The Aesthetics issue by Lamų slėnis

EDITOR’S LETTER

Inspired by the ever-changing world of magazines, newspapers, blogs, and other modern creative ways of transmitting news and inspiring stories, I decided to write this short essay. Hoping it will help me in my search for a proper answer to the question that, as a start-up magazine, we hear every day: what’s your uniqueness? We started publishing Llamas’ Valley when there were only a few online design and lifestyle magazines out there, in the virtual space. The new era was just about to start. And it felt really good to be among the pioneers in this exciting journey. After a while, “Wired” issued the ever first interactive iPad magazine. It was something awesome, a magazine that you can play with, a magazine that makes you curious, a magazine with so many new possibilities, features and hidden secrets that you couldn’t stop wondering: where are the limits of publishing now? We were simply obsessed with the idea of an interactive magazine. We strongly believed that was our chance, an opportunity not to be missed. So we launched a startup and became “people in business”. Although, to be honest, we knew nothing about doing business. All we had done before was creative work in the publishing industry. Thus, being a start-up was something we hadn’t experienced and therefore seemed

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so attractive. I’m almost sure that it was the fire burning in our eyes that made the first investor believe in us. And so we published the interactive design magazine for iPad users. We were amongst the first ones again. At that moment I knew it was “something”. Being named the second best Women’s lifestyle magazine at the 2013 Digital Magazine Awards proved it. Soon, many of the big names started issuing their own interactive versions. And me, I faced the dilemma of our uniqueness once again. Being an independent publisher (and a small one), it remains the main question of our life. We’re not trying to compete with the big fish. We’re just looking for ways of making you, our readers, curious and inspired. We’re trying to find the most beautiful and unique sides of our simple life, something that exists right next to us but we rarely notice it. We’re trying to create something more unexpected than glossy, something more tasty than expensive, something more innovative than high-end, something that drives our everyday life towards our dreams. What have I learned from being a start-upper? To say that it’s a never-ending struggle for survival would be saying nothing. I’ve learned that being a bit hungry for success and fame may lead you to creating a bit better stories for your readers. When you don’t have to chase those high-end standards like the big, famo-

us — and sometimes a bit stagnant — glossy magazines, you have more freedom to create something really unique, something that will inspire others for a better life. I’ve also learned that you shouldn’t waste time waiting just one more day when you think you have a brilliant idea. Ideas are floating in the air these days. And if you don’t make it happen, someone else might catch it just the next moment. So simply start. No matter how. Even if the only thing you possess is the idea itself. You’ll see, it will find its backers eventually. Just don’t let it float away. If you want to be unique, you have to react. That is another truth I’ve learned. You have to react to changes every day. And be ready for change. Being ready to give up on your previous brilliant idea and look for a new one is quite tough, but important. Today, the world of news and publishing is probably the fastest changing world of all, it evolves so fast that you really have no time to think, and all you can do is trust your instincts and your imagination. I could tell you another story about the things I’ve learned from being a start-upper and a mum at the same time. But let’s leave it for the next essay. Right now I have to finish this one while my kid is finishing his fried potatoes at an open-air café. Because I had no time to prepare something more sophisticated for him at home. Let’s just call this lunch unique! Enjoy the read!

Elas Ram

Art director, interactive design Instagram: @elas_ram

Maria Cavali Photographer

ALGE RAM

Nadia Gric

Editor-in-chief

Photographer

http://nadiagric.com/

Milda Bendoraityte Photographer

INDRE BLAUZDZIUNAITE

TIM ADAMI

Author

Photographer

facebook

KAMILE GZIBOVSKYTE Author

LAURA ERDEM

LINA GAVENAITE

Author

Photographer

OLGA LEMPERT Proof editor

Alvita Daukantaite Photographer

“De culinaire werkplaats” a journey on a plate With and without the fashion veil

Internet or lots of chocolate

CONTENT Eat feel love

Igor’s safe heaven 4

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A journey on a plate

“De culinaire werkplaats” is an Amsterdam-based design studio offering a freshly new approach to what’s happening on your plate. It is linked to the very personal story of its founders, Marjolein Wintjes and Eric Meursing, and their struggle for inspirational food connections, contemporary dishes, bites, delicacies, new foods, and new ways to eat.

Text: Alge Ram Photography: Maria Cavali and courtesy of “De culinaire werkplaats”

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- Marjolein, you and Eric came from different backgrounds and ended up creating little magic together at “De culinaire werkplaats”. What is the story behind it? - The story behind “De culinaire werkplaats” is a very personal story. We changed our personal lifestyles in 2002. One of our favorite hobbies, going out for dinner, turned into a struggle all of a sudden, as our perspective on food and taste had shifted. Most of the time the protein component is the star of the meal, while vegetables are reduced to artistic dots on your plate. We prefer having lots of tasty, well seasoned vegetables on our plate. In our view, most meals are out of balance. At that time we experienced that vegetables, fruits and grains (the vegetal components of a dish) were neglected, and their importance and versatility overlooked. Also, most outdoor or take away meals are far too salty, too sweet or too fatty.

The moment came that we decided to become ambassadors for the neglected ingredients and tastes and share with the world how interesting cooking and eating with vegetal ingredients can be. It is all about health, sustainability and animal welfare. We travelled a lot and learned a lot about food, developed a concept, and step by step “De culinaire werkplaats” became what it is today: a design studio for contemporary food concepts, food narratives and eat’inspirations at the cutting edge of food, design and art. A place where Eric and I bring together all of our skills, talents and experience. - I guess this place could also be called a design restaurant, an artistic studio, and a concept store, right? - We are food conceptualists. “De culinaire werkplaats” is primarily a design studio for contemporary food & beverage concepts, food narratives and eat’inspirations. Llamas' valley

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Our “restaurant” section, which is only open on Fridays and Saturdays, compels our design studio to search for new tastes, new textures, new food pairings, and new ways to eat. We select a theme every 6 to 8 weeks, an inspirational source, and translate it into a socalled eat’inspiration, a themed edible journey in 5 dishes. We like our guests to very playfully rethink what’s happening on their personal plates. “De culinaire werkplaats” is not a restaurant in the traditional sense of the word, as we feel as more of a design studio and less restaurateurs. So we have changed several of the restaurant routines, also to create more awareness. The other days of the week we are designing food & beverage concepts for third parties

and hosting groups that visit our venue for a tailor-made eat’inspiration. At this very moment we are developing a brand new food art concept, which we will be launching in the coming months. We are location hunting right now. - Where do you look for inspiration for your fresh eat’inspirations? - Most of the time we do not have to look for inspiration, as we always have far too many ideas. But to keep ourselves fresh we like visiting museums and art galleries, strolling through the city, or reading a book that is not about food. In other words, we like to expose ourselves to other opinions and perspectives to keep an open mind. Llamas' valley

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The themes of eatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;inspirations can be anything. A color, or something abstract like emotions, or something concrete like Dutch landscapes. Favorite themes are black, Dutch design, landscapes & architecture, fashion, water, and time. - How do you envision modern cuisine? Is it difficult to be innovative and competitive in this field? - All ways lead to Rome. But modern cuisine will be with less meat and fish, more vegetal ingredients, less salt, less sugar, and less saturated fats. We create theme-based inspirations, concepts, narratives, and edible installations. We offer a

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total experience. People from all over the world come to visit us for inspiration. We are not preoccupied with being innovative or with competition. What we do and how we do this is very much Eric and Marjolein, it is a very personal and therefore unique approach. Our dishes are inspirational stories about life, about food, about the theme we are exploring. We use traditional and modern techniques, traditional and modern ingredients. We feel more like pioneers. Our restaurant section and our vegetable cuisine functions as a showroom for our skills, ideas, and concepts. It is not our main activity. In the new concept that we will be launching in due course, food and eating will be put in the context of art.

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- Why is seeing beauty and aesthetics in each aspect of life so important to you? - Aesthetics and beauty have various meanings, interpretations. We use conceptual thinking to create new ways of eating, to create edible communication triggers to start conversations about all aspects of life. We like people to encounter and see the beauty of humble ingredients on a plate, the beauty of aging, the beauty of imperfection and asymmetry. If you want to inspire people to rethink their lifestyle, make them experience something special and not something average. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about more than beauty, taste, and sensorial experience. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about environmental and social issues as well. - Would you call yourselves true aesthetes? How does this reflect on your everyday life? - I am not sure that we are true aesthetes. But what I do know is that we both dislike mediocrity. We are never satisfied with the end result, always busy with improving things. - After a long day at work, do you still cook at home, or would you rather order something from a local restaurant? - We are on 24/7. Most of the time Eric prepares us a fresh meal, even when we come home in the middle of the night. Every now and then we go out for a small meal. Llamas' valley

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- Do you enjoy visiting other places for gastronomic experiences? - Rarely. Since the change in our lifestyle we do not like going to restaurants. In these last several years we have also developed a dislike for most of the traditional restaurant routines, especially the routines we skipped at “De culinaire werkplaats”. Though we like to go out ingredient hunting. So we enjoy small tasting sessions of delicacies, vegetables, etc.

- What do you think about the so-called ‘mom’s cuisine’? - Eric and I were brought up with it. We always got fresh food and at least two-three different types of vegetables. We appreciate good home cooking, but with a modern twist. Eating and cooking is also about honest food. We still have some favorites our mothers used to cook. We like both home and professional, traditional and modern cuisine. - What would be your most sincere food-related advice to a good friend? - Follow no food guru. Listen to your own mind and body. Do not believe in quick diets. Eat as many different colors as possible: this is good for your health and for biodiversity. Llamas' valley

JAIME BERIESTAIN:

I NEVER DREAM. I DO Not for the first time is Barcelona mentioned as a natural habitat and shelter for all sorts of creative types and artists, who after a couple of years of artistic liberty become global icons in their respective fields. Design world celebrity Jaime Beriestain says that moving to Barcelona from his homeland Chile 20 years ago was probably a key shift in his career. Today he looks relaxed and calm as we sit talking in the cafeteria of his own concept store in the center of Barcelona. Text: Indre Blauzdziunaite Photography: courtesy of Jaime Beriestain

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“If you are smart enough to turn your passion into what you do everyday, you won’t have to work. It might sound cliché, but that’s what happened to me,” smiles Jaime. And somehow, as you look at the pleased loyal customers in the store and the shop assistants calmly chatting with them, the couples and friends savoring their meals, you find yourself believing him. Meeting a person who has a success story to tell, I want to know most importantly: where is that thin line when you can say that you’ve achieved everything you were meant to achieve? Jaime, who began working with the most famous international clients right after graduating BA studies, might be a good example of someone who has reached that line long ago. He could certainly have a deservedly calm and relaxed life, working a bit on the side. But for this serene-faced man with saltand-pepper hair and a coy sparkle in his eyes, ambitions seem to be growing in just the right proportion to his success. Isn’t this what made him come up with the idea of a new business, a local concept store in Barcelona?

- Jaime, why your own store? - I’m an idealist. One day I realized that in Barcelona, such a creative place, I was unable to find the things I really liked. Flowers, furniture, accessories – all these trendy inspirational things that you could easily find in New York, London or Paris, were missing here, in Barcelona. After struggling to find them I realized I could bring the flowers directly from Holland and the cushions I like from the designer in Italy, and actually show people more than they are offered here. This was a personal passion before it became a business idea. But of course it makes me happy that my store lets more people enjoy great design by the original makers from all over the world. Guests of mine kept asking – where did you get these beautiful glasses? How come you find such amazing colors? Who makes this?

Now those things are all available from my store and I am happy to share the design world news with the citizens of Barcelona, one of the fastest growing and most innovative cities in Europe. The same happened with the restaurant. To be honest, I didn’t initially plan to host people or become a chef. The idea came alive very naturally, after a few amazingly cozy dinners with friends who kept suggesting that I share my delicious South American roots ( Jaime is Chilean in origin) with a wider audience. With such a crazy and busy life as mine it’s difficult to be a good and frequent host, even though I love doing it. Now I can combine my work and the pleasure of inviting people over for little pleasures. I know that my guests will be well treated and I can join them for a meal or just a cup of coffee. Llamas' valley

- Do you cook yourself? - Badly, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time to do it daily. But I try all of the recipes together with the chef. I only offer my guests thing I personally enjoy. Just like the concept of the store itself â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I wanted to make all of my favorite things available to the public. - How is hosting people in your own home different than hosting in a restaurant? Is it the same? - It isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the same. Even though the store and the restaurant are made to resemble my own home, I feel more responsible here. Even if it were only friends of mine having lunch at different tables in the restaurant, I would feel obligated to offer them the best. Besides, inviting people to the restaurant allows me to be a discoverer, to notice and to improve. Trying to step on the other side and paying more attention to small details which you might not notice as you simply enjoy your meal with friends, leads me to perfection.

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- Judging from your store and personal work, it seems every smallest detail is insanely important and meaningful to you. Are you a perfectionist? - It is an inevitable part of my work, indeed. When it comes to design, a little detail might be key. My store is part of myself, so how could I disregard details? Even in my own home, I am just naturally oriented towards the small things. Not only for visual reasons, but for comfort as well.

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- Clients all over the world, a huge farm you call home, meetings, research of new ideas, now the new store and the new role of a restaurant owner – how does all this fit into your daily agenda? - I only sleep for a few hours every day, and my agenda is always strictly planned. With time and a clear goal in mind, I was able to organize my days so that treasures, work and meetings overlap all the time. Now I don’t feel like I’m working anymore – I feel that I’m doing my most beloved things every day! - Was the concept store you own today a dream of yours? - I never dream. I do.

- So what brought you to where you are now? - Probably my best decision was to effect a “big change”, to be a student again. Back then, after my first studies, I was probably a lucky kid; I started working in design straight after I got my diploma. Quite soon I got good clients and started to make money. That continued for nearly a decade, and it was a great experience! But after you become too comfortable and too confident with what you do, the magic of creativity disappears. I am grateful to the power that moved me to leave my comfort zone after ten years of work to go back to where I started – university.

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- What was so magical about that? - It took my perspective to a brand new level! I already had techniques; as for my line, the financial part, I was pretty experienced and knew all I needed to work well. But with time I had forgotten a bit that design is creativity, I had forgotten to be inspired. After I became a person with both experience and an open mind for creativity again, I really started evolving with my points of view and personal concept. - How did you achieve that? - I will never forget this one class. I got an assignment, floor plans and so on. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do you have

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any questions?” the professor asked. “What is the budget?” was my first question. The professor even got angry a bit. “You are here to work on ideas and to create what only you can create. Forget about the budget!” And that was a point of view to remember, after ten years of work with clients. I can be open to any kind of ideas! - And are you still using this formula today? Is it possible to be just a creator? - There is no magic formula, it’s a way of thinking. If you believe in your idea, you will find a way to achieve it even with very limited resources. Answers will come on their own, if you know what you are looking for. Llamas' valley

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- So where do those great ideas come from? - Well, this is why inspiration is such a special thing — it doesn’t have a recipe. To me inspirations come from different moments and situations. For one of my collections I got the primary idea on my way from Barcelona to Madrid – the shapes of the landscape, the colors of the fields, the perfect harmony of separate items and minimalism at the same time just showed me where I had to go. Inspiration can also come from an opera, a funky disco, a dream, anything. - What has been your favorite project so far? - For a while already I am deeply into my farmhouse, where I live. It is the perfect raw canvas. I have lived there for a while already and there’s always something going on. At the moment I am working on an organic garden – my first tomatoes and eggplants have already given their first harvest. The peak of the garden “project” will be my own little vineyard. My house is my personal Sagrada Familla (laughing).

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BLOG-TALK

INTERNET OR LOTS OF CHOCOLATE “My Dubio” is a virtual space where Dutch social psychologist Joyce Croonen shares her passion for design and fashion. Once you enter Joyce’s playground, you might want to stay there for a long time.

Text: Alge Ram Photography: Joyce Croonen

(“My Dubio”)

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- Joyce, what inspires you most in this beautiful world? - In general I’m very much inspired by people who, no matter what the consequences, go for what they believe in. Take Malala Yousafzai for example. A sixteen year old girl from Pakistan fighting for worldwide access to education, especially for women. In 2012 the Taliban entered her school bus and attempted to kill Malala. They failed. She was shot in the head but somehow she came out of it alive. Malala still continues to fight for what she believes in. She knows there is a chance the Taliban will make another attempt, but she prefers to live a short life doing what she believes in than a long life in fear. And although I’m nowhere near as brave, people like Malala inspire me to be my best! Of course I’m also inspired by a lot of other things. Museums, for example, especially when the building itself exudes a certain atmosphere and enhances the art. My love for simple and clean lines also translates to the kind of art I love, so I visit modern museums the most (loved

Tate Modern in London!). Besides museums, I draw a lot of inspiration from magazines (I-D for example and VT wonen, a Dutch interior design magazine) and other bloggers. “Love AfterDrk”, “Love-Aesthetics” and “Stop It Right now” for fashion, “A Merry Mishap” and “Annaleenas Hem” for interiors. And many more, of course! - And what inspired you to start your own blog “My Dubio”? - After working as a social psychologist for quite some years, I started missing a creative outlet. In high school I was always busy painting or drawing (not that I was any good), but since university I kind of stopped doing that. After doubting for a few years if blogging would be for me (I was convinced that nobody would follow me — way too boring), I thought, what the hell, let’s just give it a try! And I’m so happy I did! It became the perfect playground and it gives me so much pleasure to share my passion for fashion and interior design with so many others. Llamas' valley

- Ten interesting facts about you? - 1. I couldn’t hear rhythm until the age of 12. I was that awkward kid in the back dancing out of sync while being way too tall not to get noticed. And I didn’t even care! 2. I’ve never tried any drugs in my life. I know, I know: my fellow Dutchies are ashamed of me. 3. I eat chocolate every day. 4. I can tune out in the middle of a conversation and not even notice it. My friends hate it! 5. I’m a total nerd, I even graduated Cum Laude. 6. When people first meet me they think I’m well-organized; the people I’m close with know better… I forget appointments, I loose stuff: chaos! 7. I had this enormous plush bear in my bed until I was 18 (I’m very ashamed indeed, let’s just forget I mentioned it, okay?). 8. I’ve become pretty good at salsa dancing. 9. Secretly I’m a total hermit. I’m always relieved when a jam-packed day is followed by solitude — all those scary people I get to meet every day. 10. Whenever I have to speak English I’m ashamed of my Dutch accent, hate it!

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- How would you describe your personal style? And how do you understand this tricky word, “style”? - Style is indeed a tricky word. For me style is the undercurrent of the way someone dresses over the years. You can incorporate trends, but always in a way that matches your personal style. For me that’s a basic and simple way of dressing, with a focus on shape or fabric. And although I like sneakers and sport influences, somehow I’m never gonna be that sporty urban chick. I tried to, but my style always ends up too chic to even come close. So I guess my style is a mix between androgynous and no-frills elegance with a Scandinavian aesthetic. - Where do you find stylish things for your home and your wardrobe? - Well, I’m an online shopping addict, so I buy most of my stuff online. But whenever I’m in Amsterdam, I like to visit these shops: Bijenkorf (big department store with brands such as Acne, Alexander Wang, but also Topshop and COS, and Hay for your home). Frozen Fountain (from furniture to interior accessories, they sell unique pieces but also brands such as Hay and Eames). Hay (love that Hay opened a store in Holland, it’s hard to not buy something when you’re there). Rika (I love to visit this shop, they sell the most perfect pieces from

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bags to skirts, but somehow I always leave empty-handed). Acne (as a true Acne addict, I hardly ever skip this store). Skin cosmetics (they only sell perfume, make-up and skincare products that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t very well-known in the Netherlands but have an iconic status abroad). SPRMRKT (a concept store with amazing ready-towear collections from brands such as Helmut Lang, Ann-sofie Back and the Dutch brand Avelon). COS (for their great basics of course). Llamas' valley

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- Why is beauty important in your everyday life? - I love to look at beautiful things! Life is already difficult enough and I think making things beautiful is an easy way to celebrate the best things life has to offer. A great poster, a perfect shape or a beautiful picture, these are all things that can give me joy on a daily basis. - You’re working on a book about success and failure. Tell us a bit about it. Where should one look for success? Where is it hiding? - When I started writing the book, I thought it would be a piece of cake, but boy was I wrong! I interviewed a broad range of people from the extremely successful to ordinary and incorporated those stories into psychological research about success and failure. It’s still not finished and I’m starting to

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wonder if it ever will be. Being a perfectionist can get in the way sometimes! Here’s my first tip: whenever you have an idea and you believe in it, just go for it. It doesn’t have to be perfect right from the start, just begin somewhere and work your way up. The second tip I can give is the most important one: be persistent and fight for your dreams. Don’t give up when things don’t work out the way you planned, find other ways to get there. Almost all of the successful people I spoke to were convinced that being persistent is what got them their success. They all encountered setbacks and they all had their doubts along the way, but because they persisted they became successful in the end. And the third tip is something I learned over these last few years: don’t compare yourself all the time. We have this tendency to compare ourselves to people who are more successful and this demotivates us. There always will be someone who is more successful, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get there. Don’t get frustrated but do look at what they are doing right and what you can learn from them.

- On your blog you say that you’re living your life just the way you like it. What does being successful mean to you? - Exactly that: living your life the way you want to. It’s not about the money you make (although having enough certainly makes life easier), but about enjoying the things you do and having the people you love close to you. But I have to admit that these last few months have been a roller-coaster of emotions. I love my job but I also love blogging and my blog is taking up more and more time. I’m at a crossroads and I will have to make some decisions soon, but I’m still not sure what to do. - What are the little mood-lifting pleasures you allow yourself when feeling a bit down or simply when you think you deserve it? - The internet is a dangerous thing. Whenever I feel really sorry for myself, I’m convinced I deserve something nice. More often than not I buy something small for my home, but sometimes The Outnet has too many great deals to ignore. That or lots of chocolate! Llamas' valley

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- Tell us a bit about your home. How do you decorate it and what’s your favorite corner? - I’m a Scandinavian addict. I love clean minimal homes with a white base and black accessories and that’s what my home looks like too. I give special loving attention to the chairs we have, my favorites being secondhand Harry Bertoia diamond chairs and Ant chairs by Arne Jacobsen. For accessories I like to mix DIYs with brands such as Hay and Playtype. My favorite place is our workspace. It’s light, there’s enough room for all our books and office stuff, and it’s the room I spend most of my time in. Because we renovated the entire house (we even lived in a trailer in the back yard, it was that bad…), we could create the rooms exactly the way we wanted to. So I love the big kitchen and bathroom as well. - What do you like to read before falling asleep? - I never read anything anymore before falling asleep because my boyfriend and I always talk about our day and we fall asleep halfway through the conversation. But I used to read lots of books before going to bed. Mostly feelgood novels, because any book with too much action kept me up all night. Couldn’t stop reading them until they were finished! - What would your last post on the blog be about? - The last post as in after that the blog would no longer exist? A big huge thank you to all of my readers and followers who supported me all this time and thought it was worth their time visiting! Llamas' valley

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DESIGN UNPLUGGED

MARVELOUS MARBLE

arble has never been out of style. But today it simply thrives! It is the high end of fashion and an endless source of inspiration for the stylish low budget homes, the DIY’ers, bloggers, magazine lovers, and design junkies. Imagine: a marble kitchen desktop and a transparent glass with a yellow narcissus? Simply marvelous! Your favorite cup of coffee on top of a small marble-topped table? Delicious… A marble cutting board? Oh yes, please! Marble shelves, marble shirts, marble pillows… Marble is simply everywhere. In different shapes and colors. And we’re loving it.

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“Must” collection by Image Design for Altamarea

Thought becomes form

A new thought becomes a sensual form. The “Must” collection of bathroom furniture by Italian company Altamarea uses precious and refined materials for tops, such as Brown Onyx, Paonazzetto marble, Fior fi Pesco Carnico white marble, combined with wall lamps and accessories designed with the same materials.

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“Herringbone” table by Bethan Gray

A table with a history

Welsh designer Bethan Gray took inspiration from the spectacular black and white stone configurations found in historical buildings across Europe, from the ninth-century Amalfi Cathedral in Italy to the twentieth-century San Giovanni Battista in Mogno, Switzerland. It all transformed into the modern “Herringbone” table with a distinctive zig-zag pattern running along the length of its top made from carrara and maquina marble.

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“On The Rocks” by Federico Floriani

Chilling stones

Italian designer Federico Floriani created “On The Rocks” as a tribute to the traditional way of chilling drinks, using real stone. Unlike water, using chilled stones does not dilute your drink, leaving the contents more pure and unaffected. The geometric cuts of the pieces create the sense of a landscape in your glass, the surface of the stone brought out in finish by contact with liquid. “On The Rocks” can be put in the freezer and later used in place of ice cubes to chill alcoholic beverages without diluting them.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the rockâ&#x20AC;? glassware collection by Lee Broom

The philosophy of a modern table

British product and interior designer Lee Broom combines delicate lead crystal with solid carrara marble to form a glassware collection for the modern table. Elegant crystal vessels are fused to the marble bases creating a champagne coupe and wine glass of contrasting but complimentary materials.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Soulland Faux Playtypeâ&#x20AC;? white marble shirt

Imitation of nature

The button-down shirt with marble imitation print by artist Susan Arnild is part of the Playtype meets Soulland capsule collection. The artist used marbling, a decorative technique that imitates beautiful natural surfaces, using many layers of transparent color to create the illusion of marble or semi-precious stones.

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“Pinco Panco” paperweights by Giorgia Zanellato

Sophisticated weight

“Pinco Panco” by Italian designer Giorgia Zanellato are a couple of paperweights, one made of stone and the other marble. The heavy bases are contrasted by wooden handles offering peculiar ways to hold them. They are reminiscent of artisanal tools that are inherently intuitive through the refined sense suggesting they should be held.

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“Méridienne Opper” lounge chair by Grégoire de Lafforest for Galerie Gosserez Photography: Jérôme Galland

The elegance of contrasts

French designer Grégoire de Lafforest has created the “Opper” lounge chair for Galerie Gosserez in Paris. The design object combines a light, curving leather seat with a strong carrara marble base. “Opper” is influenced by motorcycle saddles from the 70’s. The quilted surface of the chair’s upholstery highlights the contrast between the light density of the soft foam and the stiffness of its positioned axis.

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The Marble Wall Clock by Norm Architects for Menu

Timeless time telling

Norm Architects from Denmark have designed a clean minimalistic wall clock in marble for the new Menu collection. This timeless piece of design is presented in two options of finest marble: green and matte-white.

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“Flamingo” table by Marco Guazzini Photography: Beppe Brancato

Bird’s neck

The prototype of the “Flamingo” console by Italian designer Marco Guazzini, exhibited during Milan Design Week 2014, represents a study of movement. Its name comes from a species of bird, the flamingo, whose curved neck is the same S-shaped silhouette that this console takes when its drawers are placed at the opposite ends.

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“Egala” shelf collection by Retegui

Wings for walls

Retegui, French marblers since 1939, have created the “Egala” shelves to give wings to your walls. More than wall fittings, these practical shelves are an elegant interior design feature to enhance wall surfaces. “Egala” shelves have a multitude of uses: displaying objects, giving pride of place to photographs and paintings, or just simply useful storage for keys and sundry items.

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“Monolith” dinnerware by Shira Keret Photography: Hagar Cygler

Shaped by water

Water erosion is a process that happens in nature; it can take thousands of years for water to carve its way through rock. The stream’s intensity and the type of rock will determine the shapes. The “Monolith” project by Israeli product and space designer Shira Keret includes a set of carrara marble objects: serving plates and vessels that examine the morphology of rock shaped by water.

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MORE THAN KISSES, LETTERS MINGLE SOULS.

JOHN DONNE

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Text: Indre Blauzdziunaite Photography: Tim Adami and courtesy of “Behomm”

LINKING BELIEVERS IN BEAUTY

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o you remember yourself drawing the perfect house, back when you were six? Mine had blue doors, two windows with half-open curtains and without exception a flower in one of them. And always, a smoke coming from the chimney. I didn’t know how to draw a dog so it remained imaginary. When I handed a sheet of paper and a pencil each to graphic designers Eva Calduch and Agust Juste (co-founders of “Behomm”, a wonderful and creative home exchange project) they looked a bit confused. But believe it or not, in two minutes they came up with two very similar images – an old Catalan country house. As they explained it later, a big space and a giant table means sharing: your personality, your vibes, your home. We talked to Eva and Agust about the idea of finding the perfect match in everything you do and their own expression of that.

- What color exterior walls would your perfect home have? Agust: White. Eva: White. - What about the windows? Agust: Big ones. Eva: Huge! - And the view through those windows? Eva: It’s nature. Agust: Yes, I like living in the city, but I imagine my dream house surrounded by a natural landscape. - What’s the first object you’d see once you entered the house? Eva: Big, pure, clean space with light. Agust: Yes, nothing baroque. - How many people would usually be having dinner there?

Eva: At least eight. August: We are in love with the concept of a big Catalan family. There is never too much laughter and good emotions. - What do you see yourself doing on the terrace? Eva and August: The most important thing is a big round table. It’s a symbol of gathering, people, and sharing. - Where is your perfect home? Eva: Longing for the sea is something that comes from my roots. My house is placed just in front of the sea, just like my childhood house. Agust: Mountains are the perfect landscape. - Is searching for that perfect house what inspired you to initiate the Behomm project? Eva: Not really, the project came along sort of for personal reasons, we simply needed it.

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Bali, Indonesia - Tell me more! Eva: We love traveling. It’s been our passion as long as we can remember. We love discoveries, new experiences, cultures, meeting new people. We’ve learned in time that this is really the main thing in life. Cities, events, cuisine — all that you get from traveling. But there is no way to really experience all of it unless you connect with the locals. We realized that we wanted to be experiencers, not tourists. And then the whole issue came about. It was more difficult to find people like us to click with than we’d thought. We started thinking how to find and connect similar personalities: creators, initiators, lovers of life all over the world. And then we found the house of an amazing architect on the Balearic Islands. That was when the exchange idea arrived. We realized we had to look for personalities, not for houses.

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- So what is Behomm? Agust: Behomm is a platform for home exchanges. You travel to stay in another person’s house for free while they come to stay at yours. But that’s just the idea in brief. Behomm stands out from the crowd of generic exchange sites by focusing on just designers and visual artists. We encourage the creation of a community of visual artists and creators, sharing their ideas, and of course their homes. One should note that by ‘homes’ we don’t necessarily mean castles or architectural masterpieces. The soul of a home, as well as the soul of the owner, is what makes it interesting.

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- Is it the home that represents the personality? Eva: Definitely. After all these numerous exchanges we are convinced that we build our homes similar to ourselves. The colors, the little things on the shelves, our books, our music, the magnets on our fridge… Piece by piece your story gets built here. And then it becomes your shelter, your comfort zone, a place without reservations. And once you enter someone’s private zone of this sort, you naturally get to know a bit of their personality, maybe even without knowing the owner personally. - But then there is the factor of getting to know the person as well. After all, people are the ones building and developing the relationships, not the houses, right? Eva: Indeed! That’s why we always aim to meet the real people before starting the exchange. Every time we travel through Behomm (and that’s actually the only way we travel now), we aim to spend at least a few hours, ideally a day, with the exchanger. And it had been an amazing experience so far! Thanks to the time spent together, we got to know a huge and colorful network of amazing people all over the world.

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- Is it easy to click with someone you don’t know in a few hours? Agust: Usually, the relationship begins before the actual face-to-face meeting. Exchangers share emails, photos, videos, their artworks, any type of information, when they start looking for the right match to do a home exchange. The idea is to find someone similar to you. Some people are pleased to get to know each other on a deeper level and maybe even find some real friends. Some are interested in the creative side only and are seeking to enhance artistic ideas and networks. There are also those whose life is based on kindness or philanthropy in general. They don’t mind to host anyone, for as long as is needed, and to share all they have without even asking anything in return. And we have all these types on Behomm, you just have to find the right connection. Eva: Sylvia, a landscape architect from Florence, hosted us like her best friends in her little but incredibly tastefully arranged flat. It wasn’t a simultaneous exchange, the kind we usually do, so we spent some amazing time with her and her friends, eating lasagna made by Sylvia’s grandma. After that she exchanged with some real friends of ours, so she naturally became a friend too. Now she’s coming to visit Barcelona. We decided to invite another exchanger we met before to join us, so all of us will be going to our country house for a weekend. Isn’t that the best proof that being open-minded and not afraid of something new creates great experiences?

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- Why the concept of creative types only? Agust: Creative souls are special. On the one hand, they can be quite introverted, living in their own artistic world. But once they connect with the right ideas, as well as matching (or very different) personalities, a wonderful understanding or even inspiration can come along. They are not afraid of searching for new experiences.

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Barcelona, Spain

- Wasn’t it initially a bit odd letting someone into your private space? What does it take to trust openly, to be ready for any kind of surprises, to believe in the kindness of people? Eva: Yes, the first step is the most difficult one to take. Even for us it was. Opening yourself to something unknown always takes guts. But once you dive into this new experience, you reach a whole new level. We’ve seen this journey of change in our kids. In the beginning they were truly afraid: “Will someone sleep in my bed and drink from my cup?” they protested. That’s normal, so we never pushed. And then they got curious. Step by step they entered this experience themselves. Today they are true participants and even do exchanges without us.

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- Today, with Behomm a network of 700 creative participants, what is the next goal? Eva: Well that was the initial idea – to link similar ones, lovers of beauty, the real things. And this is happening! I remember this woman from New York saying: “Is this heaven or what?” To us it is. And we are honestly anxious to see where it brings us!

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Berlin, Germany

Brooklyn, New York Llamas' valley

Osaka, Japan

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Emilia-Romagna, Italy

- What about the business model? How do you plan to earn your first million? Agust: Does a million have to be the idea of every business? I know that we are very young still and business, especially based on creative human beings, is not easy. But honestly, we never (I know you should never say never, but still…) wanted to turn Behomm into a renting website. We don’t want to put money between of our idea and the users’ experience. And it’s not because we don’t want to be successful. It’s just that the idea of renting is totally opposite to the idea of exchanging. Why? Once you rent, you have some expectations. Whilst the concept of exchange is based on trust, curiosity and, I should say, a bit of the surprise factor.

- How many trips do you usually make per year? Eva: It’s really hard to say. It’s the beginning of April and so far this year we’ve had nine trips. Nowadays we don’t refuse to go almost anywhere. Behomm changed our notion of travel in general, not only of homing. That’s a thing you can only realize once you step out of your comfort zone. Would you dare?..

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Sevilla, Spain

ÂŠ Photos: Fernando Alda Llamas' valley

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Viena, Austria

ÂŠ Photos: Herta Humaus Llamas' valley

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE Text: Alge Ram Visualisation: INT2architecure

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Alexander Malinin

Anastasia Sheveleva

his charming apartment with a French twist situated in the center of Moscow is the future home of a young Russian art director. This beauty really looks too good to be true. And it fact it’s not real, it’s only a home to be, a 3D vision creatively made by INT2architecture, a young multidisciplinary team of architects, designers, artists, photographers, and philosophers based in Moscow. We talked to architect and designer Anastasia Sheveleva about the trendy 3D visualizations and this amazing home where many of us would definitely like to move in right now…

- Anastasia, what is the idea behind this beautiful space? - The 55 sq. m. apartment is in a pre-revolutionary building in the center of Moscow. The “shell” of the apartment is designed as a reference to French neoclassicism – white walls, high ceilings, tall windows, parquet, plaster cornices, boiserie, wooden shutters. The white walls emphasize the proportions of the apartment and the purity of the architectural form. These classical elements are the backdrop for the “antibody” – a minimalist black box, in which all the technical spaces are grouped (WC, boiler room, kitchen, closet/laundry room). The Box is a compositional center around which the main functional areas are situated: kitchen with a four

meter-long kitchen island and bar; lounge area with leather lounge chairs, bio-fireplace and projector; and bedroom with a small workplace. The modern interior elements contrast in color, material, and style with the classical ones, simultaneously complementing each other. Thus, the objects acquire individuality, creating a wholesome architectural space. - Who are the owners of this place and what was their vision? - The owner of the apartment is a young single man (32 years old), he works as an art-director for one of the Russian TV channels, loves to travel. He had great input on the design project (being an architect by education). Llamas' valley

- A distinctive feature of this home is its floor. - The floor is nothing extraordinary. It is a common solution in neoclassicism – traditional chevron parquet. - Creating a 3D visualization of an interior before putting your hands on it in real life, seems to be a hot new trend in the world of architecture and interior design. - In Russia it is not so much a trend as a brutal reality for at least the past decade. After the USSR’s collapse in 1991, Russia leaned toward a new ideology: hyper-consumerism. International brands, garish advertising, rapidly spread Western lifestyle crowded the lives of Russians. Following the abolishment of state socialism in the Post-Soviet realm, Russia (especially Moscow) developed a thriving sector of “owners”. Buying an apartment and furnishing it like an eighteenth-century French palace became the new obsession and designers became a trend and an instrument to realize people’s long-time desire to “live properly”. At first, designers used hand drawn graphic, and after the 2000s and the growth of computer design software, visualization became a trend here. Visualization in this situation was a very convenient instrument because the clients, on the one hand, wanted to see the result before the realization and correct it if necessary, and on the other hand, usually mistrusted the designer they’d hired. Which raises the question of the necessity of the designer in the first place but this is a whole different topic.

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Moreover, in Russia we do not have an opportunity to try furniture or decor items in the space before we buy it, as is very common in the US or Europe. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say that visualization is a global trend right now. Rather, it is an Asian trend (Thailand, China, Russia...). - Does the final result usually differ a lot from the initial idea in the visualization? - If the client is determined and really supports the idea then the realization would be very close to the visualization. However, clients (especially in Moscow) are usually very private about important things that can influence the realization process. For example, the budget they had in mind. That, as you can imagine, can throw the entire project in the basket in the end.

- What styles, designs and ideas inspire you? - We are inspired by clever simple solutions which can be found in any style or design. - How would you describe the interior design scene in Moscow? How do people like to see their homes here? - This is a very big topic, enough for a separate big thesis. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t describe it in several sentences. Moscow is a complicated megapolis with people from all over Russia and former USSR republics, people with different backgrounds, education, tastes etc. There is no one recipe for Moscow in terms of interior design and there is no Russian interior style in general (like Scandinavian style). I would even say more often there is a lack of style. Llamas' valley

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WITH AND WITHOUT THE FASHION VEIL T

he little town of Igny, right next door to Paris, is quite different to the capital, currently stormed by Fashion Week, where fashion world news are the subject of conversation over coffees, and where not just the ladies, but every nook and cranny breathes elegance and sensuality. Famous model and co-founder of the charitable association Fashion for Future, Margarita Svegzdaite, travels to Paris from her home in Igny almost daily. In Paris, she works as a consultant at a fashion house, prepares for the upcoming Fashion for Future exhibition and charity auction, takes lunch with her friends, or pops in to David Lynchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Silencio club to see a movie (Lynch gave her the membership card himself). It is hard to believe that Margarita dreams of dropping the fashion veil that follows her around and becoming a plain teacher. But the sincere way she speaks about it makes you believe it anyway.

Text: Alge Ram Photography: Nadia Gric

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- Margarita, what is your usual weekend like? - Lately my weekends have been pretty boring. I am completing distance studies for an MA in education management at Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Open University, so on weekends I just sit there studying, which is interesting, but difficult. You have to be extremely well organized, because nobody is standing over you with a whip. But, I have gotten used to it. My travels in Nepal and Eastern Africa and visits to local schools must have inspired the decision. I have always believed in the supreme importance of education and wanted to learn more about the education system and its inner workings, and to become a teacher myself. - Do you intend to go back to work in those countries? - I would go there tomorrow, if I could. But I would prefer going with a purpose, a project, rather than as a tourist. So right now I am waiting for the charitable association I co-founded with my colleague Giedre Staniute-Auclair, Fashion for Future, to get in motion. When this happens, I will definitely go! Llamas' valley

- How is the project doing? - We’ve been working on the project for over two years now. Over the first year we managed to get together enough money to support an orphanage in Nepal. Our association offers t-shirts with drawings by artists, models, actors, and other celebrities for purchase on our website. We already have drawings by music producer Bob Sinclair, French actor Olivier Martinez, models Eugenia Volodina, Kristina Sufin, Inguna Butane and others. We also hold photography auctions where we ask famous photographers to donate one of their photographs and auction it off. We exhibit and sell works by young artists and photographers at art galleries. - You’ve had personal experience living in poverty-stricken lands, observing poverty and need closely? - I think it’s ridiculous doing charity for a place you haven’t been to. I was in Nepal five years ago. Then I went to Uganda, Africa, for five months or so. I worked at a baby orphanage and taught at the local school. But I wouldn’t dare go further with charitable projects there. The situation is too complicated. You must always be present there and watch to make sure the money you collected reaches its destination. I remember bringing pencils and felt-tip pens to the orphanage, for the children to draw with. Next morning, as I walked through the market, I saw the pencils on sale… Sometimes you see foreigners writing large checks during their visits to orphanages, but somehow the situation never changes, and no diapers or food appear for some reason…

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- Why did you go in the first place? How did it all begin? - When you work as a model long enough, your head begins buzzing with the question of what your work is good for anyway; you begin feeling you aren’t doing anything worthwhile; you feel like a parasite. I think this feeling is what led me to start doing something. - Did your family always support you on these trips? - Not really… My mom once said I needed to get my head checked… But I am really stubborn, so if I really want something, nobody will be able to convince me otherwise, saying anything will be pointless. If I decide to go, I go. - What are you doing right now, on your usual work days? - I am still modeling a bit. Very little though, because I just don’t show that much initiative anymore, unless it’s a very interesting job offer. Then I do it. I know that now I ought to be going to New York and other cities, but the feeling is gone, it’s like I’ve achieved everything I could in this field. There’s nothing left to prove, professionally. It’s just no longer interesting. Of course, I do have to support myself, so once in a while I do accept work. I also consult at the Saint Laurent fashion house. I talk to clients in Russia, present collections, and take orders. Before New Year’s, I did a stint at the Trois Pommes fashion house in Zurich, Switzerland. Overall, most of my time goes to Fashion for Future. Here, we have just signed a contract with this company, there is an upcoming event, a couple months from now there will be a photography auction — all in all, plenty to do. I live in Igny, a Parisian suburb, but I end up going to Paris almost daily and coming home very late at night.

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- Seems like all your work is still connected to fashion… - Oh, that fashion, it keeps following me… - I’ve noticed that you, like many people, tend to speak not entirely favorably of the fashion world. Yet to an outsider this job seems to have many benefits to it. - The fashion world enabled me to talk to so many different interesting people. I cannot imagine another job that would let you travel this much. Sometimes I say you could now throw me anywhere and I would find a common language with anyone there. This may be insolence talking, but this job has really given me a kind of lightness, a simpler view of life. Frankly, if you work hard, the rewards are also truly very good. Now that I work day and night as a fashion house consultant, I sometimes think: what did they pay me this much for? Prancing around?.. Naturally, it’s harder for the young girls starting out today than it was a decade ago. The fashion market has changed, and so have the salaries.

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- But your beginning wasn’t easy either, was it? - Oh, it was very difficult. My stubbornness helped. I just believed that it would be good one day. When I began modeling, I found myself penniless in a foreign country. Sometimes the agency would give me fifty euro for the week, and after I’d buy a bus pass, I’d have twenty left to survive on. There’d be no going out for a coffee or even buying a bottle of water on a hot day. You buy some rice and the cheapest sausage links available and you live on that. It was nothing like a limo picking me up on the first day to take me to the fanciest hotel and then a photo shoot. It took about a year to start getting better offers, and that was when it all really started moving. Most of the girls I was living with just gave in, threw in the towel, and went home. I went to Milan at twenty-two, right after university. Maybe that’s why it was a little easier for me. I was very shy, it took time for me to become more outgoing, to start speaking the language. A year in, they sent me to Paris, where I came with a portfolio already in hand. That was the offers started coming in — maybe I was simply ready for the job.

- What were the most impressive moments of your career, which really stuck with you? - Probably the Victoria’s Secret show. That’s a a party, not so much a job. Such pomp. You walk around backstage, passing singers like Sting and Beyonce, you give out television interviews, the clients shower you with gifts. One of the most impressive photo shoots was with legendary photographer Helmut Newton. We worked together right before his tragic accident, shooting for Vogue Italy in Monaco. That shoot was almost sacred to me. Another impressive photo shoot was in Monaco as well, during the Formula 1 race. I had to be photographed with the participants of the race, Michael Schumacher and others. That was my first time seeing Formula 1 live, and the sounds and the view took my breath away. Three years ago I got to work with director David Lynch. When the agency offered me that casting, I took it right away. I had remembered David Lynch from my childhood as the director of Twin Peaks. That name, that personality. He chose me, we worked two days together. It was impressive. Llamas' valley

- You’ve worked with so many designers and saw the efforts they put into their work. Whose creations do you value most? - As a personality, I really like Jean Paul Gaultier. He is very talented. It is a joy to observe him work and see his vision emerge. John Galliano, too. I’ve worked with him a lot. As a person and a creator, he is unique. I’d love to have a coffee and a conversation with him. - Is he really that eccentric? - He can do whatever he likes as long as he remains human. I don’t want to comment on that story that happened to him, because I wasn’t there. But I believe that the bubble was blown out of proportion. I’ve worked with him plenty, and I’ve never heard a single impolite word from him, and he was always very respectful with the people helping him. That story is exaggerated, or maybe it was a stupid provocation. I’ve never seen John Galliano insulting anyone. Anyway, as a creator he is extremely talented and better than most.

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- Where do you like having coffee in Paris? - I have several girlfriends who really know where the food is good and which cocktail is worth drinking. Each arrondissement has its own nice places. I really like David Lynch’s club Silencio, particularly when I feel like seeing a nice movie. David personally gave me a membership card, so I use that. But I really do enjoy the place and its vibe. As far as eating out goes, I prefer Japanese. I am not much of a gourmand, so usually my girlfriends just take me somewhere they like. - Do you like cooking at home? - Very much. But cooking is a whole-day project for me. I start the morning by reading recipes, then I go grocery shopping to the market, and then I cook. That’s only if I have an audience, people to show off before, though. When I’m alone, I won’t even fry an egg… - Do you have a favorite recipe? - Cheesecake. And people say very good things about my boletus mushroom soup.

- How about feminine weaknesses? - Nothing much. After working this long in the fashion business, I don’t really like shopping. Once a year or so, I do cave and start running like crazy around shops. But that is not my weakness. My greatest feminine pleasure is getting a manicure and pedicure. I barely ever have time for that, but if I do get to it, it makes me feel very pampered, very feminine. Once a week I go to the swimming pool and the sauna. So much for weaknesses. - What matters most to you at home? What kind of environment feels nice and cozy to you? - Home to me is an inner concept. You can surround yourself with golden cages and live in the prettiest house, but if you don’t feel like home, things won’t help. It’s hard talking about homes when I travel this much, so wherever you put me, I’m fine. I’m no nester.

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- Is there anything still missing from your life? - My greatest wish is to graduate. And one fine day I’d love to start working in my own profession, in the humanitarian sector, something to do with education. I hope one day to lose the fashion veil and become a professional in a different field. - Do you think you could ever settle down? - No, I am a roamer by nature; I hope my work requires me to travel a lot. I could up and go somewhere tomorrow. - Could family and kids keep you in one place? - Because I don’t have any children, it seems to me that I would still travel with them. But perhaps if I did have kids, something would change and I’d actually want to settle down. I really like children and I try to help them, but I don’t see myself having any of my own for the time being. Maybe when I do see it, it will be too late, but now is not the time.

More about the Fashion for Future association:

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Text: Alge Ram Photography: Anders Schonnemann (for the book “Spis”)

EAT FEEL LOVE

ikkel Karstad’s biography is pretty tasty. Head chef at Christianborg, the Danish parliament, a few Michelin starred restaurants, gastronomic advisor to Claus Meyer, famous co-founder of the gourmet restaurant Noma – these are just a few highlights from his career to mention. Now it’s time for his very first own book – “Spis” (or “Eat”). Browsing trough its pages feels dangerously delicious. For a little antipasto taste of it, Mikkel’s interview is your best choice!

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Love affair with food For some of us food is just a substance that keeps us alive. But for Mikkel Karstad it’s much more than that. It’s the aesthetics of food culture that makes his eyes sparkle. “I think the aesthetic side is very important because our eyes play an important role in eating and you almost always get the urge to taste something that looks beautiful and nice, rather than food that does not look so appetizing. You eat with your senses, eyes, and nose,” says Mikkel. His own love affair with food began in his childhood. He was engaged by his grandparents on Funen island in growing vegetables and catching fish. So it was always almost obvious to Mikkel that in his adult life he should do something with food and fine ingredients. “I remember all the good things from my grandparents. There were always homegrown vegetables, fruit, fish and game,” says Mikkel. “My grandmother worked for many years as a kogekone – cook lady, she was really good at cooking, like my mother. I’ve never seen it as fine gastronomy, just lovely homemade food with the good ingredients that were in season.”

Today Mikkel has four children of his own: Oscar, Alma, Konrad and Viggo. I would bet they’ve never tasted any frozen food. But Mikkel laughs – yes, they have… Even though he and his wife Camilla always try to prepare some good homemade food for their children, or at least buy good quality prepared meals. “We have to have a hectic schedule to fit together with two full-time jobs and four kids,” he laughs. “We have a classic Danish dish called meatballs in curry (boller i karry), which my kids love when I make it. But they have a pretty good taste for most things I make, even when they get a little ‘strange’, as they say.”

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A book will change your habits

Here, Mikkel tells me about his own most extraordinary gastronomic adventure. It was a trip to Greenland; he was out sailing in Disco Bay with his friend Claus Meyer (yes, the faBeing a trusted and creative chef, Mikkel mous star-chef, co-founder of one of the world’s Karstad deals every day with fine cuisine that he most renowned restaurants, Noma). There they calls food with personality and taste. “I’d rather saw a hunter who had shot a seal. He was standeat a meal that is made of some good local sea- ing there on a small ice floe. Mikkel and Claus sonal produce with personality and love, than a sailed over to the hunter and he offered them a “fine” impersonal dish that consists of expensive taste of warm raw liver. It’s a local tradition… ingredients and is made with a sense of duty,” “Eating that warm raw liver, just removed from he says. a seal, and standing on a floe in Disco Bay at That’s also one of the main goals for Mik- 10 degrees below zero, was one of the wildest kel’s newest cookbook, Spis, that has just been food experiences I’ve ever had, and I will always released in Denmark. It aims to inspire people remember it,” says Mikkel. to use good ingredients and to cook. Simple as But don’t you go thinking that only being that! And so important at the same time. extreme and eating a poor seal’s liver inspires Mikkel looked to the ingredients that he re- Mikkel in his creative work. His daily life and ally enjoys using in the kitchen and which others what’s around him, his beautiful wife, their cute forget a little. He created 5-6 recipes with each children, the weather and the change of seaof the ingredients, so that his readers would be sons — these are all the simple things by which inspired to use it creatively in several different Mikkel feels immensely inspired. “If the sun ways, the way they’ve never done before. So if you shines, it makes me want to prepare a light salad are to read Mikkel’s book, you’ll probably have to or seafood, but if it’s cold and snowy, then I feel change your eating habits slightly to be able to like making a soup or braised pork cheeks,” he explains. experience some new adventures with food. Llamas' valley

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The most important things It’s not been intentional, but Mikkel has always tried to excel and challenge himself. He’s lucky enough to have always done exactly what he most wanted to do at any given time. So there have been many exciting projects in his life. But he really can’t forget the experience of working with Claus Meyer, says Mikkel who worked for five years as Claus’ gastronomic advisor. “It’s unforgettable both on the personal and the professional level. Traveling with him, writing books or just preparing good food with the best ingredients,” he reminisces. By the way, it was Meyer who once said that his main motivation has always been moving Denmark’s food culture forward. How does Mikkel see his own mission in the food scene? “I think my mission is a bit more modest than Claus’. But of course, I want to help improve and preserve the Danish food culture. And I would also love to give my kids a good foundation for food, quality ingredients and sustainability,” says Mikkel. “If I had to take my last meal, it wouldn’t matter what it were, but rather whom it were with. And it should be with my own little family, my wife Camilla and our four children.”

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I love to cook over open fire, which is comfort, beauty and savor all in one. It can be a bit more difficult to control the cooking over the flames of a bonfire, but it adds an extra intense flavor of fire and smoke, which can be hard to achieve from a grill over coal or gas. If you have a bit of wood nearby, then fire up the grill or the fireplace in a true boy scout manner with newspapers and twigs and get the pure and genuine taste of smoke.

Read Mikkel Karstad’s blog “We You They Ate”:

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BURNED POINTED CABBAGE WITH CHANTERELLES, PARSLEY AND NEW ONIONS

YOU WILL NEED (4 PERSONS)

200 g chanterelles 1 dl good olive oil sea salt freshly ground pepper 2 pointed cabbage

4 fresh onions with tops 1 bundle of broad-leaved parsley ½ dl apple vinegar

PROCESS Clean the chanterelles and divide them, if necessary, into smaller pieces.

Remove the cabbage from the grill, and arrange the pieces on a dish.

Roast the chanterelles on a frying pan in a little bit of olive oil, either directly on the grill or on a blaze – roast for about 2-3 min., so they get a nice color and collapse a bit. Season with salt and pepper, and take the chanterelles off the frying pan.

Sprinkle the warm chanterelles on top of the cabbage.

Remove the roughest outer leaves from the pointed cabbage, and divide the cabbages lengthways into 8 equal large pieces, so there is still some stalk left on all the pieces, keeping the cabbage together. Drizzle the pointed cabbage with a little bit of olive oil, and grill it hard for 2-3 min. on each side on a very hot grill, so the cabbage will get a nicely grilled/burned surface.

Slice away root and top from the onions and remove, if necessary, the outer layer of the onions, if it doesn’t look good. Cut the onions into thin slivers and sprinkle over the cabbage and chanterelles. Finally, season with broad-leaved parsley, olive oil, apple vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Eat the warm and burned cabbage as a side dish with meat. They can just as well be served as an independent lunch salad or as a vegetarian item on a menu. Llamas' valley

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FLAMED STRAWBERRIES – WITH ROSE AND STRAWBERRY SORBET

YOU WILL NEED

(4 PERSONS)

500 g strawberries 2-tablespoons of acacia honey 1 little handful of rose leaves

(4 PERSONS)

1 little handful of verbena leaves 1 unsprayed lemon 1 drop of whisky

PROCESS Rinse the strawberries, and snip away the top. Let them drain off carefully. Heat up a frying pan directly on the fire/embers, and put the honey onto the hot pan. When the honey starts to fizz and caramelize, put the strawberries onto the pan. Let the strawberries “fry” for 30 sec., then add the roses and finely grated zest and juice from a lemon, and let it all fry for one more minute, until it thickens and becomes a light syrup. Add whisky to the pan (as needed), and tilt the pan a bit and shake it so the fire can get a hold of the alcohol and thereby flambé. When the alcohol is lit, shake the pan easily, until there are no more flames and therefore no more alcohol. Add the verbena leaves and shake the pan one more time. Serve the strawberries right away, directly from the pan and while they are hot with a nice spoon of strawberry sorbet on the side. The dessert can also be made with other kinds of berries or fruits such as peaches, apricots, plums, pears or apples.

500 g fresh strawberries 1 litre water 200 g cane sugar

½ vanilla pod 10 whole peppercorns 2 unsprayed lemons

PROCESS Rinse the strawberries, and snip away the top. Let them drain off carefully. Slice the strawberries in half and put them in a pot along with water, sugar, vanilla, vanilla pod and the whole peppercorns. The peppercorns help “break” the sweetness in the sorbet, while at the same time stimulating the taste buds a little, and so enhancing the taste of the strawberries. Bring it all to a boil, and let it stay that way for 3-4 min. Remove from the heat and season with finely grated zest and juice from the lemons. Leave the strawberry pickle for 20 min. Blend the pickle and strain it through a large-eyed strainer, such that some of the strawberry meat will go through. Place the sorbet brine in the fridge, and let it cool off completely. When the sorbet brine is completely cold, pour it in an ice machine and run it to a sorbet. Put the finished sorbet in a plastic box and place it in the freezer, where it can stay for 3-4 days and still keep its nicely creamed consistence. Llamas' valley

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HAY-GRILLED LANGOUSTINE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; WITH RIBS, CUCUMBER, THYME AND LEMON

YOU WILL NEED (4 PERSONS)

12 langoustines 1 handful of hay 10 stalks of mint Â˝ cucumber 40 g fresh red currants, ribbed weight

1 unsprayed lemon 1 dl good olive oil 1-teaspoon acacia honey 5 stalks of thyme sea salt freshly ground pepper

PROCESS Leave the langoustines on a dish and cover them well in hay and mint. Put the langoustines, hay and mint directly onto the grill, and grill for 3-4 min., so the hay and mint are almost burned away and give a nicely smoked and perfumed flavor to the langoustines. Peel the cucumber and slice it into small squares. Put the cucumber squares into a bowl along with the red currants, finely grated zest and juice from the lemon, olive oil, honey, chopped thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir it all well, into a thick dressing. Remove the langoustines from the grill, and put them on a dish. Serve them as they are, so the guests can peel the langoustines themselves and eat them with the dressing and a loaf of good bread. You can also peel the langoustines and serve them on a plate with the dressing on top, if it fits the atmosphere and mood. Llamas' valley

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MASHED AUBERGINE – BAKED IN EMBERS

YOU WILL NEED (4 PERSONS)

2 aubergines ½ dl good olive oil 1 unsprayed lemon

½ garlic clove sea salt freshly ground pepper

PROCESS Put the aubergines directly into the embers, and leave them there for about 30 min to brown and get quite soft. Remove the aubergines from the embers, and slice them in half. Scrape the meat from the skin and put it in a strainer so the moisture drains off. Chop the meat from the aubergines with a knife, put it in a bowl, and season with olive oil, finely grated zest and juice from the lemon, finely chopped garlic, salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve the mash of aubergine in a bowl, and eat it as a side dish to the hanger steak or as a little snack on a loaf of bread.

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GRILLED HANGER STEAK – WITH WARM MARROW DRESSING, TARRAGON, RED ONION AND CAPERS

YOU WILL NEED

(4 PERSONS)

0.8-1 kg hanger steak 5 stalks of thyme or rosemary 2 garlic cloves

a little bit of good olive oil sea salt freshly ground pepper

PROCESS Trim the worse sinews and fat of the hanger steak, but don’t cut them all off – they give taste to the meat. Put the hanger steak in a bowl, and rub it with chopped thyme, garlic, olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Leave the hanger steak to marinate for 15-20 min. before they are grilled over flames, so they get a lot of heat for a short period of time. Grill the hanger steak for about 4-5 min. (according to size) on each side, so it gets a deliciously browned crust and at the same time is juicy and rare in the middle. It is important that the hanger steak isn’t cooked for too long, because it is a cut with a fairly rough meat texture, which can get hard and tough if overcooked. When, on the other hand, a hanger steak is prepared in just the right way, it is a cut of meat with a great taste and juiciness. Remove the hanger steak from the grill, and let it rest for 5-7 min. before cutting it into thin slices and serving it with the warm dressing. If you can’t get your hands on hanger steak, you can use flank steak or fillet steak instead.

50 g marrow (order it at your local butcher’s) 2 red onions 50 g capers 1 dl good olive oil

½ sherry vinegar sea salt freshly ground pepper 1 bundle tarragon

PROCESS Cut the marrow into little squares. Peel the red onion, cut it in halves, and cut it into fine slivers. Chop the capers a bit, put it all in an old casserole dish which can be used on the grill (or make the dressing inside the kitchen). Put the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper into the casserole and put it on the grill. Heat it slowly and carefully, until the marrow begins to melt and it all cooks together into a thick dressing. Chop tarragon and put it in the warm dressing. Pour the dressing on top of the warm slices of meat and serve right away. If the meat and the dressing are left for too long before serving, the marrow and the dressing will stiffen a bit and thereby become greasy in expression. Llamas' valley

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Text: Alge Ram Photography: Lina Gavenaite

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gor Josifovic, author of “Happy Interior Blog”, shares the privilege of being one of the few super-famous male interior design bloggers. Actually, there are a few more things to envy Igor for. Like, the 30+ trips he makes every year. Or his big and happy Balkan family. And his dream of moving to Paris that will one day definitely come true. But today we’re meeting Igor at his cozy rooftop apartment in Munich, Germany, his safe haven for this moment.

- Igor, how do you start your day to make it a happy day? - My simple recipe is to be happy with what I got in life. Waking up with this in mind sets the pace for a happy day. And if it’s the weekend, then a big breakfast will accelerate that happiness.

ever considered it or do you love your job too much? What do you do when you’re out of the virtual life? - I have given it some thought indeed. But I must also admit that I love the way it works at the moment. With my day job as a Social Media Manager for a big corporation I am not too far away from my blogger existence. I also work - Five facts we don’t know about you? - I speak Greek. I wanted to become an ar- with food bloggers for my employer and do all chaeologist. I am the quietest member of my the social media shenanigans. However, I would crazy Balkan family. I don’t like licorice. I will love eventually to reduce my workload to partmove to Paris eventually. time and so have more time for my blog. - Being one of the few male design bloggers must be a tough job and a great privilege! How did your love affair with interior design begin? - My love affair with interior design started early. I always paid attention to my room as a kid and to my apartments as an adult. I think the home is such an important factor in life that it deserves maximum attention. With the advent of the web, this interest got an even bigger boost, and then I embarked on this adventure called interior design blogging.

- Sometimes it seems that your whole life is constant travel. How many trips a year do you make and what profession should one choose to be able to live a life like yours? - Oh my, that is true. It does feel like that to me, too. I am an avid traveler indeed plus I am in a long distance relationship and my family lives abroad, so I have many reasons to be constantly en route. If I had to guess, I’d say I am on approximately 30 trips per year. If not more. To be able to live such a life on-the-go I think it is advisable to have a digital job. You can work - Some successful bloggers quit their day from everywhere – all you need is a device and jobs to have more time for blogging. Have you an internet connection. Llamas' valley

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- What does “home” mean to you? - It means a safe haven. It means a place to refill my batteries, to replenish my body and soul. Especially if you have a super busy life, travel a lot, then coming back and spending a free weekend at home is akin to healing therapy for the body and soul. With this in mind I like to create a home where I feel happy. - Where do you look for interesting things for your home? - Online and in my travels. I also read other blogs and get inspired by fellow bloggers. I find lots of inspiration on Pinterest, but also while traveling and discovering new cultures and countries. I always bring a little something back that has a story to tell. - What was the last exciting thing you brought home? - I bought a little happy precious handmade vase made by the French ‘L’Atelier des Garcons’ when I visited the Ceramic Arts Exhibition in London. It is a one-of-a-kind piece and I had an inspiring chat with the ceramicist himself so this vase has its own story to tell. Llamas' valley

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- What about your Serbian roots? Would we find any signs of the Serbian culture in your home? - Just a little bit, yes. My family stems from the far south of Serbia where kilim rugs are traditionally produced. My grandparentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes were all covered in kilims and we would traditionally be seated on the floor with special long cushions lined up against the wall. I have a vintage kilim rug at home that evokes this special memory from my childhood and reminds me of my Serbian roots. - Do you like to cook? - I do like to cook although I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t call myself an exceptional cook. Moreover, I hardly ever cook due to lack of time and more importantly lack of a decent kitchen in my tiny rooftop apartment. It is literally just a corner of my home and does not offer enough space for extensive cooking. - What do you like to read? - I love Victorian English literature. My favorite book is Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. But I also love Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde. I really like long novels with a lot of social observations. Llamas' valley

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- What’s your favorite music at the moment? - Currently, I am listening to the new album by Kylie Minogue. I like catchy tunes, it is easy to sing along and dance along if you wish to. I also need to catch up on the tunes as I will be attending her concert in Paris later this autumn. - What lifts your mood up when you’re feeling sad? - This really happens very rarely. But if it does happen then the cures include listening to good music, redecorating the home and planning the next trip. Who can be sad after all that? - The most beautiful home you’ve ever seen is… - Beauty is of course something very subjective and lies in the eye of the beholder. But for me I would say the most inspiring and beautiful home I have seen is the home of my friend and fellow blogger Victoria Smith of “Sfgirlbybay.com”. I was lucky enough to spend some time house-sitting for Victoria in San Francisco so I could take in every little detail of her carefully designed and styled home. Llamas' valley

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@ad_i_

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@linda_lomelino

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@gaiapadovan

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DISTYLED ELEGANCE Text: Kamile Gzibovskyte Photography: Alvita Daukantaite Studio photo shoot: Photography: Brazzi Photostudio Models: Monika Kmitaite, Aivaras Ventis Make-up: Karolina Taraskevic, Carolina.lt

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ure, clean, minimalistic, modern elegance — these are the words that best distinguish not only the style of “Distyled”, a Lithuanian fashion brand created by Kristina Pazeriene and Giedre Saladzinskaite, but also Kristina’s daily life and even the design of her home interior. We meet with Kristina for brunch at her light and cozy home in the very heart of Vilnius. Here, we forget for a while the bustling city just outside the window, and dive right into an interesting conversation.

- Kristina, how did you come up with the idea of “Distyled”? Tell us how it all started. – The idea was born very naturally. It lived in our heads for a while probably. In this overcrowded fashion world we longed for something clean and pure. We were inspired by paper bags, they are so simple and so perfect at the same time! This was the way we created our first “Distyled” handbags. The name of our fashion brand is a direct reflection of the concept of our accessories: it’s a pure or distilled style. It’s about clean lines and quality minimalism.

– You only use local natural fabrics for your creations. How much do you care about ecology and a healthy lifestyle? – Ecology and a healthy life are very important to me. I think the ecology of the mind is what matters most. It all starts from here. When your thoughts are clear and positive, your life is set in a positive direction as well. Moreover, ecology is also about longevity: a clean, lively environment and our energy and health. So we create our handbags: they are of high quality, lasting materials, and will serve you longer than a season or even a year. Llamas' valley

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er?

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Did you always want to become a design-

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Despite no traditional education in design, we both, me and Giedre, always felt an immense love for design, and we knew we wanted to create and to adorn with our creations not only the surroundings in which we both live, but also the people surrounding us. When the space around you is cozy and neat, then the people are beautiful and happy too; the world is simply glowing. The world of beauty and style was always close to us, and that led us to this particular line of work.

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â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tell us how you arrange your own home. What kind of atmosphere were you going for here? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; My husband and I wanted to create a cozy and comfy home. We looked for natural materials, light colors. We like old and aged furniture as well as design objects by local Lithuanian designers. The creation of a home interior is an ongoing process that can last a lifetime. Some corrections and improvements have to be made when a new member joins your family. With spring the flowers come, in winter time I bring home some candles for coziness. I never calm down, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always something to improve at home. Llamas' valley

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– You offer some unconventional solutions in “Distyled” products. Do you also look for uniqueness at home? – All the unconventional solutions are based on the desire to live and feel comfortable. That is also how the idea of a changeable handbag lining was born. Just like in the interior, unusual solutions mean comfort. Everything has to be useful and “living”. Because useless, purposeless things only clutter the space. – What does an ordinary day at your home look like? – Every morning begins with the kids’ smiles (and sometimes tears...) and a cup of coffee. Then comes planning the day and reviewing the morning news. Sometimes our day ends at the sauna. It’s a big advantage to have such a refreshment when you live in the city centre. I’m very happy to be able to work from my home.

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YOU CAN’T WAIT FOR INSPIRATION. YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER IT WITH A CLUB. JACK LONDON

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Text: Alge Ram Photography: Dafne Salis and courtesy of Catwalking.com

n her teens, she spent hours upon hours exploring the paintings of renowned Italian artists at Rome’s National Gallery of Modern Art. At home she tried to recreate the motives she’d seen in the paintings on her doll’s dresses… A few years later her passion for beauty and fashion brought her to London and Paris. Now, back in Rome, young Italian fashion designer Flaminia Saccucci’s love affair with fashion continues and is blossoming stunningly.

- The emotions that you transmit through your creations are happiness, sensibility, femininity, natural and sophisticated beauty at the same time. What is the message that you want your clients and admirers to hear? - Wow! Just exactly what’s on your list! I would add innovation, as I try always to be different, and craftsmanship because I really care for the quality of my products.

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- In your opinion, how important is beauty in our everyday lives? - I could only quote Shakespeare to answer your question: Love’s Labour’s Lost Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, Needs not the painted flourish of your praise: Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye, Not utter’d by base sale of chapmen’s tongues. The meaning is that the perception of beauty is subjective. I personally think that it is fortunate each of us has different tastes, but we are all looking for harmony in things and in people. Harmony is peace so peace is beauty. - What was your path to the world of beauty and fashion like? - I have always been interested in the history of art. As a child I used to spend entire afternoons at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome just a few steps away from my house.

There I would stare at the works of Italian artists such as Balla, Boccioni, Burri and Fontana. After that at home I would recreate these works of art on my doll’s dresses… This was really the beginning of my path to fashion and beauty. - You lived in London while you were studying at Central Saint Martins, then you moved to Paris and stayed there for some time, and now you’re back in Rome. These are three amazing and totally different cities, aren’t they? What do you enjoy most about each of them? - Yes, I have lived in some of the most beautiful cities in the world. London is a city for everyone, I mean I have never felt a foreigner there as it so cosmopolitan and incredibly open minded. This really helped develop my creativity. Paris is a city of dreams, passion and thoughts. It is a city where I have learned to take time, time for meditation, time for my spirit. Llamas' valley

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Rome is also the place where I was born and grew up, so I am biased here! Everyone knows all about the beauty and history of this city, I can just add that when I am there I always smile because of the sunlight and the light of the people. - What were your plans after graduating from Central Saint Martins? How did you end up working in Paris and what was it like working for fashion giants like Givenchy? - I really wanted to get a job in a fashion house and Givenchy was among my favorites. It all happened by chance, I got the job only a few weeks after graduating. It was an amazing and very formative experience for me to work there. - Tell me a bit about the daily routine at a luxury fashion house. - Every day can be very different, because it is a creative job we are talking about. The list could include (in absolutely no particular order): meeting with suppliers, doing research, designing, choosing fabrics, fittings, changes, designing, changes, talking to suppliers, fittings, changes, changes, designingâ&#x20AC;Ś - Why did you decide to move back to Rome? What projects are you working on now? - Throughout my years of traveling and living abroad, I always wanted to go back to Rome one day. Now I am back and I am working as a consultant for several luxury brands around Europe. Rome is my headquarters and I travel from here. I also work on ordering for individual clients and some day pretty soon I should start working on the production of my own collection.

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- Well Solange Knowls is definitely not the only celebrity wearing a dress by Flaminia Saccucci… What is the secret to making a celebrity choose that particular dress of yours when there are millions of other beautiful dresses and talented designers around? - I don’t have a press agent or anything like that right now. I have just been lucky that many stylists really appreciate my work and propose it to their celebrity-clients.

- What do you think about the business of fashion in general? Is it more tough than beautiful or on the contrary? - It is definitely more tough than beautiful. It is a beautiful and dreamy world but to survive you really need to have your feet on the ground because it can be really hard. You always need to be up to peoples’ expectation or above.

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- What do you like to wear on an ordinary day like today? Where do you look for interesting pieces for yourself? - I like to wear tailored slim fit trousers or skinny jeans with a blazer over a simple t-shirt or a silk loose shirt. I can find nice things really everywhere, from luxury labels to high street, from internet to markets. The important thing is how the pieces are mixed and worn.

- What are your other hobbies besides fashion? I bet you’re great in the kitchen! - Sorry to disappoint you, but I am not really good in the kitchen! I love doing sports, it gives me energy and helps me to relax. I swim anytime I can. And of course I love going to exhibitions, concerts, theatre and markets — this is all fuel for my creativity. - How do you see yourself in, let’s say, five years from now? - I can’t predict the future but I hope I will have the same passion, strength and love for my job that I have right now. Llamas' valley

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OVERCOME SPACE, AND ALL WE HAVE LEFT IS HERE. OVERCOME TIME, AND ALL WE HAVE LEFT IS NOW. AND IN THE MIDDLE OF HERE AND NOW, DON’T YOU THINK THAT WE MIGHT SEE EACH OTHER ONCE OR TWICE? RICHARD BACH, JOHNATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL

@llamasvalley