Street graphics - Hamburg

Seen on the streets of Hamburg.

Clubmaster

 Eye-catching

Lack of windows

Japan's oldest tea caddy maker - Kaikado

Kaikado [開化堂] has been making quality Japanese tea caddies since 1875. The first tea caddies were made in tin and today they are offered in copper and brass as well. As they age the metal will change colour which makes them a nice item to keep. Combined with the timeless design the tea caddies will probably be one of the longest lasting items in the kitchen.

Image: kaikado.jp

Aging stages of the three materials. Image: kaikado.jp

Image: kaikado.jp

Image: kaikado.jp

Steamed egg with blue mussels

For this dinner we planned to serve blue mussels raw. They didn't look very appetizing after taking them out of the shells. What we came up with was to steam it with egg. I have once before steamed egg with dried shrimps which was a nice combination, so a different seafood ingredient like blue mussel couldn't be too wrong. Other than blue mussels, chives and dashi stock was added to the egg before putting it into the steamer. The result was far better than imagined. More water or stock could have been added for more tender texture though.

Finished, steamed egg with blue mussels

Patrick Demarchelier

The French photographer Patrick Demarchelier is primarily working within advertising and fashion. Some of his interesting pieces however are less commercial. It is true that many good photographs are created without any large budget supporting it but I believe that the extra lighting and equipment brings a picture closer to what's in the photographer's mind, especially when it comes to art/studio photography. Here are some photos by Demarchelier I like.

Christy Turlington, Vogue UK 1992. Image: toutpourlesfemmes.com

Nadja & Cecelia. Miami 1993. Image: demarchelier.net

Elephant. New York 1991. Image: demarchelier.net

Nadja. New York 1995. Image: demarchelier.net

Erin O'Connor 1998. Image: demarchelier.net

Robert Altman. New York 1994. Image: demarchelier.net

Furniture designer Bae Se-Hwa

The international furniture fair in Milan, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, just launched today. Being the largest furniture fair in the world most furniture designers worth knowing of are probably present. 1000 some exhibitors from last year were Italian while only 290 foreign were represented. With that said I found an interesting South Korean furniture designer Bae Se-Hwa last week. Most of his products are made of wood with soft lines and curves. It's always fun to see things from countries that are not often mentioned, in this case South Korea.

Image: sehwabae.com

Image: sehwabae.com

Image: sehwabae.com

Passages, Stockholm

Photos of mid-April Stockholm. I was a bit lucky with weather this Sunday afternoon. There are many reasons to spend a weekend in Stockholm but a wind-down walk in Gamla stan before catching the train is a good way to end it. 

Gamla stan, Stockholm

One of many narrow streets in Gamla stan, Stockholm

Restaurant in Gamla stan, Stockholm

Langoustine sashimi

Langoustine tails

Sashimi is a good solution if you don't know how to prepare a certain dish. It save a lot of time preparing. The original fresh flavour is preserved as well. Unless it's a tried recipe expensive seafood is wasted if not done properly. Langoustine sashimi has a light round flavour. For this meal we dipped it with soy sauce and wasabi, simple and good.

Langoustine sashimi

The shells were used to cook soup base for udon noodles and the claw meat.

Powder wasabi

 Powder wasabi mixed with water

"La mode et la musique, c'est identique"

SomethingALaMode, a French electro-duo, combines classical with electro in an interesting way. I discovered this group in the Chanel Cruise 2010 show where they played this song. Other good pieces are Little Bit of Feel Good and 5 AM. If baroque or renaissance influences can be seen in contemporary fashion, why not in music.

Focus on interior lighting

New York Bar, Park Hyatt Tokyo. Image: Flickr.

I recently watched Lost in Translation again and thought about what gives it the cozy ambience. It feels like the pace of the movie resets each time Bob and Charlotte returns to the hotel (Park Hyatt) after their eventful experiences of Tokyo city. So it must be the hotel. At least it's a vital part of the explanation. The interior design in Park Hyatt Tokyo is the work of John Morford. In a recent interview with Monocle he expresses that lighting is very important in interior design and therefore also his first element of focus in every project. 

Staircase, Park Hyatt Tokyo. Image: Flickr.

Library, Park Hyatt Tokyo. Image: Flickr.

Thinking about it lighting affects everything from small objects to furniture in a room. It also affects the mood in a way that other elements don't. Next time I re-organize a room, lighting first.

New York Bar, Park Hyatt Tokyo. Image: Flickr.