A few months back I was contacted by German book publisher Callwey to inform me I had been nominated for their 'Best of Interior Blog Awards' - which was a shock and an absolute honour. The more i found out about it, the more exciting it got. First there was the fact they were producing a book in conjunction with the awards that would feature all of the 15 nominated bloggers images and profiles, and then that I was invited to Munich to attend a day of workshops and the awards ceremony!
So on Friday morning, I leapt (read: dragged) myself out of bed at 3am and made my way to Heathrow. What made this trip even more exciting was that 3 other UK bloggers were also nominated - Jeska from Lobster and Swan, Kimberly of Swoonworthy and Tiffany of Curate and Display. I've either met, worked with or collaborated with all three of these ladies in the past, but had never spent a great deal of time with them in person, so the chance to do this made it all the more fun! Our first stop of the day was The Nymphenburg Porcelain factory where we were to have a tour.
What I love about these kinds of tours, is getting a 'behind the scenes' of the creative workspaces that are around every corner, and this was a particularly lovely one. Rather than looking at the finished pieces of pottery I found myself poring over the desks covered in paint, brushes, plants, personal items and half finished pieces!
After the factory tour we travelled over to the offices of our hosts - Callwey publishing house. Here we got a real insight into the book publishing world - a talk from the publisher herself - Marcella Prior-Callwey, a tour around the offices and talks from Farrow and Ball and Stefanie Luxat, who is one of Callwey's bestselling Interiors authors.
I think as most Interior bloggers love a moodboard we were all drawn to the wall they'd created representing their 'target customer' - which builds an entire fake persona around the lifestyle and interests they believe their target reader to have. This was really interesting to me, particularly in relation to 91 Magazine, but I think something that is relevant to all bloggers too, in terms of working out their target audience.
The day was completed by attending the awards ceremony which was held in Interiors shop Kokon. It was a wonderful evening, mingling with the other nominated bloggers from all over Europe. I absolutely knew that I would not be in with a chance of winning anything, as I had seen the standard of the other bloggers involved and was totally comfortable with the fact I was nowhere near as creatively strong as them! The talent in the room really was outstanding!
I was super happy for the lovely Kimberly of Swoonworthy, as she was awarded 'Best Creative Idea'. Kimberly has a super individual aesthetic that really encapsulates her personality and she is the QUEEN of DIY, transforming furniture and even making her own light fittings. If you don't know her blog, pop over to Swoonworthy, it is a fun loving, colourful and inspiring place to be!
There were two other award winners, Anastasia Benko for Best Individual Style, and Mette Jakobsen for Interior Blog of the Year. I'd not came across these two blogs before, but I'm definitely going to be checking them out properly when I get some free time.
Once the winners had been announced, we finally had the chance to get our hands on a copy of the book. (the winners profiles were labelled with their awards, so we couldn't see before!) And honestly, it is gorgeous! The text is in German, but it doesn't matter too much as the visual inspiration is more than enough.
I can't tell you how immensely proud and honoured I am to have been included amongst these pages, alongside some AMAZING talent. It really does prove that bloggers are worth so much in this industry. Their creativity and ability to produce stunning styling and photographic work is truly impressive, especially when many bloggers are self taught at many of the skills needed to produce the content they do on a regular basis.
I hope to do a giveaway soon of the book, so do look out for that, as I promise, you will love it even if you don't speak German! :)
Next post, I will share the second day in Munich spent at gorgeous shop Room to Dream, which actually features in my book so you can get a little sneaky peek!