16 amazing things that happened in 2016

I think it’s fair to say 2016 hasn’t been the best year - for me, for some  of my good friends, and we could even say that for society, showbusiness, music, arts… Therefore I was very tempted to skip my “N amazing things of 201N”. But then I realized that the fact that this year kind of sucked made focusing on the positive so important, because despite the shit  we went through I still have  at least 16 things I should be thankful for.

So here we go, one more time.

1. I had the opportunity to travel and visit some amazing places for the first time, like Marrakech or Milan.

2. There was a total baby boom around me and I couldn’t be happier.

3. Got to stay in a Soho House hotel and felt posh, rich, fab and enjoyed every single minute of it.

4. Had all my girls from home reunited in London for a weekend.

5. I went to the Harry Potter play which was so, so, SO WORH IT.

6. My uni friends and I organized a “10 year anniversary trip” and it was as fun as the good old days!

7. Had some amazing visits that made the expat life a bit easier: parents, cousin, friends.

8. I was reunited with one of my favorite people in NYC.

9. Managed to keep an important tradition: Rocky Horror Show always a must on Halloween.

10. Started a podcast, which died not long after... But will hopefully come back to life in the next year.

11. Found myself quite open minded and supportive to different revelations, news and all sorts of shocking information. Thanks youtube, the internet and all the stuff that helps with that!

12. Could enjoy a long summer holiday in Spain which help me had quite a tan and made everyone jealous back in London.

13. Opened some amazing projects at work and got some new and exciting opportunities.

14. Moved in with a bestie and found a home in London.

15. Harry Styles  was on the cover of a magazine which included an interview and a million photos of him...what else could I ask for?

16. And finally, and let me say most importantly, we had some additions to the family: our lovely and adorable niece Carmen, and Bimba &  Lolo, the cutest puppies anyone could ask for.

Here’s to an amazing 2017! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Selfridges Accessories Hall

A few weeks ago Selfridges unveiled its new Accessories Hall - part one of the overall project which will finish in 2018. 

It was designed in collaboration with David Chipperfield Architects and the ten brands that occupy the space. 

The perfect illumination of the space and the exquisite materials are, in my opinion, what make the space so incredible beautiful.

The brands have also brought their finest concepts and the result has been amazing. Anyone who visits the space will remember Celine´s beautiful flooring or Balenciaga´s broken mirrors, among many other great details.

Customers can also take a break from the extraordinary shopping experience at The Fountain, Selfridges new concept cocktail bar (where it´s difficult to find a free spot these days!).

If you haven´t visit the space yet, do not hesitate to pay it a visit very soon. You may also find some inspiration for your Christmas list... or your wish list at least!

Harvey Nichols, The Mailbox - Birmingham

It took me a few months to finally visit Harvey Nichols´ new store but it was totally worth the wait. Located in Birmingham´s Mailbox the space offers a complete new image of the brand and the work done by Virgile & Partners is absolutely impeccable.

On the same space / floor you can find womenswear, menswear, beauty and even a salon and restaurant - which creates a very easy and enjoyable retail experience for the customer.

My favorite element from a design perspective is without any doubt the combination of incredibly beautiful materials. The wide range goes from marbles, different metals and even cork.  

The very creative approach is reflected in the architectural envelope but also in all the fixtures and even the VM kit. The mannequins could be easily mistaken by sculptures and most of the fixtures can also be imaged as part of an abstract art exhibition.

I would highly recommend to visit this interesting space to any design geeks like me! 

The nature of motion // Nike

Nike´s "The Nature of motion" installation was without any doubt one of the highlights of this year´s Salone del Mobile in Milan.

This year the brand invited 10 designers to create installations around the idea of movement. Some of them were quite conceptual and some more practical, but all of them where located in the same amazing space. The site had been transformed in some sort of labyrinth created with Nike´s shoe boxes, and through your walk around it the different pieces were appearing in front of you.

The whole exhibition was very cool and incredibly inspiring,  and I think it was extremely useful from a retail design point of view - so it was definitely worth the visit. 

I don´t think I could really choose my favorite piece... so maybe I´l have to settle with the exterior installation, but basically because it matched my outfit and made an amazing background for the best Instagram shots! :)

Salone del Mobile - Milano 2016

This year I had the great opportunity to attend Milan´s Salone del Mobile and I absolutely loved the experience. I mean... what´s not to love about being in Italy for a few day enjoying the nice weather, the delicious food and doing some research for design inspiration and great ideas?

I feel like some of the stuff we saw (like Nike´s "The Nature of Movement" installation) deserve its own post, but I wanted to give you an overview of the trip and the key elements we could check out.

* Green inspiration 

* Let there be light! 

* Honey, I blew up the kid...

* Installationism

* Do you want to build a structure?

Part II to follow up shortly! Stay tuned...

MARRAKECH

A few weeks ago I went with my friend Sandra to celebrate her.. let´s call it big birthday (29+1!) to Marrakech. Truth be told I had very low expectations that were immediately exceeded. 

We enjoy the sunny weather, the food and even the endless haggling sessions in the souks (activity in which I surprisingly turned out to be very good!)

Here are some pictures that summarize our three lovely days in the city!

♥ Valentine´s day cards designs ♥

A few weeks ago one of my favourite websites, The Debrief, started a competition to design non-crap Valentine´s day cards. 

After waiting to the very las minute (literally an hour before the deadline...) I submitted my design and the next day I found out I was one of the three lucky winners (yay!). 

My cards are now available to download from their website which is pretty cool. And if you didn´t have time to buy a real card to go with the usual chocolates and/or flowers, you are still on time to at least sent an electronic message to your loved one. 

There´s definitely not a better way to express love than using our dearest elements of modern life: emojis! And as you can see, when using these cards you just need to hope that your other half has an emoji look-a-like... (But aren´t we all supposed to be represented there now? So that shouldn´t be a problem...)

Happy Valentine´s Day and most importantly HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Wedding Invitations - Part II

A while ago I posted on the blog some weddings invitation designs that I had done for my cousin. That was my first attempt on the matter and I absolutely loved it!

I have now done some studies for another wedding that I'm happy to share with you here. 

Firstly there are a couple of A5 double sided vertical options and then there are two A4 horizontal designs. 

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If you want to have personalized invitations for your big day or for any other enquires please feel free to contact thatsthearchitude@gmail.com :)