I guess this is a good time to mention that we are still alive. We’ve been having issues with the blog since we changed servers, and we haven’t been able to upload photos. Hopefully we’ll have another post for you guys later on today!

For now I thought it would be fun to compile another Business Trip Essentials post, like we did when we went to Tokyo.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’re aware that we are huge fans of vintage Braun. Dietrich Lubs worked with Dieter Rams during the glory years at Braun and has been commissioned by Duller Japan to make a pen for their collection.

The Dietrich Lubs pen comes housed in a beautiful little notebook, perfect for quick jots and the perfect size for traveling. We’ve been using it to write down addresses and phone numbers and it’s been great!

We’re really excited to be the only retailer in Canada to carry Kenton Sorenson leather products. This passport wallet is made from vegetable tanned leather and will start to get darker with regular use. It’s really been a pleasure using it at the airport because you can literally put everything you need into this little wallet.

The last item which has been getting a lot of compliments (in the store and now in Iceland) is the iPad portfolio. It features the same beautiful leather which you can see is already getting a nice patina, and a long leather tie to keep everything together.

We’ll be introducing more and more Kenton Sorenson products the closer we get to Christmas, but I can tell you now that there are iphone sleeves, Dopp kits, and laptop cases coming very soon!

Well I hope everyone had a great long weekend! The weather here in Toronto was ridiculously beautiful and the city emptied out into the North for May 24.

We had a long overdue charcuterie dinner with Celine and Jin on Saturday night. You’re probably familiar with Celine’s wonderful blog: Bonjour Celine. Juli and I had a date with The Cheese Boutique (Aka paradise) to pick up some cheese, meats, and olives. Everyone there is so helpful and you get to taste so many samples!

Celine and Jin brought 4 dozen oysters from Oyster Boy to start the meal off. Jin learned how to shuck oyesters in P.E.I so he taught me the trick and soon the pupil became the master and I managed to shuck most of the bunch while Jin gave them a scrub. It took a while to shuck all 48 oysters but only a few minutes to eat them all!

On Sunday, our friends Jen and Taylor invited us over on Sunday for a Lost season finale party.

Did anyone else watch?

Jen is a thoughtful entertainer, catering to all of our special dietary needs via 3 different types of nachos, vegan pigs in a blanket, veggies and hummus. Thanks J & T!

An exciting addition to the mjölk shop were these four beautiful white risers designed by Peter from Studio Junction and created by master wood worked Clayton. It also features most of the new Japanese products we found on our trip!

Peter and I were channeling Tadao Ando when positioning the risers together.

The risers use a balance of positive and negative space to anchor them in our showroom. We also love the angled detail of the edges which feel great to the touch. The items on the riser are from our first shipment of a line of paper products by Naoto Fukasawa for Onao (the box it all came in declared “japanese paper is mystery”). They are all made from a water proof and tear resistant paper that actually gets softer with use.

We also got new wooden tags created for all the products in the store. They’re so unique and really compliment the designs we carry.

Some notable peieces that need to be mentioned are the beautiful and poetic f,lo,w,e,r,s ruler, with hand picked and dried flowers placed in increments of 1 cm and cast in acrylic resin. There are also handmade Japanese works by Mitsuru Maeda including wooden spoons, coffee measures, and lipped bowls. I still need to add them to the website!

Monday we drove up to the cottage. It was insanely hot out and we forgot to bring our bathing suits (and shorts)! We’ll take our cat Isha up with us next time. We don’t like leaving her at home alone and upon our return she was pretty ticked off with us. I am so tempted to get a leash for her so she can come out on the deck, but is that a slippery slope? I can’t have her begging at home to go out. Sigh poor indoor cat Isha.

We also picked up the PS Svarva floor lamp by Front. We’re both big fans of Front and probably wouldn’t find many opportunities to own one of their pieces, so we ventured off to Ikea to grab it before it’s too late (Juli was totally busted by a mjölk customer…blush). It’s a stunning, edgy design that works well with the Marcel Wanders dining table at the cottage.

We have decided that for the summer, the mjölk shop will be CLOSED SUNDAYS & MONDAYS. Please check the website for up to the minute hours of operation.

The long weekend is upon us, the veritable gateway to summer sun and fun, so we thought we’d put together a little essentials guide to get you started off on the right foot.

At the mjölk shop, we have a really great selection of small items for the backyard, summer house or for those of you who are lucky enough, hostess gift ideas for jaunts to a friend’s cottage.

From left, clockwise (some of these items are so new they aren’t even on our website yet!):

1. DIY bird house from Finland.
2. Oma ceramic citrus squeezer: psst, I used it during the shoot, and used the lemon juice for my salad at lunch. It’s a keeper!
3. Sakurasaku glasses: don’t you hate condensation rings in the summer? Well at least this glass leaves a sakura (cherry blossom) ring instead.
4. Linen coasters from Fog Linen: I wish I always knew this, but fabric coasters are the best.
5. “Frame” brass bottle opener by Oji Masanori: showstoppers at a party.
6. Crushed white ceramic bowl by JDS Architects: perfect for summer salads!
7. Wooden Salad servers $75.
8. Handmade Swedish table brush set.
9. Senovinis crochet cotton blanket: a traditional style blanket.
10. Glow oil lantern by Thomas Sandell
11. DLM (don’t leave me) powder coated side table: perfect for inside and out, with a little handle to take it with you.
12. SIWA paper sunglass pouch by Naoto Fukasawa $28
13. I’m Boo glass carafe by Norway Says: stay quenched with a carafe full of water.
14. Rubber washing up bowl & brush: this item is synonymous with the statement “this would be perfect for the cottage”, and we don’t disagree.
15. Sill Swedish tea towel: fish tea towel!
16. Gingham linen tray: love love love these trays.
17. Nokka oil and vinegar cruets: a pretty set for the perfect salad.

Juli’s summer essentials:

1. Swedish Hasbeen clogs: this year is the year of the sandal for me. Never before have my toesies been exposed, mostly because I’ve always assumed that sandals are not comfortable. This year I grow up.
2. Built by Wendy dress: from my favourite Toronto clothing store, Robber.
3. Vintage Coach purse: it’s time to soften my look by moving away from the black purse. From House of Vintage.
4. Gingham scarf: seems that gingham is all the rage this summer, but in my world, it’s all the rage all the time. by Isabelle Marant, from last year.
5. Lomo camera: Anabela and Celine have inspired me to dust off my film camera collection. This summer I will throw control and premeditation to the wind. So far I am having fun toting this lomo around (I have owned it for about 4 years and have taken one roll).
6. Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses in Kolus: John and I are notoriously bad at buying sunglasses. Something about our faces. A few weeks ago we finally took the plunge, and picked up a pair each from Spectacle on Queen. They have so much selection and the salespeople are very helpful and patient. Usually when I get home I end up hating my choice, but so far so good with this pair!
7. Summer reading: Any suggestions? Honestly, I can’t seem to get enough of coming of age novels. I have no idea what that means, but it’s what I gravitate towards. Right now I am trying to get into The History of Danish Dreams by Peter Hoeg. I am sure you can surmise why I bought the book. But I am not sure if it’s my thing. I guess I need to give it more of a chance…

John’s summer essentials:

1. Navy Sperry Top-siders: Yay! Finally John has a pair of practical summer shoes. No more tying up leather boots at the cottage. Boat shoes are so classic. Trends come and go, but boat shoes will always be. From B2.
2. Vintage hat: We stopped in to Cabaret to say hello and John found this amazing piece. p.s. and a bit off topic, but they also sell vintage-inspired wedding dresses. A friend got married this weekend in the tulip style dress and it looked fab.
3. Gingham shirt: John’s favourite clothing store in Toronto is Sydney’s
on Queen West. Right now he has a new collection of short sleeve dress shirts that are made in-house.
4. Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses in Renzo: John’s peepers are also being protected by these fab new sunglasses. Also still lookin’ good.
5. Eko Guitar: Acoustic guitars are always good for the cottage life. From Paul’s Boutique.
6. Tachibera Shoehorn: You know, no one ever has a nice shoehorn these days. Honestly, the experience is completely different between a 50 cent plastic one and this gorgeous wooden one designed by Oji Masanori.
7. Pipe: John has decided to start smoking a pipe while up at the cottage. I think it’s a slippery slope. He thinks he’s Danish.
8. Summer reading: Scandinavian Country of course! Or Norwegian Wood. Both are inspirational for when you are rethinking summer house interiors.

Stool 60 by Alvar Aalto, $275