It's a cover-up

Trend alert: denim blue

Picture c/o Deminology

This eighties revival seems to only be gaining momentum. The latest? The once dreaded double denim. This cool, laid-back look is cropping up everywhere from catwalks to home designer collections.

Photo c/o The Outnet.com and Louis Vuitton

This trend was most visible was in Ralph Lauren's spring/summer collection for 2010 (pictured top) with models featured in boyfriend jeans and faded overalls. But you can also see it in Stella McCartney's retro denim heels (left) and Louis Vuitton's Monogram Denim bag (right).

In homewares, you can start with baby-steps by injecting a dash of denim with these Denim storage bags from Next or even recycled denim waistbands turned cushions from deco-blue designs.

Go a little more daring with this striking Denim tableware collection (left) from Soendergaard or these gorgeous Ceramic Ottoman side tables (right) designed by Paolo Navone for Gervasoni.

Photos c/o Bemz

For the real denim lovers, you can go the whole hog and transform your living room into a haven of denim with these covers in Light Denim Blue (top left) paired with these pixilated denim blooms (bottom right) along with a slightly nautical Static Stripe- Light Denim Blue (top right).

Top tip: The key to a successful double denim look (read: to avoid looking like Bryan Adams in the 80s!) is to pair different shades and washes of denim together.

Credit: Livingetc March 2010

Bonjour Mme PS en France

Jean-Michel of France sent in this photo of his living-room:

He attempted re-covering these Ikea PS chairs himself the first time round and the thought of taking on the task again was far too daunting. Instead, he ordered Bemz covers in Zinc Grey for his PS chairs. He writes:

They are perfect and we are delighted.

He and his wife are artists living in a small town in France, and it shows! Just this tiny glimpse of their home is très impressionnant! I wouldn't mind a full tour. Bravo Jean-Michel!

This just in: here is the link to Jean-Michel's wife's site. Enjoy!

Honk if you like Lisa Bengtsson

Remember those bumper stickers from the 80s? We should bring them back. Anything that brings people together to share a laugh should never go out of style.

And speaking of style, our new collection by impressive young designer Lisa Bengtsson is getting its share of shout outs. Swedish online magazines Elle Interiör, Allt om bostad, Feber, Expressen, Våning & Villa and Sydsvenskan all picked up on the news and had nothing but good to say about the new partnership.

These are shots c/o Sara's iPhone taken of the Lisa Bengtsson displays in the Bemz Inspiration Store

Thanks to Johanna of Swedish Äntligen Egen who not only shares in our excitement about the new collection but takes inspiration from Lesley as a successful female entrepreneur as well. Trendey picked up on our new launch and author Mia added Baronessa to her "top list of this season’s absolutely nicest fabrics." 

That's Sara on the right, hard at work setting up shop in a Lisa Bengtsson dress! Fab.

We have had a HUGELY positive response from all kinds of design bloggers including Inspirera Mera, From Sthlm, Room by Sofie, Linneskåp, Jane's Dreams, Annettes Skimmer, Simplicity, Need for Design, Miss Marie's Blogspot, Ekostil, Sofias Inredning, Åtta Små Plommon, House of Jammi, Too Much Inspiration, Interior och Insperasjon, Williams Design, Imse Vimse Vass, Veronicas Krypin, Ett Moln i Manolos, Design by E and our good friend Helena from Room and Serve who were all mad for the new Lisa Bengtsson collection.

As you can see, Lisa Bengtsson's work is greatly admired. A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO YOU ALL FOR THE FANTASTIC SUPPORT!

More fun stuff from Formex

In an earlier post I passed on Sara's pictures from the Formex Trade Fair in Stockholm. But Princess Victoria's wedding service was not the only thing to catch her eye. 

Cute clothing but the first things I noticed were the chairs (what a great yellow!) and the fab art deco chandelier. Is there something wrong with me?

I love baking and being in the kitchen is made all the more fun with quirky personal details like these.

I suspect this may have been what kick-started the whole Bemz cupcake competition. Annica won with her Hi-hat cupcakes.

This is personal: cupcake craze

At Bemz we are all about personalization - putting your mark on your home, your surroundings; giving you the chance to have things the way you want them. Recently Bemzies decided to put their money where their mouth is and had a cupcake competition. Cupcakes were judged (by an outside, independent adjudicator of course!) on taste and looks. Here are the entries:

And the winner? Annica, the lady in charge of the money (coincidence?)...

Annica, newly crowned Cupcake Queen. Our local tea house, Java, kindly donated the prize: one bag of "lunda" and one of "Lidingö" loose tea mixes. Thank you! And let's not forget the winning recipe:

Hi-hat cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2.5 dl/1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar (can substitute with vanilla extract)
50 g/2 oz butter
1 dl/3.5 fl oz cream
2 tbsp cold coffee
3.5 dl/1.5 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp cocoa
1 pinch salt
100 g/3.5 oz 70% dark chocolate

Frosting / Meringue:
6 egg whites
8.5 dl/3.5 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp vanilla sugar (can be substituted with vanilla extract)

Chocolate Coating:
350 g/12 oz 70% dark chocolate
3 tbsp cooking oil

Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF.
Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar until pale and fluffy. Melt butter. Add cream and coffee to butter and pour into egg mixture. Mix. Mix flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt and fold gently into the batter. Chop the dark chocolate roughly and melt it in a double boiler. Line muffin tin with cupcake paper and fill to 2/3.
Bake in middle of oven for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

For the Frosting / Meringue:
Mix egg whites, sugar and juice of lemon into a stainless steel bowl. Whisk until frothy by hand, about 1 min. Place bowl over a pot of hot water (like double boiler) and whisk until sugar crystals melt and the mixture has reached a meringue-like consistency. Remove bowl and whisk in the vanilla sugar. Beat with electric mixer for a few minutes until the meringue has thickened and cooled. Pipe the meringue onto the cupcakes in the peak-shaped spirals, leaving about 1 cm around the edge free. Leave to harden in the refrigerator.

Chocolate coating:
Chop the chocolate and melt in the microwave with cooking oil. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool. Dip the top of the meringue into melted chocolate and leave it to harden on a platter in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Do you have a winning recipe? Share it with us!

Everyone really enjoyed the experience and we hope to make it a regular feature. Any ideas for our next competition?

Barbie does Bemz

A great big thank you to Marjolein of the Netherlands who sent in this very creative photo:

BEMZ helped make my home my way vintage, I'd say. Perfect like I imagined in my childhood play, I get to live in a retro dream home everyday. That's why I love BEMZ.

Barbie appears to be partial to Symmetry- Light Olive Green for her chairs :) Well done Marjolein!

PS THIS JUST IN: Marjolein contacted me to let me know that the doll is Fleur, the Dutch version of Barbie. "An old doll from the 70s" - not unlike myself ;)

Wedding service fit for a Princess

Some of us daydreamed of our weddings when we were little. Others of us pretended we were princesses. Well this young lady has both fantasies wrapped into one real event coming up this June.

Whilst wiling away the hours at the Formex trade show, Sara snapped these shots that simply demanded publication. It is the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden's official wedding place settings.

According to the press, after much debate, the Princess decided on a gold and blue color combination, the official national colors of Sweden. Although many of us may associate them with Ikea, these prove a touch more class!

All the products are sourced locally and some of the profits will go into Princess Victoria's Wedding Foundation dedicated to fighting bullying and promoting good health among young people in Sweden.

So if you are looking to bring a touch of something regal to your home, this may be just the ticket. Brilliant.

Josephine's sitting pretty in Vienna

Robert of Vienna posted this picture of his sofa on our Facebook page. It's covered in Josephine- Strong Pink, a fabric designed by Göta Trägårdh and manufactured by Bemz. He wrote:

hi, you made me so very happy ..............................and next we can get also the tylösand covers.

Then Robert followed it up with these photos:

Bravo Robert!

You too can share photos of your home with others by sending them along to me at blog[at]bemz[dot]com or by posting them on our Facebook page.

Bemz Designer collection goes large with Lisa Bengtsson

I've been bursting to tell you all about the latest addition to our Designer Collection and the day has finally arrived! Slipcovers in Lisa Bengtsson fabrics are now available at Bemz.

Lisa comes highly acclaimed despite her young years with her fingers in many a creative pot, including breathtaking collections of wallpapers, fabrics, china and clothing. Her accolades range from write-ups in favorite blogs like Apartment Therapy, the style files and Design Sponge to being named ”Rising Star of the Year” by Elle Interior in 2008.

We are starting with two of Lisa's designs: Baronessa (left) and Sir Harald (right).

Baronessa with its large, lackadaisical, dreamy flowers available in fabulous Pink and stunning Green, takes trendy big blooms up to new whimsical heights. Beautiful.... And with Sir Harald, Lisa somehow manages to capture that on-trend retro look and mix it up with a contemporary twist bringing the pattern bang up-to-date. 

Lisa says, like artists of earlier days, she draws on storytelling as inspiration for those wonderful larger-than-life motifs. In fact, Sir Harald was inspired by the designer’s own family history. Perhaps that is her great grandpapa galloping through the colorful fields of plaids and animal print?

Find out more about these new fabrics and Lisa herself, at bemz.com. Want to see more pictures? Take a sneaky peek at the photos from our Inspiration Store.

Find out more about our other design collaborations. Click here for the famous Finnish design house Marimekko, as well as famous Swedish designers Stig Lindberg, Viola Gråsten, Göta Trägårdh and our very own in-house designer Katarina Wiklund.

Which is your fave?

 
The Swan chair by Arne Jacobsen. Photo c/o iconic interiors

We recently moved from a flat to a house. As with any move, once the paint had dried and the boxes were unpacked, much of our focus has been on trying to identify the right pieces to fit the nooks and crannies of our new home. We want it to fit with the style of house as well as our own personal taste. We've been talking armchairs and although we are far from resolved, I realized just how many fab designer armchairs there are out there. 

The Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia (left) and the Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer (right). Photos c/o Knoll

So I put it to you - which is your fave? (Not that we have room for a designer armchair in our budget but it's always nice to dream!)