From Place To Space: Bloggers In Hamburg

Today I am taking you to a super fun trip – a blogger meet-up in Hamburg. The past weekend some great German bloggers organised a meet-up in the northern German city and set the basis for a personal get-together of some of Germany’s finest lifestyle bloggers writing about interior design, DIY, food, styling. Our Hamburg ‚home base’ was the stylish design hotel 25 Hours Hotel.

For me it was a pretty exciting trip. First of all I got to meet some fellow bloggers that I’ve been following on the net for quite a time. Secondly, I had the opportunity to get a better introduction to the cool city of Hamburg.

Our blogger weekend kicked-off with a urban breakfast in a superb location called ‚Fabrik’. On Saturdays this industrial hall hosts a local farmer’s market, live music and delicious breakfasts and brunches.

After gallons of coffee and heaps of yummy food we headed to explore the western borough of Altona – a cool mix of suburban culture and non-mainstream shops like the ‚Kaufmannsladen’ or the famous candy store ‚Bonscheladen’. Later on we continued downtown to the so-called ‚Hafen City’, the harbour area with its huge cruises, a mix of old and modern architecture and a brisk ‚North Sea’ type of breeze.

After a good deal of fresh sea breeze, we went back to the famous Eimsbüttel area for some more shopping and interiors and decoration inspiration. We discovered the beautiful boutique ‚Interiör’ with a refined selection of design items and DIY materials like happy ribbons, witty gift tags and colourful packaging thread. I couldn’t resist and bought a roll of pastel blue packaging thread and an aqua-hued dip-dyed and handmade Raku candleholder. Just around the corner is another gem, the ‚Kongehus’ store with a stunning selection of paper, stationery and decoration items. I bought a few rolls of beautiful paper and the cutest hand-made cards with quotes from literature written with an old typewriter. A few steps further you will find ‚Lecker Wohnen’, a store with a rich selection of Hamburg inspired goodies and decoration. All these goodies will be featured later on here on Happy Interior Blog.

To add more fun we ended up in a tiny yet adorable little café called ‚Osterdeich’. This location is known for its signature cupcakes – and we were invited to design our very own cupcakes which was big fun. Now I know I am the chocolate-blueberry type. We had all the afternoon to network, exchange experiences, plan new projects and get to know each other more thouroughly which was a unique experience. Moreover we received some amazing goodie bags. Saturday was rounded up with a delightful dinner in the stylish restaurant ‚Klippkroog’ which made our interior design loving hearts skip a beat. A cool mix of urban and Scandinavian style with stuccoed ceilings and eye-catching pendants as well as old, bulky wooden furniture made me enjoy my dinner twice as much.

The entire blogger meet-up was brought to an end with a delish breakfast at the cute ‚Tarterie’ café in Hamburg’s entertainment quarter St. Pauli.

What else can a blogger wish for a weekend? Meeting other bloggers, discovering a new city, shopping in inspiring interior and decoration stores, eat in stylish restaurants? Have a happy week, friends!


P.S. Thanks to Clara, Ricarda and Susanne for the excellent organization!

Photography: Igor Josifovic

Read More

No comments

From Place To Space: Paris, Da Capo

A very happy Monday, friends! While I am typing this words I am still in the City of Lights - in Paris. You've noticed the French 'je ne sais quoi' over the past few days on the blog, but hey, I can't help it - this city keeps me constantly under a spell. Plus, there were two exciting happenings coinciding: my blog's sixth months (half)-anniversary and the French presidential elections. If you've been following me on Instagram, you might have seen most of these pictures, but I thought it might be good to accompany them with a little text and helpful recommendations - it might come in handy for one of your next Paris visits. But let me take you slowly down the lane.

When in Paris, I love to kick-start days slowly and lazy. My first day was just like that. After a good breakfast I headed over to the Trocadero square to enjoy the view on the city's grande dame, the Tour Eiffel. I sat down in the famous Café Le Malakoff, sipped on a good glass of Brouilly and watched the delivery of fresh baguettes by the local baker with his cute little bakery van. The typical April weather with spectacular clouds and a never ending mix of sun, rain and wind proved to be good after all - at least for some great shots. After the little break I set off towards the Arc de Triomphe and after being caught by a spring rain shower on the vivid Champs Elysées I decided to jump into the metro and head off to the Marais. Since I started to feel hungry I decided to have a quick yet yummy lunch in the Jewish quarter - and I opted for a falafel sandwich. If you think eating falafel is to profane in Paris, then you haven't tasted the best falafel sandwich at L'As Du Fallafel in the Rue des Rosiers. Try it, you won't regret it. Later on I continued towards the Centre Pompidou and enjoyed an invigorating French coffee at Rue Beaubourg while watching the world go by. The day was rounded up by an evening walk through Montmartre and a good dinner at the quarter's oldest restaurant 'Le Bon Bock'. Parfait!

The next day was marked by an early getting up. But even that is sort of glamorous in Paris. I had a fine French breakfast at the Place Gambetta before heading to the city's south to visit the Marché aux Puces (flea market) at the Porte de Vanves. A plethora of 'brocante' was waiting for me and I really enjoyed thrifting and taking pics although I haven't bought anything at the end. The afternoon was reserved for my friends and we had a great and fun afternoon in a bar called Le Tournesol, a shopping spree at Bon Marché (seriously worth a visit) and the best cookies in town at 'It Mylk'. A cinema night made the perfect end to this day (and I watched a movie that depicted some French clichés in a funny way).

A visit in Paris must be accompanied by a brunch, too. Although not a French invention nor tradition, the city offers very good placed to enjoy a good brunch. This time we went to a place called 'Coutume' in the seventh arrondissement - the place is known for its excellent coffee but I would add also the excellent interior design. Traditional, high stuccoed ceilings, old 19th century columns counteracted by rough, plain concrete walls, industrial lighting, and plain white tiles really caught my interior loving eye. A shopping afternoon, yet another visit to friends and a good, long walk along the Seine made my day. 

And I must not forget: On Sunday I joined the French elections by joining my friend to an electoral office wearing my 'tricolore' vest. Enough said, je vous laisse. À bientôt!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

Read More

No comments