Blog - BLOG

(in english)

Hello all,

Sring has finally arrived and we put our boat in the water the other day so now we are ready to hit the archipelago again. Just waiting for our "sluskort" so we can pass through the lock in to malaren and onwards to malarpaviljongen. One of our most favourite hangouts in stockholm. Always a bit nervwrecking mooring first time of the season, never fun to be out of practice and 700 people watching you "f-up" and hit the dock. We have been lying on the terrace at home all day and are on our way to a swoosh cocktail party whici is very exciting. I thaught I would enclose a picture of the last party we went to and the theme was saturday night live - unfortunately we where the only ones dressed up. I particullarly like my leopard cat suit.

Have a fantastic weekend.

(swedish)

 

Våren har äntligen bemödat sig med att ankomma och vi har lagt i båten så att vi kan kajka runt i skärgården igen. Vi väntar nu bara på slusskortet så att vi kan ta oss in i mälaren och åka till vårt favorithak, mälarpaviljongen. Som alltid fruktansvärt jobbigt varje gång man ska lägga till vid deras bryga då det sitter 700 pers och bara väntar på att man ska köra rätt in i bryggan. Senare sk vi på ett cocktailpaty och det ska bli fantastiskt kul och förhoppningsvis mindre pinsamt än det förra vi var på (kolla bilden) det var ett saturday night live party och simon och jag var nog de enda som hade klätt ut oss - inte undra på at man kanske drack ett eller två glas för mycket.

 

Ha en fantastisk helg.

 

2 comments

Nu är man väl folklig på riktigt..........

Simon och jag har varit i Göteborg och gästat Lotta i Bingo Lotto soffan

och jag måste säga att det var riktigt roligt, vi fick se 2 miljonärer skapas och trots att Lottas research team hade satt ihop en del pinsamheter så var även det riktigt kul. Jag blev till och med lite spelbiten på kuppen. <lotta och bingo lotto teamet är exeptionellt proffsiga att jobba med så en stor eloge även till dem. <nu sks vi ivög och spela in 6:e programmet i den nya säsongen av sveriges fulaste hem - första programmet sänds på torsdag 20.00, vi har flyttat till torsdagar så vi hoppas ni flyttar med oss. Kolla bloggen på torsdag så berättar jag lite mer om 1:a programmet.

Tomas

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Snow snow and more snow.

We finally get out to Ljusterö and driving up the final hill to the house and have to stop as there is a car in the dyke........and it is one of the production assistants.

Because we had stopped we could not get going again and T lost his temper big time. The road was so slippery everytime we moved the car began to slide down the hill.

By that time another production assistant had managed to get another car off the road, I then fell over, T did more shouting and finally a guy with a tractor came and pulled us up the hill whilst T and I were in the middle of a very loud argument.

the sand box had a spade in it but all the salt had eaten away the metal, I picked it up and the metal bit fell off leaving me with a piece of wood.

Then the windscreen wipers stopped working.

By that point I did not really care about anything else and I am afraid I rather took it out on the poor family.

However they still got their 15 minutes of fame.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

 

S

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I really have been hopless at blogging. We have started filming again and there never really seems to be any time left over for other things.

That combined with having managed to work out how Spottify works means I am not totally addicitd to my play lists. I think yesterday I must have added about 26 days of music. It is so addictive I can not stop. I also feel like I am not a technology dinosaur any more.

Been an interesting week for us TV wise. Can not really say too much but 2 projects we have been working on for the future seem to have the green light. There is obviouly a long way to go with the details but will keep you posted.

I am jolly impressed with T having managed to write a blog AND post pictures, glad he has pulled his finger out as we say in england.

S

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Vy mot atlantsidan från vår tomt

Vår närmsta beach (2 min bort)

Bra inspiration på hur det skulle kunna se ut i vårt hus (mindre såklart)

Kolla färgen på vattnet........................

Satt och tittade på bilder från vår resa till Bequia för några veckor sedan, och med all snö och kyla vi har känns det sååååååå långt bort. Vi ska ju snart börja bygga på vår inköpta tomt och det är lite pirrigt. Håller på att göra skisser på huset som vi kan skicka till arkitekten så att han kan dra upp planritningar som funkar med orkaner och regn e t c.

Vi har en ide om att bygga ett så traditionellt hus som det bara är möjligt och det stöter på vissa problem med arkitekter och byggare, de tycker att vi är galna och sätter oss själva i en underhållsfälla........... men vi har en romantisk ide om hur ett karibiskt hus i kolonial/plantation stil ska se ut. Dessutom visste de hur man byggde förr så att man inte blir beroende av luftkonditionering. 

Allt detta innebär ett hus i trä, utan fönster med endast fänsterluckor, trägolv och ingen isolering - De flesta som bygger nuförtiden bygger i sten och det är alltid lite varning att det ser ut som en spansk hacienda med valv och allt.

Det enda vi ska bygga i betong är fundamentet som måste vara enorma vattentankar eftersom ön Bequia inte har något färskvatten så man är helt beroende av att samla regnvatten och ibland regnar det inte på flera månader.

Jag kommer inom kort lägga ut våra ritningsförslag på bloggen och hoppas att vi kan få en del hjälpfulla kommentarer från våra bloggläsare. Vi har en vild ide om att tillverka ett modulhus i sverige som vi sedan skeppar till karibien.......Undrar om termiterna gillar svenst trä ??????????

Hörs snart igen

 

Tomas & Simon

 

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Ja nu är vi i Degerfors och spelar in vårt första program för vårsäsongen, jag såklart inte avslöja något om själva programmet, men jag kan garantera att det kommer att bli underhållande. Vi har valt ut en del riktiga skräckexempel på fula hem och det är så kul att få vara utanför stockholmsregionen och se hur resten av Sverige har det.

 

Vi bor på något som heter Bruksmässen vid järnbruket och det är riktigt fint och vi blir väl omhändertagna. Ikväll ska vi alla äta middag här vilket ska bli riktigt trevligt.

Tyvärr som så många svenska småstäder så verkar pizza vara det enda restaurangutbud som finns - lite konstigt tycker jag folk måste väl vilja äta annat än pizza ibland. Det finns visst en kina restaurang och en pub men de var stängda på måndagen. Om jag inte vore en sådan inbiten storsdadsmänniska skulle jag åka runt i landet och öppna restauranger - javisst man kan servera pizza också men något annat vällagat kan man väl erbjuda också. Inredningen och belysningen på dessa pizzerior kanske borde uppdateras lite också...........................

Fast nu är vi ju inte här för att göra restauranger även om det kliar lite i fingrarna.

 

Just nu är jag på hotellrummet medan Jonny och grabbarna målar klart första rundan, ni vet "torktider" - och jag ligger i sängen och bloggar och funderar på om det faktiskt inte får vara färdigt med vinter nu. Jag är en såndär människa som alltid har fel kläder, jag borde bo någonstans där man kan glida omkring i shorts och flip flops hela dagarna, jag äger inte ens ett par långkallingar. Två veckors vinter per år räcker för mig. Fast Percy och Pooter älskar snön det verkar som om det kommer fram extra mycket gosiga dofter när snön ligger på marken, de vill inte vara inomhus alls. 

 

Som sagt ny inspelningssäsong - 10 veckor - jag måste erkänna att jag saknat det lite vi är ett bra gäng nu och alla jobbar mot samma mål att ha kul och göra bra tv.

Fast det är alltid lite pirrigt i början, vi vill ju att det ska bli bra och många av de fula hem vi hittat, tycker inte de som bor där är fula alls och vi kan ju inte alltid bara dundra in och vända helt upp och ner på deras smak (fast det gör vi ändå). Nu kom Simon just tillbaks från snabbköpet och vi ska försöka jobba på ett utkast till en bokidé vi har - varför inte ta oss an ett projekt till.....................

 

Frank - jackan jag har på mig köpte jag i London i en affär på Kings Road för sådär 7 år sedan, jag komer tyvärr inte ihåg vad den hette. Men med lite tur kommer det att finnas liknande jackor till våren hos flera butiker, jag tror den typ av mode är på väg tillbaks igen.

 

Tomas

2 comments

Now back from Bequia were I lost my computer and could not remember my PIN number.

Totally cut off from the world and I survived, very interesting how we have all come to rely so heavily on our technology. 

The island was wonderful and again mets lots of new and old friends. Very stressful coming back as there was half a meter of now at Arlanda.

Having lost the computer meant that there was no blogging and sadly Tomas is a bit hopless. Always means well but is more interested in looking at his British Airways account to see where we can travel to on airmiles.

Start filming again for 10 weeks on monday, I always think oh my god I can not think of another single idea but it usually comes with a few martinis.

S

2 comments

BEQUIA

 

Nu har jag äntligen varvat ner lite och då är det nästan dags att åka hem. Det blir alltid lite kort att åka så längt som till Karibien på bara en vecka men alternativet hade varit att inte åka alls. 

 

Det är inte utan att det varit lite nervöst, tomten vi köpt är nu röjd och vi kan på allvar se hur det kan komma att bli. Panoramautsikt åt både grenadinernas skärgård och mot solnedgången i karibiska havet.Tomten är inte alls så brant som vi befarade vilket gör det enklare att bygga när vi väl sätter igång.

 

Vi har träffat massor med kompisar här som bor på ön mer eller mindre halva året, desstuom har det varit en del svenskar här vilket är kul samtidigt som vi såklart inte vill att ön ska överösas med svenskar då Bequia är menat att vara vår lilla "hideaway". Tydligen har Jude Law varit här i 10 dagar och hela ön är hur stolt som helst. I morgon ska vi på öns årliga galaparty, vår kompis Wendy ska ha en middagsbjudning för 110 personer och temat är "glitter and sparkle" och alla viktiga personer på ön kommer att vara där, även en del celebert besök från huvudön St:Vincent. 

 

Har hört att vädret i stockholm varit lite slaskit som är som det bör denna årstid, här är det runt 27 grader både i luften och vattnet så vi har det jätteskönt coh avundas er inte alls därhemma. Igår var vi på segeltur till Mustique och spanade in några riktiga jättehus bl a Tommy Hillfiger, Mick Jagger och Bryan Adams, personligen tyckeer jag att vårt lilla pittoreska Bequia har 10 tusen gånger mer charm - inte lika flashigt men totalt genuint.

 

Vi börjar spela in nya avsnit av sveriges fukaste hem om ett par veckor så då blir det full fart igen och jag måste ge er lite förhandstips på att vi denna gång hittat hem som är värre än förra säsongen vilket vi egentligen inte trodde var möjlig men det var det. Det ska bli hur kul som helst så glöm inte att hålla utkik efter premiären.

Vi kanske behöver några objekt till så om du eller någon du känner borde känna sig träffad gå in på www.tv3.se och ansök.

 

Vi Hörs

 

Tomas

 

1 comment

NU ÄR DET JUL IGEN

 

Jag har alltid en massa delade känslor inför julen, i och med att vi har en butik så har man redan tröttnat på juldekorationer i början på december. Hemma har vi i princip inget julpynt alls förutom en massa ljus såklart. I år åt vi som vanligt lunch hos min mormor som fyller år på julafton, 87 denna gång men hon har mer energi än jag, jag bara hoppas att jag har tillräckligt av hennes gener för att vara så pigg åtminsone till 60. hennes recept är tror jag att aldrig stanna upp och känna efter utan bara köra så det ryker. 

 

Vi hade julmiddag hemma hos oss, och jag var modig nog att göra skinkan - och jag kokade den i cider (fast det talade jag inte om för kvinnorna i familjen) den blev helt fantastiskt saftig och sen glacerade jag den i fransk senap och muscovado socker. Jag vet inte hur det är i er familj men hos oss har alla kvinnor liksom patent på den bästa skinkan, godaste jansson, hemligaste köttbullarna e t c. Jag har lärt mig att aldrig släppa in dem i köket - så de liksom aldrig vet vad jag gör. De åt som bara attan så jag antar att mina kanske "moderna recept" gick hem i alla fall.

 

Nu har jag latat mig i 2 dagar och börjar nästan få luteranskt dåligt samvete för det - men i morgon är det dags att jobba lite igen, vi har fått en massa case till sveriges fulaste hem som vi ska gå igenom, ju fulare desto bättre. Ska också reda ut lite saker för vår olivolje btuik a lolivier, bl a ska jag hitta en butiksansvarig som är passionerad för mat som också kan organisera upp saker och sälja som bara attan. Så finns det någon där ute som känner att de passar in på beskrivninge kan väl höra av sig via bloggen.

 

Sen är det dags att planera vårt årliga nyårs party - 20-30 personer kommer nog och vi har kompisar från New York i år så det är extra roligt. För första gången ska jag faktiskt låta några andra hjälpa till med maten. Måttot i år är att till slut ta död på vår vardagsrumsmatta som har ett antal jättestora synliga fläckar från 10 års partajande - den som spiller första rödvinet får medalj - spiken i kistan alltså, men vad ska jag ha för matta i stället ????????? Svåra beslut.

 

Ha det bra i mellandagarna

 

 

Tomas

4 comments

This year I have decided not to buy regular presents for the family, socks, Triss Lotto, whiskey and all the other crap that people give each other.

There is nothing more miserable than trying to smile when you receive a knitted mobile phone cover with the face of Paris Hilton on it. All of this rubbish goes into drawers and cupboards and never gets used. The only people who enjoy this orgy of rubbish are the tax people who get a 25% cut for moms.

So to try and do something useful I am going to give a goat to Zambian families on behalf of the relatives.

Go into this link and see how you can, if you wish give something nicer and more useful than an egg timer in the shape of a frog on a bicycle.

http://www.gavokatalogen.barnfonden.se

Because I am rather hopeless at the technology I am not sure that you can click on the link above but it is well worth the effort.

Have a good weekend of gift shopping.

S

3 comments

Thank god the snow is finally here, people are now getting into thew shopping spirit and as a shop keeper it gladdens the heart. It also means if Percy or Pooter shit somewhere indiscreet to snow coveres it in no time.

Christmas madness has started here, everyone has had 11 months to order things and it is now they finally do.........and..........want it before christmas.

Mind you I will be one of those sad men on the day before christmas stressing at NK to try and find gift. We are lost souls who huddle together terrified we will not  find anything at all for our loved ones which is why wives and girlfriends often get hoovers or rubber gloves.

S

5 comments

I received this as an e mail this morning and was pretty horrified by the image below. It seems extraordinary that as we approach 2010  this still goes on.
We are talking about Denmark, and the contradiction is that they are currently hosting the world climate change conferance.

I received an e mail about the slaughter of whales in the Faroe Islands this morning. It is pretty grim.

Individually we can not make a differance but together we can. Please e mail this text to everyone you know if you feel as T & I do.

People talk about such things as part of the culture of the faroe island but that is no longer a good excuse.

Pilot whales  are being slaughtered in the Faroe Islands (a province of Denmark). We have spoken out against the killing of marine mammals worldwide, and we encourage you to respond to our action alert on this subject at http://getactive.PETA.org/campaign/faroe_islands_whales. Please also see http://www.seashepherd.org/editorials/editorial_080610_1.html for more information.

Please urge the prime ministers of the Faroe Islands and Denmark and the High Commissioner of the Faroe Islands to take strong positions against this cruel whale slaughter.

Please send polite comments to:

His Excellency Kaj Leo Johannsen
Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
The Prime Minister’s Office
Løgmansskrivstovan
Tinganes
FO-110 Tórshavn
P.O. Box 64
Faroe Islands
+298 351010
+298 351015 (fax)
info@tinganes.

fo

His Excellency Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister’s Office
Christiansborg
Prins Jørgens Gård 11
1218 Copenhagen K
Denmark
+45 33 92 33 00
+45 33 11 16 65 (fax)
stm@stm.dk

The Honorable Dan M. Knudsen
High Commissioner of the Faroe Islands
Amtmansbrekkan 6
FO-110 Tórshavn
P.O. Box 12
Faroe Islands
+298 351300
riomfr@fo.stm.dk

We also encourage you to contact the Danish ambassador to your country to urge him or her to speak out against killing whales. You can find contact information at http://www.embassyworld.com <http://www.embassyworld.com/> .
Another great way to alert people to cases of cruelty to animals is to send letters to the editors of local newspapers and magazines. One letter from you can educate thousands of readers at once!

It was Gandi who said if you want to say something radical dress in a suit, so abusive mails and faxes do not forward the debate but well informed public revulsion certainly does.

 

Simon

1 comment

Well it is nice to be home again from filming with Anna Anka. It has been an utterly mad week with very little to reccomend it.

I think the problem is that I simply do not get the US, you go into a restaurant to be met with the same smile and the words "Hi I am Cindy / Troy and I will be your server tonight" That might be why you are standing at the side of the table with a menu!

LA is fascinating in places but they are fairly small places, I feel that I can not get under the skin of the city which slightly leads me to believe there is not a skin to get under. You feel that everyone is pretending and playing the roles you see on television, think girls with blond hair who wants to be an actress, old man with cigar talking about scripts, middle aged woman shopping with surgery, buff guy who is or wants to be a personal trainer.

All very odd!

I never though I would say this but stockholm seems very normal and pleasant, it is not like living on some very wierd TV set.

The US is a country of malls and Westlake was no different, where were the speciality shops, miles after miles of malls with the local population shopping as though it is going out of fashion. But what are they buying, sneakers, Starbucks, leisure wear, muffins and assorted mountains of other crap. It is one crazy country.

Having written this there is probably no chance of ever getting into the place again.

Off to bed now, 9 hours of jet lag.

S

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I must confess I am looking forward to getting back to sweden.

Everything is so big, glitzy, polished, discounted, altered, buy one get one free, safter, shorter, medical insurance, Tiger Woods, McDonalds vs.Wendy burger, valet parking, shopping, malls..........that stockholm will seem like a haven of commen sense and normalcy.

 

Going through customs though will be the next nighmare to render us bad tempered and home sick.

Goodweekend to all.

S

3 comments

Now in LA which is cool.

Ordered a rental car and Tomas insisted on a Corvette convertable, only problem even with the roof down we could not fit all the luggage.......thanks god. It very much felt like a couple of old farts trying to releive or younger days.

How embarassing.

That is it from here, off to look at the design distict before driving north to film

We actually ended up with a soft top Mustang......still not really my look but at least we can get the luggage in the damned thing.

S

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Nightmare week at my age, Göteborg on wednesday and trollhättan on thursday and LA on sunday.

We are booked in to stay at Palihouse which is newly opened so quite excited to see something new.

LA actually has so many great hotel but as with everything in the US the turn over is truly amazing.

There are 2 great hotel chains in the world, forget Design Hotels of the World, they are The Viceroy Hotel Group and The Four Seasons,  both different but seriously cool, the George V in paris being one of the most extravagant.

Tonight will be large open fire, a couple of Jasmin Tea martinis and playing with the dogs, really quite silly but hate leaving them. there is nothing more glorious than always having one of the boys running around at home, another sleeping by the fire.

That is it for now, tonight feel very much like Macaroni Cheese.

S

 

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Having always not really wanted to go to China I think the time has now come.

Simply looking at the city from a design point of view the design of bars, restaurant and clubs is amazing. The energy, creativity being used to drive the city forward.

It already seems a million years since Tiananmen Square, the Cultural Revoloution and the great leap forward, some of the darkest moment inn chinese history. However it is a country on the move so it is difficult to ignore.

Today we are installing the julbord at the strand hotel and tomorrow it is down to Mölndal for a föreläsning, then to Trollhättan for an inspirations möte with clients.

There seems very little time now for packing, washing shirts etc as we are off to the US on sunday. But all this activity keeps you on your toes.

Dogs now return home every day from dagis absolutely filthy, white bed linen is cover in small muddy paws. They are too fast to catch when they come into the house and the bed is the only place they wish to be.

S

1 comment

For some reason I started thinking about bridges and slussen and wondered why we in stockholm never build anything that puts the city on the map architecturally.

We have the re-building of Slussen which is highly unexciting, we had the new Modern Museum which is terribly dull and we have all those hideous new buildings going up around Centralen...........good lord..........more glass boxes.

 

 

Stockholm is a city that needs a new iconic building and if we can not produce it with the architects we have then perhaps it is time to look else where. I am sure that the city planners do not help as they really have very little vision and from what I see looking around the city they have never travelled outside the country.

 

Friday at last, one hell of a week with rather a lot of varied activites going on, more radio interviews with Gert, Roger and Titti which was great fun. We went to their homes and gave our opinion about their design taste and it was not always glorious. Interview will be on the radio next thursday.

Today is a photo shoot for Kattis & Co, T & I must confess to rather loving Kattis who is a jolly good egg.

Off to the naparaprat now, I am sure he thinks I am old and knackered and beyond saving.........perhaps it is time to stop going just for my self esteme.

S

0 comments

 

Nu har vi spelat in lite radio och varit hemma hos några radiopersonligheter och tittat på deras bostäder. Måste säga att jag blev lite besviken, för det var inte helt illa och vi hade väntat oss riktig katastrof.

 

Vi har också som ni alla kanske vet börjat leta efter nya fula hem till en ny säsong av sveriges fulaste hem. För er som inte vågar eller vill vara med i tv kan ni alltid skicka in era bilder och funderingar till vår hemsida på snowfish.

 

Jag vill också flagga till alla som vill förnya sin säng att köpa en så kallad featherbed på mille, klicka på Mille Nottis banner så kommer ni in till deras webshop, jag lovar att det kommer att förändra era liv.

 

Har ni kört fast på julklappar så tycker jag att ni ska fundera på olivolja, en tapenade eller en riktigt fin balsamvinäger. Kom gärna in i vår butik A L´Olivier på Grev Turegatan 18 i stockholm www. alolivier.se.

 

 

Tomas

 

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I suddenly looked at the last entry and saw it was a week ago which made me feel very guilty but it has been madness in the office.

Since last I wrote we have had our design for a dog food and water bowl accepted, cocktails with the American and British ambassadors,opened a pet center, held a lecture at a furniture mässan, designed a julbord for the Strand Hotel and been to the naparaprat 3 time.

It is always the same with the run up to christmas, everyone has had 11 months to get themselves sorted out but it is 5 weeks before christmas when they finally decide.

However when I look at this light installation by the Israeli artist Ayala Serfati I do feel a little calmer.

The body of the piece is made in silk and then lit from inside. It has a room all to it'self and justly so. She also make the most extraordinary lamps which have more to do with sculpture than lighting.

That is it from this end, off to film a short film for the Osram website and then off to the US embassy for a work visa.

S

1 comment

Today was a visit to the napaprat which is truly hideous for the english. Had to take off my shirt which is the equivelant of full frontal nudity for us island dwellers.

Sucess was also achieved in persuading the Radisson Strand Hotel to allow dogs into the lobby bar. So perfect after a long walk on Skeppsholmen on Sunday with P & P and then into the bar for a warming hot choclate with brandy……and I usually have a red wine..

One thing that has changed dramatically over the last 10 years with hotels is how the public areas have been made more accessible to non guests. I remember sitting in dreary bars in restaurants empty of life and people. Some of the coolest bars I have ever been to are now situated in some of the best hotels. This one is the Blue Bar at the Berkley Hotel in London.

 

I am getting a bit tired of these super hip bars but this is utter class. You would feel out of place in pop dojor and a baseball cap here and that is how it should be, bring back elegance and sophistication I say.

That is it for today, I must go and save the curtains that the boys are currently fighting over, why is it they always find the expensive stuff to destroy.

S

1 comment

Mat mässan is now over thank goodness, 40 hours meet and greet in 3 days with gallons of olive oil sold. Have a hopelessly bad back and T tells me I am getting old. This is of course an outrageous remark. If I have to get old I will do so disgracefully.

I plan on taking up kaftan wearing when I am 70 as did Demis Russsos. For the younger readers you simply have not lived unless you have seen Demis Russos live in concert or bought a nana Muskouri 45 long player.

Monday was supposed to be a day of relaxation but eneded up with 7 meetings. Today was not going to be relaxing as I have been in Åre all day.

Tomorrw will be fun though as I have a date with the napaprat followed by a discussion about the design of bajs bags.

It really is a very varied life.

Cool evening last night as we had friends from Malmö here who have just towed a barge to stockholm to build a lighting showroom. Too much wine though.

It is very inspiring to be around people who dare to think differently.

S

2 comments

 

Things crazy in the office right now, we are working on a new dog bowl design for a company as well as another cool dog product, still under wraps.

Have been building the new cafe for mat mässan all day which has been taking up time and tomorrow we must finish this off as well as build our monter at the fair for the A'l'Olivier stand that we have selling olive oil, naturally a very stylish oil.

There is a really great vibe in the shop and it is great to work with people who bring so much creativity to the table. Design is a collaborative process and that is the most interesting part of this business.

Must go, dogs need feeding and they wait for no one, if they get mad there is usually something left in the bathroom.

S

0 comments

Great weekend, dinners, drinks and friends not to mention a lot of dog walking.

Talking of dogs, rather exciting news that the Scandic Park Hotel  allows dogs in the lounge area. So few hotels allow dogs that it is rather difficult to go out for a walk and then have a martini.

Further good news is that they have started brunch on sundays which is fun as it is a cool hotel.

Have been thinking a little bit about buying a motorbike. I think of this every summer but have never thought about doing it in the winter. Perhaps this is a sign I should get my finger out and do it.

I see myself as a Moto Guzzi type of guy or perhaps it is just mid-life crisis setting in.

If that is so it is a rather depressing thought.

S

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Wonderful to be back but I fel there was so much more of Argentina to have seen..there is always a next time.

I did not knoe that Argentina was the second largest country in S America and the 8th largest in the world but it is no where like Sao Paolo in Brazil that has a population of 20 million citizens.

Very dynamic with a glorious mixture of new and old architecture, the rythm and vibe of the place is enchanting.

Modern Argentinia is fresh and cutting edge, wonderful to be somewhere where new buildings were a source of inspiration not the same old bricks and mortar.

Next week is back to normal with the diary here at W8, mat mässan is coming up, we have designed a cafe, Osram film shoot etc etc

It is always nice to hit the ground running.

S

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Nice to be home but horrible autumn is here as it is spring in BA.

Once I have cleared my desk I will post some final impressions of BA along with more photos.......definitely a place to go back to.

S

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Just arrived back in the office after 20 hours of travel.

Already dark, piles of work on my desk, the boys happy to see us and it feels already like life is back to norma.

Always rather boring to end a wonderful trip with washing socks and knickers but life goes on.

S

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Tomas 

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It is our last night in this glorious city. I find my self just wanting to wander the streets looking at the amazing architecture, soaking up the smells and sounds which are just as important as the sights.

For me there is something extraordinary that you can smell a scent when back in Lidingö that reminds you of  a place and the memories come flooding back.

I was in Singapore 2 yeras ago after having been away for 35 years and the moment I stepped out of the airport the smell had not changed and it make all the new impressions so vivid.

Meeting the Niemeyers tonight for dinner which will be fun, terribly nice, worldly, have infact visited Göteborg a couple of years ago. A long trip from Sao Paolo.

That is it from here, next blog from Stockholm. I hope the Jack Russels remember us.

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This really was the perfect sunday, reading the papers over breakfast, no rushing and looking forward to a day of relaxation............however this is not what T & I do very well. We are like these dogs, we always need to be rushing off to do something.


This is a city with the most fabulous antique shops, If we were ever to get to design an Art Deco appartment in stockholm I would come here rather than Miami as there is so much more to be had here. The prices are also very good.

When we are travelling we are always looking out for possible new suppliers, sometimes Europe just does not cut the mustard, too expensive, too dull, too swedish. This is a company we will try and work with, art deco, modern, Dorothy Draper rolled in with Alan Moss. We are the most boring travellers in fact as T is now looking at freight charges from a half and full container to sweden. We should be by the pool.

Had to stop fur lunch at       which was great. Spoken to the owner who was french, lived in Geneva, moved here 4 years ago with 8000 dollars US in his pocket and opened this restaurant. Great food, great wine, great service.

Down in San Telmo where the antique district is there is always so much life on sundays. I think Tango can sometimes be a bit cheesy when it is for the tourists but this band made it very real. Anyone prepared to drag a piano out into the street gets my vote....and pesos. Sitting in the shadow of a huge ornate church listening to a passioAAnate tango and watching the world go by..........that is life.

Of course there was much to please the eye and this street "street statue" was great fun.

In this city you need to make sure you park correctly, the meter maid's are ferocious.

T bought a crucifix which he collects, this guy selling it was the ultimate Argentinian dude........he should have been a model for BMW.

S

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Today has been busy. No trip to Argentina ( which comes from the latin name for silver ) would be complete without a trip to the Eva Peron museum. A fascinating trip through her life from humble beginnings, to radio actress, film actress, wife of Juan peron and then Mother of the Nation.


I feel rather out of the loop so will have to go home and read a biography of someone who has done much to shape Argentina, bring welfare to the poor and eduction to the masses as well as the vote for women.

Eating in this city is simply glorious, the food is amazingly cheap but wonderful, a bottle of chablis costs 70 kr and the interior design is elegant and inventive. We have had no difficulty in finding places to eat every night that have been a total experience. last night I had lamb gigot from patagonia that was so perfect the meat melted in your mouth. Argentinian wine is also fabulous and affordable.


At home you always feel so cheap for taking something from the middle of the wine menu but here you can go straight to the top and hardly notice the cost.


Have spent much of the day in a part of the town called Palermo Soho, a really buzzing place full of life and energy, people enjoying themselves and sitting in cafes watching the world go past.

Then of course there is the hotel we are staying at. The restaurant here is quite hysterical......beyond belief. It is so close to the edge of being utterly tasteless it works perfectly. It is one of those places that makes you laugh out loud with delight. Think we need a bit of this in sweden........we should like it as there is a great deal of white with just a tiny little bit of red!

That is from here, time to change for.............dinner. As soon as the plane hits the runway at arlanda it is time for a major diet.

S

PS I found a wonderful shop for knitted dog coats for Percy and Pooter called Amor Animal. However after a moments consideration I am not sure the boys would feel terribly comfortable looking like a couple of peruvian terriers on Gärdet.

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Buenos Aires is such a varied city and we are just scraping the surface.

As in many latin American there are extremes of poverty and wealth, but also much beauty and romance.

There is also a lot of decay but in my mind it add another layer to the city.

The thing that has struck me most though is how the influences of so many european countries have remained, the spanish, the italians and the french. All architecture reflects this.


Cakes leave something to be desired.

Santiago Calatrava has designed a wonderful bridge as light as air....with Madonna and child attached.

As we walk around there are so many places the city reminds us of, South Africa, Barcelona, Lisabon...the list is endless........however we still have experienced nothing that reminds us of Norway.......not a troll in sight. However politics are very much a part of everyday life.

S

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Hur fantastiskt det än varit så känner jag att jag sett tillräkkligt med is för att klara mig många år framöver (förutom i drinken såklart). Simon skulle nog kunna fortsatt i flera veckor till - jag är dessvärre för mycket "city boy". Jag äöskar naturen men i små lagom doser.

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Yesterday was the most glorious day on lake Argentina which is 168 km long. We visited 4 glaciers each with it’s own personality, some creep and some rushed to the lake.

The colour of these colossus was just too amazing to be true, ranging from turquoise to lapis depending on the age.


This glacier might look small but was infact 70 meters tall on the front face. Before the wall met the lake another glacier met it coming in from the right. This glacier was made up of millions of tons of crushed blue ice, I have never seen anything like it.


The lake is situated in the Pietro Moreno National Park. They allow 2500 tourists in every day, sounds a lot but the place is so enourmous the only people we saw were those on the boat.




The lake is full of floating icebergs, what looks small from above water has 90% of its mass below the water. We sailed to within 100 meters of the face where you really get a sence of the scale. Over few minutes there is a sound like a rifel shot and another piece of ice falls into the water. Perhaps that is why T looks so concerned…I think he has the Titanic on his mind.



I on the other hand look fairly drunk which is not true…….I am just soaking up the atmosphere.

Amazing how the argentinian flag matches the ice, water and sky. Not a bad design job.



S

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I have to say I am totally blown away by Patagonia. It is so huge, empty, inhospitable, raw and bleak but at the same time the emptyness and constantly changing weather makes it unbelieveably beautiful.


Today we have had snow, rain, gale force winds and sunshine. I am sitting on the bed lookingh out of the panorama windows over Argantina's biggest lake and all there is to see is milky green water ( from the glacier) mountains and trees bending in the howling wind.


Enormous white clouds skid across the sky and the mountains are dusted with snow. The sun is low and all the small patches of grass have long golden shadows across the land scape.

Almost nothing grows here, farms (estancia) are thounsand of hectares to support the smallest number of animals as there is only scrub not grass.

Life is very hard in Patagonia.

Today we travelled to visit one of the very few galciers not being affected by global warming and I was not prepared for what I saw. The Moreno Glacier is 20 Km wide and 30 km deep, 70 m at its front edge and one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. To reach it you travel by boat over whaer that looks like green milk caused by the particles suspended in the water that are a result of thousands of years of this ice jugganaut crushing stone that is then deposited into the lake. The powder is so fine that it is suspended in the water giving it the milky effect.


When people say glaciers are blue they underestimate just how blue. Here were millions and millions of tons of ice that vibrated blue. Sheer jagged cliffs of ice that were crashing into the lake below creating floating blue island the size of appartment buildings.




Walking on the glacier as it groaned and heaved was truly magical. Deep bottomless cracks filled with melting water gave off the most irridescent turquoise colour against the gray, glowering snow filled sky. It is one of the most magical things I have ever seen.

The buss dropped us off in the center of town along with some very nice people we met from Brazil who were related to Oscar Niemyer who built extensively in Sao Paolo and Brasilia.

The sun is beginning to go down and the wind is tearing off the mountains. The plate glass window facing the lake is shaking and creaking under it's pressure. The shadows lengthen, the light becomes more golden and this amazing country seems ever more savage. I think I am in love.



TTFN
S

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Arrives 20 minutes ago at the hotel in patagonia, the emptyness all around is just stunning, amazing views of the lake which is blue from all the water from the glaciers.

Truly stunning. Needless to say we did not like the room we were given so changing to another one.

Flying down from Buenos Aires is 3,5 hours of desert and nothing, long dirt tracks dissapearing off into the distance with no people, no buildings, trees, Mc Donalds.

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Hola!

Nu är vi äntligen här, en riktigt lång resa - som tur är reste vi i club class på upper deck på en 747 jumbo jet. Jag bar älskar British Airways det finns fortfarande lite glamour kvar och personalen ombord är alltid fantastisk. 

Hotellet vi bor på - Faena hotel and Universe är helt fantastiskt och ligger i det gamla hamnområdet som heter Puerto Madero. Ett Philp Starck designat hotel fast lite annorlunda mot hans andra hotel världen över - rött och vitt är huvudtemat.Lite off the beaten track men vi älskar att promenera i städer och hotellet har en fantastiskt pool när man vill komma bort från det hektiska stadslivet lite. Man inser ganska snabbt hur rent och pyttelitet stockholm är.............  De har liksom inte uppfunnit avgasrening här ännu.

Alla har sagt hur billigt det är i Buenos Aires, vilket vi ska ta reda på men som ni alla vet så kostar bra hotell ungefär detsamma världen över. Igår åt vi biff (såklart) och den var fantastisk, kostade väl 1/3 av vad det skulle vara hemma så det får man väl se som billigt.

Nu ska vi ner och prova hotellfrukosten innan vi ger oss ner på stan för att utforska den första stadsdelen, recoleta, det är lördag idas så att shopping står på agendan.

Bloggar igen i kväll..........

Tjingeling 

Tomas

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I am terribly excited today as we are finally off on holiday.  We were up very late last night, first helping a client with his home followed by packing, packing and more packing. It’s always hard to decide what shoes to take for glacier climbing, personally I am a brown mocca type of guy and I am fairly certain that having a few glasses of wine slowed the whole process down.

I will be honest that since we will be on holiday the blog entries might come in a little more infrequent, but I will of course try to update you on all the happenings as well as Eva Peron’s resting place which is supposed to be glorious. If you have to go do it fabulously is my motto.

 I will force T to make an effort as well.   It is always fun to look at other people god awful homes, beef, the hideous and the gorgeous.

Off to the airport now and the sixteen hour flight to Buenos Aires. Perhaps a couple of martinis in the air might make the journey go a little faster.

S

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Well here we are again on our own website.

The idea behind this is that we can show much more of what is fabulous design and show a lot more of what is truly awful........and I can tell you there is an amazing amount of vile design out there........in everywalk of life.

T & I also think it would be fun to have a more interactive relationship with people who read our blog, we want to see people ugly homes, hopless mistakes, ghastly curtains, trolls, vitrine skåps and give people some concrete tips.

I am afraid there will obviously be  lots or rudeness, critisism, laughing and their taste, finger pointing and general humiliation. sadly this is the price to pay for good advice. Keep an eye out and we will shortly tell you how this will work.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Argentina for 2 weeks but we will absolutely keep you up to speed on who it is.

Now off home to pack and have a client comeing by the house at 2100 to see a lamp before he commits to the sale. After a couple of glasses of wine I think I can write the invoice.

Pip pip

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