Domesticated by Dolce & Gabbana

DOLCE & GABBANA and SMEG join creative forces to create Sicily is my Love, a truly Made in Italy project where experts from the worlds of high fashion and design meet and merge to create unique domestic appliances that uncover an Italian story.

Last year’s limited edition hand painted refrigerators.

Following from last year’s success when SMEG and Dolce&Gabbana teamed up to realise 100 unique hand painted refrigerators, this year the collaboration focused on smaller products such as toasters, citrus juicers, coffee machines, kettles, blenders, stand mixers and slow juicers.

All these products are decorated with reflective interpretations of Sicilian folklore. Lemons, prickly pears, and bright red cherries are just a selection of Sicilian decorations that are framed in triangular motifs known as crocchi, that decorate these small appliances.

Together with crocchi, the appliances are covered in delicate floral motifs and images of the enthralling Mount Etna, surrounded by ornamental friezes, and decorative acanthus leaves. All these themes and decorative symbols are intrinsically tied to Sicily and the important aspects of the aesthetic of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.

Food, the typical products of Southern Italy and their recipes of traditional dishes are the pulling force to which heart and soul will always return. So ultimately… can you buy kitchen appliances instead of art? Absolutely, and so did everyone else at the #DGSicilyismyLove 2017 edition of the Salone del Mobile di Milano.

For the first time in my life, I have this urge to be in the kitchen using those beautifully decorated tools. Bravo!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana / Smeg

The Wedding of Kate M.

MCQueen Wedding kate

In London, the hype is going on since quite a while. Everybody is speculating about the wedding dress of Kate M.. Wait, there are two Kate M.s getting married. One is Kate Moss and the other one Kate Middleton. Bride Wars!

Let’s dedicate today’s post to the royal wedding. Rumors are out that Sarah Burton, Creative Director of Alexander McQueen, will be designing the gown for Kate Middleton. So how will she look like? The yound bride is not a so-called style icon, she prefers basic pieces and likes to shop High Street brands. One thing is for certain, she will definetely wear an English designer and McQueen would be a bold choice.

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In case that you don’t want to miss the big event, you can enjoy the royal wedding at a royal location and book Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park’s wedding tour.

With special access and hosted tours by first-hand family members and associates of the royal family to Kensington Palace, Chartwell, Spencer House, Althorp and Westminster Abbey, all venues which members of the public have not had access to before, this promises to be the truly majestic stay. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park also boasts the only private Royal Entrance from Hyde Park.

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This exclusive itinerary for the Royal Wedding Tour at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park is as follows:

Tuesday 26 April

Check in to the hotel. Pre dinner drinks and a welcome dinner, before retiring to a deluxe room.

Wednesday 27 April

A tour of Chartwell, Sir Winston Churchill’s family home in Kent since 1924, with a special greeting from a member of the Churchill family and lunch at the nearby private family home.

That evening guests depart for Spencer House, the home of the Spencer Family, for drinks on the terrace overlooking Green Park followed by a private tour and dinner in The Great Room designed by James Athenian Stuart.

Thursday 28 April

The morning begins with a visit to The British Museum followed by lunch at The Wallace Collection with a special visit with the Director Dame Ros Saville.

Dinner will take place at the home of a member of the royal family, at their private London townhouse.

Friday 29 April

Visit the Institute of Contemporary Art with exclusive use of the venue and roof terrace overlooking The Mall. Guests will have unrestricted views of the royal wedding parade, nestled above the crowded streets and hustle below. Toast the happy couple with a glass of champagne before a sumptuous three course lunch served in the gallery.

After returning to the hotel, guests will then depart for Kensington Palace where the evening will begin with drinks in the sunken garden, followed by a tour by esteemed curator Nigel Arch and dinner in the newly restored Kings Gallery.

Saturday 30 April

Begin the day with a visit to the setting of the royal wedding, Westminster Abbey, with the Dean. This senior church in London is where great coronations, weddings and burials take place, and is an historic Royal Peculiar (a church whose jurisdiction falls directly under the monarch).

The afternoon allows time for a leisurely roam around London or perhaps a visit to The Spa at Mandarin Oriental to soothe aching muscles and unwind tired minds, followed by dinner at one of the hotel’s celebrated restaurants, Bar Boulud, London or Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

Sunday 01 May

The day starts with a trip to Northamptonshire for lunch at Althorp, the ancestral home of Diana Princess of Wales’ family since 1508.  A private visit and lunch will be hosted by a member of the Spencer family.

That evening, guests can enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel before departing on Monday morning in majestic triumph.

The Royal Wedding Tour package is priced from GBP 11,300 for one person and GBP 18,800 for two people sharing the same accommodation.  Valid between 26 April and 01 May only, inclusive of Full English Breakfast, exclusive of VAT at 20% and 5% discretionary service charge, subject to availability.  Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel directly on +44 (0) 207 201 3618, on email or through the direct on-line reservations service, www.mandarinoriental.com/london.


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And if you cannot get enough to commemorate this momentous occasion or you are a little insane, I recommend this fancy product: A refrigerator is being unveiled in tribute to the century’s super wedding. GDHA, a distributor for GE appliances in the UK, has launched a 5’9” side-by-side fridge freezer emblazoned with one of the official engagement photographs of the couple.

This is your chance to keep the royal romance fresh! And it is not an April Fool’s joke!

LoL, Sandra