Passagen Interior Design Week Cologne is Germany's largest design event. It's pretty much the 'Fuori Salone' event of the huge IMM furnishings fair that takes place in the Koelnmesse in the same week.

A few years ago we met sweet Claudia Schaaf during the Dutch Design Week and she invited us to showcase our work in her lovely Salon Zwei during Passagen 2016, as part of the Ehrenfeld Design Parcours. 
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With a taste for Dutch Design, Claudia presented a different Dutch Designer in her shop during Passagen every year for the past 6 years, and now it's time to bring it together.

For this years' Passagen, Claudia teamed up with Buro Sabine Voggenreiter to curate an exhibition about Dutch Design at the Designers Fair at the Pattenhalle in Ehrenfeld. 
We're super happy to be part of the line-up that also includes Studio Lorier, Foekje Fleur, Nord Interior Design and Mo Man Tai​.

But that's not all! Our designs will also be part of the colorful 'We love Dutch Design' presentation at Claudia's homebase Salon Zwei. 
And from Passagen onward, Salon Zwei will be a House of Thol vendor!

Dutch Design Cologne revisited
Passagen Designers Fair @ Pattenhalle
Christianstrasse 82
50825 Koeln - Ehrenfeld

Open 13 - 19 January
Mon-Wed: 12:00 - 20:00
Thursday: 12:00 - 23:00 - drinks from 18:00
Fri-Sat: 12:00 - 20:00
Sunday: 12:00 - 18:00

6 years Dutch Design
Salon Zwei
Gutenbergstrasse 2
50823 Koeln - Ehrenfeld

Open 13 - 19 January
Mon-Fri: 12:00 - 19:00
Sat-Sun: 12:00 - 16:00
NB drinks on Thursday 16.1 from 18:00

This season we're going to try something new. We'll be participating in a Christmas Market!
And not just any Christmas market: the Amsterdamsche Kerstmarkt, to be precise.

As a sucker for Christmas tunes i'm very much looking forward to 4 days of Jingle bell cheer and gluhwein.
And since the market is open to everyone and has a fun programme for all ages, this is definitely a place to spend some time in the Weekend before Christmas. 

Come find us, get your Holiday presents at our stall and i'll lovingly wrap it to make sure your gift will stand out under the tree. 

<Read all about the market here>

It's almost December and Sinterklaas is in the country!
With our boys being 4 and (just) 7, our household is all about the Saint and his nimble associates.

With just a few weeks to go till Pakjesavond we know the struggle of having to find gifts for all your loved ones while steering clear of the socks, chocolate & shower gel clichés.
Look no further: 
The brass Flower Constellations are a great personal gift for any flower lover (and who doesn't love flowers?); Waterworks makes it super easy for anyone to care for their houseplants; and growth constellation
Helios is perfect for anyone who'd love to watch a plant grow from an otherwise discarded avocado pit.

To help you along, you can now choose to have your order wrapped in Sinterklaas-themed wrapping paper!

The 'Grote Nederlandse Kunstkalender' or 'Big Dutch Art Calender' is a beast of a calendar: weighing more than three (3!) Kilograms, the calender features a new piece of Dutch Art every day of the year.

A mix of fine arts, photography, illustration, product design, architecture and graphic design, the selection consists of work by upcoming talents as well as from big names in the Dutch world of art and design.

Or go ahead and get the calender for your significant other so you can enjoy a full year of Dutch Art together. 

The Grote Nederlandse Kunstkalender can be bought for €34,95 (ex. shipping) via Trichis.

//Read more about the calender here//

First of all, eating an avocado is really good for you! They're packed with vitamines and healthy fats and contain even more potassium than bananas.
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In our household we're a big fan of a salmon & avocado poké-bowl, and there are many more great recipes to be found online.  
Can't be bothered to go recipe-hunting: simply go for the avocado-on-toast for an easy snack.

Please note: avocado are imported and use a lot of water, so they come with a footprint. Bought from Kenya, Peru, Mexico and Spain, they're labeled an alright choice by Milieucentraal (environmental label B).
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Whatever you do, eat your avocado when it's ripe: check the stem to be certain (here's how this works). 
Here's a little help to store your avocado in the best possible way.

Gently remove the pit from the avocado without damaging it and clean off all residue. 
Leave the pit in a jar of clean water for 24-48 hours.
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If you want to, you can carefully peel off the outer layer of the pit, exposing the pale wood-like seed. 
Some say this can speed up the germination process, or do it because they simply prefer the look.

Wrap your clean pit in a moist paper towel and put in a plastic bag. Store the bag somewhere dark at room temperature  (in a cabinet is perfect)​
​Check the bag every three days to see if the towel is still moist and/or if the first sprouts are showing yet (can take up to two months). 
​Once the first roots have grown about 2 centimeters we're ready for the next step. 

Get out your Helios constellation and customize the size of the star-shaped opening by folding the perforated lines.

Find a glass vessel (D5,5-8cm) and fill with water. Either go for a used jar or a nice vase: ideally something that's easy to clean and you'll want to look at for a while.

Lay the Helios disk centered on top of the jar/vase and push the inner brass circle downward to fit.

Carefully place your sprouted pit in the disk, making sure the roots are under water and the leaves leaves have room to grow up towards the sun.

Change the water every few days to keep the growing plant happy and the developing root system visible.

When the stem reaches 20 cm, cut back to about half to force the creation of more roots.

​If you want to, you can occasionally add nutrients to the water for stronger growth.

We've had avocado plants on water thrive for years, with an ever growing root system to enjoy under water.
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If you're serious about growing an avocado tree make sure to move the plant to soil and keep in a warm and light environment.
(if you can use a little help watering your potted avocado plant, we've got you covered).

Enjoy your homegrown greenery!

Last weekend we spent 4 days in sunny The Hague at chique art/design festival 'Masterly The Hague' - Not only was the festival taking place in a beautiful setting, we were blessed with great weather and many enthusiastic and lovely visitors!

We were super happy with the great presentation of our work: the bathtub being flanked by this gorgeous 1930ties silk Kimono that was on loan from the Gemeentemuseum The Hague, and the over all high quality athmosphere at Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder.
Also not too bad to share a room with skillfull glass artist Geir Nustad and be a temporary direct neighbor of Orange or Red, Bibi Smit and Thed Konings.

And, lest i forget: we worked together with Ceramist Henriette Meijer to create a stylish floral setting at the entrance of Museum Bredius.

Since we were pretty much talking all the time, we didn't get to take that many photographs. 
Luckily plenty of others did!
Here's a few of the pictures we found online. All images link back to the photographer or account we found them.

Thank you Nicole Uniquole and the Masterly The Hague organisation for a lovely festival!  

Summer might not even be officially over yet, With the fall tradefairs all taking place this month, the Holiday Season already started in retail-land!

Because we're very familiar with the challenges involved with designing and marketing your own products, we created a 'Get it at the Creatives' gift guide filled with affordable Dutch Design.

Check it out, because all these creatives are still out there making beautiful things that you should definitely add to your wishlist!

Since we first launched the Flower Constellations, we've been lucky enough to be featured in quite a few publications, both on the web as well as in print.

Because we're super proud of these mentions, we've dedicated a webpage to them -an online cutting file, so you will-, on which we've made an overview of all Flower Constellations publications we could find.

= Check it out here =

Whenever we need photographs of our designs, we turn to one very talented lady: Masha Bakker Matijevic of Masha Bakker Photography.

I've known Masha since high school, yet that's not the main reason why we love working with her: with her keen eye for lighting and composition, she always delivers gorgeous and timeless pictures that are ready to share.

Our last photoshoot was last spring and i wanted to take a moment to share the lovely series she shot of our Flower Constellations as well as the Ophiuchus & Helios constellation.

Interested in using these photographs in a publication? Everything and more can be found in high resolution in our image bank. Get in touch for a log-in!

Please note: We're happy for you to share our work and photographs, however, please mention the source and photographer.

After weeks of summer adventures and waking up without an alarm clock, we brushed the boys' hair this morning and dropped them off at school with suntanned faces eager for a fresh year.

Recharged and with our hands freed again, we're ready to take on the coming months.
We might as well... there's loads to be done!

To get the new season off to a running start, we've set up a Back to School discount of 10%!

So get your Waterworks sets now and keep those plants alive, start growing your avocado tree, get yourself a Flower Constellation to stylishly arrange the cut flowers from your garden (even the ones with thicker stems) or simply stock up on presents for upcoming birthdays!

To receive the 10% discount, use code 'BacktoSchool19' at check-out and ten percent will be deducted from the total amount of your order.

The discount code is valid on all products up to September 8th.

We're super excited that only one year after we launched them, the Flower Constellations are now available in the United States of America!!! Yeah!!

Uncommon Goods, webshop for unique gifts, home decor and more, picked up on our design a while ago, and after we sent over a few samples, the sales team gave their go and we shipped the first batch to the US right before our summer break.

So for all of you lovely people living in the US who can use a stylish tool for stellar flower arrangements or are looking for a flowery gift for a loved one , head over to UncommonGoods.com and order Flower Constellations now!

Not living in the US?
Our products are now being sold in 13 different countries around the world, so with a bit of luck there might be a store near you!
Check out our Store Locator for more information.

This September will mark the second edition of Masterly Den Haag.
Masterly started out as a festival celebrating Dutch high craft in Amsterdam, and over the past years became a Dutch staple of the Fuori Salone programme during the furniture fair in Milan in April.

Nicole Uniquole, the initiator and driving force behind Masterly, has a love for things that are well made: both now and in history.
Situating contemporary Dutch Design in a classical environment creates an interesting tension between the 'now' and the 'then'.  The beautiful locations she uses as a backdrop are always worth your visit.

We're super happy to be part of the Masterly Festival this year, and proud to be coupled with the painting Jan van Ravesteyn made of Amalia van Somst.
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Amalia came to Den Haag as a refugee at 17 and went on to marry Stadtholder Frederik Hendrik, thus becoming the original matriarch of our Dutch Royal family of Orange.
​In her married life, lady van Solms worked towards elevating the position of her husband and family.
​She showcased her collection of paintings and porcelain in refurbished or newly built grand houses and palaces with lush gardens.

In 1641, Amalia married her son Willem II to young Mary Henrietta Stuart, Princess Royal, making grandson Willem (William) III a true prince of Orange who would become monarch of England, Scotland and Wales in later life (but not without a battle).  

As lovers of Flowers, we're drawn to the beautifull embroidery lady van Solms is depicted wearing: showcasing the long love the Dutch Royal family has for flowers. 
A perfect match with our Flower Constellations!
Did you know descendant and namesake Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, has a tulip named after her?

Sisters Astrid and Linda, both creative minds, have put their love for all things beautiful and special to digital paper with their blog 'No Ordinary Tales'. 
On it, they share DIY's, recipes and all creative things they come up with. Once every while, they share the work of a fellow creative entrepreneur or creative hotspots to visit.

We're super excited Linda and Astrid wrote a lovely piece about our Flower Constellations last week. Thank you so much for sharing!
You can read the full post here.
It's in Dutch, but even if you don't speak the language, their photographs are worth your click!

This Helios Constellation might be the latest addition to the Flower Constellation family, its idea is actually what started it all.

Years ago we designed a pit-frame that would fit a variaty of jars and glassware, and would make it easy to sprout pits and bulbs.
​Out of our hands, the idea got shelved by the large Dutch Gardencentre company that took to it at first. 

Helios lets you stylishly grow your cuttings and pits into a water-rooted leafy plant and gives you the opportunity to enjoy the plant in full: both the sprouting leaves leaning towards the sun as well as roots branching out to soak up water and nutrients.  

Read all about Helios here.

Don't forget: order one for that special dad this week and get a free Growing Card with our Fathers' Day special - read all about it here.

We sent out two newsletters today!
One in Dutch and one in English, of course about our new Flower Constellation XL: Ophiuchus.

Didn't receive anything? Don't worry, read them here!
Also, don't want to miss anything in the future?
​Sign up now!

​Ophiuchus or 'Snakebearer' is called the thirteenth star sign, because, just as the 12 signs of the Zodiac, it crosses the sun's path (Ecliptica).
The official period of Ophiuchus would be between November 30th and December 18th.

We went ahead and ordered a small stock of brass Ophiuchus Constellations. This means that when you order an Ophiuchus, there's no waiting involved: We'll ship immediately and you can start arranging flowers right away. 

The only difference to the final product is the package it comes in.

Green Lifestyle Store is one of our most beloved companions.
Rooted firmly in the heart of Dutch plant- and flowertrade, the growing green webshop delivers contemporary houseplants to your doorstep fresh from the plant grower.