Saffrons Blog

I was so glad to receive the new strike-offs this week. Small pieces of fabric with my designs printed on them. I can say that it feels great- lovely and soft and the colours are really warm and inviting. This design was reworked countless times before I felt it was finished. Which sort of went, ”don’t let me touch it any more, here Jim take it!”

The much-loved owl softie received so many e-mails asking for it after we ran out, so it seemed she asked to be reprinted.

I thought about the Owl design a lot. I wanted to update her, to personalize her. I thought about colours in particular. I wanted a brown owl. I was crazy about blue and brown together and liked the results, however  it needed some punch, some funk and it happened when I added the orange. I was looking for an old world feel, you know the wise old owl adage? This owl needed to be cute and wise and unisex. I feel she became wiser when we added the argyle pattern. The argyle funnily enough is inspired by my favorite socks.

Australia’s much-loved Koala inspired me during my frequent visits to Taronga zoo. Their Koalas have had babies this year, so sweet, who would not want to cuddle one? The mother Koala never holds their joey-the young Koala crawls out of the pouch and has to do all the holding so I wanted to show this! The shape of the softie is like the silhouette of a teddy-bear, while having the feel of a cuddly toy with unisex colours and super easy construction.

These fun softie designs, having been approved are now waiting to be printed. They are in the queue and I cant wait. So we should be selling them soon.

Here is the first sample of the owl and koala–what do you think?

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We landed in Sydney on Saturday met by my Mum. She is the best. It was a long and relaxing flight. We found a lounge in KL, read, ate and got our feet massaged. It was lovely.

On the way through Sydney's chaotically busy arrivals I grabbed a copy of Vogue Living Australia. The owl in tree fabric is featured. Yay for us. I like the article, could happily buy most of the goodies featured there. It's on page 66 if you are like me and want to see it first rather than casually discovering it.








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I saw so much in the cities in terms of design. I visited so much nature to ground me. I felt so relaxed and enjoyed being able to spend so much of my time as a family. Which is a luxury. Here are a few images that I wish to share.











We took hundreds of pictures and these are a few quick snaps of what I found inspiring. Some art installations, shop windows. Moments.
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Days in the French Alps, where mountains grow on mountains and appear above clouds with snowy peaks in clear blue skies. Words like “awesome” escape with each breath. Then become magnifique...

We went up the cable car to a mountain in front of Mont Blanc to view the Mont Blanc massif. Even from the top the mountain soared above us. The air is thin and zaps my breath, temporarily.

Sequoia puts her hand in snow for the first time. Then throws it vigorously in a ball. Whack. Seems to be the most natural thing to do.

We watched as mountain climbers returned who had started to walk from their tents on the glacier at 2 am to make the summit and back. I was transfixed as they climbed their last steps to catch the cable car down at 6 pm, faces unmoving feet shuffling. Such fatigue and bliss in their faces.

We are in the French Alps to visit our friends Bruno, Monique and Marie who live on a side of a mountain in a narrow valley. The drive to their Chalet is a series of hairpin bends with steep slopes on either side, which continues for an hour. Forests of Pines and Birch speed by, chalets, empty chair lifts over lush grassy mountains. Cows munch, with huge bells around their necks clanging. All of this is overshadowed by more sheer rocky mountains.

 

A big windy drive took us to Tigne where my sister Vetty lived for years as a professional snowboarder. Its beautiful here sister, though the mountains look so scary to snowboard down. We walked around the lake. Then continued to drive through the valley to the pass and stopped in Val d'Isere for ice-cream. The day was hot and sunny and at 27 degrees hard to imagine it's usually -20 in winter.

 

Another day we walked along a ridge for three hours, my eyes spinning with the lushness of the landscape; there was a feeling of untouchability though Bruno tells us he has climbed every peak in the area. I am inspired to come back and ski and feel the speed and freedom that it promises. Blisters cover the soles of my feet.

We eat mountain cheese made from these cows only with three meals a day and food from the garden–blackberry and goose berry tarts. Sequoia is adamant that we should buy a house here and visit Monique every day.

Oui!

For sure we will return, there is an unlimited amount of nature at hand to be enjoyed. A culture and a language to learn. French seems to be the easiest for Sequoia and myself. Très bien and au revoir.

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Across the boarder to Germany for half a day to wander through the Architectural designed building of Vitra. We took an hour to look at the Vitra design museum, featuring ANTIBODIES The Works of Fernando & Humberto Campana 1989 - 2009. I love the basket weave. Are the chairs being over come or breaking out. The Campanas are at the fore front of working with new materials creating new surfaces, changing perceptions,  like a lounge chair made entirely from rag dolls.




Illustrious architects like Frank O. Gehry, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Nicholas Grimshaw and Alvaro Siza who have all realised significant designs here at the invitation of company head Rolf Fehlbaum. In a compact space all these architects have created amazing buildings that I got to wander through. Its amazing. The elephants are quirky and show the caliber of the design on show.








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We visited a medieval Castle today called Kyburg. In its rooms we danced. We climbed the tower past the single cell and relished the vista from the top. In the cobblestone courtyard; the center of the castle we wandered, from the fountain we drank. We tasted beans in the garden and grabbed an apple off a laden tree.  As I sat in the tiny chapel I reflected on how few people must have lived in the world when the castle was in working order. Also how few images they would have seen year in year out.

Later we walked down hundreds of steps to find a picnic spot. The sprite in me celebrated being in the shady forest and delighted in the masses of tiny green leaves whose colours changed when splashes of yellow from the sun dappled them. So much so that I forgot that I would need to turn around and walk back up all those steps.










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I will need to content myself with the moment - my daughter who needs to be dried from languishing in bubbles and friends who are dropping by for dinner on the sunny terrace, life it seems is asking me to participate. So I will content myself to watch the thoughts create and look forward to stillness where they will be committed.

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Vals Therme spa is a 3 hour journey from Zurich. The train ride was so beautiful through steep valleys of alps scattered with water falls that seem to be 500 meters tall and lush green grass, through amazing scenery that is only to be found in Switzerland.
At Vals we relished the hot water and soaked in the rich thermal springs. The pools varied in temperatures from 14 degrees to 42.The renowned architect Peter Zumthor has done an incredible job of creating a magical, inspiring and healing space. I felt so lucky.


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I took Sam with me from crazy busy London to have some time in Switzerland. We dragged our bags to Hethrow with a 3.30am start. Yes public transport is totally efficient even that early. LOVE that.
Patrick and Sequoia met us in Zurich airport. I hasty changed into my out fit for Patrick's brothers wedding. It was so hot that I had to find a new one. Just loved that. The day was great. A small palace on a sloping green lawn. Steak tartar for lunch which was a bit of a surprise.  A very happy day.



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