Sandra‘s Closet

Now, more than ever, gifting is considered an art. To celebrate the holiday season, the Art of Gifting collection that debuted in early 2017 has expanded with new offerings. Sharing emotions, that is something that is deeply rooted in the Maison Louis Vuitton’s attention to excellence.

Louis Vuitton’s first store in 1854.

In 1854, Louis Vuitton founded his namesake House as an emballeur, or trunk packer. The most elegant ladies of the day flocked to his store right by the legendary Place Vendôme to entrust him with their jewels, hats and sumptuous dresses.

A remake of the original Louis Vuitton Pateki brainteaser

Renowned for its innovative trunks, the Art of Packing specialist soon began creating delightful talismans, such as the Pateki brainteaser invented by Gaston Louis Vuitton, the grandson of the House’s founder.

Starting in the 1920s, the pleasure of offering gifts became an art de vivre in its own right, and was illustrated in works such as «Gift-giving, the proper guide to choosing and offering a present for New Year’s, the holidays, birthdays and all circumstances in which one wishes to be kind to those one loves.»

In 2017, the Gifting collection presents a trio of themes that extends the art of generosity with gift ideas for intimate and grand occasions alike. Ideal for year-end festivities, these presents enhance the joys of the season and highlight the unique excellence of Louis Vuitton’s workshops.

Plexiglass box «Scott»

Decorative objects distill the iconic codes of Louis Vuitton to all areas of the home. Like a smaller-scale, nested iteration of Louis Vuitton’s trunks, the «Scott» keepsake box lives up to its heritage and spiritedly blends the modernity of Plexiglas with the sensuality of natural cowhide leather.

Valet trays «Georges»

In the living room, assorted photo frames naturally find a place next to «Georges», a valet tray named after the creator of the Monogram canvas. To combine chic and practicality, three formats come in either Epi leather or natural cowhide leather.

Christmas tree baubles

There are even Christmas ornaments for decorating the tree with Monogram flowers in leather, where canvas and silk embellish the traditional fir with a luxurious iconic touch.

Notebooks

Celebrated by Louis Vuitton, writing, an essential part of the Art of Travel, fires the imagination more than ever. Personnal notebooks, the stalwart companions of traveling writers and the repository for ideas big and small, take on the sheen of precious metals, in gold or silver. Two diary formats in Epi leather join a lineup of colourful or printed notebooks, pencil cases, bookmarks, desk blotters and pencil holders in Monogram Canvas and House leathers.

Teddy bear «Louis» and truck «Tiki»

Gaston Louis Vuitton, the grandson of the House’s founder, was renowned for creating his own parlour games and for his collection of beautiful wooden toys. To this day, a playful spirit influences House creations, such as the «Louis», a patchwork teddy bear, or the build-it-yourself «Titi» truck in Monogram canvas and leather. Travel-friendly objects bring an air of playfulness wherever they alight, from playing cards and signed sets of dice to glasses cases in Monogram canvas and cowhide leather brightened with a touch of bright red or navy blue.

Jumping ropes and ping-pong set

Sports accessories likewise get into the spirit of the season: with a skipping rope in Monogram Eclipse canvas and a matching ping-pong set, the art of movement takes a cue from the Art of Travel.

Objects from the «Gifting» collection will be available starting in November 2017 in Louis Vuitton stores worldwide.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Today I have got very good news to nurture your latest Gucci obsession! Now, you can take it one step further and not only fill your closet but make it also look nicer. Presenting Gucci Décor designed by Alessandro Michele, an eclectic collection of furniture and decorative pieces for the home adorned with House motifs, patterns and codes.

My favorite piece of the collection is this amazing pink velvet three panel screen. How gorgeous would this look in my closet… but also the wallpapers, chairs, cushions and plates are to die for.

Below you can enjoy more impressions of the new launch for the home.
TO SHOP THE FULL LINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Illustrations by artist Alex Merry for Gucci. Photos: Courtesy of Gucci and via Instyle.

My avid reader know how much I love Sisley products. Without my beloved Black Rose Cream Mask and  or the So Intense Mascara my life would definitely not be the same. Therefore, I was all over the moon to be invited to Paris to visit their newest spa and boutique which marks the first in Paris for the upscale French beauty brand and to finally meet Sisley co-founder Mrs Isabelle d’Ornano in person.

“Having beautiful skin is a state of mind, it helps lift the spirits and improves the deep sense of self.” – Isabelle d’Ornano

The 360 m2 space is situated on 5, Avenue de Friedland, in the centre of Paris’s 8th district off the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Divided into four areas, it is the perfect place to unwind after a busy week.

The beauty salon houses five treatment rooms - including one double treatment room and offers a menu of facials as well as body treatments for every age and skin type. I had a facial that was truly special as Sisley has developed exclusive “rituals” designed to combat the effects of urban life.

It is one of the most tasteful places I have seen, a haven of good taste inspired by Isabelle and Christine d’Ornano’s love for a quirky mix of interesting furniture and designer pieces, sourced from both flea markets and luxury brands.

There’s for example a «Jetlag» sofa by India Mahdavi and framed sketches by Marc Chagall in the lounge area where pre-treatment consultations take place.

The bathrooms have wallpapers that are made from magazine articles featuring Sisley.

The «secret» café is exclusively reserved for clients and invites them with tribal elements to relax and have a drink. This house is also home to the first Sisley Boutique in Paris where you can buy all the products the brand has to offer.

Traditional and modern touches mingle in this space where painted woodwork and mouldings exist alongside an animated, luminous wall display. Isabelle d’Ornano’s niece Elzbieta Radziwill painted the central lampshade, and the walls are covered with hand-painted wallpaper from 1874 called “the Cells” by Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, which was remodelled, reproportioned, and recoloured specifically for the space. I especially adore the handpainted sofas.

Sisley, 5, avenue de Friedland, 8th arrondissement. Phone: +33 1 86 21 11 11.
www.sisley-paris.com

From left to right: Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream, Black Rose Cream Mask and Black Rose Precious Face Oil.

On display of course the newest addition to the Sisley Black Rose family: The Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream for plumbing and radiance (Baume-En-Eau à la Rose Noire). Infused with soothing rose and magnolia essential oils, this nourishing cream absorbs deep into the skin for a plumper, fresher complexion. Black rose combats free radicals, while red vine extract evens tone, leaving a glowing more radiant finish. Its texture is absolutely different from what you might have ever experienced due to an exceptionally sensorial application as it transforms into micro-droplets of water and permeates into the heart of the epidermis. Hydrated, the skin is infused with moisture, as if rejuvenated.

After this beautiful experience in the spa, I was fully of energy the next day and so much looking forward to finally meet Mrs Isabelle d’Ornano which is not only a style icon for me but whom I also admire for her way of combining work, motherhood and success.

In 1976 she launched Sisley with her husband Hubert d’Ornano who headed the company for over thirty years as a visionary creator and daring entrepreneur until his death at the age of 89 in 2015. He believed in aromatherapy and phytotherapy as one of the first ones in the cosmetic industry. Until today, the brand is family owned, distributed in over 90 countries with 4000 employees worldwide. Mrs d’Ornano, President of the Supervisory Board, is chiefly in charge of creation and advertising, while her son Philippe d’Ornano is President and directs the company’s International development. Her daughter, Christine d’Ornano is Global Vice President, also heading one of the group’s subsidiaries in Britain.

Mrs d’Ornano is truly amazing. I learnt from her employees that until this day she reads all the sales reports personally to understand how her customer tick. Sisley is a brand that launches a product when it is ready and not when a line has to be completed.

Above the new Maison Sisley, on the top floor, Mrs d’Ornano has furnished a private apartment overlooking the rooftops of Paris that is quite stunning. Here we chatted about the brand she built up, life and faith.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

«Everyone deserves a bit of glamour.» – Jonathan Adler

Your summer is about to get a whole lot brighter, thanks to CLINIQUE’s new limited-edition collection with interior designer Jonathan Adler. The just-launched Clinique x Jonathan Adler Collection includes many of Clinique’s best-selling makeup products (including its Lip Pops, Lid Pops and Cheek Pops), in a rainbow of bold, vibrant hues and captures the jet-set glam of his favorite seaside destinations: Palm Beach, Capri, Santorini.

Who is Jonathan Adler?

Born in 1966, Jonathan Adler is an American potter, designer, and author who launched his first ceramic collection in 1993 at Barneys New York. Five years later he expanded into home furnishings, opening his first namesake boutique in Soho, Manhattan. He now has 30 stores and runs an eponymous design business. Adler lives and works in New York City together with his partner Simon Doonan, Barney’s Creative Director Ambassador at Large .

Enjoy this little talk with Jonathan Adler about the collection he created in collaboration with Clinique.

What inspired this collection?
Jet-set glamour. I always think about iconic destinations. Places where women look like their most glamorous selves. I wanted to capture that in makeup. I thought about diving into the Aegean Sea, and being in fabulous places: Palm Beach, Florida. Capri, Italy. Santorini, Greece.

How would you describe your design style?
I call my style modern American glamour. I always try to keep things fresh and new and modern. One of the lines in my manifesto is “We believe in irreverent luxury” and that captures a lot of what I’m about.

What do interior design and makeup have in common?
Good design has the power to transform your mood, like a big squishy sofa you plop into. Makeup is like that, too. It can transform a woman’s day.

What does Clinique mean to you?
Clinique is a classic, iconic brand. It’s always been in my life. I grew up with it in my mother’s and sister’s cabinets. That’s why I was so thrilled when this collaboration came about. My brand is very similar. We’re both about being classic, chic and refreshing.

If this collection had emotions, how would it feel?
It feels fresh! It feels like a trip to Capri. It feels like jumping into the Mediterranean Sea.

What do you love most about this collection?
This collection shows that tiny treasures can bring big pleasures. It’s very chic, very classic, very Clinique. I hope everyone enjoys using it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Thank you, Mr Adler, for giving us your insider scoop on this beautiful collection!

TO SHOP THE CLINIQUE x JONATHAN ADLER COLLECTION, CLICK HERE PLEASE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Clinique, © Jonathan Adler and © Sandra Bauknecht

DOLCE & GABBANA and SMEG join creative forces to create Sicily is my Love, a truly Made in Italy project where experts from the worlds of high fashion and design meet and merge to create unique domestic appliances that uncover an Italian story.

Last year’s limited edition hand painted refrigerators.

Following from last year’s success when SMEG and Dolce&Gabbana teamed up to realise 100 unique hand painted refrigerators, this year the collaboration focused on smaller products such as toasters, citrus juicers, coffee machines, kettles, blenders, stand mixers and slow juicers.

All these products are decorated with reflective interpretations of Sicilian folklore. Lemons, prickly pears, and bright red cherries are just a selection of Sicilian decorations that are framed in triangular motifs known as crocchi, that decorate these small appliances.

Together with crocchi, the appliances are covered in delicate floral motifs and images of the enthralling Mount Etna, surrounded by ornamental friezes, and decorative acanthus leaves. All these themes and decorative symbols are intrinsically tied to Sicily and the important aspects of the aesthetic of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.

Food, the typical products of Southern Italy and their recipes of traditional dishes are the pulling force to which heart and soul will always return. So ultimately… can you buy kitchen appliances instead of art? Absolutely, and so did everyone else at the #DGSicilyismyLove 2017 edition of the Salone del Mobile di Milano.

For the first time in my life, I have this urge to be in the kitchen using those beautifully decorated tools. Bravo!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana / Smeg

Are you still in preparation setting your Easter decoration? The hunt is over! These charming centerpieces and table settings will get your celebration hopping.

From blooming hydrangeas to delicate porcelain plates in cheery colors, all call for equally decorative ear-candy. And while the little ones run around hunting for treasures in the lawn, you may as well relish in the juvenile delight, too, by sitting back and enjoying the touch of spring you have brought to the table.

LoL, Sandra

Straight from the Garden
If your lilacs are still blooming, combine them with some pastel-coloured easter eggs.

Vintage Tea Tins
Using old tea tins can give your decoration such an interesting vintage twist. Make an eclectic group of bouquets to decorate your holiday table.

Twine Vase
Upgrade your empty glass vases or just a plain jar with twine to add a romantic touch to your Easter table.

Photo Vase
The secret to this stunning arrangement? A vase hidden within a vase. Give your clear vases a personal touch by attaching photos of your loved ones with clothespins.

Simple Bud Vases
My favorite flowers in my favorite vases. A simple thing that does the trick, just arrange some single peonies in bud vases down the length of the table.

Easy Easter Centerpiece
For the easiest DIY centerpiece of all time, use twine to wrap a doily around a Mason jar, and fill with tulips. Add some lemons for the ultimate color kick.

Daffodils and Easter Eggs
The low budget version that will leave your guests amazed. A single daffodil on the napkin for each guest adds a beautiful touch to hosting an Easter brunch.

Carrot Centerpiece
Full of vitamins and energy, those carrot centerpieces are absolutely adorable and easy to achieve.

Egg Crate Centerpiece
Hollowed out egg shells become tiny bud vases in this crafty centerpiece.

Photos: Via Country Living, Vogue, © Sandra Bauknecht

It is Sunday, time to play with your loved ones. Personally speaking, I love card and board games and this is one of my favorite things to do with my family on a lazy weekend. A feast for the eyes are the backgammon boards and custom-made games tables designed by Alexandra Llewellyn which I found over the EDEN BEING website.

The London based British designer stocks a collection of in-house designs, all made in the UK, that can be available immediately or personalised with engraved or painted messages, initials, and dates. They can also be commissioned with exquisite semi-precious stone and brass playing pieces.

Alexandra also takes one-off commissions for games tables and games boards, creating a truly original way to commemorate memories and life achievements. Every detail is created in close conversation with the client. What a lovely gift for a loved one!

Alexandra Llewellyn

Since her childhood, which she spent in Cairo, Alexandra has played backgammon. The rattle of dice on large wooden crate-boards signaled the game in play, as she strolled through the streets with her Egyptian step-grandfather. As she travelled more her interest in backgammon evolved, over countless games. She became enthralled by the idea that board games operate as an independent vocabulary requiring neither common language nor culture, and the idea that games bring people together.

Alexandra collaborated with legendary photographer Terry O’Neill, whose images defined the Swinging Sixties and the Seventies.

Launched in December 2010, Alexandra Llewellyn Designs embody an exquisitely unique vision of the oldest recorded board game in the world. Alexandra’s designs are owned by client’s such as Sir Richard Branson, Elle Macpherson, Jacquetta Wheeler, Sony Music, Eden Rock, Mark Ronson and Paloma Faith. I love!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Alexandra Llewellyn Design Ltd. 2016, some taken at Chilham Castle, Kent

Here is an addition to your closet with which your life will never be quite the same without: the LG Styler. The new, slim-design system offers a convenient way to freshen up hard-to-maintain clothes that you bring in general to the dry cleaner (which costs a fortune… doesn’t it always feel as you have to buy your clothes back?!).

Have a look at what the LG Styler can do for you:

REFRESH

Revitalize your finest garments with the gentle power of steam. Just the press of a button will have your clothes looking fresh and ready to go when you are. It improves also smell of your clothes, a great feature for smokers, that are tired of running to the dry cleaner all the time. 

SANITIZE

Easily sanitize fabrics and items that are difficult or impossible to wash using 100% water with no  chemical additives. (It is even verified to sterilize 99.9% of E.coli and S.epidermidis and has been tested for reduction in exposure to house dust mite allergen.)

GENTLE DRY

Dry fragile garments without worrying about shrinkage or damage.

PANTS PRESS

The LG Styler not only helps steams away wrinkles but can also create pant creases, as well as keep them crisp.

In Switzerland the LG Styler is available at Kaufsignal.ch for CHF 2999.- (instead of CHF 3999.-).

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of LG Styler and via The Coveteur

Louis Vuitton enriches its collection with 10 new items Objets Nomades that will be presented during Salone del Mobile in Milan from April 4th to 9th 2017.

Created in 2012, the Objets Nomades collection keeps alive Louis Vuitton’s long tradition of beautifully crafted travel objects. Some of the world’s most renowned designers have since imagined stunning travel-inspired Objets, which have then been made by Louis Vuitton. This year, two new designers have joined the collection: India Mahdavi and Tokujin Yoshioka.

“Design is about giving function a form.”
India Mahdavi

“I always try to invent something beyond forms.”
​ Tokujin Yoshioka

Bed trunk for explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza

The limited editions and experimental prototypes that make up the Objets Nomades collection all pay homage to the House’s special orders of the past – such as the iconic Bed Trunk produced in 1874 for French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza – and add the defiantly contemporary visions of creative designers from around the world: Atelier Oï, Maarten Baas, Barber and Osgerby, the Campana Brothers, Damien Langlois-Meurinne, Nendo, Gwenaël Nicolas, Raw Edges, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, and, most recently, India Mahdavi and Tokujin Yoshioka.

Hammock by Atelier Oï

Today, there are 25 Objets Nomades, from a hammock to a deckchair, a swing chair to a foldable stool. Each project has been an opportunity for the designers and Louis Vuitton’s creative artisans to combine their savoir-faire to interpret the idea of travel in their own imaginative ways. Each Objet embodies their shared ideals: a love of the beauty of fine materials, the possibility of forms and carefully balanced proportions, complex and meticulous craftsmanship, and close attention to detail.

These values are clearly present in the 10 Objets Nomades recently added to the collection,

such as the Campana Brothers’ playful sofa, inspired by clouds and the shell Botticelli painted for Venus;

Atelier Oï’s stunning chair, with its repurposed straps resembling leather belts;

Marcel Wanders’ modern, richly malletage-leather rocking chair;

India Mahdavi’s talisman-inspired nomade side table with its remarkable leather marquetry;

and Tokujin Yoshioka‘s blossom stool, that has been inspired by the idea from the motif of quarto foil, a stool with natural structure that symbolizes the Louis Vuitton Monograms of petals.

Some more of the 10 newly added Objets Nomades.

 ​Over 160 years after Louis Vuitton began exploring new territories and ideas of travel, the Objets Nomades collection can be seen as proof that the House has lost none of its sense of adventure.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Two years ago, I have already introduced you to British brand Bombki (for the previous post click here) that creates decorative baubles that combine tradition with novelty.

Designed by Michael Peterson, each glass model is hand-painted by skilled artisans in an array of vibrant shapes, inspired by different cultures and events. This season, they have come up with many playful versions that I truly adore.

Little Fashionista set of five glass baubles by Bombki

Little Makeover set of five glass baubles by Bombki
Little Getaway set of five glass baubles by Bombki
Little Rockstar set of five glass baubles by Bombki

Little Celebration set of three glass baubles by Bombki

Also very stylish are the baubles by Dolce & Gabbana. Who wouldn’t want a designer Christmas tree? I am in love…

Painted glass baubles by Dolce & Gabbana

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands