Monthly favorites #2
As I continue to explore the great world of Instagram, I come across amazing projects and small brands, great artisans and crafters, developing a yearning for the opportunity to know their stories and then share them with others.. This, for me, is the most exciting part of this online community, meeting likeminded people, finding in their feeds a continuous source of creativity and inspiration.
And so this month's four favorites capture everything that I love in their work. They cook, travel and create. From joyful gatherings, to table and home accessories, consciously designed and crafted, and finally to a guide of Amsterdam's hidden green places, a visual story through the narrow streets of Amsterdam.
I hope you will find joy in this collection of stories and also inspiration to organize beautiful get togethers with your friends, support local and sustainable brands and go off the beaten track in your travels. And of course, I hope that all these wonderful stories will inspire your slow & simple living.
The pure&timeless pieces handmade by Imre Bergmann
I will forever cherrish the small and simple things in life. Like a special cup for my morning coffee, a beautiful table set up, with pieces from different artisans. Enjoying lunch in a less touristic restaurant or talking to the farmers at the market. Coming across small artisans from around the world and looking to find out their story, taking the shopping experience one step forward and turning it into a life experience. This is how I discovered Imre Bergmann and her beautiful hand made ceramics.
Her design label *by Imre Bergmann is a label with pure and timeless ceramic products for your home and daily life. Her products all share a certain simplicity and minimalism and hold the principle of slow living in mind. Imre finds the ceramic process very inspiring because you never cease to learn, and each new project teaches you something new. The process really involves craftsmanship. In fact it is a continuous exploration of the possibilities of working with (raw) materials.
Imre: “People are amazed when they hear how much is involved in the production process, and how much time the whole ceramic process takes up. A ceramic product truly is slow design. You absolutely can’t be in a hurry during production. I really like this, In contrast to the hectic society that we live in and at a time when everything seems to be going faster and faster. Being fully focussed during the production process is essential. Above all this applies in the case of the production of porcelain, because porcelain is highly susceptible to distortion. I create all my designs by hand in my studio. I really love making things and to me it is wonderful to be able to work with my hands, and so to create something!”
Imre tries to create timeless products that have real value, can be cherished and really add something special to your interior and your daily life.
The visual diary of Margot @maeandmany
I begin my days with a coffee. And before the boys wake up, I catch up on my Instagram friends from other parts of the world. It gives me such a positive vibe to start my day going through wonderful images and discovering new amazing people who create a community around them, who tell a story through every photo that they share.
So...meet Margot, the lovely lady behind @maeandmany page and author of an amazing green guide to Amsterdam.
"Even though I'm freelance copywriter by profession, I’m really a storyteller at heart. Storytelling for me might take on the form of writing, photography, or creating an online platform or a physical stage to allow someone else to tell their story. I’m passionate about bringing people together, whether that’s a breakfast lecture series for the creative community (I was the host of CreativeMornings Amsterdam for three and a half years), a small monthly get together with likeminded creatives (I organise The Gatherists with friend Marieke Verdenius) or a walk through the city with a few friends I met through Instagram (I’ve been quite active on the platform for several years). Recently I’ve developed a love for greenery in urban settings, finding excuses to veer from the crowded city streets in search for hidden alleyways and gardens, botanical gardens and plant shops. I’ve collected a few of my favourite places in a green guide to Amsterdam, available now with Pathport."
In praise of natural and simple fabrics. The story of Timeless Linen.
For us, buying goods from family run businesses or small artisans creates a beautiful sense of community. And in our process towards an essentialist way of life we have tried to reduce the mass produced goods and decided to support small businesses instead. We love simple forms and natural fabrics, goods that have a homemade look and a great story behind them. And whether we buy them online or from a small shop or artisan fair, it's always a pleasure to have them in our house and to connect with their passionate creators. This is how I met Joanna from Timeless Linen.
"Linen is of timeless beauty. My love for linen was born during my early childhood. As a little girl, I looked forward to the diners held at my Polish grandmother’s house every weekend, where the entire family would come together. Surrounded by the warmth of the company and the delicious smells of the food, I was fascinated by the beautiful table linen. The elegant look, the softness and the timeless beauty. Linen was always present in my life.
But it was many years later, by then settled with my husband and children in The Hague, I went looking for linen curtains for our own home. To my big surprise, I could not find what I was looking for in The Netherlands. I found it in my home country, a small, specialized in linen company, where they could do exactly what I had in mind, producing my own creations, my own designs! My linen collection grew rapidly. Every day I enjoyed my bed linen, table runners, tea towels and curtains, and the urge to immerse myself in the world of linen and to share my love for linen grew stronger and stronger. Living abroad made me also realised how reach my home country was, with its beautiful handcraft, especially in ceramics, wood and linen. The strong need to show it and to share it in NL was constantly occupying my mind. And suddenly I knew what to do. I wanted to turn my passion into my work. Convinced of the durability and the timeless elegance of linen from my homeland, I dared to take the step to start my own business. Timeless Linen was born.
My designs are inspired by nature. The selection of colours is based on the urge to stay close to the earth tones, such as grey, brown, green. We want to keep it basic. Simple. But also the love for flowers gets a place in our collection - hand painted flowers on linen, and we are now working on something special with these fabric, to be seen in February J
Linen is both strong and soft, simple yet elegant. Timeless Linen is 'Made in Poland', something of which I am very proud. Our products are handmade in a small studio, where attention, craftsmanship, good cooperation and the highest possible quality are paramount."
A sense of community. The beautiful gatherings @Café Spontane
We are always happy to host a dinner with friends, informal, with simple dishes, good wine and music. And because these shared meals don't happen so often since we became parents, we started to look for small gatherings outside our home. First in our city and then across Europe. Honest food, a simple table set up, meeting the event's host, joining a local community for dinner...everything brings up a feeling of togetherness. And in search for such simple gatherings we came across Café Spontane and their beautiful tables that look just like in the pages of Kinfolk. Fanny and Martina wonderful beautiful culinary gatherings and I secretly wish that all my table set ups looked like theirs :) There is so much beauty in the simple and minimalistic details that they add to each setting, from the flowers to the linen napkins and, of course, their gorgeous dishes, a true celebration of the farm to table concept.
Café Spontane organizes culinary gatherings across Amsterdam. Once a month a series of dinners or brunches are held to celebrate local food and seasonal produce. Each gathering is an opportunity to bring together different people to enjoy the pleasure of a shared meal. The settings are sophisticated with an appreciation for both beauty and simplicity.
Café Spontane was founded by Fanny Olsthoorn (designer, stylist) and Martina Bianchini (chef); two friends that have known each other since their childhood. The idea for the supper club began in January 2017 as an excuse to cook and dine communally with friends. The very first editions were held at their homes in Amsterdam. Encouraged by the enthusiasm and the positive response from these dinners, they decided to develop the concept further. Since then they welcome a mixed crowd around their table. Today the gatherings take place at different venues throughout the city – a botanical garden, a glass house by the water, a creative studio – unique places that are transformed into beautiful, intimate settings.
The duo also collaborates with other inspiring individuals such as photographers, sommeliers, confectioners and other creatives, to bring together their talents. Fanny and Martina carefully source the suppliers they work with and focus on local and seasonal ingredients. The menu of Café Spontane is always vegetarian and includes honest, uncomplicated dishes. Simplicity is key.
From November 2017 Café Spontane will operate from a former caseificio (cheese factory), where Martina’s father was the first to make mozzarella cheese of Dutch buffalo milk, following a traditional Italian recipe from his hometown. From this place Fanny and Martina will work on new ideas and recipes – all out of a mutual passion for creating beauty, bringing together inspiring people and celebrating the simple pleasures of food.
The next gathering is in November. Café Spontane invites guests to get together for a cosy, intimate supper nestled in the glasshouse of the botanical garden in the business district of Amsterdam – a hidden, green oasis. Tickets are still available.