Come take a seat next to me my friend. Rest. Breathe. Contemplate.
The path seems to be a long hard one as challenging times lie ahead. Let us realign and unite for together we are stronger, we can make the difference. Let us take a moment to ignite the fire of love and respect, to find our inner strength, to be bold ... for these are not normal times.
Wishing you all a fantastic, prosperous, healthy and delicious 2016! The last couple of weeks of 2015 were relaxing, with lots of family time, play time, relax time and food time - it was just the most ideal way to end a great year. 2015 was indeed grand! Before we dive into this sparkling new year it is a good time to take a moment to reflect, appreciate and celebrate the year gone by.
Dubai this time had a very different aura to it, compared to the past years. For the first time I felt as if the city had a flow, it seemed to groove to a distinct vibe – almost as if after years of searching Dubai had found its character. The city proudly projected a balance it has seemed to have found and this balance and groove was also characterized in the workshop I recently held in Dubai.
India has a strong influence on the senses of those visiting the country – it is loud, it is colorful and it is very multifaceted, a country with incredible paradoxes. Under all the contrasts this vast country presents, there is something consistent that one could easily describe it as the essence of India.
London, always such a bustling and hip place, was the location for my second workshop this year. I always love coming here for short visits – perfect to soak up the energy of the city. While London is very much about urban dynamism, I also love the open-wide spaces, leafy escapes and the riverside hideouts this city offers. The perfect place to give just the right beat to one of my workshops.
What a few months these have been! It seems I have hardly sat still long enough to really feel … still. I’ve been loving the movement of the past several weeks especially as I have just completed two workshops. First up in April was wonderful Vienna, a city that in all its poise and ease has something vibrant and full of life to it. The impulse the city gives is imperial and baroque yet there is a touch of simplicity and an uncomplicated aura that one is impressed by surroundings and feels relaxed by the atmosphere.
Happy New Year! Hope you all had a fantastic and safe start to 2015! After a relaxing break over the Holidays with 2 weeks off I am back ready to kick-start 2015 with much enthusiasm. As I do each year, I’d like to review my year 2014, looking back and reflecting the past year. This is a moment to take a step back to look at the achievements and to give thanks before we all tumble forward into a brand new year!
Dubai boasts of infinite superlatives – the list is long and they have taken a lead, setting many trends in various fields. However, another Emirate boasts of one of the most stunning landmarks in the region with a list of its own superlatives to boot. Abu Dhabi’s iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, took 12 years to realize and was designed to be an architectural wonder which incorporates both modern and classic Islamic artistic styles.
Dubai is forever changing! Evolving, progressing, growing – if it’s always for the better is debatable but often there are changes and concepts emerging that really excel. In a city where superlatives are found at almost every corner finding something that really carries that WOW-effect can be hard. Often, for me it is not the mega glitzy or glamorous that stuns in Dubai – it is the passion, the professionalism and the honesty of the people involved in projects and ideas that carries a valuable seal.
What’s for lunch, honey? just got a complete facelift. It’s fresh, crisp, clean and so good I am doing dances around the notebook. I got together with the extremely talented Corinna Haselmeyer of Holistic Design and since June we have been working on this space behind the scenes. What we developed over the past several weeks has been a piece of art and love.
No two workshops are ever the same. Each one seems to come with its own set of rules, dynamics and chaos. Each one has different challenges and other highlights. When one thing works for one workshop by no means does it mean it will work for the next one. One sells out within days the other takes weeks. I have not yet figured out all the math or the algorithm of how this works and I probably never will. But one thing is for sure planning the workshop keeps me and my partners always on our toes.
[Stunning Valdobbiadene]
There is a time and place for everything and those are the times when everything falls into place just perfectly. It did not take very long after our collaboration in the London workshop last year for Jeanne and me to get back in the saddle to plan the next one together. We are a well functioning team and we had a very clear idea of how and where the next workshop would be.
With the gracious team of Nino Franco supporting us things glided off to a smooth start.
Finally it’s here … 2014! I cannot remember when the last time was that I wanted the old year to end so badly and the new one to begin again. I have pinned high hopes on 2014. I strongly believe that you carve your own path and take the journey you design for yourself. 2013 was not the kind of year I had designed for myself. Somehow I stumbled on my path and allowed others to take control of my life.
It’s glitzy, it’s shrill and it’s kitschy, this once-upon-a-time fisher village entices with bright lights and the superlative. While Dubai’s headlines always places its unparalleled projects in the limelight: world's tallest tower, manmade islands and underwater hotels, there is a part of Dubai that seems to have been forgotten.
A part that I remember often visiting when I used to come here in the mid 80s, before the towers rose from what used to be sand and shrubs.
“Is it over already?”
I always seem to say this when one of the food photography and styling workshops conclude. On one side I feel thrilled and even relieved at having completed a 2 day session successfully but there is a slight melancholy at wrapping up something that has been planned for so long and with great care. The Amsterdam workshop was special for me on many levels.
“It’s Venice dear the whole city is a museum.” – my friend Dacotah R.
As we packed our bags for the summer, last year, to head off on the road trip that took us to 3 destinations, I had no idea how true these words, by the lovely, Dacotah, were going to be.
Venice has been on my bucket list forever and the fact that we were finally managing this trip was more than exciting. We had just a few days in the city and I wanted to make the most of it.
What I love about living in a city like Weimar is the culturally rich secrets hidden away, tucked behind hills, around corners, behind the park or just across the street. Even after living here for 9 years I still find jewels that surprise me with their beauty and uniqueness. They are treasures that have transcended the limits of time and survived centuries of eras and seasons.
When Sandy and I visited the Landgut Holzdorf, just a few kilometers outside of Weimar I was left speechless on many levels.
2013 - it’s here! We’re well into the second week of the new year and I still need to get into the swing of things around here. Isn’t it funny how easy it is to fall out of a routine? Honestly though, after living decadently for the past two weeks I have to say I am happy to have my routine again. While all those indulging meals, cakes, desserts and treats were grand I am feeling over-satiated and glad to be cooking up my lighter dishes in the kitchen again.
What I’ll miss however is the extra time we took to spend with friends, who usually gather around our place for dinners, game nights and conversation far into the night. That was real luxury for me. I love catching up with them as most of us live in different cities and usually connect with short texts, tweets or Facebook messages throughout the year.
