Les Jardins d’Étretat

May 3, 2019April 30, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Les Jardins d’Étretat is a magic place which, as if by the wave of the hand, has appeared at Falaise d’Amont cliffe, at Seine Maritine. These gardens enjoy spectacular views over the ancient town and one of the world’s most beautiful cliffs, Falaise d’Aval, with its famous L’Aiguille gushing from the ocean. The gardens and the villa were founded more than a hundred years ago by Madame Thébault, a famous actress at the beginning of the 20th century. Inspired by the ideas of Claude Monet, who lived in Étretat for some time and was a keen gardener, she decided to create her own, gorgeous garden. Today, The Gardens are a venue for permanent and transitory exhibtions by international artists. Works of Samuel Salcedo (the brilliant faces placed in Le Jardin Émotions), Wiktor Szostało and Sergey Catran are here, among many others. If you’re in Normandy by car, you can’t miss this charming place.

Photos by Edward Kanarecki.

Bordallo Pinheiro Garden

April 20, 2018April 20, 2018 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s a small garden, or rather a well-hidden oasis in the heart of Lisbon, where the amazing giant porcelain creations of the 19th-century artist Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro bask in the sun. Scattered amongst the trees, bushes and live peacocks, you will be surprised to find the oversized snakes, lizards, bees, frogs, lobsters, mushrooms and cats all over the jardin. Honestly, I was quite shocked that nobody really knows about the existence of this place (I’m more than grateful to this Purple Travel post that I’ve found few weeks ago!). At least, you can walk around the garden all alone, in silence. It was the last point of my spring holidays, but one of the most magical.

Campo Grande 245 / Lisbon

SONY DSC

Alaia in Paris

July 3, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

The first place I visited in Paris was the brand new Alaia boutique which welcomed me with a beautiful view, full of green serenity. Monsieur Azzedine opened his outdoor patio! And this means, that the summer in Paris has officially started (having in mind its 40 deegrees today). Also, it is possible to have a cup of coffee while searching for sale treasures. Referring to himself as a ‘builder’ rather than a fashion designer and known as the King of Cling, the Tunisian-born designer’s seductive creations are favourites of Parisians.

Rue de Marignan 5 / Paris

HC: In The Garden. Chanel SS15

January 31, 2015 | Design & Culture by Ed

Am I the only one who thinks Karl Lagerfeld starts to be boring? This haute couture collection feels so… without life. The models were all dressed up as gardener wives, wearing ugly, anti-couture boots, widow straw hats and strange silhouettes, which are totally not eye-catchy. Definitely, if not the high retail of bags and cosmetics, the brand would feel some crisis. He claimed the show came to him in an electronic flash. “One morning in bed, I saw it in a second.” Or maybe he had a peek at the archives? SS10? Ring a bell? Same theme – cute dresses and a garden. But, then, the dresses were really cute.

This is Paper

November 1, 2014July 18, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

I am constantly discovering new Polish brands which create and produce unique, innovative and beautiful pieces of daily use. This time, I met the Warsaw-based label THIS IS PAPER, which first started with 100% ecologically-made bags and rucksacks, and now is all based on very various items. From knitwear to garden tools and from “raw” homeware to printed magazines, the brand keeps it’s fresh, but simple, high quality level. They create objects which are lasting, keep on being sustainable and well-designed. Launched in 2013 by Aleksander and Zuzanna, the project values timeless over trendy, plain over fancy and less over more. In response to that, THIS IS PAPER decided to curate an online collection of objects that they would be proud to own, designing and collecting items which are made from natural resources. Some of the products they source are from manufacturers and craftsmen in Poland. Others are designed and manufactured by their studio itself, by hand, at THIS IS PAPER Warsaw studio. All of them are made with respect for the Earth’s scarce resources and little concern for passing trends. More on thisispapershop.com

And here are my favourite objects from their appealing on-line store…