SHORTCUT MOOD #001

shortcut mood 001 via au pays des merveilles

1 – 2 – 34 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8  (I can’t find the sources of all photos, if you do know them, please tell me!)
quote – Banana Yoshimoto, Goodbye Tsugumi

The same colors keep popping up on my tumblr.  Time to collect all this icy colored goodness on SHORTCUT and present it to you here on a silver platter.  I’m thinking this should become a regular thing, so I can have some fun with lay-out and typography, two of my big loves that don’t get enough room to play on this blog.  We’ll see where this goes.  What do you think?

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

pyropet via au pays des merveillesPyroPets are candles shaped like geometric animals that hide a creepy steel skeleton inside.  You can back this design by Thorunn Arnadottir and Dan Koval on kickstarter here.  (source)

wengenn in wonderland  via au pays des merveillesCalifornian free-lance artist Queenie Liao is a mother of three boys and has been wondering what her baby dreams of when he’s asleep.  Now we know!  She has portrayed her son Wengenn in dreamy settings created out of common household materials.  (source)

3D animal cookie cutters via au pays des merveilles

These 3D cookie cutter sets are probably the coolest I’ve ever seen.  They come in dinosaur and safari animal shapes and make you doubt just a little bit whether to eat your delicious cookies or show them off a little bit longer.  (source)

nakagin capsule tower via au pays des merveilles

Noritaka Minami photographed the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo.  This design by Kisho Kurokawa exists out of interchangeable capsules, meaning that the building can be continually updated by replacing the units.  However, this never happened and the building slowly deteriorated.  These photos were taken in 2011, after plans of demolishing the building were announced.  (source)jaktogo wearable luggage via au pays des merveilles

Jaktogo is a coat that can hold up to 15 kilos of luggage and can be transformed into a bag.  It’s designed to get the heavy travelers among us around strict hand baggage restrictions on low-cost airlines.  I could have used this when I went to Portugal for 5 months!  (source)

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WHERE TO GO IN LISBON

where to go in lisbon After living in this city for five months and countless city trips to Portugal’s capital ever since, I had to compile all my favorite hangouts in one handy city guide.  So, if you’re wondering how a semi-local twenty-something spends her time in Lisbon, this is it!

At the end of this post you can find a google map with all my tips, neatly organized by category. On that map, you’ll find even more tips that I’ve collected from my most trustworthy sources, and intend to try out myself in the future.    Have fun!

Last update: January 2024

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INGENIOUS HOMES IN UNEXPECTED PLACES

Very interesting talk by architectural photographer Iwan Baan about humanity’s ability to survive and make a home anywhere without the help of architects or town planners.  These inspring examples are illustrated by Baan’s amazing photographs (maybe this calls for a blogpost devoted to his work?) and they are definitely worth 15 minutes of your time.

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KAFFEE WELTEVREE

kaffee weltevree via au pays des merveilles

A new academic year means a new Existenz team and new Existenz cafés.  Since I don’t live in Leuven anymore, these cafés are the perfect excuse to go back and catch up with old friends.  (I even wished I could fly back for an evening of Existenz festivities when I was living in Lisbon.)  This year’s opening event was called Kaffee Weltevree and took place in the courtyard of our beloved castle (the home of Leuven’s architecture department).  The combination of the fairy tale like surroundings, the live music, the friends I hadn’t seen in a while and the obligatory beers resulted in a great evening.  I’ve called this city home for five and a half years and nights like this remind me why.

(You can find Existenz on facebook here to stay up to date with their activities.)

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

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The Word magazine devoted an article to Brussels’s best fountains, wonderfully illustrated by Ida Michiels.

via au pays des merveilles

Architecture student Hank Butitta converted an old school bus into a modular mobile home.  More info here.

via au pays des merveilles

Wonderful photos by Parker Fitzgerald for Kinfolk.  (source)via au pays des merveilles

Great illustrations by Amélie Fontaine.

via au pays des merveilles

Amazing DIY idea for a coat rack.

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LIBRE OBJET

diy furniture via au pays des merveilles

As I mentioned in this week’s pretty things post, me and my friends participated in the workshop ‘Libre objet’ in Brussels organized by Mathieu Gabiot.  The first day was spent discussing copyright and open source design (a form of co-creation, where design information is shared publically and the final product is designed and built by the users) , followed by thinking about Mathieu’s design ‘Bouctje’ (a small book rack, pictured above) and how we could transform it into our own design.  The second day was spent on constructing our own version of the Bouctje, resulting in everything from a version with an added side table, a rocking chair our a double version.  Soon, you will be able to download drawings and instructions on how to construct our designs.  Of course I will let you know when these come online, but for now you can click below and try to figure it out from this extensive photo report!

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PRETTY THINGS: DIY

diy via au pays des merveilles

As most of you know, I recently moved to Antwerp.  Obviously, a new place equals a new interior but unfortunately I’m still on a student budget.  Luckily, DIY’ing  is a lot of fun and a lot better for my wallet!  I’ve already started by making my first piece of furniture from scratch thanks to the workshop Libre Objet (expect a full photo report soon!) and my handmade Existenz lamp is still looking pretty after three years and one move.  But my room is far from finished yet (the piles of books on the floor can testify) so I can’t wait to create more pieces myself!  (If you’re looking for more inspiration, go to my pinterest or my previous blogposts.)

  1. Concrete ‘plastic cups’ for candles, reminding me of these.  (source)
  2. Wooden crate lights. (source)
  3. A merry mishap always has the best DIY’s, like this concrete diamond.  (source)
  4. Clock made from a tray. (source)
  5. Shelf – I’m so gonna make something like this. (source)
  6. Geometric paper lamp (source)
  7. Tin can pencil holders. (source)
  8. Clipboard inspiration wall. (source)

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EXPLORED_ parc de bercy in Paris

parc de bercy via au pays des merveilles

After reading this description about Parc de Bercy, I couldn’t wait to explore this Parisian park.  It didn’t really live up to my expectations, maybe because I had my hopes up too high, maybe because I didn’t have much time to really discover this park since I was meeting up with Marijke later, but I did end up with some photos I’m pretty satisfied with.  Maybe next time I’m in Paris, I’ll give it another shot when I have more time on my hands!

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