Shokay

Today we were out walking after taking our son to the doctor - he's on the mend - and my husband spotted an item that screamed "I need to join Eloise's wardrobe", and so it did, just like that!

A beautiful 100% yak wool hood by Shokay, like a suit of armour in bright colours (see picture left, though without the fur). Finally something to satisfy my need for a new headpiece for winter that is stylish and cosy.
The shop is full of divine handknits, all made from 100% Tibetan yak wool and knitted by hand in China by a women's collective.
And then there are beautiful, comfy, huge inviting cushions in various fabrics, that were an instant hit with Benedikt.

The showroom is tucked into the Fasanen Passage between Uhland and Fasanenstrasse in Wilmersdorf/Charlottenburg and Audrey Heppner, the owner, can be contacted on 030 8892 9223.

Warenhaus Bouchon & Sooth

This gorgeous, colourful shop for kids (and adults), Warenhaus Bouchon & Sooth, is dangerously close to B's Kindergarten! Hence the purchase of Max in the Box (previous post).

They have a beautiful selection of clothing for kids, clothing for adults, furniture, toys and a myriad of gorgeous trinkets to fill Christmas or birthday stockings with...

Located at Südwestkorso 70, 12161 Berlin Friedenau
Tel: 030 5268 7711

Open Mon - Fri 10-6 & Sat 11-4

Perludi design for kids

Oh my goodness, I am a little ashamed to discover that it will soon be a year since my last post! EEEEK, sorry my followers.

Well, in full parent mode now, and learning again what it feels like to have time to myself, the first post is about a wonderful little Austrian company Perludi that I discovered when I bought "Max in the Box" for our son Benedikt. He's been showing signs of wanting to sit down on a chair when he reads, and so the perfect solution presented itself.

Max in the Box is a modular set of cubic table and chair for little people. The company Perludi also makes a super looking bunk bed and then furniture for older little people too. Check them out. I am totally looking forward to sharing Max in the Box with our little man.

Sibylle Bergemann

Hello readers, I know it's been 2 months since I last posted... my little 5 month old son is keeping me happily busy and yet the world continues to bear treasure, as usual.

I had a rare day out with my lovely painter friend Leena and together we saw the latest exhibition at the ever wonderful C/O of polaroids by a famous German photographer Sibylle Bergemann, whom I'm ashamed to say I had not heard of before. Born in 1941 in East Germany, she died last year at the young age of 69! She was one of the founders of the well-respected Ostkreuz photographic agency. Her work was beautiful, romantic, nostalgic, dreamy and very feminine. And it made us both want a polaroid camera.

Sandrine Estrade Boulet

Well, just a quickie because her work is absolutely charmingly irresistable! Having my little boy Benedikt keeps me so busy that my checking in here has been woeful, but occasionally I just have to!
So, I just discovered the work of this French artist Sandrine Estrade Boulet. She adds her imaginative vision to everyday life scenes and the result is pure poetry and fun. Check her out and keep your eyes out, I guess, if you're in Paris...

d.nik

d.nik spells "Kind" backwards, or child in German. This is the funkiest children's shop I have seen for a while! Full of beautifully selected design, toys & furniture for children, such as Scandinavian classic marimekko and American design genius Charley Harper (puzzles and counting books), it is bright, fun, playful and eco-friendly.

I fell in love with a knitted cubbyhouse, a cardboard castle, books and well, so many other things!

Wörther Strasse 14, 10405 Berlin-Prenzlauerberg
Open Mon-Fri 10.00-19.00
Sat 10.00-18.00

Tutti Klamotti

Goodness, I'm down to one post a month! Sorry, being pregnant and busy with little jobs for friends is taking up all my time.

I found a couple of days ago, just around the corner from home, what expectant mothers like me need: Tutti Klamotti, a 2nd hand baby shop with everything! All is in good condition and though not dirt cheap, I like the idea of recycling and reusing things... there's so much waste in the world.

So, I found some English books for our little one and a cute tee.

Emser Strasse 46,
10719 Berlin Wilmersdorf
030 - 50 36 59 24
Mon - Fri 10 - 19 Uhr

Puppen & Teddy Klinik

In my new neighbourhood there is a charming little Rosy's Puppen & Teddyklinik (Doll and Teddybear hospital), the loving creation of Rosy Blanke, which has been here for 20 years. I love that places like this still exist. If your old teddy's stuffing is bursting out, he can be stitched up and if your china doll's bits break, you can take her in for a new arm or leg, for example. Old West Berlin treasure!

Uhlandstraße 148
10719 Berlin-Wilmersdorf
030 873 6004

Tues - Fri 11.00 - 18.00

Idee

I have found heaven on Earth and it's close to my new home over West!!

Idee is the luxury department store KaDeWe's creative and craft market, filled with every imaginable thing you could possibly need to make whatever you can dream up. It reminds me of a smaller exclusively craft version of Tokyu Hands, (amazing department store for all things do-it-yourself in Tokyo).

How could I have not known about this place before now? Wonderfully exciting.

Word Play

I just discovered this forward-thinking Berlin-based language school, Word Play, founded and owned by Adrian Iselin (pictured). Word Play is committed to ecological, sustainable living and teaching the English language to people & children from all backgrounds here in Germany. They run Eco Camps in English to get kids back into nature and away from computer screens, where let's face it, many of us spend more and more time these days!

This really is the future to me, companies that think like this and have as their goal: togetherness, inclusive communication, ecological awareness and fun to boot! What a great example to follow.

Bonscheladen Hamburg

After a recent little trip to Hamburg, where I feel very nostalgic for Sydney, it being a fellow port city, we came back full of cold sea air and a few treasures too...

We stumbled on this artisanal Bonbon shop Bonscheladen, in the charming Ottensen district, and watched fresh deliciousness being made before our very eyes. To suck on a warm, freshly-made bonbon is quite a treat for the tastebuds, let me tell you.

Prudence Murphy

My longtime friend Prue Murphy has finally launched her website - hooray! Lovely to see her work all in one place. Over the early years I assisted with her work often and performed with her in The Love Nest. And my French father (above) also makes an appearance, along with her own father, in her Male Grooming series - bless them.

I am loving her recent work for all those closet and not-so-closet (like me) LEGO fans!
Bravo girl, good to see your work up and about.

Gandharva Loka

Tonight on my way to an appointment I was walking along Schönhauser Allee (number 133) and discovered a beautiful little boutique, one of several European branches, selling a myriad of wooden and other musical instruments. The treasure-laden world music shop, for all those Berliners or others intent in banging and tapping and tinkling their way to joy, is called Gandharva Loka. It made me want to fill my house with instruments!

The quote on their card is most uplifting:
"Music will play a most important role in bringing about world oneness, for music embodies the Universal Heart, the Oneness Heart." -Sri Chinmoy

play

I had one of those moments this morning when your soul cries out for some play and fantasy - a clear case of my inner child needing some attention... So I made her the mask we bought in Sydney on holidays! Even for someone who is fairly well in touch with her inner child, it reminded me to make time to play with her... keeps you young, I promise.

A wonderful book (amongst many out there) exploring this area further is Recovery of Your Inner Child by Lucia Cappachione - it helped me enormously several years ago to open up this realm.

Papermade Heaven

This one is for my sister in Sydney... This little shop tucked in a side street of trendy Mitte in Berlin was introduced to me by a good friend here, with a fellow passion for all things beautiful. Scatolina is a boutique devoted to paper and here you can find all sorts of treasure... handmade, cutout, japanese, italian, european, books, journals, mobiles, lights, wrapping paper, anything you can dream of to feed your paper needs and desires... There's no website so you simply have to visit! Go forth and revel...

Almstadtstrasse 3, 10119 Berlin Mitte
Tel: 030 200 89 393
Scatolina@t-online.de

Mon - Fri 12-7pm, Sat 12-4pm

Mono Kultur - trust Tilda

Last night, true to Tilda's intention, my partner Thomas and I, along with a bunch of other curious souls, were taken on an adventure! We followed little posters of Tilda Swinton down a long path to a secluded little café Tante Käthe where the intelligent, and fascinating little magazine Mono Kultur was hosting its 4th anniversary and the launch of Issue #21 in collaboration with Tilda Swinton, intelligent and endlessly fascinating woman.

She had selected a film for us to watch, which was set in the town where she was last night holidaying in Scotland, and none of us knew what it would be - she wanted it to be like when you're a child and are taken to the cinema, not knowing anything about what you will see but you go willingly for the adventure. It was I Know Where I'm Going, 1945, directed by Michael Powell, and it was GREAT. Trust Tilda.

To keep the passion alive in generations to come, she and her friend Mark Cousins have set up an organisation called 8½ where kids can choose a film on their 8½th birthday!!

Tamar Mogendorff

Today I met Tamar Mogendorff, Israeli artist and maker of beautiful stuffed animal creations and more. She is visiting Berlin and is a good friend of one of my dearest friends Edwina White, whom I had the pleasure of having here back in June. They both live in New York, and are wonder women in their own rights. So I will next see those lovely ladies in New York - a good excuse!

Hohgant Knitwear

I discovered this gorgeous Swiss knitwear label Hohgant the other day in one of my favourite stores in Berlin Andreas Murkudis.

Hohgant, the brainchild of Danish born Hannah Strøm Liatowitsch, is a label of knitted clothing for babies and children up to 6 years of age. The designs are exquisitely simple and colourful and knitted by a team of Swiss women in the alps.

Jan von Holleben

So here I begin a friends posting series... I met Jan von Holleben here in Berlin through an Australian friend Patricia, who lives in London (whom I will post about next), and he's a very talented young photographer who makes playful, gorgeous, whimsical, heart-warming work for the inner child in all of us. I finally bought his book Dreams of Flying 2 last Christmas. Delightful!

If you live in Berlin come to C/O this Friday night (27th March) for his opening there Liebesorte, of pics of where people have sex, made for the new AIDS campaigns!