Issy Miyake 132 5 + Gatherings – Design Museum Visit Part 2

• • Inspiring • No Comment

Yesterday I shared my trip to the Design Museum Holon and how it had me inspired with it’s architecture. Today I take you inside the museum, into it’s two exhibition rooms on Gatherings. Like many of us, I can be inspired by things. But in this case, it was the experience of things, in the museum space, that inspired me. I hope they inspire you too…

issy miyake 132 5

If you’ve followed this blog and us on instagram for a while, you’ll know I am fond of folded things, knitted things and geometric things. Artists like Mika Barr and Jacqui Fink (whose has incidentally just opened her online store) to name a few. So imagine my delight to discover that the exhibition in the design museum was essentially on that.

Let’s following the buildings curves upward into a darkened room featuring “Gatherings”. While I can’t say all the elements – furniture and lighting – were my thing, I can happily say that several, the knitted lamps, pictured above, and the folded chair on the right, below, made me happy. Yes, happy.

gathering exhibit design museum holon by apartment diet

Downstairs however, was for me the biggest surprise and delight.

issy miyake 132 5 gaterhings design musuem apartmentdiet

I admit to being mildly interested in fashion. I admit to being swayed by trends. I admit to wearing a lot of black. I admit to having always liked Issey Miyake clothing. Even back in the day when a friend worked in his gorgeous little store in Paddington, Sydney.

But here, downstairs, Issy Miyake took me back to geometry.

To lovely folded genius of clothes. And to…

issy miyake 132 5 design museum apartment diet

…polyesther. (Did you think I was going to say origami? ;)

For the first time ever I also considered I would wear polyesther daily. If it meant I could wear this. (I have nothing against polyesther per say, but I do come from a hot country and live in one. Polyesther doesn’t breathe like cotton. Enough said).

This collection. Issey Miyake 132 5. It’s a commentary on the future of fashion. On things designed to last.

Maybe it’s been done before. I don’t care. There in the darkened room I wanted to wear every single piece of clothing.

issy miyake folded clothing 132 5 apartment diet

And for one extra delight. Those folded objects underneath the clothes being modeled is the clothing. Every piece is made of one folded painted piece. Mathematically calculated. With very few stitches. He considers it more industrial design than fashion. Which is probably why I like it. It’s form and function.

It was beautiful. Mathematically beautiful. And it was made to last.

Issey Miyake. You are a genius.

(Can you tell I had a good time?)

What do you think – do they inspire you too?

Join Me On A Trip To The Design Museum (Part 1)

• • Interiors • No Comment

design museum holon photo by apartment diet

Some buildings just make me happy. This is one of them.

Happy Wednesday / Hump Day! My parents are in town and that means re-exploring the city, and heading outside Tel Aviv’s bounds…and where did that lead us?

The Design Museum in Holon.

Designed by Ron Arad the building is frankly, spectacular. But it’s also somehow, quiet and human scale. And while the exhibition spaces inside it are small, I forgot how fun it is simply to sit and enjoy a lovely well designed space.

design museum holon bench photo by apartment diet

I love how the light works. These are NOT adjusted photos. I took them with my iphone. It looks like this.

I’m obsessed with the custom benches that are pretty AND comfortable. And I especially loved how the center of the building was, for the most part, empty (except for the said benches).

On one hand it’s a very ‘heavy’ space, especially given it’s a steel and concrete structure. But something about the curves, and the light and the empty center, makes it almost light.

I must admit it also opened my eyes up to Issy Miyake and what he’s doing and thinking about the future of fashion. And there was a lovely exhibition on “gathering” with interesting furniture and lighting. But I’ll save that for a second blogpost tomorrow.

For now, I just wanted to share the building, and see if it inspires you too.

What do you think?

– natalie

 

Friday Faves: DIY Geometric Floors, Ikea Hacks + Mmmmm

• • Courses, Inspiring • No Comment

…And suddenly it’s the weekend again!

What are you doing? Tip and I are going to be hanging with family and friends over food (and coffee!). We’re also giving our heads a break after a busy week filled with the excitement of releasing our ecourse to the world “5 weeks to a Happy Home and cooking up more courses and plans for 2015. Hope you have a lovely weekend – and these links give you a lovely dose of inspiration, too!

xo Nat (& Tip)

And just in case those links weren’t enough…

PS If you’re looking to get your home into shape and a less stressful holiday period having guests round, our “5 Weeks To a Happy Home” online course may just be what you need. We help you say bye bye to overwhelm, bye bye piles. Learn more here.

Happy October, Happy Home & Our Happy LAUNCH!

• • Courses, Happy House Rules • No Comment

1.OG: Treppenhaus

Aahhhhhh it’s October!

This week brought a new month and it also had us working crazy hard to launch something exciting!!!!!! (Yes, really this is how many exclaimation marks of excitement we feel!)

Happy Home – The eCourse is now LIVE

An interactive online course that shows you how to create a home that has your personality stamped all over it. With ease.

You’ve asked us and we’ve listened. Some people don’t want one-on-one sessions, or even a course over a set time.

So, as part of our mission to help you change, shed, purge, restart and reinvent, we’ve rolled up our sleeves and created the first of a series of fully-online, go at your own pace, fabulous eCourses: 5 Weeks To A Happy Home.

And, we’re asking all those in our community (that’s you dear lovely readers) to share this course with your nearest and dearest.

Read ALL about it here.

 

More Happy.
And because it’s Friday we can’t let you down on the inspiration + smile side. So here’s some things from the internets that made us happy this week! Hope they make you happy too!

 xo Nat + Tip

 

Scheduled Maintenance: I Invite You To Join Me In A Little Rest

• • Happy House Rules • 2 Comments

Sometimes, we are all flowing and other times we’re exhausted.

We can keep pushing up-against it. Or we can prioritize ourselves.

One minute Tip and I are releasing one of our happy house rules every week, on Monday. I’m pumped and focused on our work. Explaining our work. Learning about our new work. And suddenly, yesterday, Monday, I couldn’t.

I wrote several drafts. But my head was too full. My body too tired.

So, I took a break. I did a yoga class. I tried again. Still too tired. So I went to bed early.

I let Tip know. And I’m letting you know. I have some commitments to clients I finished this morning. But otherwise,

I’m off for the rest of the week.

solo by max wanger

I know there are going to be some of you who explain how you can’t, how ‘it’s OK for you’ and all that.

Perhaps you’re right.

But who exactly is telling you you can’t. Is it really true? Or is it a rule you assume. Are you aiming for martyrdom? By all means, I won’t stop you.

But that’s not me. Certainly not where I’m at. And for those who like a bit of science to go by with my ‘crazy’ ideas.

Rest is an essential law of nature – growth happens after rest.

First rest, then growth.

What’s the one line everyone in tech support asks you when something isn’t working

“did you turn it off and restart it?”

First rest, then a lot of things start working again.

morning dip by max wanger

So next time it feels too much, I invite you to try it.

Well before the breakdown. When you see the early signs. Take a seat. Carve out a pocket of time for yourself. Go for walk. Leave the office. Don’t even explain. Go to bed early. Ask you partner to wake up with the kids.

Whatever it is, rest.

Even if it means you have to schedule it in. Even if it means you have to ask someone for help or feel vulnerable. Needing rest is not a failure.

float by max wanger

 

Happy Equinox, Happy Jewish New Year, …Happy joyous floating rest,

xnat

PS If you take some time this week or weekend, would love to know how it went in the comments. I’ll let you know about mine next week.

image source

Friday Faves: Ahhh It’s Almost Weekend

• • Inspiring, Interiors • No Comment

dive to the whirlpool

It’s been a week about light and lightness, so we thought we’d skip our little chat and invite you to take a lovely deep inhale and exhale.

Because hey, it’s almost the weekend!

xoTip + Nat

PS Don’t worry, we’re still sharing our favourite finds internet – check them out below.

norwegian house produces twice energy it uses

popcorn salad Roy Choi’s Furikake Kettle Corn joythebaker

Some fun:

kitchen makeover copper and mint

Some science:

eye maison derriere

Some trends:

On Living Lighter

• • Happy House Rules, Lighting • No Comment

light curtains pella hedeby

How can you add lightness?

How can you let the light into your homes, bodies and lives?

We’ve been exploring living lighter this week, so today I’m ruminating on light, lighting and lightness.

As I tend to live in my head, I’m currently playing with sharing visuals and simpler words.

Below are some of my answers. Perhaps they resonate with some of yours, too.

 

bathroom mirror via anna gillar se

round kitchen table light

copper pendant living room

dark interior great lighting

go to the beach water

neon lighting art

moonlight art

salad nicoisse

conservatory greenhouse

string lighting hammock

white scandinavian store

 

floating light wood stairs

magical table setting

sacred empty space

How can we add light and be lighter in our homes and lives?

Some possible answers in words:

  • lighter materials; see-through materials, lighter colours and textiles.
  • reflective surfaces: mirrors, high gloss paint, glass
  • lighting: different warmth light-bulbs, change out light fixtures. Use up lights, down lights, ceiling lights, pendant lights, floor lamps, side lamps, string lighting.
  • light candles; light a fire.
  • lighter furniture
  • empty spaces
  • meditation
  • taking breaks
  • open and add windows, knock through walls, add skylights, add a conservatory or greenhouse
  • eat food that make us feel good, make happy memories in our homes
  • invite happy people over or people who make us laugh
  • add objects or art that make us laugh
  • filling our homes, bodies and lives with people and things + empty spaces that let us breathe and shine

 

there's a crack in everything quote leonard cohen

 

Images:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5/ 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10/ 11 / 12 / 13 / 14

Friday Faves: Some Light, Bright & Fun For The Weekend

• • Interiors • No Comment

Hey lovelies,

Somehow a second week of September has flown by and we’re celebrating! Tip’s well into her #sugarfreeseptemer – and lost weight, too! Nat had a curious thing happen. She went to ride her bike to the café, but realised she was actually more excited to ride her bike than about the café! She’s doing a little happy dance that finally her new habit has become automatic (and even fun!)…Yup, Nat’s a gal who’s started to like riding a bike! (She’s still in a little bit of shock about it too.) What new habit do you want to create that will make you feel happier and lighter?

bananas-by-Léa-Maupetit

We’re on the hunt for a new name

Shocked? Yes, we were too, but hey, we do practice what we preach…you notice you’re at a turning point…you can ignore or it or you can say OK, let’s turn, let’s ask for help, let’s do this with ease and grace if we can! It’s been coming for a while now…we realised we have outgrown what we started out doing. And while “Apartment Diet” will likely be the name of what we hope to be a very profitable ecourse / decluttering / downsizing / get lighter type services, what we do and who we are for our clients is now bigger than that. Two things that keep coming up are that we help people move (move on, move homes literally, change careers/exit planning) and lighten the load (the literal and subconscious weight that comes with things hanging over our heads and in our homes and bodies). We’ve been asking past clients and the universe and are also happy for you to weigh in. Drop us a comment or email us.

This week’s inspiration is designed to give you a visual and mental break from the images of fashion week, Maison & Object (bucket list: we’re there next year!), Kate Middleton or whatever else you’ve been bombarded with…and share some lovely gems from the internets.

Have a light, bright ans FUN weekend,

xo Tip + Nat

nectarandstone melbourne

DIY honeycomb table runner

top pins of the week:

polka dot wallpaper

…zebra hug to you all

Rugs, Rugs, Rugs: A Visual Feast

• • Happy House Rules, Inspiring, Interiors • No Comment

rugs on wallsTip spoke about rugs in our homes as this week’s #happyhouserule on Monday.

Today we’re trying something different – sharing a visual feast to illustrate this rug rule and inspire you in adding a rug/s to your home.

bedroom rug

layered aztec rugs

cowhide rug emily henderson

textured rug

 

bright round rug

 

The Animal Print Shop by Sharon Montrose

ikea rug kidsroom cool wallpaper

kitchen runner rug

cowhide rugs

So, …does this make you think about having a rug?

images: featured / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 /5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 /10

rug trends: overdyed persian rugs; layering rugs; cowhides and skins; hanging rugs on walls – part of a lovely larger weaving/loom/textile trend we are seeing going on like here…

Friday Favs: Change, New Seasons + RIP Joan

• • Courses, Inspiring, Interiors • No Comment

truth quote

Hey lovely folks,

It was a fast week for us with #backtoschool for our kids and Tip (lecturing at university)…and we’re also starting September with a more focused and excited front on Apartment Diet, the business.

The seasons are shifting and this week Nat reflected on our happy house rule: accepting “change is the only constant”. She adds, “I realised after writing it that I have a lot of work to do around letting go of control”.

We all have our own work to do on our homes, bodies, work and lives. And we practice what we preach, because we DO ask for help. We don’t do it alone. (Yes, of course it’s possible to do it alone, but that’s usually how we get stuck and slow ourselves down. “Ask for help” is also a big happy house rule for us.) …so when is a good time do this type of work? Well, RIGHT NOW is one of the perfect moments – as the seasons change so do we (naturally with the things we choose to do, our homes, our wardrobe etc BUT it’s also a great time to change some other things while we’re at it).

So Nat’s working on letting go of control a bit more and Tip has started her #sugarfreeseptember but what we really want to get back to is YOU:

If you’ve been in denial / are avoiding, or simply running on full in some spheres (like work, stress, exhaustion) and empty in others (creativity, inspiration, rest) and want to address this, we have 6 one-on-one coaching spots left for September and 6 for October. Alternatively, why not can pre-enrol in our eCourse end do the process yourself, in your own time, online.

Working with women (of course we also work with men, just less often it would appear), to create homes and lives they love, is what we do! We know how to guide you to make those shifts. And there is never a better time to start than now!

While everyone comes into our sessions with different goals, examples of the challenges we have helped resolve are:

  • all the responsibility (home and / or breadwinning) is all on you (no work-life balance)
  • home is too full and you don’t know where to start
  • moving / down-sizing
  • never felt at home and don’t ever invite guests around
  • merging of things: moving in with a new boyfriend/partner OR separating from a partner and letting go to start afresh
  • renovating and struggling with decisions
  • styling your space to sell / rent

For one-on-one coaching: Each package is 5 sessions over 5 weeks and costs $349. Like when you go to a personal trainer, the first session is powerful but usually we need regular guidance to make it stick, to get your home and life into the shape, so 5 weeks is the key to making new habits stick.

If committing to 5 sessions feels like too much, no problem. We offer a ‘dip your toe in’ $99 session where we help you find a corner of relief. And if you choose to continue, you pay $249 for the remaining other 4 sessions. Or you can pre-pay $97 and one of the first to join our tried-and-tested eCourse that will be going fully online, for you to follow our 5 weeks to creating a happy house process in your own time:

Work with us to create a home and life you love.

And now…enjoy these lovely links to take you into what we hope is a wonderful weekend,

xoTip + Nat

“Listen, I wish I could tell you it gets better, but it doesn’t get better. You get better. ” –  Joan Rivers
RIP Joan rivers – thanks for reminding us to say it like it is (though Tip would add “be honest but make it come from a place of love”)
scandinavian apartment love

the proper way to set a table – visualized

kids room rope ladder

every kids room needs a rope ladder (or any room really)

diy safari gift tags (below)

diy safari gift tags

some genius invented “brookies” (brownie – cookies)

smashed potatoes

amazing textile wall hanging
Trend alert (well it’s been going on for a little while now but we still love it, especially if it’s Jacqui Fink’s knitting!): rugs on walls: above + here
This home improvement ad (video) – aaawww. Even though it’s an ad, it’s definitely an example of how changing your space can change your life

Happy weekend!

PS If you are still intrigued by our coaching offer for you email us and our VA Elizabeth will answer your questions and schedule you in.

If you know someone who you think would love our services, we’d love you to pass on our details, too. And yes, you can always gift us to someone!