This, my dear readers, is my new darling in the jewelry compartment! The bracelet bears the name Katarina and is part of a series of bracelets called Bracelets of Uttran. The designer of this beautiful and very creative re-use of old lace and scraps of silk is Ida, who is also the author of the Swedish blog Familjen i Uttran.

Inspiration to Bracelets of Uttran is derived from the tin works in traditional Sami handicrafts. In the bottom layer of the bracelet is a strip of Kevlar-canvas, that provides charter and extra power to the bracelet. Light is reflected in the sail cloth, which also highlights the gold Kevlar fibers. Bracelets are all unique, and price varies depending on the material and width. Katarina has a layer of purple Thai silk and a Designers Guild-button in patterned pale pink. It measures 17,5 x 3 cm. It arrived to me immediately upon order, beautifully wrapped!, for a price of approx. £20 including postage. The bracelets are made one by one and displayed in the Creme de la Creme- shop. I just love this design idea – I can’t think of a better use of old lace or, for that matter, a nicer way to wear it!

In its report about this Autumn’s hottest trends, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter picks up 5 strong trends: Recycling, Eco, Colourful, Clean Wood and Neoclassical. Pics of all 5 trends display a chair. Here’s my top 3, (I left out the colourful and the eco).

The Recycling trend is pretty obvious. And pretty cool. I haven’t yet started my own DIY Odd China Lamp project, but in time I will! As for chairs – it’s all about paint. Old chairs, not least pin chairs, are easily enlivened with some strokes of paint. Seat cushions can be created from old clothes, yarns, cloths, curtains, scarves, anything. All one needs to immortalize old goods is a creative mind and a skillfull hand. =)

The Clean Wood trend, in Sweden, speaks of Nordic blonde wood like birch, ash and oak. Birch bark is a personal favourite in this compartment. Like this lamp, that recently was for sale on an auction site (auction closed due to lack of interest). Birch bark handicrafts are common in Northern Sweden, and can be found at flea markets, like in this example from the blog Kurbits. A fav light-wood chair is the previously metioned mushroom-ish IKEA CARLJOHAN stool.

The Neoclassical trend asks us to dust off old family portraits and bring down those leather-bound hardcovers from the attic. Soft upholstered furniture is the key for seating, as watchwords in this trend are elegant, timeless, cozy and recognition of roots. For my new home, I’ve decided on at least one Louis Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck for Kartell. (And of course, my heart still beats for the velvet DAY sofa and what if one had place for a Chesterfield as well =))

One overriding, long-lived, chair trend that I am definitely bringing in to my new home is the odd chair mix. Examples of this pick-and-mix feature are numerous in interior design magazines and blogs. This photo is from Sköna hem:

Now speaking of chairs, make sure to visit London Design Museum’s online exhibition A Century of Chairs. The exhibition shows chairs from the late 1800s ’til today:
“Few objects tell the history of modern design as eloquently as the chair. Aesthetics trends, the emergence of new technologies, ergonomics, social and cultural developments are all reflected in the evolution of chair design.”