I Think I Love Berlin-Part 3

Shopping at the KaDeWe

I got to do a little shopping (my favorite thing to do) in Germany's largest department store called the KaDeWe.

Oh, look! There's Santa.  I'm digging his color scheme and fancy coat.

I fell in love with these glass birds for the Christmas tree. I have memories of my grandparents having birds on the tree every year. So I had to get some for myself and for gifts.

And then... I cannot resist a stationery department! I bought this blue journal with grid pages. And I love these pencils with the dark rhinestones on the ends. I do enjoy nice pencils.

 All Photos by Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive.

I think I Love Berlin- Part 2

The first night in Berlin, my husband, Mikel, and I were invited out to dinner.  Our hosts were a wonderful couple. She is an American expat and he is originally from Berlin, but lived in the U.S. for many years.  The dinner was in a restored Bauhaus building that is now a private club called Soho House. The other guests were lively, warm, accomplished, and interesting. And we immediately found that we had many things in common. The food was delicious and the spirited conversation was fueled by a common love of people, travel, adventure.  I felt included there, in a way that I have not felt sometimes in my own backyard.

The next evening, we attended a party held in a beautifully raw, but intimate space called Fortuna's Table.  The chef/owner, Suzy Fracassa, is an American expat from Detroit and the guest were a wonderful mixture of Americans and Germans. It was a wonderful way to connect with people who are passionate about their lives and their work with an international point of view.

 Photos: Soho House, Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive, Fortuna's Table.

I Think I Love Berlin - Part 1

I think I love Berlin.

Sometimes I have a feeling about a place before I get there.

I have wanted to visit Berlin for several years.  I had heard about the resurgence of art. culture, and life there for some time now. And Germany is also the land of my heritage. So when my husband needed to travel to Berlin for work, I jumped at the chance to join him.

The timing of my first visit to Berlin, coincided with the creeping winter darkness beginning at 3:30 pm every day.

Right away, I was struck by the severity of much of the architecture. I wasn't prepared for the lack of the beautiful ancient buildings that I love that are in cities like Paris and Florence.  Many of the buildings feel cold and austere to me. They seem devoid of warmth, the result of the years of a divided city and its infamous past. Most of the oldest buildings have been torn down over the years to make way for more modern buildings.  Evidence of the Cold War abounds. The gray skies and clouds add to the murkiness of the cement buildings. 

Nevertheless, I found beauty in architecture and graffiti as I walked around the city.

In the past, when I traveled, I would make a plan each day, trying to squeeze in as much work and sightseeing as humanly possible.  This time, I threw my agenda out the window.

The bottom left photo in this collage is a piece of the Berlin wall installed in a department store.




The city was lit up. 

The Brandenburg Gate was breathtaking.

All photos by Amy Dietrich for Coventry Drive.

Pink!!

Fashion + Home = Style

I have had on again - off again feelings for the color pink over the years. As a kid, I loved pink. When I was a young adult starting my fashion career, I chose to wear what I thought were more serious colors. During the years I was a redhead, I avoided wearing pink altogether.

But...even when I didn't wear pink, I still enjoyed accents of bright pink in my home.  A bright pink seems to look especially good with every single neutral. And bright pink and orange together just plain makes me happy.

Right now, there is an abundance of neon and bright pink in fashion, interiors, and products. Here are a few of my current favorites.

I , for one, am embracing pink.

Images:  Abigail Ahern,  Diane von Furstenberg, nymag (Dries Van Noten),   urbanears,  fromtherightbank,

ssence (Alexander McQueen), The Hoarde (Bertoia Diamond Chair).

Kids in the kitchen

Everybody tends to gather in the kitchen.

I am constantly imagining and redesigning my 1930's home in my head. Lately, it's my kitchen.

I like a kid and pet friendly home. I don't want anything that's too precious. I want style and comfort.  That's why I really like these two photos. A children's table has been incorporated into the kitchen design. Perfect! I love it when everybody ends up hanging out in the kitchen. (I also like to keep an eye on the action.)

I'm adding this to my kitchen dream.

(Top image: Wendy Goodman for New York Magazine)

(Bottom image: Laura Resen for Country Living )

Hydrangea Kitchen Visit

I love Mid century modern and Scandinavian design, and beauty in function. I'm mad for Henry Clarke fashion photos, clean graphic prints, and Dries Van Noten.
But... as I sit on my Bertoia designed side chair working at my MacBook Pro, I sometimes yearn for something charming, vintage, homey, and a little bit different.

Hydrangea Kitchen is just the place.

Vintage kitchen finds are mixed with new, and a cheery dining area welcomes.

One of the managers, Megan, greets me and steers me to the menu.  She makes all the sauces and her brother, Ryan, is the pastry chef. ( Another brother is away at the Culinary Institute of America.)

High tea is served every afternoon.
It's a place to sit and linger.

Hydrangea Kitchen
371 Fisher Road
Grosse Pointe, MI  48230
313.469.9970
Plus they have a store two doors down with clothing, accessories, and home goodies.
www.hydrangeagp.com

My Garden's Last Hurrah!

Inspiration and Pinterest

            

I haven't posted in a long time. Since my last post, I've a adopted a second child, moved into a new house, trained for another marathon, and fallen in love with Pinterest. Please check out my boards.
http://pinterest.com/addietrich/

Fall is just around the corner-and so is winter

Last year, I tried to order these boots. They were completely sold out. After the huge amount of snow this past winter, I jumped to order these today from L.L.Bean. They are the 10" shearling lined style.
This winter I shall be stylish and warm!!! Just gimme that snow shovel!

personalized laptop

Who knew that there were such great options for personalizing a laptop? I love this!!!
www.iamhumannow.com
What a smart way to stylize a plain laptop! There a a bunch of options.

Axel Vervoordt Timeless Interiors

I finally bought myself a copy!!! How did I ever live without this book?
The photos by Christian Sarramon and the text by Armelle Baron just plain-- inspire!

Favorites of the week

My new frames. Selima Optique.

This is inspiring:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpunQZ4cUyI

favorites of the week

1. This something I love!! Trina Turk is one of my favorites. It's fun to see the partnership with Clinique. Plus, it's a really cute cosmetic bag.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/6021063/0~2376780~6009391~6015950~6021063?cm_ven=vendor&cm_cat=clinique&cm_pla=vogue&cm_ite=ad300x250
2. This Splendid tee is already sold out in all but the X small. It's a great basic tee shirt with a very stylish twist. I love finding a t shirt like this! Alas, I'll need to search elsewhere.
http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/26300
3.I bought this top from the Gap. It's pretty. I wanted something pretty and washable to wear with jeans. I wore it today, as a matter of fact.
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=34610&pid=581234&scid=581234012
4. Gloves. I love fingerless gloves. Refinery 29 have highlighted some great ones. I have some fingerless gloves knitted by my Mom. I wear them all the time.
http://www.refinery29.com/shopping_roundup/hands_up.php?topcategory=shopping_news

playground shoes

I have lots of fabulous and terribly cute shoes that I wore to work in the Garment Center. However, I now seem to have nothing to wear. My new routine involves going to the park/playground once or twice a day. My son (and I) need to get out of the apartment. And the little mister really needs to burn off some of that endless energy as well as learn to climb, run, swing, balance, and socialize. I need shoes that enable me to walk a lot, climb playgound things , and be good on asphalt and grass. In my prechild fashion days, I would shop all the time. It was part of my job to know which designer was doing what and what was selling the stores. I shopped all over nyc and Europe. That's what I did for years and years. Oh, and the sample sales in the Garment Center were temptation central. I would buy delicious stuff. Now, my budget is MUCH smaller and shopping with a 16 month old is not a leisurely experience, to say the least! So, I researched some things on line and off we went to the Staten Island mall. Look, I knew it wasn't going to be Paris. I had a shoe goal and I stuck to it. (My husband fearlessly came along to help with our son and provide moral support). Success!!!!! I got a very useful and cute pair from Naturalizer and a super cute stylish little pair at Macy's by Marc Fisher . The Marc Fisher wing tips were not exactly my goal, but unbelivably cute and on sale. http://www.naturalizer.com/shop_online/item_detl.asp?CID=casual&PID=juliana&variant_id=16902001&Size=%25%25%25-%25 http://www.marcfisherfootwear.co

red

This is a photo of some chairs in a Paris flea market. It looks like a sculpture.

Red and orange always look good together to me.

A bouquet in my hotel room in Paris.