Paola Navone for Essent'ial | Merci Pop Up Store | Salone del Mobile

When your favourite designer and your favourite store team up in Milano at the same time you are in town for milan designweek you might call yourself lucky. After meeting Paola Navone at a party in Paris some years ago, I seem to keep bumping into her whenever I am in Paris or Milan. It was a real pleasure to have a little hug and an hello with her again when visiting the pop up store this year. Main theme was a new collection of iconic black and white and some green and red also items for essent'ial.

This year my eye caught the new designed chair 'Oblò', tucked away under the stairs. Designed by Paola Navone for Triconfort |and previously showed at M&O| This range of garden furniture consists of a table with casted aluminium legs and a textured white or grey marble surface. The chair is available in different colours. 

And as I love to combine outside furniture with my interior I'd love to add the dining chair in silver to my home. You can never have to many chairs right... now only to find if it's availble somewhere nearby.

Bad thing of these pop up stores is, you always want to bring something home. Being on a flight and not carrying the biggest suitcase I always stick with little gadgets and just only bought myself some bathroom accessories like the black marble enamel cup by Dyke and Dean and some Aesop products |can't resist them| and being on a trip to Milan always is a good excuse ;) 

More pictures in my Facebook and Pinterest album

pictures ©vosgesparis

Merci Conceptstore | Friends & Partytime

The ever changing themes at Merci make it always surprising and different when visiting. As I wrote in my last post I visited the annual party at night and it was a great occasion to meet up and have a drink with some friends ;) But of course I had to have a look at the store and make some pictures, before lunch at the cinema cafe. 

At night it was time to party with the girls and I met up with Valerie who kindly offered me a place to sleep, merci encore Val! Karine, Lau, Cez and Anna who joined us later. Nothing can beat a good night with friends and it was a real pleasure to see everyone again.

I loved this table where at night they demonstrated how to make the lamps you see in front of the wall.

Opening of Paris Designweek | Meeting VIPP in Paris & Some news for my Dutch readers |

On my last night in Paris I went to the annual Party at the Merci store for the opening of the new design season and Paris design week. See some pictures of last years party here: Merci Y Design party & Meeting Paola Navone i will sort out some more pictures from the party gang tonight

I also met one of the lovely ladies from VIPP there who I previously met in Copenhagen, when we had the great styling challenge at their flagship store. You might remember the styling we did with the new bin VIPP launched in cooperation with Concept store Merci. So of course while being at Merci I had to have a closer look as there were even more sizes to admire. 

Next to being a super cool concept store, Merci is know for the its graphic design by studio be-pôles on many of their items. Being a huge Merci fan, I have quite a collection of Merci goodies myself. This bin comes in a limited edition of 40 only! 

VIPP Online store in the Netherlands is now open! 

Good news for us who are in the Netherlands, the online shopping site www.vipp.com is now live to customers and fans throughout the Netherlands. The full Vipp product family of kitchen and bathroom accessories including the iconic Vipp pedal bin will be available to ship to anywhere in the Netherlands.

"Since 1939, Vipp has opened many new chapters in the company history. Making our high quality products available to the entire Dutch market is another important chapter in our journey that began with a single pedal bin in a small town in Denmark more than 70 years ago” says Jette Egelund, daughter of Holger Nielsen, who created the Vipp pedal.
Vipp specializes in functional tools for the kitchen and bathroom. Check them out!  

Hotel Droog at Merci | Voulez-vous coucher avec Droog

Do you know this DOH!! moments? I got one after coming back from Copenhagen! Checking my emails I found a 3 day old email from Droog Design | I participated in their online competition some time ago where you could win a night in the temporary one bed room Hotel in Merci! |

And guess what I had won! Being a fan of Droog and loving Merci to bits, you can imagine I wrote a pretty good entry to convince them I would really enjoy it! But helas it was too late to respond. Wondering how it looked I visited the Merci website and found these pictures. If you are in Paris, you can visit the Droog exibhition till June 15

pictures via Merci

MERCI MERCI | the online webshop

My all time favorite concept store Merci in Paris has opened their online web store. Of course nothing can beat a visit at the real store but it is so exciting to be able to stay updated with the shop online and I love how the website after all this years came to life.

I am loving Merci for years. And for me a visit to Paris is not complete without visiting Merci, wandering through the shop and having a drink at the old book cafe. Visit the new online website and store here: Merci le shop!

Wallpaper by NLXL for MERCI

Pictures via Merci

Noël 2012 by Paola Navone {MERCI loves Monoprix}

Paola Navone recently designed a Christmas line for French magasin Monoprix. From November 14-17 there will be a preview in a special installation at MERCI in Paris. The line consists of affordable design by Paola Navone. If you love dots and a good dose of black, white and red this is the thing for you. More pictures of this line in this Pinterest album In shops all over France from the 23rd of November.

Generation Y

One thing I love about MERCI in Paris is the use of words on paper... Everything is always nicely presented on a kind of scribbling-pad (that's how the online dictionary calls it) For the Y Design Theme, there was a huge one explaining the Y generation and their effect on today's design. I brought one home and added it on the big clipboard hanging in my bedroom... these little pieces of paper are such great souvenirs, don't you think?

Wishing you a happy weekend all and to all new people who recently joined on Facebook, twitter and Instagram ... Thank you!

And some more new things coming from Paris.... NLXL sent me a new promotion shot  made at MERCI by photographer Francis Amiand this is the pink! Brooklyn Tins wallpaper (TIN-06) 

MERCI Y Design party & Meeting Paola Navone

Visiting Paris... something I should do way more often, as it is only 3.15 minutes from Amsterdam...  is not complete without passing by concept store MERCI. Last time while being in Paris for the Maison & Objet, we did not even shopped that much but still found ourselves several times at MERCI. I think if you have the time and the right company you could easily spent half a day there...

Starting the morning with coffee and one of those amazing detox drinks at the used book cafe.. I still think the lady in white who runs the place is an amazing vibrant and happy person and I love people who can give you this kind of energy , only by their appearance! Then wandering around the store and having lunch at the cinema cafe, I just love the whole concept and the stylish design vibe the store has! ..... so yeah ;) there we were sitting in the sun in front of the store. Enjoying Paris and the people around us.

One must see this time was the new Brooklyn tile wallpaper from NLXL in collaboration with MERCI. I also made some pictures of it at the Marie Claire maison cafe at the exibition and I find it truly amazing en beautiful. And then isn't the styling just beautiful and simple. And yet a real statement.

The little red fiat 500, covered with phrases as Digital Natives and Net Generation and the decor in the store itself, such as the headphones hanging from the ceiling, was referring to the Generation Y

So was the Y Design party for the Salon and the Paris Design week. And what a great party it was! Not only was the atmosphere in the store amazing that night with the big black wall covered with phrases and the large tables in front of it ... filled with champagne. We met so many nice and inspiring people as well.

But the absolute best part of the night was when I got to meet and talk with Paola Navone. I am admiring her work and the homes she designs for years and it was so nice to finally meet her. We had a little chat and a good laugh and made some pictures together heavenly arguing the use of the camera. It did not felt like I was talking with the one person I wanted to meet for so long as we chatted along in Italian really easy... the perfect finish of a perfect day in Paris that will have a follow-up in Milan some day soon.

Maison & Objet - An impression with Rick Owens - Ethnic chic + Merci tin wallpaper at the Marie Claire Maison Cafe

The night before going to the fair we went out for dinner with my Italian friend Stefano and we made an appointment in front of MERCI As the shop was still open I went in for a quick look to see the new Brooklyn tins wallpaper NLXL designed for MERCI.

I happened to have a chat with Daniel Rozensztroch, Art Director of MERCI who was in the shop. And he showed me some pictures on his cell phone of the Marie Claire Maison Cafe he designed for Maison & Objet, where he used the Brooklin tin wallpaper in combination with a different one. So the next day the cafe was on our long list of things we wanted to see... 
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I was blown away a bit by the dark mood at the booth of Rick Owens at Maison & Objet. After all the organic shapes, the natural material and the beautiful fabrics and lines I just admired, it seemed a bit of a hard and dark world. Now as much as I am attracted to white, naturals and grays in all kind of shades. I do like a good dose of black a lot!

The unexpected conversation I had with Michele (actually she was talking to me) was kinda of funny ... she looked at me and before I could say a word she asked me if I understood how on earth 'they' could do this (pointing at our bright pink lanyards) to us woman. What else to say I agreed... as it looked a bit out of the box in their boot and on the lady herself... Loved the big table in the middle with the heavy bronze plates on it and the leather boxes a lot.

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Hall 1 said 'Ethnic chic' and at the entrance there were hanging some beautiful blankets and carpets in black and white. A man sat on the floor weaving in a traditional way... a booth from Desire Maurice Ouedraogo  Founder of SOS - Save our skills

 More Inspiration and pictures on Pinterest: Maison & Objet 2012