Author: admin

  • FLEA MARKETS | Budapest | Petőfi Csarnok

    FLEA MARKETS | Budapest | Petőfi Csarnok

    If there’s a flea market in a city, I’m there. On Saturdays in Budapest, the Petőfi Csarnok in City Park fills up with vendors selling everything from bric a brac to shampoo, with some antiques thrown into the mix. It’s a colorful mix of merchandise…and characters.

  • FLEA MARKETS | Barcelona | Els Encants Vells

    FLEA MARKETS | Barcelona | Els Encants Vells

    I’ve been to a lot of flea markets, and they’re all pretty similar: tables under tents lined up in straight rows, or stalls bordering narrow lanes. The flea market in Barcelona is nothing like that…this flea market is crazy.

  • FLEA MARKETS | Reykjavik | Kolaportið

    FLEA MARKETS | Reykjavik | Kolaportið

    I’ve been to some funky flea markets, and this one is no exception. Housed in a large warehouse building on the harbor, the Kolaportið Flea Market offers an eclectic mix of antiques, those famous sweaters, fur, potatoes, and dried fish. Held every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 5:00, you’ll find stacks of old books,…

  • Introducing: SOURCEBOOK

    Look no further . . . here are my recommendations for places to EAT, STAY SEE, and SHOP, in an easy-to-navigate new category called SOURCEBOOK. I’m in the process of adding my notes to all of the sources, so if you are interested in one I haven’t gotten to yet, feel free to ask, or…

  • EYE ON DESIGN |CHAIRS|A Chair in the Family

    EYE ON DESIGN |CHAIRS|A Chair in the Family

    Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi was a visionary when it came to chairs. Chiavari, Italy had been known for the production of heavy, elaborately carved furniture since the year 1200. In 1807, this young craftsman, Giuseppe, came up with a chair that was “so lightweight that even a child could lift it with a single finger.” There’s…

  • Weird but Wonderful | Italian Marketing Strategy?

    Weird but Wonderful | Italian Marketing Strategy?

    “American pocket tape” at an Ipercoop store in Carasco, Italy . . . what makes tape American?

  • Style Moment | Happy Valentine’s Day, Paris

    Style Moment | Happy Valentine’s Day, Paris

    “All you really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” Lucy Van Pelt in Peanuts / Charles Schulz (1922-2000) American cartoonist

  • Eye on Design | Reykjavik | Steinunn Sigurðardóttir | A Designer’s Inspiration

    Eye on Design | Reykjavik | Steinunn Sigurðardóttir | A Designer’s Inspiration

    Sophisticated, textural, awe-inspiring.  These are the adjectives that came to mind when I first saw the clothing designed by Steinunn Sigurðardóttir. As I found out more about her, and her inspiration for her designs, I became even more intrigued.

  • Style Moment | Reykjavik Bookstore

    Style Moment | Reykjavik Bookstore

    “It is clear that the books owned the shop rather than the other way about. Everywhere they had run wild and taken possession of their habitat, breeding and multiplying, and clearly lacking any strong hand to keep them down.” Agatha Christie (1890-1976) British crime writer; quote from her 1963 book, The Clocks.

  • Reykjavik | Will the Heart [Park] Beat Go On?

    Reykjavik | Will the Heart [Park] Beat Go On?

    There’s a square in the middle of Reykjavik with a beating heart that’s fighting for its life. The park is called Hjartagarðurinn, literally translated as “Heart Garden,” and fondly known as “Heart Park.” These photographs were taken last summer, when the park was in all its glory.  A community of artists brought people together to…