This last week has been crammed full of wonderful work and play in and around Stockholm in Sweden. Primarily a trip to see friends and start on this seasons Van Asch photographs.
The trip did of course, have to include some shopping and, what I call, research !
Some of you may know already that I have the great privilege of being asked by the paint maker Annie Sloan to be a "painter in residence" whereby I use her trade marked chalk paint in my styling. The above photo features Antoinette paint and some details of the photo shoot for Van Asch and BVN Design. These two Swedish based companies have joined forces to expand their collections, Van Asch now producing fabrics and BVN using these on the furniture. UK shops should be prepared for the Swedish invasion as they will be launching in the UK later this year, I will keep you posted about that.
Shopping wise, well, we squeezed in what we could. A car boot fair was brilliant, although the weather was so hot! I found some beautiful candle sticks and a crochet throw, which will end up as props at some point. Then at the opposite end of the spectrum, we hit the old town in Stockholm, lovely winding cobbled streets with beautiful stores like Indiska and Godrum Sjoden. These Swedish stores in particular are really embracing colourful influences from India and Eastern Europe.
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| Gudrun Sjoden |
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| Dala Horse Museum |
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| the old town |
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| lighting store windows |
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| displays outside stylish shops |
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| Indiska |
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| Indiska |
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| Indian cafe in the basement of Indiska |
A couple of charity shops were raided for props, I saw the chair above in one and would have loved to have brought it home.
This little shop in Solentuna is now the latest Annie Sloan paint stockist and they are also stocking Van Asch cushions and bags. The lovely lady is currently in Oxford at Chalk Paint HQ and will be setting up a facebook page on her return. Previously her parents gift shop she is in the process of revamping and re-stocking.
Part II of the photo shoot will continue in July with some outdoor shots and new designs hot off the press.
In the meantime, Im working on some interior styling using Annie Sloan paints and also maybe photographing some more rock musicians. Who says my life isn't varied ! Lastly just before I sign off, I love this photo I took of my god-daughter so much I wanted to include it. Vie ses snart!
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