Jessica Thomas

Spring Stockholm trip

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 20:06:59 +0000

Back from Stockholm and it was almost to beautiful - the people, palaces, art, design, clothing - it was overwhelming. I went with my good friends, David and Jim and we stayed at the new Hotel Skeppsholmen the building, circa 1699, was designed by interior designers Claesson Koivisto Rune and architects Peter Erséus & Gunhild Skoog Jägbeck. The design was very chic & modern but of course our stomachs also need satisfying and the breakfast buffet was a highlight featuring a homemade yogurt that I still think about.

The island is also home to the Modern Museum and Architecture Museum both had amazing exhibits but the exhibit on Greta Magnusson Grossman who was a Swedish architect, furniture, and interior designer in the 1960’s who lived in California and contributed to the design movement there. Stockholm has over 70 museums so one has to pick and choose according to your interests otherwise you will need an on call pedicurist to help revive your feet. But we gave it our all so in addition to the Modern and Architecture museums we went to the National Museum (loved the industrial design exhibit), the Royal Palace, Nordic Museum (great exhibit on 50 years of Swedish clothing) Drottingholms palace, and Prince Eugen’s home. Even the design shops are so well conceptualized that you feel like you have stepped into a gallery - Svenskt Tenn is a must see for anyone who is Josef Frank obsessed, Modernity and Jacksons in the Olstermalm district were great to see vintage Scandinavian modern but priced way out of our budgets. The budget conscious shouldn’t be disappointed since the thrift stores such as the Stockholm Stadsmissions and the open air flea markets have great art and tabletop and very reasonable prices. David found two great oil paintings for around $20 - and digging through all the stuff is part of the fun. Other uniquely Swedish shopping included independent clothing designer’s Hope and Whyred, and perfumer Byredo. The fashion for men was very sleek with a new take on classics while the women’s fashion leaned to the 80’s and I wasn’t quite sure in a good way. Time will tell but I can say I will not be buying harem breeches anytime soon. The food was amazing - Toast Skagen (shrimp toast), pickled herring and Swedish meatballs were of course standards but done so well that it defied the stereotype. Jim loves chocolates so we made a trek to Choklad Fabriken and David became obsessed with Meringue Swiss at Eriks Bakfickan. Again surprisingly even the smallest cafe had fresh and well prepared dishes. It was a great Spring get away and great research opportunity next up August NYC Gift Show.

Off to Stockholm, Sweden

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:39:44 +0000

I am jetting off to Stockholm, Sweden next week for a well deserved vacation and research trip. Looking forward to seeing all the Scandinavian design and rejuvenating my creative energy; there is nothing like a European adventure to spark new ideas. I am going with best friend and ultra-talented stylist, David Anger and his partner Jim Broberg. We are staying at the newly opened and much talked about hotel (Food&Wine, Condé Nast Traveler and Elle Decor magazines have mentioned it in their May editions)the Hotel Skeppsholmen. Of course a “what I saw” trend report will follow. So check back later this month.

Condo published in DIY magazine

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:52:20 +0000

Check out my condo which is in the new Summer issue of Do It Yourself magazine. The original shoot of the living room and dining room was for Better Homes and Gardens as a color story but then was passed to DIY magazine for a whole space tour. This was great for me so that I finally had the power of publishing to help me remodel my kitchen and the help of project manager Meredith Ladik. As an art director I have been always on the other side of the camera keeping a keen eye out for redundant props, mix of angles, etc. so to my dismay found I broke my own rules - I can only owe it to being completely overwhelmed having my house being over run with people, cats in turmoil and not remembering what do-dads were the original shots. You will have to pick up the issue and find the styling faux pas yourself. Cie la vie! Overall though I am thrilled with the article and am glad I have my condo photographed so now I can think about the next decorating project.

NYC Gift show 2.10

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:40:45 +0000

Come one come all to this February’s New York Gift Show! With record attendance by eager buyers & enthusiastic press resulting in vendors waving stacks of orders in the air in jubilation. The show seems to be an indicator to an uptick to the retail economy which truly affects us all from advertising, publishing all the way down to a freelancer like myself. There were some new exciting trends: Nostalgic carnival games & toys along with big top circus motifs from poster art to decor. Global artisans brought a new vision to hand-made with graphic bold patterns and designs which made it all more modern. The union jack seemed the darling of this show showing up on coasters, handbags and upholstery. Cartography & city scenes were used as design elements on tabletop, totes and cards. Across the board bright & happy colors for Summer, had the biggest impact on the color scene — my best find this show was Japanese tape in multiple colors & Vera stationery. Reemerging & reoccurring trends were: Preppy ladies-who-lunch patterns in brights — zig zag, caning, animal prints, & quatrefoil along with feminine florals. Six months later (see previous trend report from the August show) nautical themes were fully launched with sailboats motifs, driftwood, & creatures from the deep. Animals from large to small still impacting the market place in a whimsical-let’s-add-some-fun-to decor way. One of my favorite moments of whimsy were origami animals made from remnant fabrics. The following is a preview of some of my favorite stuff from the show. Be inspired and check out the PDF.

Fall Copenhagen Trip

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:09:18 +0000

I went to Copenhagen this Fall and it was truly inspirational. For a full blog check my Trendspotter blog for Do It Yourself magazine. I had the extreme pleasure of going with two of my best friends and Scandophiles David Anger, professional Minneapolis stylist who was in charge of our shopping excursions, and his partner Jim Broberg, our appointed foodie who scouted out all the great places to dine. Of course in Denmark Danish Modern Design is just well, design and it’s everywhere to our aesthetic enjoyment. Our hotel, Hotel Alexandra (lobby pictured) is decorated with famous Danish architects period furniture and art with iconic names such as Aarne Jacobsen, Kaare Klint and Finn Juhl to name a few. I stayed in the Finn Juhl room which was beautifully turned out to the smallest detail. Copenhagen offers a lot to experience and we didn’t waste a moment. Highlights include a wonderful lunch at noma restaurant wonderful decor, impeccable service and transcendental food, shopping at Illums Bolighus which is curated with iconic and contemporary Danish designers and attending the Royal Ballet at the Opera House. Fashion became my main obsession and went on a mad shopping spree. I found several Scandinavian designers who I became entranced with including Day by Birger et Mikkelsen who also features a very cool home collection. As for our cultural excursions there were plenty but my favorite museum was The Danish Museum of Art & Design it showcased 16^th century to modern furniture and art in period room settings. One exhibit was a contemporary show that artists created one of a kind art pieces, furniture and clothing from found materials and were available to purchase at the gift shop - of course items were purchased. I was only there 5 days and 6 nights but can’t wait to return for a longer stay. Still have much to explore, eat and well of course buy.