14 AMAZING THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2014

1. Spent some months studying in Spain. Hated the studying part, but loved being able to see my friends & family on a regular basis.

2. Had my first "friend wedding". Equally as fun as stressful.

3. Had a longggg summer holiday for the first time in years. 

4. Travel to Valencia with my besties to celebrate the Fallas. It's hard to remember any other weekend as fun as that one!

5. Received three flower bouquets, which is one of my favorite things ever! 

6. Got reunited with several friends who live far away and who I hadn´t seen in years.

7. My friends Fidel and Anna finally got to visit Sanxenxo, my beloved summer town.

8. Celebrate my birthday at Harry Potter Studios, and proved that I may be getting older in age but in my soul I will always be a 15-year-old-girl.

9. Saw One Direction live. Twice. Two days in a row (no judgement) and loved every single second of it.

10. Got to see one of my designs built, and looking stunning!

11. Got into jogging and lost some weight (that I may have gained again... Hey there New Year Resolutions!).

12. Got my dream job at my dream company.

13. Moved back to London and discovered MY neighborhood.

14. Met incredible new friends!

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL!!

DES PETITS HAUTS [Claudio Coello 81, Madrid]

This french store has been one of my favorites in Madrid since my mum randomly discovered it some months ago, and whenever I visit the family I have to stop by!

The brand belongs to two parisian sisters and every collections has this genuine french elegance and style. The store totally shares the clothes' vibe. Everything in Des Petits Hauts is very feminine, girly, chic, easy going,...

I really love the color palette that has been used, not only because I´m a true pink girl... But I do think that the white brick walls and the different pink touches work perfectly with the matching timber flooring and furniture.

Since I am obsessed with 'the little things' that make a place special, I obviously love the cute tote bag you are given with being a good customer. ;)

I have just one thing left to say: when are you guys opening a store in London!? 

'My London' according to IG

I´ve spent the last - almost- 4 months living my second London experience. It´s hard to summarize what life is like here and to remember everything I´ve during this time when someone asks me... Thankfully, we have a little thing called Instagram that I believe is the best "memories keeper" we can have nowadays. 

So let´s have a look at my life in London according to my Instragram...

1. I´ve discovered my love for North London and enjoyed a little bit of nature every now and then. Regent's Park, Primrose Hill, Hampstead Heath,... are definitely some of my favorite places in the city.

2. Of course, the city itself it´s one of the things I´ve enjoyed the most. You can never get tired of walking around London since there are always new neighborhoods to explore and new places to discover.

3. There´s no better place than London to rediscover yourself and find new trends and styles to follow! And I surely try to make the most of all these opportunities.

4. Following the last point... I´ve been lucky enough to be able to do some shopping in one of the best places possible! 

5. And let´s finish up with of my favorite things: food & drinks! Better when shared with awesome friends.

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So, what have you been doing this winter? Whatever that is, I hope you've had a great one so far!

Featuring in this post: The Queens Pub in Primrose Hill, Selfridges&Co, Shake Shack and let´s also give a shout out to my good friend Charlie.

Selfridges Men's Designer West

During my time at Alex Cochrane Architects I had the opportunity to work in two amazing projects for Selfridges&Co.

One of them was the Silence Room, a temporary installation in which I worked from concept to construction. The other one was Mens Designer West, which I helped design but sadly was not involved in its assembly. 

This scheme follows the same rules as Men's Designer East, previously completed by ACA, located at the opposite side of Selfridges central atrium. There are a series of brass rails at each side of the mat, demarcating the space and enclosing three sculptural plinths, beautifully illuminated by three halo lights.

My favorite part of the whole design is definitely the floor, made of oversized geometrical stones. I remember what a great pattern-making and scale exercise its design process was, which even involved the creation of a 1:1 mock-up pattern module.

A mirrored feature wall divides the retail space from the fitting rooms and back of house areas. It contains a number of solid brass rods that are free to slide in and out, introducing versatility to the merchandise display.

Being personally involved in the project I am presenting today, I can only state how every little detail, proportion, material, surface [and so on...] was considered; and the result speaks for itself (and please allow me to say it's simply stunning!). 

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But what do YOU think about it? Let me know in the comments below! And definitely do not hesitate to visit this space if you fancy a bit of great retail design and the coolest, most fashion-forward menswear brands! (Or if you are my mum and dad, of course...!).

- - -  Now I am just waiting to get a very special someone's feedback... ;) ;) ;) - - -

ARTICLE [96 Kingsland Rd, London]

Technology issues have stopped be from writing this post about Article since I randomly discovered it back in July... I'm happy to finally be able to go on with the blog and published this cool shop's pictures. 

First thing I liked about Urban Excess' physical store is how you can still see outside the branding from the previous lighting shop located there. I feel like that kind of 'effortless vibe' is definitely part or Article's charm. You don't need a big signage telling you what's in there, you can have a sneak peek from the big windows that will definitely make you wanna go inside.

From all the different fixtures in the store, the wall's metallic mesh is my favorite. Again, it's feels easy, it's simple, elegant, probably cheap, and it works perfectly.  It also has great versatility, allowing to display sneakers and boots differently depending on each year's collection. 

The whole place has an industrial/old-school look , in perfect combination with the items' coolness and style. But it's also quite cool how after this "rougher" environment, the focal point at the end of the store, where the till is located, is a very polished feature wall. It contains several wooden rods, that once again allow flexibility and create a very dynamic retail environment.

Article was a great start from my new London era, and I look forward to continue exploring the city's amazing retail design culture.

CAPSULE [Barquillo 41, Madrid]

Capsule is one of those small&smart stores, which is one of my favorite retail concepts. It is specialized in sneakers and men's fashion, always showing some limited editions and brands' exclusive collections. Its very discreet window and its small space is perfect for the exclusivity they want to inspire.

I am absolutely obsessed with the joinery work, from the hangers, shelves and mostly the counter-display table. It is beautifully made and it matches perfectly all the brands spirit.

I find the three-level hangers particularly smart. They allow a very strategic display game, showing the main clothes at eye level and combining them with some accessories on the top shelves and some special items at the bottom. 

The store recently changed it's location, and that was a wise choice. Barquillo Street is becoming an important reference area for men's fashion in Madrid and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city who is interested in doing some shopping. 

Despite having a wide men's collection, don't worry girls! There are also some things for us at Capsule, so do not hesitate in paying them a visit!

<< Thanks Al for playing the "I'm Palo`s assistant role" when we visited this cool place! >>

SISTER JANE [59A Portobello Road, London]

I just found these pictures that have literally been hidden in my computer for a year, and I totally forgot about them. Sozzz Sister Jane!

Since I now have no time to explore, what a great opportunity bringing them out is to make this sadly abandoned blog shine for a little bit.I totally remembered how surprised I was to find this store right at the beginning of Portobello Road, where the actual market hasn't yet started and all you see are tons of tourists wandering around hoping to find William Thacker's blue door house. So I must say that the surprise effect and the end-of-the-stairs entrance captivated me from the start. 

The inside is elegant, clean and very white (I absolutely adore the white wooden floor!). And I thing it's quite interesting seeing the old neighborhood architecture through this pure space windows.The store's spatial organization is very simple, just rails around the perimeter and a very smartly located mannequin, nothing else gets your attention away from the clothes.  

I have shown some other times on this blog pipe rails, which have been a huge trend for a while now, but there is something different about them in Sister Jane. The way they emerge from the floor and walls, makes them totally seem to be actual working pipes; and even if they are not I like to think about this design approach, using what is already there on a way that serves the space needs.

I remember how nice it was being able to have this quite and calm shopping experience before getting into the madness of Portobello Rd. Market!