Category Archives: Travel & Places

PLACES TO GO | STRANDWOOD HOUSE, RUEGEN

25 July 2014

Do you want to see my dream get-away? Tadah! Here it is: Strandwood House is a holiday rental on the beautiful island of Ruegen just off Germany’s Baltic sea coast and answers all my architecture, design and styling phantasies.

You might know that I’m a bit of a beach bum and grew up on the Baltic so when I read about it via Emma’s Designblogg I wanted to share this beautiful little gem with you in case you missed it.

The island of Ruegen (former Eastern Germany) is wonderfully unspoilt and the coastline simply stunning with an abundance of wildlife, nature reserves, natural harbours, clean sandy beaches and clear water. I find the landscape and surroundings incredibly relaxing and good for the soul – a real antidote to fast-paced city life and internet addicts.

The house is located right on the frontline of the little harbour town of Gager where you can witness the daily routine of local fishermen and breathe in the invigorating smells of the sea. The architecture integrates beautifully into the old fishermen’s huts and the weathered larchwood facade is reminiscent of driftwood found on the beach – hence the name Strandwood [Beachwood].

I love the large custom-made panoramic windows and clever interior design and layout of the house, sleeping up to 8 people and featuring two lounge areas so everyone is happy. The interior is kept deliberately minimal to cater to the design conscious and features some beautiful fittings like the driftwood inspired kitchen, underfloor heating and a wood-burner guaranteeing year-round coziness.

You can even create your own spa experience with the a long soak in the free standing bath tub with sea views or let the rainshower cool you down after a sauna session. Just need to find a local fisherman to give you a massage.

I’m frantically looking through my diary when I can fit in a stay. Are you going to beat me to it!?

MORE INFORMATION & PHOTOGRAPHY | Strandwood House

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BEHOMM – HOME EXCHANGE

12 July 2014

Happy weekend everyone! It’s not often that I post on Saturdays but I’ve got to tell you about behomm, a new online home exchange community for designers and visual artists. The idea is simple: you exchange homes for free. But the unique selling point is that it’s with somebody within your professional community, somebody who shares the same interests and often aesthetics.

I’ve spent many hours trawling sites like airbnb and onefinestay to find a home with appealing decor only to give up after the umpteenth gorgeous feature image lead to yet another horrible bathroom and tiny dark kitchen. I know I’m fussy but my surroundings are important to me and as much as I’d like to explore the place I also like to look forward to getting back to my home from home where I actually get a sense of the people and culture and not just an anonymous hotel room which could be anywhere in the world.

So you can imagine that I was thrilled to receive an invitation this week from Spanish founders and fellow graphic designers Agust Juste and Eva Calduch to join the behomm community and went straight into daydreaming mode. As you can see there are so many gorgeous homes all over the world from some of the most popular cities to countryside retreats that you could easily spent your next couple of years travelling.

For me one of the best things is that most designers and visual artists pay a lot of attention to detail and it’s those little things that make all the difference for your stay. Nice bedlinen, fresh flowers, interesting artwork or quirky decor makes your stay more intimate and you feel like you’re not a tourist but get a taste of life as a local. Getting to know each other beforehand and exchanging tips on what to do and where to go is also a massive benefit as are the additional comforts of home like toys for kids, music, films, books etc.

Agust and Eva believe that sharing is the future but for security reasons have made behomm by invitation only to ensure it stays a true network of friends. Maybe see you on behomm.

MORE INFORMATION & PHOTOGRAPHY | behomm

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PLACES TO GO | MELANIE GILES CAFE

19 June 2014

Remember my girlie trip to Wiltshire and visit to Hartley Farm shop & cafe a few weeks ago!? Turns out me and girls missed another highlight in the area, namely the fabulous hair salon come cafe Melanie Giles in Bradford on Avon, a stone’s throw from Hartley Farm.

I came across it on readcereal.com and loved Rich Stapelton’s photos of which I’m giving you a sneak peek – please go to readcereal.com for the whole story and more photos.

Melanie Giles’ quirky idea came about when they started serving fresh croissants, simply with jam and butter out of their Rayburn oven in the winter months and the customers (and staff) leapt up the idea. Melanie decided to add some great quality Monmouth coffee beans and THE best cafe slash hair salon in the area was born. They’ve now even got their very own Monmouth schooled barista on site who knows how to pour the silky smooth Ivy House Jersey milk for the perfect cappuccino.

Think another trip to Wiltshire is on the cards.

VIA | Cereal Magazine
PHOTOGRAPHY | Rich Stapleton
MORE INFORMATION | Melanie Giles

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PLACES TO GO | HELLO I’M LOCAL HOSTEL IN HAARLEM

16 June 2014

Do you guys know Haarlem? No, it’s not a spelling mistake Haarlem with 2 a’s is a small town west of Amsterdam who keeps popping into my social media feed more and more often. Wether it’s bloggers who live there, brands that catch my eye or like this unique hostel I want to introduce you to today.

It’s a funny thing because I’ve actually been to Haarlem back in 2010 for one of the cowboy’s best friends birthday and really liked the place and it’s beautiful historic architecture and canals, a mini Amsterdam.

But I’m starting to think that this little town has a higher creative head count than most places, certainly unusual for a small town. Does it have something to do with the 348.970 local beers being served? Is Amsterdam now grid locked with bicycles? I was curious and had a chat with my local friends who think it’s partly to do with the proximity to both the creative hub of Amsterdam as well as some gloriously unspoilt beaches. The council also has a favourable attitude towards creative initiatives and encourages art galleries, organisations and creative collectives due to Haarlem’s history of printing and graphic design. Can you believe that Haarlem’s newspaper is the oldest in the country!?

But back to today’s post about this boutique hostel in the centre of Haarlem with the quirky name of ‘Hello I’m local’. It’s been a dream of Saskia Hurd to open up a hostel and when she found the site occupied by 4 derelict buildings which had been empty for 23 years she knew she had to go for it.

The hostel offers 12 unique rooms that cater for pretty much any size party and you’re invited to sit back, relax and enjoy Saskia’s living room and patio where she often lights a cosy fire. By her own account Saskia is a little old fashioned and likes to encourage people to talk, play board games or just enjoy the outdoor fireplace but don’t fret there’s wifi in the living room, just no TV please.

I love the individually styled rooms, all based on historical themes, very clean and contemporary with a mostly black and white colour palette. My favourite room has to be the smallest one with an old fashioned bedstee, a bed in the wall, that’s accessed through canary yellow double doors. Unbelievably, people used to sleep standing up in them – hence the name – but oh so cozy.

Saskia has paid attention to every detail and fully embraced the ‘local’ in her hostel’s title, encouraging guests to rent bikes to explore Haarlem or the nearby beaches and dive into the local culture and museums. Before you go make sure to check out her funky website and give her FB page some love. I’m sure to pop in next time I’m visiting.

MORE INFORMATION | Hello I’m local
PHOTOGRAPHY | Anouk B with kind permission by Hello I’m local

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PLACES TO GO | HARTLEY FARM SHOP AND CAFE

6 June 2014

Hello Friday people! Today’s Place To Go is the fabulous Hartley Farm Shop and Cafe in Wiltshire near Bath. You might remember that I’ve just had a girlie weekend and this was one of the places we visited and couldn’t get enough of. Delicious food, great service, family friendly and top notch local produce. It was a winner on all fronts.

But let me give you a bit of background. The fifth generation family farm is tucked away in the most picturesque countryside in the west of England and is a great day out, especially if you have small children and like your food. Although I wasn’t with my kids I loved the recent addition of ‘Little Hartley’ – a small play area with bouncy toy cows, ride-on tractors as well as rabbits, chickens and ducks to admire close up. All nicely shaded and safely fenced in, it’s a beautifully designed space as is the farm shop and cafe with a light and airy barn extension overlooking the farm, vegetable gardens and fields.

The cafe deserves a special mention as not only did they recently win the local Bath Life Award for best cafe but the standard is truly exceptional. My eggs florentine (pictured above) was cooked to perfection, laid by free roaming happy hens who gave me a high five when I walked past.

There is an ever changing blackboard of daily specials on offer with seasonal ingredients, vegetables and meat sourced directly from the farm or as local as possible. No surprise that they’ve also been shortlisted for the ‘Best Environmentally Responsible Venue’ category in the Bath Chronicle Love to Shop awards.

The farm has got a lovely warm atmosphere and also houses a micro brewery, a florist and a resident bee keeper whose honey sells out in the blink of an eye, in addition to rearing cattle, pigs, chickens and sheep. It feels very homely and seems a well-run family business that supports the local community and sets an example of how farmers can diversify if they have the vision and drive to embrace new markets.

If you ever find yourself down that beautiful neck of the woods make sure to pop in for some locally produced groceries, a great meal or even just a descent cup of coffee with a slice of mouth-watering home made brownie – another award winner. I’m definitely coming back for brunch with family in tow and just hope I can persuade the kids to leave the ride on tractors behind when it’s time to leave.

ABOVE | Farmer/owner Tom Bowles

MORE INFORMATION | Hartley Farm Shop and Cafe
PHOTOGRAPHY | Annie Kruse

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