We received a nice note from a woman in Germany… who is yet another baldosa loca. She acquired her addiction in Sevilla where she lived for quite a few years. She has a blog… featuring a house filled with… baldosas… how familiar. Genießen!
It’s odd how things affect us. Barcelona is desperately trying to preserve it’s heritage (they use the word patrimony, which to me is a little too “fatherland”) but in general, the middled aged, middle and upper classes have this fascination with particle board furniture and all things shiny. Let’s call it”Ikea-fazation.” (Actually Ikea does some pretty great things… but you get my drift). I think to these folks everything “old” has a resonance that represents the sad, dark and oppressive decades that Franco was in power. I also think that Spaniards and Catalans do indeed get tired of door knobs coming off in their hands and chunks of ceiling landing on their couches every time it rains. So for the most part, the consensus is, old is bad.
Younger, hipper folks seem to not have the same feelings for things from before 1983, as our young friends at Barcelona Vintage can attest.
I guess that’s our spin; to rescue the cast offs of the past and turn them into something that feels new and fresh but still classy. How do we do?
You know language is a funny thing. Let’s look at mesas de forja y baldosa hidraulica reciclada. Is reciclada a Spanish word or is it Spanglish? Same thing with hidraulica. And since the tiles were not originally made with a proceso hidraulico why are they called baldosas hidraulicas. And what about mesa? Mesas are elevated flatlands… which in english are called… mesas. Recicladas? Sounds like a hybrid. Mesas de forja y baldosas hidraulicas recicladas… Tables of forged metal and recycled hydraulic tiles… the former just sounds so much cooler. Forja… forging communications and tables de baldosas hidraulicas. Damn interesting I think.
Italiani, italiani … Come hanno fatto a trovarci?
Somehow “Lea Ceramiche” a Italian design blog has had enough good taste to feature us. Everything in Italian just seems sooo sexy, even when they are waxing poetically about things like hot pads. Checked it out here.
Just before New Years Day Roger showed up at Mesa Bonita Plaza looking for a present for his wife for Los Reyes… Epiphany… the 6th of January, the traditional day that Spanish folks exchange holiday presents. This was kind of a problem because there really is no plaza and certainly no swanky retail showroom. Compounding this was the fact they we were away visiting the family. Anyway he dropped by again just before the 6th and picked out a ochre toned end table. Thanks Roger!
Well the economic crisis is still here and so are we and as such we are proud to once again host our annual Crisismas sale.
This year in addition to offering our tables and furniture we will be joined by artists Berenice Bercelli, Andres Gavilano, Maria La Placa and Marie Jose Hasid Benjo.
And like last year we are enticing you to come with a 5 € meal which this year is brought to you by Las Mañanitas Tex Mex restaurante.
We welcome you from 6pm to 10pm on December, Friday the 18th and on Saturday the 19th from 11am to 6pm. Merry Crisismas!!!
For more information and to RSVP please go here.
Laia Beltran featured us last year in “Time Out” Barcelona and we have been in contact ever since. Last week she sent me the link to her blog and it is just everything that most of us love about Barcelona : goofy, creative and so different… And she even talks about us again, that’s how much great taste she has !
It’s Caga Tio time in Catalunya which means there are festivals a plenty. Next up is the Barcelona Women’s Network Holiday Bazaar. It’s being held at the Institut Nord-America located at Via Augusta 123, Atico. It’s this Saturday, the 28th of November, from 10 am to 2 pm. Hope to see you there.
Yes for the 2nd or 3rd year running we are participating in the Christmas edition of Pulgas Mix. A wild and whacky, some what swanky flea market and fashionista exhibition.
As always it’s at the Covent Sant Agusti at 32 Carrer Comerc, in the Barri Born. It’s on Saturday and Sunday the 24th and 25th of October.
Doors are open from 12 pm to 10 pm.
Lots of great things to buy, eat and drink. Happening music too. Come on down and kick a trivet or two.
So we get an email… so many things these days start this way. Orphaned twins in Burkina Faso want us to deposit 20 million dollars in our account and for this we get to keep 20 percent. Changed our lives by allowing us to buy 24 72″ plasmas and a really nice blender. Herbal Viagra? Sure why not. Works great just don’t plan on playing tennis for a couple of hours. But listen… recently we really did get a very interesting note. More soon.