Tomado Love

Tomado love - always & everywhere !

In the bedroom, instead of bedside tables...


In the bathroom, to hold all my pretty products and potions (the ugly ones are hidden in a Componibili)...


And in the kitchen, collapsing under yet another manic collection of English and West German ceramics...

Yeah, amongst many other things, I am also obsessed by vintage English anthropomorphic vegetable pots. And "Onion men" in particular... But more about them another time.

And yes, I know. I need to do something about that wall colour in the kitchen. SOON !

Uh oh, I almost forgot. Thanks to yours truly, you can now stalk more photos of Tomado shelves in a Flickr group. Here is the link.

Public service announcement

Ok guys. I need your help.

For my own very personal and very selfish sanity, please let's keep the sexiest guy on TV... on TV.

I'm talking about Michael Imperioli currently starring in the show Detroit 1-8-7. Which ABC is apparently already thinking of cancelling... Motherf*ckers.
Sopranos fans will of course remember him as Christopher Moltisanti, Carmela's junkie, up to no good cousin and occasional fiancé murderer... Ah good memories !

Anyway, I confess. I'm a huge sucker when it comes to good old-fashioned cop 'procedurals'. Think "Cold Case" or "The Wire", even CSI (but only Las Vegas !) to some extent. In our sad, tough times, there's something to be said about over-worked, emotionally stunted, yet devoted civil servants fighting crime and (almost) always setting the world right at the end of 45 min. Just with some good old police leg work and of course a ton of charm and sexiness.

Also ever since I discovered the awesome Sweet Juniper blog, I am totally obsessed with Detroit. Morbid curiosity probably, but Jeez what a fascinating place. To think that one of the richest cities in the US is literally falling back into total decay and oblivion...

So please, pretty pleeeeeease, if you're in the US, tune in Tuesday nights on ABC at 10.00 pm. And if you're outside the US, may I suggest you download this show via The Pirate Bay or Monova...

Yes, let's keep Detroit 1-8-7 alive ! The world needs it ! I need it !

Question : is there a TV series you are really crazy about ? To the point of total addiction ?
I'll let you in on another embarassing secret. I am hoarding all 15 seasons of ER on dvd, and could have totally gone on watching Dr. Carter break in new interns for at least another 15 seasons.

Living room update

And yes, I am still improving my living room. Which is a bit weird, because now that I moved the desk to the bedroom, I hardly spent any time in here anymore. But it's still the room that inspires me the most.

It all started like this.

During one of my numerous stints to Ikea this summer, I was very pleased to discover they had drastically reduced the price of the Koldby cowhide rug - down from 199 eur to 129 eur. Such a substantial discount could of course not be resisted and a gorgeous grey cowhide came home with me.

It was huge and dark and shiny, in one word: fabulous. I was totally under its spell... in the shop... because once in my living room, the rug turned out to be waaaayyy disappointing. I never really got accustomed to it, too dark, too big, too grey.

Weeks later, the whole thing was returned (thank god for Ikea's 90 days return policy!) and the freed up cash was directly invested towards a new Ikea purchase...

Yes, that really is an Ikea rug. They are obviously & totally milking the current trend for oriental rugs. But - as I think I have mentioned before - one of the rare things I prefer to buy new, is actually rugs. I hate to think of what filth and bodily fluids might be hiding in a vintage one. And having a vintage rug professionally cleaned... you might as well buy a new one!

Ikea has them listed under the improbable name of Persisk Kelim Gashgai. Incredibly enough they are handmade in Iran, making them real Persian rugs. And a friendly and helpful Ikea employee even informed that each rug is unique. Not bad at all for Ikea.

Now this time around I know I found a long time companion. The rug is colourful but wonderfully muted at the same time. Definitely not too garrish, which might be a problem with all the lively pottery I have standing around. In fact, the red exactly matches the chairs and is a really nice reminder to all my vintage ceramics.

Bonus photo: the same space at night. Think of it as compensation for the missing 'before' shot with huge dark cowhide...

Always room for more ceramics

Ok, lately I haven't been posting as much as I'd like (more about the reasons for this another time). But one area where I am never idle is - you guessed it - the thrifting front.

First off, a couple of finds from a recent trip to Germany.


Little vintage planter bought for 3 eur. A little more subdued than my usual West German pottery buys, but nevertheless looking good on the Cadovius shelves.


Now this is more like it. Large Übelacker vase for only 5 eur. Yes!


"Zyklon" vase designed by Cari Zalloni and manufactured by Steuler.

Not a thrift find, but a present from my Mum. It used to decorate her bedroom back in the 60's and it's one of the very rare trinkets she's kept from that time. I have been uuh-ing and aah-ing over it each time I came to visit, hinting heavily that it would make a perfect addition to my WGP collection.

I am now happy to report that a few weeks ago I finally managed to wear her down...


A close relative to my West German ceramics. A Dutch owl money box found at the Brussels flea market for 5 eur.

The ever growing collection.

Good thing the Nathan sideboard is so big. There's still plenty of room for more thrift finds. Yay!