By Zac Allen, Zac Allen Interiors
We were very impressed by Zac Allen's article on this subject, especially now that essential item shops are closed. We are convinced that no-one apart from Zac has heard of all these amazing furniture and home decoration shops with delivery within Switzerland were available! We counted 28 sites and really are impressed with all the work he has put into this research. We asked Zac if we could republish this here and he has kindly given us permission:
Finding furniture and home decor in Switzerland is HARD, particularly online. My husband, cat, and I moved to Lausanne just about one year ago, each with what we could bring on the plane (Phineas, my cat, counted as a carry-on), so essentially we brought nothing. We were lucky to find a flat right before the pandemic hit, but that meant we had four rooms to design and fill with furniture. A real-life dream come true for me, but I don’t think my husband shared that same sentiment… Anyway, not really knowing where to even begin to find furniture and to follow COVID-19 guidelines, we decided to do all our home decor shopping completely online. It’s extremely intimidating to start when you don’t have the same access to the hoards of online retailers like in the US, but where there is a will, there’s a way!
I enjoy sourcing special items that feel personal, which can be tricky online and on a budget. I can spend hours drooling over the stunning catalog of home decor at 1st Dibs and Charish, but a single vase from those sites can equal the cost of a car - not very practical when trying to design an empty home from scratch. Every single blog and forum on the Suisse Interwebs that I could find pointed me in the direction of Ikea… great to quickly find affordable furniture, but not really my idea of elevated interior design. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bargain shopper at heart and we made purchases at Ikea, but what if you want a more layered home? Where are the online furniture shops in Switzerland to find special pieces that can withstand a “trend” and bring personality into your interiors that won’t cost you 3 months’ salary?
There must be something in the water, as we have been contacted by some very prolific young writers and entrepreneurs recently! It is impressive to see these young people get to the end of a major project. We caught up with Ashley Lucking, from Montreux, recently. She has kindly offered to send a signed copy of her second novel, Shadows of the Afterlife, to one lucky knowitall.ch reader.
Why did you start writing?
I’ve always had a passion for reading and writing since I was little. I can remember thinking up stories in my head, and having to ask my Dad to write them down because I didn’t know how to. As the years went on, I started reading more complicated novels and tried to make short stories. When I turned thirteen, I decided to take on the challenge of writing a real book.
I had recently watched a movie called “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole”, which became my inspiration. I ended up writing two adventure novellas. After that, I fell into the world of mysteries and thrillers, leading me to publish my first book: When Nightshade Blooms.
What is the inspiration behind Shadows of the Afterlife?
I had just released my first novella “When Nightshade Blooms”, and was thinking about beginning a new project. Back then, I had exhausted all of my thriller and mystery novels and was looking for something new. I enjoyed the genre but felt something was lacking in my writing, something to keep me at the edge of my seat. As soon as I stumbled across the book “The Witch of Willow Hall” by Hester Fox, a new spark ignited inside me. I enjoyed immensely the eerie and suspenseful aspects of the novel, as well as the side romance and comedy. They were the elements that made me want to start Shadows of the Afterlife.
Every year, Swiss Post’s Christmas special stamps prove highly popular – and, in 2020, they come with an extra special treat. You can add an extra touch of festivity to your Christmas mail this year. Every sheet of stamps comes with numerous stickers that match the stamp and can be affixed to letters or parcels. What could be better than adding some special decorative flair to your mail at Christmas? The special stamps themselves are dedicated to wintry moments. They are the result of a competition that requested charming illustrations full of atmosphere. They depict situations that are familiar to us all during the winter months. With their warm and welcoming designs, you can almost smell the mulled wine and Christmas biscuits and see the flickering lanterns in front of you. But the motifs are broad enough to be used through the whole of winter and not just at Christmas. Link to Christmas stamps
50 years ago, homosexual and transgender people in New York made a stand against the police for the first time, in a series of demonstrations that would become known as the Stonewall riots.
When we found out about how a 7 year-old wrote and published a book, we had to share her story!
Mia was upset by the level of homelessness she saw when her family traveled to Vietnam; the way people wouldn't make eye contact with those on the street. She wanted to write a book to teach others how simple it is to be kind to others; as well as touch on environmental and animal issues. She is raising money through the sales of the book to school young girls in Uganda: Mia is now an Ambassador for Precious Kids Foundation. We asked Mia, now age 10, a few questions to find out how a young girl becomes an inspiration!
Tell us a bit more about yourself
I am now 10 years old and I was born in Geneva. I spent my first years in Verbier, and came back to Geneva 3 years ago. My mother is American and my father is British but I've spent my whole life in Switzerland. I am a student at the International School of Geneva, LGB campus.
What has been the inspiration behind doing this book?
I decided to write my book after I went on a family holiday to Vietnam when I was seven. It is where my grandmother is from and I am a 1/4 Vietnamese so I was excited to see the country. What I saw was a lot of homeless people and a lot of pollution. What upset me most was seeing how other adults treated the homeless. They never looked anyone in the eyes or even said "hello", not to mention trying to help them! I was very angry. They are people too! I decided that adults needed to remember what it means to be kind. I think that when people get older they get focused on their jobs and making money and they forget the small things that matter. I thought if I could write a book that showed people how easy it is to make small acts of kindness even some of the time, if we all did it, it would already have a big effect.
Enter our competition to win a copy of The Expert Guide by Diccon Bewes, published by Bergli Books! If you haven't heard of Diccon Bewes before, then check out the many other books he has authored: Swiss Watching, Slow Train to Switzerland, Around Switzerland in 80 Maps, Le Suissologue, Der Schweizversteher; False Friends and How to be Swiss both published at Bergli Books. We wrote an article about Around Switzerland in 80 Maps in 2015 at this link.
It was time to catch up with Diccon again and ask him about The Expert Guide,"I wanted the book to be fun as much as factual, so every page has a colour photo, information is in manageable chunks, there are lots of ideas for making the most of life here, and every expert has their own voice." Thanks to Bergli Books for offering one lucky knowitall.ch reader to win a copy, see below.
Why did you start? What has been the inspiration?
I know from personal experience that it's hard to live in another country in a different language. There's so much to get your head around, and so little information available in English, that it can feel overwhelming. I was lucky because when I moved here 15 years ago, I could ask my Swiss boyfriend for help. Not everyone has that lifeline. That was my starting point for this book, making it as useful as possible for anyone living here already, just arrived or thinking of moving here. But I also wanted it to show that life here is wonderful so alongside all the practical information, it is packed with inspiration for travelling around Switzerland, enjoying your free time and making friends (which isn't always that easy here). A sort of work-life balance in one book.
Have you been working on this idea forever, or was it something that came to you recently?
It was fairly recent as I've been busy with other projects. About two years ago, Richard Harvell, my editor at Bergli Books, asked me if I'd write a new book to help foreigners living here. I knew one was needed but I was about to go off on a five-month world trip so we put the idea on hold while I was travelling. By the time I came back, I'd realised that although I know Switzerland really well, I wasn't the right person to give in-depth advice on the likes of tax, visas, pensions or schools. My solution was to ask the experts, and suddenly we had a great concept for the book.
