Manolo for the Home

My grandmother on my mother’s side has a special tea cup she uses. The rest of us use Russian tea glasses while she drinks her blend from a dainty bone china cup and saucer covered in colorful flowers. It’s really a rather lovely thing to see on the table in the cold winter months because it’s so evocative of springtime.

Were I to choose a special cup of my very own, it would probably be a coffee cup and I’d more than likely pick the Chirp cup from Lenox. What can I say? I’m a total sucker for bluebirds…too bad I have a little trouble justifying the $25 price tag.

For now I’ll have to settle for my oddly-balanced yet beloved jade glass cup and saucer I bought at a Cracker Barrel store ages and ages ago. Do you have a special cup or mug or bowl or plate?

Amsterdam based designer Monique Goossens creates playful, homey art pieces that are delightful in their unexpectedness.

Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find out much about Ms. Goossens. Her web site is nothing more than a placeholder for what I imagine will be some wonderful content. For now, I’ve placed some photos of her lovely stuff below the cut.

(more…)

I have a case of the Monday blahs, and the promise of plenty of pretty things to look at was what eventually got me out of bed. As lovely and sunny as it is outside, it’s still hellsa cold. I’m in the process of redecorating my kitchen and it’s beginning to look more and more like the demented altar of a crazed sun worshiper. Hey, I can’t help it if I’m desperate for springtime to get here!

These are just what the doctor ordered, and I love them. The cheery pieces above hail from Villeroy & Boch’s Wonderful World line. I think they’re worth every penny when the wintertime doldrums are threatening to sap my motivation, but whether or not you consider $17 a reasonable price to pay for a bread plate is up to you. If I had my way — and a great deal more money than I do — I’d pair my little Wonderful World collection with something like this:

When I look at this stove, I can’t help doing the Homer Simpson “UGGHHHGHHH” thing.