21 questions + answers - Peter

Peter, 64, born in London, gives money seminars and is an author

starsign: cancer

likes: beauty

dislikes: shrieking, overwound-up (too much sugar) children

1. which are the 3 words that describe you best?
gentle, curious, ambitious.

2. the natural talent you would like to be gifted with? multitasking with ease.

3. what is your principal defect?
thinking I have none!

4. which is your morning routine?
arise, shower, shave, coffee, muesli, toast, bacon and eggs…

5. do you exercise?
yes

6. which is the trait of character that really attracts you in another person?
gentleness, beauty, awareness, consciousness in action.

7. which is the bad habit you would like to shed?
see 3J

8. where’s your favorite place to be?
in my centre.

9. what’s your favorite occupation?
loving

10. what drives you in life?
creating love in business.

11. which is/was your happiest decade so far in life? can’t choose.

12. your thoughts on having children/not having children?
a soul decision.

13. you would never have guessed that life would turn out to be so…
sometimes exquisite and excruciating at the same time.

14. what do you aspire to?
evolving consciousness.

15. which is your most valued possession?
my first bank book!

16. whom do you dress for?
myself and those I’m going to meet.

17. what puts you in a good mood?
accomplishment, a good glass of …,

18. getting older is…
interesting.

19. your present state of mind?
active

20. a motto you would care to live by?
all you need is love!

21. do you believe in luck?
yes and no.

clear cut case

i wanted to show you a picture of these leather cases with the i-phone inside, but then i wouldn't have been able to take a picture of it... anyway, it does its job nicely and i should have taken more colours.

roll it

same post as last year: end of october means it's last minute for those of you who want to order a trolley and get it in time to roll it under the christmas tree. how about this chocolate brown, quite mouthwatering, isn't it? for more pics click on the label "trolleys" below and for enquiries mail me at entrez@leboudoir.ch

blooming

yesterday daniela was here and brought some new paper flowers. she makes them herself, it's a lot of work and she does it meticulously.

it's cold out there (2)

notice there are no ends sticking out (and eventually trailing in the dirt...)? it's because it's a loop. put it twice around your neck and you're ready to go, it always looks good. these loops are made of 100% baby alpaca and that's why they're so soft. the vibrant dark blue shown in the picture is my favorite, but grey and taupe are very nice too.

just hatched

how irresistible is this? i think i'm putting two to the side as a present for my nieces...

sold today

of course my aim is to sell the products i have in the store, but sometimes parting is hard when it's last pieces or - like in this case - i can reorder the size and colour but don't know what pattern i will get on the vase. these days when i get ceramics i'm almost afraid to open the parcel, mainly because i fear breakage, but with these vases also because i like some patterns much more than others. so bye-bye to the grey one which i particularly liked (of the small green i still have another one).

btw: you can catch a glimpse at the ash stacked in the picture...

it's cold out there (1)

a mere two weeks ago you could still spot reckless ladies wearing shoes with naked feet... that's definitely over for this year and it's time to pull out our winter gear. if you think you need a refresh, i have very nice, handknitted scarves on offer. top marks for the material! this one is 100% lambswool.

red herring

two parcels from france to fetch at the post office the note said... walking up to the post office i rack my brain to remember what deliveries are to be expected from france but the two that come into mind are not to be shipped by post.

turns out one parcel is from denmark and the other from holland - so much for accurate work at the post office :-)

as you see: the new leather wallets with silk screen print on the inside are in! more pics on the various items to follow.

btw: allegedly, the expression red herring referes to escaping convicts trying to mislead scent dogs pursuing them by throwing about stinking red herrings... isn't that comical?

this morning at the bus station

stack them

i never buy the wallpaper magazine (too expensive, too much advertising)... anyway i did this month because there are some good pictures of muuto's stacked system in ash. they did it monochromatic in ash, which looks good i think, of course you can also mix with white elements (click on below label "shelving" to see pics with white and/or pine elements).
what else is new: you can chose the element with or without backboard. i also liked that they used the yellow and green clips for added dash but of course the shape created is interesting enough in itself. clips are not strictly necessary but add stability if you chose to make elements overhang.

i put a small combination (similar to pic 3) in the shop window and honestly, whatever you put in it will look good! ceramics, glassware, books... the mix always works.

it now smells of wood in my shop!

sunday bits and this morning

autumn days...
(btw if you click on pic two you see the top of prime tower and a crane sticking out their heads of the fog).
well, you couldn't tell from these pictures but i have also spent a few hours in the shop over the week-end (not so much of a break then as planned) to redecorate the window display. this usually entails window cleaning and it still surprises me how dirty windows get from the inside! no greasy noses, ok, but little sticky white dots of mysterious origin.
i have put a small combination of the Muuto stacked shelf system in the window. it's the new version in ash with or without backboard. i tried to take a picture but the reflection is such that i would show you a photograph of the eth on the opposite side of the street instead... but hang on, tomorrow i will post pictures of it that appeared in the october issue of wallpaper magazine.

fuming...

i had in mind to finish this workweek with a nice little post but what did i do instead? i went looking for something in the cellar, logged away a carton, it slipped out of my hand... and there you go i broke the ceramics inside. i think there is nothing that puts me more beside myself with anger than when i go breaking things in the shop like a berserk. thank god it's saturday, i need a break (but the problem is i need a break from myself)!

ps: i have a few more 21q&a up my sleeve and could have posted one today instead to vent my anger. what do you think, is one q+a a week too much or not? please let me know here: entrez@leboudoir.ch

new

a little girly, i know... but did a little bit of glitter ever hurt anyone? these pouches come in 3 sizes and are ideal for your handbag. the middle and big size can hold an i-phone.

right, let's catch up on post of september 23. i said this beautiful picture reminded me of carpets. i can hardly be held responsible for the associations my brain makes, can i... so let's just post the pictures i had in mind.
(first pic by Paulo Roversi, the second from a swedish, third and fourth of a danish magazine).

law & order

there were enough rainy spells over the week-end for me to finally finish and send off my tax declaration (only 10 days late this year, i'm starting to see a positive trend here!) and to begin to clear up and organize the chaos in the shop kitchen. it was always bad (forget cooking) but things only got worse when i had to clear room 4. so no easy task because somewhere the stuff will have to go! and that's where i'll continue today and hope to free some space (1 cubic metre would be brilliant!) because new supplies are in the pipeline and slowly start to trickle in... like this new bird, landed in the shop today. more about it soon (but wait, first i'll have to catch up with carpets and stacked and... i haven't forgotten!)

21 questions + answers - Elias

Elias, 41, born in Copenhagen, owner of internet shops

starsign: taurus

likes: relaxing times with fellow human beings

dislikes: smartness and snobbiness

1. which are the 3 words that describe you best?
good-natured, intelligent and humorous

2. the natural talent you would like to be gifted with?
openness

3. what is your principal defect?
not good enough to talk about the stuff that hurts

4. which is your morning routine?
bath, müsli, orange juice, coffee – then off to work (pretty boring)

5. do you exercise?
i run – i have run 4 marathons so far – started running only in my 30’es so i am quite proud of this – also swim but only 1-2 a month

6. which is the trait of character that really attracts you in another person?
openness

7. which is the bad habit you would like to shed?
stop my mind from wandering

8. where’s your favorite place to be?
Paris

9. what’s your favorite occupation?
businessman

10.what drives you in life?
my Renault Grand Scenic

11.which is/was your happiest decade so far in life?
0-10 years

12.your thoughts on having children/not having children?
i have got 3 children – basically the only thing which really gives meaning to life

13.you would never have guessed that life would turn out to be so…
childlike – i always thought when i was a child that when i would grow up i would be so mature, rational and adult in all my acts and thoughts…

14.what do you aspire to?
buddha

15.which is your most valued possession?
my T61 [his computer]

16. whom do you dress for?
society

17.what puts you in a good mood?
food, exercise, lively conversation, happy projects, books

18.getting older is…
uhh… (pls see answer to #3)

19.your present state of mind?
restlessness

20.a motto you would care to live by?
i do not trust mottos

21. do you believe in luck?
nope – I believe in hard work :-) punk

some french sauciness

cupid's arrow hit me when i saw these earrings... i can't wait until this new jewellery collection will be in, with a little luck sometimes next week. but i'll tell you when and will post my own pictures, this one is by héloise.

against my better judgement...

what i feared is happening: room 4 is filling up again. it was inevitable. as i was ordering the new muuto stacked in ash (more about this shortly) i couldn't stop myself from ordering the new low table as well. even when pacing all the rooms armed with my tape measure i knew all along there was no room for this low table and sadly, with a diameter of 70cm, it couldn't sit in the shop window either. maybe in the entry hall? not if i am to open one of the four doors at any rate... but i ordered anyway and it now sits half tucked away under the table in room 4 looking smart!

back from paris

same time last year i remember my wearing a big wool scarf, this time the weather was incredible, the sky of undisturbed blue from morning to evening and it was so warm people walked around in summer dresses and t-shirts until late night... it was a bit strange actually. at least it didn't feel weird to see the spring/summer collections for 2012 and i did find some nice jewellery.

nevertheless, you know winter is around the corner and yesterday when i was free to stroll in the city my plan was to get THE pair of boots. warm and comfortable enough to take me through winter yet stylish. i've dreamt of them for many years! dreams... i didn't find them (comfortable, warm AND stylish is too much to ask it seems) but i landed this pair of er... city squaw mocassins... i'm not sure about the looks but they are soft as slippers!

Hermes is with me

please note that the shop will be closed tuesday october 4th.

i took this picture a while a go... i'm going back to paris for two little shows, today after shop closure i'm jumping on the tgv. the weather in paris is to be splendid for the next few days!

meanwhile i leave you with this week's 21 q+a with my friend stefan.

21 questions + answers - Stefan

Stefan, born in Camden US in 1970, advertising/senior art director
starsign: leo
likes: attention
dislikes: attention

1. which are the 3 words that describe you best?
independent , innovative, introverted

2. the natural talent you would like to be gifted with?
any musical talent

3. what is your principal defect?
self-awareness

4. which is your morning routine?
1.exercise 2. coffee 3.bagels

5. do you exercise?
as much as possible

6. which is the trait of character that really attracts you in another person?
reliability

7. which is the bad habit you would like to shed?
eating cereals after 10 pm

8. where is your favorite place to be?
on a bicycle or in the water

9. what’s your favorite occupation?
traveling

10.what drives you in life?
improving myself

11.which is/was your happiest decade so far in life?
they’ve all been equally interesting

12.your thoughts on having children/not having children?
liberal

13.you would never have guessed that life would turn out to be so…
generous

14.what do you aspire to?
a life fulfilled

15.which is your most valued possession?
my health

16.whom do you dress for?
the occasion

17. what puts you in a good mood?
beauty

18. getting older is…
coping with not getting younger

19.your present state of mind?
forward looking

20. a motto you would care to live by?
what goes around comes around.

21. do you believe in luck?
in combination with preparation/hard work, yes.