IN BED WITH LARA OURTANE

Bedding in as if seersucker remind me softly of childhood.

Those, the amazing filled quilts and Cassius's impossibly soft

muslin cotton bedding is all from Crisp Sheets,

who I have a collaboration with that I am very happy about.

Feeling at first sight & touch and quality over time.

I've also got a lovely connection with the maker of Crisp Sheets, Lara Ourtane.

One of the beautiful things with Instagram, - the close communication

that sometimes emerges there, with people you otherwise never would've

had a spontaneous exchange in the form of little messages with.

Undreamed of coincidences and soothing relatability.

I asked Lara to give me her answers to our 'the Confessions'

(we lent and reworked the famous 'Proust Questionnaire' when

we were doing Makers and Muse). Unfortunately, we couldn't travel

to climb into bed at her delicious showroom, so her confessions

will have to be accompanied by photos of our 'crisp sheets'..

1. What do you make..?

My label Crisp Sheets started with crisp bedsheets

and over the years it has expanded with a bath collection,

kids bed / bath collection, and I recently designed three rugs all

inspired by famous Art Deco buildings.

And hopefully much more is to come..!

2. What is your current state of mind..?

Happy, tired, in a creative vibe, a little worried

and feeling a bit isolated due to the Covid19 situation.

3. Which living maker do you most admire..?

Studio Andrew Trotter.

4. Describe what the word muse means to you..?

A muse is a person that inspires me in everything I do.

5. Do you have one (muse that is)..?

I can name dozens of people that I find inspiring or that 

make me think more outside of the box,

but I don't have a muse.

6. What is your most treasured possession..?

A golden ring forming the word LOVE,

a birthday present from my husband. I wear it every day

and it's my favourite ring.

7. Describe yourself in three words..?

Sincere, straight forward and a doer.

8. How do others usually describe you (in two words)..?

Humble. Honest.

9. What do you like most about your appearance..?

My eyes.

10. What do you find attractive in others..?

Good energy, a vibe.. and eyes that speak.

11. What virtue do you find overrated..?

Hmm.. maybe tact. I don't like it when someone dear to me

spins the truth around to avoid harm.

12. What surprises you..?

My sons. Clichée, but true for me.

13. What is the lowest depth of misery to you..?

Animal, - and child cruelty.

14. What is the highest form of love for you..?

There's no other love like the gigantic, endless love I have for my sons.

15. Which famous muse do you admire..?

So many..! But to name a few; Oprah Winfrey, Tina Turner,

Dolly Parton, Melinda Gates, Jane Goodall.

16. On what occasion do you lie..?

I don't like lying, but there are some exceptions.

For example; when my kids ask me where a toy is

that I recently threw out.

17. What is your idea of perfect happiness..?

My fam and me on a perfect beach, with an amazing pick-nick basket

filled with delicious food and drinks, my kids playing all day

and me and my husband having time to relax.

18. What word do you most overuse..?

Please.

19. What inspires you..?

Travelling.

20. If you could be anyone, who would it be..?

I don't want to trade with anybody.. But to be Beyonce for one day,

doing one of her insane live performances would be cool..!

21. What do you most value in your friends..?

Loyalty and good talks & laughs.

22. If you were a thing, what would it be..?

A light.

23. What is your greatest fear..?

Outliving one of my kids.

24. Where would you most like to live..?

I always said New York, but that has changed since I became a mom.

I really like where I live; near my favourite people and not too busy.

25. What trait do you most deplore in others..?

Dishonesty.

26. What trait do you most deplore in yourself..?

My lack of patience.

27. Which fictional character do you most identify with..?

Alice in Wonderland. I can be a dreamer...

28. What do you spend your money on..?

Nice things for our home.

29. What do you consider your greatest achievement so far..?

I am so happy that I am making a living doing something that I really love,

so my business is my biggest achievement.

30. What quality do you most like in a man..?

Humour..!

31. What quality do you most like in a woman..?

Trustworthiness.

32. What is your favourite swearword..?

Kut..! It's Dutch (sorry..!).

33. What is your motto..?

Just do it..! hahaha

34. If heaven exists, what would your God say when you arrive there..?

Took you long enough..!

(Hopefully.)

Thank you, Lara, so much, for sharing your confessions with us.

You find a whole lot of delicious tones over at Crisp Sheets,

so much so that I've afterwards thought a tad tired of myself, that

why do I always end up in the earthy; the beige and the sandy,

when there is cherry blossom purple and sorbet yellow.. 

∞

all bedding and quilts are from crisp sheets.

i know, from between the lines, that they will also

be selling the lovely shell pillows from tamar mogendorff soon,

the ones you see a white velvet (linen-backed) one pictured

here and the ones i get lots of questions about whenever i post.

i'm thinking it'll be a lovely alternative for us in europe;

to have them a bit closer than brooklyn too. 

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HOUSE OF PALOMA

Cassius,

when us sisters were children there was an Anna.

Where she lived there was an old public bathhouse, that was as if Roman

(only this one laid almost forgotten in the elbow of a Nordic village),
with stone pillars and its pool filling almost the whole
of the, for its purpose, rather small house.
Along both sides of the pool huddled, in long rows with

old wooden doors, the tiny changing rooms lacking walls against the
actual common area. Nudity in a goldfish bowl, a sauna that was;
areawise the smallest ever, but tall as a church steeple.
Anna had white carrier-pigeons that she sent off as we savoured her
homemade, tangy apple pie with the smoothest vanilla sauce.

Your pappa's grandfather had white pigeons too.
Although Bapou Daki (grandpa Daki in greek) had his for racing.
At that point, he was an old man with a carnation forever in his lapel.
The East End clubs of London, molotov cocktails and gangster
moves behind him only in the wings of his own history.

These photographs don't really have anything to do with all that, I know.
But we shot these for 'House of Paloma' and whenever I hear
the word paloma I think of Anna and nowadays also Bapou Daki
and I sometimes wish then, that you too could have lived
in the same era.

∞

'House of Paloma' is a big childrenswear favourite for me 

and this is their 'Gigi set' in natural linen

(with lining in silly soft cotton), and the boots are

from another favourite, - danish petit nord.

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WHAT FAITH CAN BE

Some mornings the days blend together, the nights too even.

But on those when it's me with the first flush of cheeks;

on those when I lift pillows from the floor, in hopeful movements

this day is a fully new one, another; on those when I cup cold water

against my face first thing; when I put on a long, soft dress;

on those when I toast bread and set the table with both lemon curd

& cloudy apple juice, make our tea with double bags;

those when we talk about what we 'dreamt of last night' before

we bicker over something banal, when that which is invisible in each of us

is more urgent than the three socks wearing dust fairies in the corner;

on those when I walk with my fears but don't harden but soften,

don't close but open. Those are the days when I lift the camera

and those are the days I dare trust in life.

The light was so beautiful right then and there.

When Cassius gets to choose we have the ugliest but most beautiful kind of flowers. 

'I wish I had a friend' was uttered for the first time the other day.

That hit home.

On his side of the room, make-believe friends crowd with contemplations

over how long you're actually allowed to use dummies. 

These photos are from a day when I trusted in life.

I'm thinking that those are days of the healing kind: both before,

during and after what we are all going through right now.

∞

bedding in like seersucker reminds pleasantly of my childhood.

all bedding, the quilts and cassius's bedding in the softest muslin

are all from crisp sheets with whom i've got a collaboration

i'm tremendously happy about. quality, tones and feel.

the most handsome pyjama pepijn is from lovely liilu organics

(this season i believe it's got green trimming)

the smallest monkey wears kimonos too,

from favourite bonét et bonét

  

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