2010 Colour of the Year - Turquoise

Every year Pantone announces its Colour of the Year. The winner this year is Turquoise!

According to their press release, turquoise "evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing."

I've always been a huge fan of turquoise, whether as a wall colour or accent colour.

Below are some inspiration images I've been collecting over the years of my favourite interiors which incorporate this beautiful colour.

The above images are from fashion designer Liz Lange's home featured in House Beautiful, which was designed by the wonderful Jonathan Adler.

From the Condesa df Hotel in Mexico (above)

From the portfolio of photographer Dan Duchars (above)

Scandinavian inspiration

I could really see myself doing interior styling as a career. It is such an amazing way to combine my love of interior design, photography and magazines.

These are some images from the portfolio of Morten Holtum, a Danish photographer.

His work makes me completely nostalgic for Copenhagen. Living there, it is impossible not to fall in love with the Scandinavian design esthetic; classic pieces combined with clean lines, and strong punches of colour. The Danes brought functional, stylish design to the masses.

Royal Copenhagen dinnerware is so beautiful and timeless.

Great use of Panton chairs.

The combination of white walls and natural wood flooring is so unmistakably Scandinavian.

images by Morten Holtum

tea submarine

I'm a big tea drinker and come from a long line of kitchen gadget lovers. So when I saw this tea infuser, it was love at first sight. How cute?

My tea of choice is usually a nice green tea. Sometimes even a green tea + earl grey blend. When we were in Paris over the holidays, we bought some amazing tea from Mariage Frères. It is a green tea called Thé des Impressionnistes. It is flavoured with flowers and mild spices and is some of the best tea I have had in a while.

(via a cup of jo)

the ipad

Yesterday Apple released the much anticipated iPad. Mac junkies (myself included) have been following the blogs and rumours for months and were not disappointed!

The 8 minute video was inspiring, as only an apple video can be.

I instinctively sent the link to friends and family: "look at the future!"

As an interior designer, we are taught to constantly think about who is using the space we are designing. How does it function? How will the users experience the space? This is true, in some capacity, in any design process, whether it be graphic design or industrial design. Form follows function. This is the reason I believe Apple is so successful. Yes, the products look cool and Apple has great marketing but there is more to it. They make their products so intuitive that most people can use the product right out of the box. This is true with the new iPad as well, anyone who has ever used a macbook or iphone will know instinctively how to use it yet the product is so different from anything else in the industry.

I can't wait to see them in stores soon!

image by apple

the recipe

So I'm embarrassed to admit that before this year, I did not own a copy of Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

The first recipe I tried was her soft boiled egg recipe (or "Oeufs Mollets"). I know this sounds a little nerdy, but I wanted a method that was consistent, despite variable factors such as number of eggs, amount of water or type of stove used.

Tried and true, here is it:

Lower the eggs into the boiling water and boil slowly according to the following table, adding one minute if the eggs are chilled

(* note: her recipe calls for 6 eggs in 2 quarts of boiling water but I've used as little as one egg and the method still works flawlessly!)

US large eggs - 6 minutes

extra large eggs - 6.5 minutes

jumbo eggs - 7 minutes

As soon as the time is up, drain off the boiling water and run cold water into the pan for one minute to set the white and to cool the eggs enough to remove the shells.

Enjoy!

When we were living in Copenhagen this year, we purchased these amazing egg cups designed by Muuto! Only in Scandinavia can they make eating eggs look so stylish!

image by Muuto

a start

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I struggled for years to perfect the soft boiled egg (which for me means the yolk is not too runny but the white is sufficiently cooked.) Many attempts and breakfasts with less than adequate eggs later, it was Julia Child who finally had the secret (obviously!).

I've been following blogs for years and decided it was time to contribute something myself.

A place to share the recipe for the perfect soft boiled egg as well as things that inspire me as a young designer.