Author: Igor

Getting ready for Helsinki

We’re really excited to announce that in just a couple of weeks we will be travelling to Helsinki to produce a new City Guide in partnership with Visit Helsinki. It will be our first time in Finland and we can’t wait to see what its capital has to offer.

In anticipation to our trip, we have prepared a list of things we are excited about and look forward to experiencing when we arrive to Helsinki.

Food

Food is an essential part of our guides and we can’t wait to try some of Finland’s delicacies. There are so many dishes we want to taste that we’re not sure where to start, but we want to make sure we don’t leave the country without trying Karelian Pies (a traditional pastry made of rye flour and rice), Grillimakkara (sausages made for grilling and served with mustard), Korvapuusti (Cinammon buns) and Leipäjuusto (known in English as Finnish squeaky cheese).

Photo by Dan Zelazo via Flickr Creative Commons

Alvar Aalto’s Architecture

One of the things we’re most excited about is being able to see the work of Finnish designer and architect Alvar Aalto in person. Aalto’s buildings are spread across the city, including his own house and studio, and we’re looking forward to seeing some of his creations such as the Finlandia Hall, the Academic Bookshop and the Kulttuuritalo.

Photo by Ro Rro via Flickr Creative Commons

The Design District

Covering 4 different neighbourhoods in the heart of Helsinki, The Design District will definitely be our destination during most of our trip. With a list of almost 200 different shops, galleries and businesses, it will be difficult to see all of them but we’ve already started making our selection of independent designers and cafés to include in our guide!

Photo by IK’s World Trip via Flickr Creative Commons

Kallio

Kallio is known as Helsinki’s hipster and up-and-coming district. From what we’ve read, this lively area is bursting with designers opening their own stores, artisan cafés (we’re especially interested in Good Life Coffee) and bars where you can enjoy cheaper drinks compared to the rest of the city – sounds like a good plan!

Photo by /Kallu via Flickr Creative Commons

Make sure to check our Instagram profile to follow our trip live in just a couple of weeks!

May 5, 2015
A hassle-free day with Santander

Santander recently got in touch to tell us about their 123 current account, a new service offering cashback on council tax and bills. As we recently started Future Positive Studio, we’re interested in getting the most out of our bank accounts so we asked Santander to tell us a little more about the 123 current account and its benefits.

One of the strengths of the 123 current account is the easiness of switching everything from your current bank to Santander – it only takes 7 days for direct debits, standing orders and salary to be moved. To mirror this hassle-free process, Santander invited us to have a day to ourselves without having to worry about anything, taking us for brunch and dinner around Edinburgh.

This hassle-free day couldn’t have come in a better moment, as we’re currently finalising the last details of a new City Guide to Edinburgh. We decided to walk around the city and visit some new places to us.

We started our morning having brunch at The Gardener’s Cottage. This small restaurant offers a menu that changes daily based on the availability of local produce. We enjoyed a couple of Beetroot Bloody Mary, roe deer and fava beans dips with artisan sourdough bread, and Arbroath smokie and meatloaf sandwiches.

After our brunch we went to Stockbridge, one of our favourite neighbourhoods in Edinburgh. We had a look at some of the recently-opened shops and took the peaceful Water of Leith to walk to Dean Village, one of the areas we wanted to photograph for our City Guide.

We explored Dean Village’s buildings and its numerous hidden streets and after that, we walked to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art to check Roy Lichtenstein’s exhibition, which we hadn’t been able to see yet, and also enjoyed a stroll around its gardens.

We decided to end our day having an amazing dinner at Blackfriars. This independent restaurant and bar located in the heart of Edinburgh’s city centre offers delicious food and a great selection of craft beers. Although we had been to the bar a few times before, it was our first experience in the restaurant and it didn’t disappoint. We enjoyed a special 4-course dinner paired with tasty beers by Redchurch Brewery – we couldn’t have asked for a better ending to our hassle-free day!

May 5, 2015
A Book from Lind – Small Wonders of Rome

A Book from Lind is an independent publishing house founded by Jakob Vestergaard and Tine Lind. Jakob, a writer and travel editor at Danish newspaper Information and Tine, an art historian and designer, quit their jobs and sold their house to have more time to spend with their family and friends, and to start their own publishing project.

Small Wonders of Rome is their first guide to the city where they lived last year, and which will be followed by two additional guides to Italy’s capital and two for Copenhagen later this year. This little guide features a map and 42 carefully selected places to eat, drink, see and pause in three central neighbourhoods, divided into four different categories: Out of the ordinary, On the table, Pause and think, and To your health.

Printed in Denmark on high-quality FSC certified paper, A book from Lind‘s guides are designed to be small enough to carry with you comfortably on your trips, and can be easily folded to see just one category or the map whilst discovering the city.

We have two Small Wonders of Rome guides to give away. For a chance to win a copy, you only need to follow A Book from Lind and Future Positive on Twitter, and retweet the tweet below. We will choose two random winners on 18th May.

www.lindbooks.com

Win a copy of @lindbooks‘ guide Small Wonders of Rome on our blog: http://t.co/e0Dxkol1Ef #giveaway #competition pic.twitter.com/w6kP3vYjYW

— Future Positive (@FuturePositive_) May 4, 2015

May 4, 2015
Designing a Great Business Card

Starting up your own business means you will potentially need to attend many networking events to spread the word about your new venture and meet fellow entrepreneurs. First impressions matter and so do your business cards, which might end up in hands of potential clients. Well designed, quality business card can create many opportunities. It’s surprising how often this small piece of paper is overlooked and for this reason we’ve put together a few tips on how to create a memorable business card.

Your business card should represent you and your business. If you pride yourself on offering quality service or products, your business card should represent that. Make sure you pick high quality paper stock so your card looks and feels great. If design is not one of your strengths, we’d recommend using a professional online design company like 99 designs.

The main objective of a business card is for people to be able to contact you. Don’t forget to include your name, along with your logo, your phone number, email and website address. You can also add your physical address. We don’t recommend cluttering things up with too many details like your Twitter handle or Facebook Page link, as these can be found on your website.

Make your cards memorable by including some intricate detailing. We see more and more double sided cards and though these look great, it’s important to remember to use one side of your card for non-critical information. Consider placing a photo, favourite quote or simply, your logo. Online portfolio websites like Behance are great to see what other people are doing and find inspiration.

April 30, 2015
Cover & Couch

Cover & Couch is an Antwerp-based upholstery studio founded by Sophie Doore 5 years ago, working with vintage dealers, interior architects and private clients. Sophie also designs her own line of cushions focusing on geometrical patterns, inspired by the rich and bold colours of the high quality fabrics she uses.

In September last year, Sophie relocated her studio to the top floor of design store City Furniture in an upcoming neighbourhood for vintage design in Antwerp’s city centre. We caught up with Sophie to find out how her love for upholstery started, her favourite projects and future plans.

www.covercouch.tumblr.com

Find out more about Antwerp in our Antwerp City Guide.

How did you become interested in upholstery?

Feeling the need to work with my hands, I always wanted to do something connected to restoration. While working in an Art bookshop, design books also captured my attention. Thanks to my job in a small weaving house, I began to appreciate the beauty of fabrics. Enrolling in an upholstery course was an impulsive decision. It was worth a try, not really knowing where it would lead me, but it was much better than what I expected.

How did Cover & Couch start?

During my studies I was already getting some orders. Upholstery is often associated with an old fashioned or a dusty workspace and I wanted to get rid of that image. I’ve been slowly building up my business for almost 6 years – mostly through word of mouth. Since September last year I’ve been working in a bigger studio in the centre of Antwerp, collaborating with a vintage dealer. My studio is above the shop. I work for private clients, vintage dealers, interior architects, designers, etc. I like working alone, interspersed with visits by clients.

Tell us about your process. How do you choose your fabrics, come up with a design, etc.?

It’s a new challenge each time. That’s what makes it so interesting.

First, I discuss the project with the client. Considering their preferences, their interior, their budget, etc. I have a wide range of high quality fabric samples. I try to advise as best as possible and I take a lot of detailed photos of the old upholstery before taking it off. I also like to do the necessary research if the old upholstery is no longer available.

Then, with respect for the original design, the reconstruction commences. I can apply classic methods where natural fibres are shaped by hand stitching. Other (modern) designs need to be redone with foam possessing the correct density for shape and comfort. During this process it’s very important that I respect the proportions and keep a meticulous eye on details. Every action influences the final result and I get really inspired when I see a piece growing closer to what I have in mind, custom made.

The fabrics themselves can also be my inspiration. I combine colours and textures into geometrical patterns. This resulted in a collection of cushions and I named them after people who inspire me: (Gio) Ponti, Gunta (Stölzl), Tapio (Wirkkala).

Is there any particular type of furniture or furniture from a specific time period that inspires you the most?

I would say mid-century. I must admit that I have a chair obsession – even an abandoned broken chair can catch my attention. I recently found a Pierre Paulin Oyster chair in the street!

What are your favourite projects you’ve worked on?

The Penguin chairs for City Furniture and the Daybed for Muller van Severen/Kvadrat (both pictured below). I was involved from the inception of the project. It’s a very clear design although the 60 pieces Divina fabric were cut and placed/rolled by hand.

What are Cover & Couch’s future plans?

Improving my business and setting up an e-commerce platform for my cushions – a new collection is coming up soon. I’m experimenting with silkscreens on fabric and leather and more prototyping would be great.

Studio images and portraits of Sophie by Ilse Liekens
Chair images by City Furniture

April 28, 2015