Barcelona living – USAME in use

For some time now, I have been wanting to share the work of USAME with you, and so I was delighted that in the past days I saw images  (featured in Spanish magazine Interiores) of their pieces, in use, at the home of one of its founders. Feast your eyes, dear friends!

Using simple and clean lines, USAME‘s Esther López Aguilar and Marisol González Nohra create furniture and other pieces with reclaimed wood, iron and other noble or natural materials, such as sack cloth. Examples of these pieces are the chair and coffee table above, in Esther’s very lovely lounge.

Simple lines are a good choice and work really well in such a beautiful apartment, which has colourful mosaic floors that are so typical in Barcelona modernist buildings.

The lamp in the right-hand corner (above) and the round table (below) are also USAME products. By the way, USAME means “use me”. A name well chosen, wouldn’t you agree?

The original decorative elements in this apartment are stunningly beautiful and were left intact, such as the impressive ceiling in the studio (below) and the mosaic floors throughout the apartment, with the exception of the kitchen and bathrooms, which were completely redone (not shown).

The bedroom is as bright as the rest of Esther’s home and also incorporates pieces by USAME: the head board and the very industrial bedside tables, made with reclaimed scaffolding, galvanised pipe and recycled sack cloth.

If you want to find out more about USAME, then check out their website and Facebook page.

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BCN Handmade – Vuerich B.

Brothers Baptiste + Gianni Vuerich

When I learned of the existence of the fabulous Vuerich B. glasses a little while ago, I immediately got in touch with their creators to ask if they would like to be featured in the handmade section of this blog. To my delight, brothers Baptiste and Gianni said yes, and so a few weeks ago I went out to their studio, where they showed me parts of the process of the making of… I’m delighted to share with you today: BCN Handmade – Vuerich B.

Ready for shaping :: 2

It was a delight to meet the brothers. They make an excellent team – one designing the different styles, the other using his carpentry skills to make them. And seeing how a broken, discarded skateboard is converted into a pair of super cool glasses was great fun. In the slideshow that follows you can see (most of) these steps, and afterwards, in their own words, Baptiste and Gianni tell us a little about themselves…

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Where are you from?

Baptiste + Gianni: we are brothers and we are from Belgium.

What does Barcelona mean to you?

A multicultural place with a sea view, a source of inspiration.

Favourite spot?

Any street at night, as long as I have my skateboard.

Favourite restaurant?

The Big Fish.

Background?

Gianni: cabinetmaker, restorer of furniture; carpentry (specialised in house manufacturing and wooden staircases).

Baptiste: skateboarder and industrial designer.

How did you get here?

By chance and the desire to get to know a different culture.

What inspires you?

Writers, nature.

When / how does inspiration strike?

Getting to work, from the material.

What do you find satisfying about the making process?

The experiments.

Dreams, hopes?

An endless journey on a zeppelin equipped with a workshop and a terrace.

Ready to sell

Vuerich B. also make glasses and sunglasses from plywood and either stain them or add gorgeous veneers in different kinds of wood. (But you probably knew that already, if you saw last week’s post!) These will be added to their website shortly.  Curious about their glasses? Check out their website for the different styles, and their Facebook page for all the latest news. You can buy Vuerich B. glasses from their online shop, here, as well as selected shops around the globe.

Thanks Baptiste and Gianni, for welcoming me into your workshop and offering a behind-the-scenes view of how your glasses are hand-produced, one by one!

The view from here

Plywood sunnies :: 2

Last week I visited the guys from Vuerich B. at their workshop to shoot some images for a BCN Handmade post (I will post it next week, so watch this space!) and they showed me their most recent creations. As Spring is here to stay, and Summer not that far ahead, I thought it was time to show you the view from here, glasses and shades that will make you stand out in a crowd they are so cool.

Recycled sunnies :: 2

As you might recall from an earlier post about Vuerich B., their frames are hand-crafted from recycled skateboards. But now they have added a new range that is made from plywood to which they have added stained, or just varnished natural veneers in various wood-types.

Plywood specs :: 2

Good looking, aren’t they?

Recycled sunnies

These  Vuerich B. beauties are available both as sunglasses or as prescription frames and available in selected shops around the globe, or online, here.

Plywood specs

Just remember that the recycled styles are one-off pieces and sell out quickly, and to check for the Vuerich B. logo, which you can find on the side of the arms.

Check out the logo!

I’m about ready to check out the view from here. How about you? Have you chosen a pair that you like yet? For more info, check out the Vuerich B. website, and for the latest news, their Facebook page. If you can’t get a pair (or two) where you live, then head over to their online shop and whip out your credit card. Happy shopping!

Plywood sunnies

Into the wild – new pieces by Marc Sparfel

Handsome longhorn

Hurray it’s Friday! How have you enjoyed this week, dedicated to tough cookies and modern day heroines? To wrap it up, I am taking you into the wild, for I have new pieces by Marc Sparfel to show you that are wildly wonderful. You may remember Marc Sparfel – from this earlier blogpost – the French sculptor who uses discarded pieces of wood (and bits of furniture) to create his works of art.

Marc Sparfel has created a new collection of animal-like sculptures (which I love) by using parts of chairs and other pieces of furniture. At times these animals are quite recognizable, at others they are wholly imagined, and could almost be prehistoric…

… see what I mean (above)? I really like these sculptures that Marc Sparfel has created, and hope you do too. Which is your favorite? Mine are the bulls…

Blue moo

All these wonderful creatures are available from Vail International Gallery. For more information and updates, please check out Marc Sparfel’s website. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

PS: Next week I’ll be going all delicate and pretty on you… don’t miss it!

All images by of Lisa Von Saalfeld for Marc Sparfel.

Amato Sole’s new shop

It’s all in the details

Remember Amato Sole? The lovely creative duo have moved their shop to the delightful neighborhood of Gràcia to a great space on Carrer Perill 39. The opening was in December, so it was high time I showed you Amato Sole’s new shop!

The new space

Tasteful styling

Touches of red

Beautifully styled, Amato Sole is chock-a-block with their furniture designs, but also with elements that are waiting to be reused and meanwhile serve a decorative purpose. And in order to prettify things even more, items from their own personal collections of tableware, candles and a profusion of plants are dotted around the space.

Tasteful styling :: 2

Perched

Brass corner

Plate cupboard

Lighting also plays an important role, and many of the lights are Ramón’s own creations, while others are gorgeous vintage examples. Upstairs a small space is also open to the public and displays yet more furniture and lighting elements that Amato Sole have created, and offers a nice overview of what is below on the ground floor.

A view from above

Upstairs lounge furniture

Delightful details

If you find yourself in Gràcia, do pay Amato Sole a visit. I think you’ll be enchanted by what’s on offer, which is desirable for any tough cookie and sweet delicate flower, as well as the whole range of lads and ladies in between. For more information check out the Amato Sole website and to keep up to date, keep an eye out for their Facebook page. Amato Sole is open from Wed-Sat from 5 pm – 8.30 pm. You’ll know when you get there by their sign as well as the touches of green on their façade, tucked into the recycled potato bags that they have become famous for.

Touches of green

Old skateboards

Old skate boards

Piece by piece

Take some old skateboards, cut them into rectangular pieces, shape them, sand them…

Shaping

Sanding

Lovely pair

Tools

… and turn them into handmade sunglasses… how cool is that? Well, that is exactly what Barcelona based brand Vuerich B. does! Founded by Baptiste Vuerich, a skater himself, they found a great way to re-use those old, broken skateboards, and the result is frankly…

Frame

Dip varnish

… gorgeous! The different layers of maple wood offer strength and flexibility, and the various colours of the artwork on the boards create endless and varied effects once the pieces have been cut, sanded and put together.

The end result

Logo

Inside

Attachment

I don’t know about you, but I am dying to get my sweaty hands on a pair of these sexy sunglasses, and I am delighted that the Vuerich B. frames are also suitable for reading glasses! You can buy Vuerich B. glasses online, right here.

Front view

Back view

For more info, check out the Vuerich B. website, and for the latest news, their Facebook page here.

Side view

Nice, eh?

All images by Vuerich B.

Skateboards recycled

Trio of circles

Happy Monday! The final week before Christmas, and I have a bit more shopping ‘advice’ for you this week, starting with skateboards recycled into these gorgeous bracelets by a friend of a friend, Gastón Gil.

Blue square

Handmade from start to finish, by this crafty carpenter who is originally from Argentina, I think they are a great way to reuse a much-loved and no doubt pretty battered skateboard that no longer serves its purpose.

Restored and recycled

Carrer Viladomat 30

You probably know by now, that I have something of a soft spot for the handmade and recycled. So you can probably imagine my delight at knowing that a new shop, where furniture is restored and recycled has recently opened. Valnot is its name, and you can find it in the part of town where a lot of new places are sprouting up at the moment (the Sant Antoni area) on Carrer Viladomat 30.

Upstairs workshop

It is a two-level space, with the workshop upstairs and the shop area downstairs. For a nominal fee you can also bring your own stuff to restore or recycle, and make use of the owner’s know-how and tools while you’re at it. Not a bad idea, eh?

The shop is quite full, but all things are displayed with taste and without feeling too cramped. I’ve already spotted a few items I wouldn’t mind having, so no doubt you probably would find something to your liking too. Check out the slideshow for a sneak peek…

Novedades

Carrer Peu de la Creu 24

On Carrer Peu de la Creu 24 we can find Novedades, a shop I discovered one morning, while having a coffee at Satan’s Coffee Corner, and which is well worth a visit. Why? you may ask… Well, because it sells an interesting range of items which were all made in Barcelona. In fact, most of them were made right there!

Bottled lamps

The lovely bottled lamps were made there, as were the colourful clothes.

Made on site

Men at work

Cleaning al fresco – Passeig Marítim de Barceloneta

Happy Monday! I know this is not everyone’s favourite day of the week, but maybe watching these men at work serves to inspire you to 1. be happy with your current occupation, 2. change the one you’ve got, or 3. go out there and look for the one you don’t! Whichever may be applicable to you: have a great week!

Hanging about on the job – Carrer d’en Bot