Style, served with tea

Well, hello! Even though we’ve packed up and decamped to the basement while undergoing a renovation at home, I’m still on the hunt for a few stylish bits and bobs that have caught my eye.

Cheers, Arren


Fashion designer turned ceramicist Harvey Bouterse knows how to turn a look. His enigmatic Insta catalogues his latest creations, with a Tumblr that expands on that point of view, letting you tumble down a very stylish rabbit hole with a look into both his work and other design inspirations.

The hand-built ceramic pieces, each with their individually applied decoration and patterns, play into Bouterse’s love of primitive forms and Brutalism. The result is sculpturally biomorphic shapes finished in hefty textural mid-century glazes that add even more character to his vases, lamps, candleholders and creatures. Quite the menagerie indeed, which - under the Wouter Harvey umbrella - is currently on show in the historic Perignem ceramic workshop in Beernem, Belgium, alongside the work of Wouter Hoste and Katleen Vinck.

Spring 2020 vase

Spring 2020 vase

Sketches of the Spring 2020 collection

Sketches of the Spring 2020 collection

Bouterse in his atelier in Antwerp

Bouterse in his atelier in Antwerp


The home of stylist Erena Te Paa is a stunner, filled with earthy organic pieces that manage to feel both stylishly on-trend and effortlessly collected. The angular open space is a mix of naturals and neutrals, making it easy on the eye, though she’s always on the lookout for something new to add. The latest is a vintage stool turned side table that fits perfectly into the tone-on-tone space - See is sliding around the room in a fun stop-go-animation here.

And, once we’re all travelling again, you might want to check out Te Paa’s cool little holiday rental - Akito Studio - kitted out in her inimitable style. Yet another reason to add New Zealand to your must-see list…

The living room of Erena Te Paa

The living room of Erena Te Paa


I’m loving London-based artist and photographer Max Siedentopf’s kooky and fun #accidentalinfluencer campaign for Gucci, where everyday people accidentally match their interiors. While the shots are ostensibly all about the updated Gucci Tennis 1977 sneaker, my fave is the stripe action happening in this shot, where the t-shirt matches the mugs. Though, if you’re a weirdo design geek like me, you’ll recognize that those aren’t just any old striped mug, they’re classic British Cornishware mugs from T.G. Green.

Cornishware started its striped life in 1924 in a simple blue and white combo, but have expanded over the years into 11 different hand-painted colour options, including this zingy Adder Green shade. In sizes up to a whopping 15oz, the mugs can handle an ocean of tea (or coffee, if you’re so inclined), and can even be personalized. Check out the full collection here.

Max Siedentopf for Gucci

Max Siedentopf for Gucci

10oz Cornishware mug, Adder Green

10oz Cornishware mug, Adder Green

Of sport and flashlights

While I might not have a sporty bone in my body, I did recognize the baseball reference in Belgian designer Sylvain Willenz's Homerun chair. It's not just the yellow and grey colour choice, or the friendly, curvy cartoon influenced design, that makes them a standout for me (tho' I am an acknowledged chairaholic), it's also the fact they were a collaboration with a Japanese furniture firm - Karimoku - and use the waste wood byproduct of thinning out trees in managed forests. Check below for snaps of the chairs, and a couple of shots that show production and a prototype.

Willenz is also resonsible for the rather mouth watering Torch lights (that's flashlights to you North Americans) he designed for Brit firm Established & Sons, shown below in a shot from the Milan furniture fair, and then a closeup which I had to include, as much for the light as for that tiled floor. Yum. For more on Willenz you can become a fan here on Facebook (btw, I love all the shots people have sent in that show his designs in their homes).