. Unfortunately I cannot post the instruction here, as I might get into trouble doing so, but you can find one similar at Sarahndipities. Have fun :)!

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Virkkaus, maanläheiset värit, 2013 sisustustrendit, sisustusvärit 2013

The search for perfect hand-made ceramics

Perfect hand-made ceramics

...has been going on for some time. Until about 2 weeks ago I walk into Stilrummet to make a delivery and ask - where did THESE come from?? Wonderful, perfect, where do I find the maker, please, Marie, please?

Petra of Petras Lera has fulfilled her dream after moving to Sweden from Finland about 1,5 years ago. She is making the most beautiful hand-made ceramics one can possibly imagine. Working in same location with 7 other ceramists she is creating these beauties step by step, piece by piece.

She starts with a piece of clay in her hand. Looking at it, asking, what are you going to be? What's inside of you? She works the clay into plates, bowls and other accessories using vintage baskets and bowls as a mold.

She then picks one of the old, hand-made lace tablecloths of her grandmother Ingrid.  Presses the cloth gently into the wet clay to create a pattern. And carefully removes it to avoid any ripping of the old textile.

Perfect hand-made ceramics

After days of drying and all other necessary finishing steps, magnificent pieces of art are born. Every single one of them is unique. Hand-made with love by Petras Lera.

Perfect hand-made ceramics

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Käsintehty keramiikka, keramiikkatyöt

Weranna's showroom

We've had our showroom, located in a renovated 1950's house, open for the past 2 days for the Finnish press to come and FEEL our products. Such wonderful personalities, such good discussions! I was so happy to see so many showed up - to those of you out there - thank you <3.

Not so easy to decorate with many products and 3 color schemes to choose from, but I think we managed quite okay with our garden veggies/pebblestones fusion theme ;).

Basically all the furniture you see in the photos is either second hand or upcycled or self-made or some strange FUSION version of the above ;), and it turned out nice.  And you know what? Looking around me here really makes me SMILE. There's a story behind every piece, and that makes me very comfortable.

Yes, I could very well live in this house. And be very happy.

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kierrätysidea, tuunaus

Vietnamese silk from Fabric Copenhagen

Not so simple to get on the front cover of ELLE DECOR? No, but Annette with her Fabric Copenhagen textiles managed. Her products made by a family business in Vietnam are so delicious...Of course I have soft spot in my heart for everything that is made in Vietnam or coming from Vietnam because of my childhood years there, but I can't imagine not loving these products even if they didn't bring back all the warm memories.

Fabric Copenhagen was created during a trip to Vietnam 10 years ago. Back then textile designer Annette Egholm discovered not only Vietnam's natural beauty, unique culture and friendly people, but at a local market, she found a silk fabric that was so beautiful and soft that she just had to have it. 


Back in Denmark, she began to create a design for the material and the idea for the most delicious pillows and blankets was born.  And they are just wonderful, aren't they?

You can find the throws and cushions in Weranna's ethnic collection, the luxury ethnic beauties are a true passion for me at the moment. You fancy something you don't see there - just drop me an email from the shop. We are getting some new colors, hopefully already next week (might get a bit of hint on these photos ;) ;)) - stay tuned!


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silkkinen torkkupeitto, samettinen torkkupeitto, samettipeitto, samettityyny

birch branch inspiration

Last week I was driving from our summer house to Mikkeli Music Festival, and was wondering, what on earth is happening at Kenkävero, a vicarage just outside of the city!! Never seen so many people at once there!

So in the next round-about, I turned around and went to check. It was the annual handicraft fair, which I had been completely unaware of! Well, as you know, it gets a BIT cold in Finland during the winter, so everything that happens in this country, happens during the summer. Which means that there are multiple things happening each weekend around the country...

So many beautiful things - especially these door decorations and pot holders, to mention a couple, made of birch branches by Päivi Saikkonen were magnificent!!

We might come up with something together for Weranna's Christmas selection, who knows...:)

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Käsityöt, käsityöideat, koivunoksa

Paulina Arcklin

Paulina Arcklin

If I would need to name two persons, who's defined style in home decor always catches my eye, those two people would be Paulina Arcklin and Lotta Agaton. 

These pictures shown here are all from Paulina's facebook page, and I just pure love the style. Here you find exactly, what home decoration should be all about - mixing and matching, now remind me what I've written there - hold on - 'old meets new, soft meets rough, ethnic meets classic, design meets supermarket'. Here they've kept everything together with color white - but the thread could of course be anything else, as well.

Just fabulous.

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kodin sisustus, keittiön sisustus, makuuhuoneen sisustus, olohuoneen sisustus

Bamboo and rattan indoors

http://www.skcnis.com/2012/02/hennie-rattan-chairs/

This is now a quickie in between all the flower power - have to get it out!

It's here <3. Flipping through some magazines during the weekend made me very convinced (Of course I ripped out the pages from the magazines where there were some nice images, and now the pile has disappeared :( ).  Anyway - match your balcony chair with a self-made blanket made of grandma squares and bring it indoors, and you couldn't be any trendier :). Or use some batik or ikat cushions.

Natural colored rattan, preferably vintage. I love this Svenskt Tenn one.

http://www.svenskttenn.se/sv-se/product/ma10024/fatolj-311-rotting.aspx

Or black. Chairs, hanging chairs. Haven't managed to get this black one from Ikea, I guess every time they get a delivery it is sold out the same day.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20201682/

Pendants and lanterns. This is a true DIY - I bought a basket for 25 euros in a garden shop the other day, and will make one to our showroom kitchen. Spray paint it black, if needed, and you have a beautiful piece.

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rottinki, rottinkituoli, rottinkivalaisin