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.
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.
By Lisa Cirieco-Ohlman
I'm going to share a horrible experience I had on 10 July this year, in the hopes that it helps any of our readers to avoid this. This is the email I sent to my friends right after it happened:
I had such a trauma this afternoon. I had someone try to scam me. I have something on FB to sell (a closet, see top left in photo) through a FaceBook group I have not used before called Genève Petit Annonces. This person (Stephanie Dumont, see bottom left Messenger insert) contacted me to say they want it. They asked if they could pick up tomorrow so I said yes and gave all my home details and phone number and email.
They were in France and I didn't see all the 'red flags' until after the whole ordeal was over. They said they were using a courier service and that the money would be sent to be via them first and then they would also pick up the article. (I didn't give bank details fortunately.) So I said, "OK you can send me the money first" (right? sounds ok).
So I get 3 suspiciously written emails from servicedpdexpress28 @gmail.com asking me to pay for the insurance (suspicious... why would dpd have a gmail email address?). Stephanie told me that she would reimburse the insurance by adding it to the total so I wouldn't have to pay anything extra. Insurance would have been €100. I said that the emails were suspicious and they didn't look legit and I was calling off the transaction and didn't want to deal with her anymore.
She told me that she had already sent the money through and they wouldn't reimburse her and if I didn't click on the link in the email to pay the money that she would take me to court!
She sent a lot of nasty messages after that and I ignored her except telling her that I had called the real courier company that I found online. They had no record of anything as there was no reference number in the emails; nor address or client service number. There were spelling mistakes and it looked like this email had been forwarded many times (see photo on right).
The new stamps from the Swiss Post Office were released a few weeks ago. It is so exciting to see what they have come up with. My favorite ones this time are the Ceneri 2020: the set of 10 stamps is actually 5 sets. They can be used separately as 10 x Fr. 1.- or used as a row of Fr. 2.- as the image is panoramic and the middle stamp is of no monetary value. They would brighten up an invitation or holiday card envelope.
The other one is oversized and I wasn't expecting that when I ordered! It is celebrating the 900 years of Engelberg Monastery measuring 10.5 x 7cm! You won't be able to use this on a regular envelope as it would cover up the address. Think of this one if you are sending a package or giant birthday card.
As the Geneva Airport is celebrating its 100th anniversay this year, a commemorative stamp was released. It has a vintage vibe that I really like, so this will be my stamp of choice for awhile (and I can't resist a "jet d'eau" illustration either).
We wrote about the beer-themed ones already at this link; great to use for a party invitation! They still have them on order so I got a new sheet as I can’t resist these ones. Unfortunately the fondue one was no longer available... it is always a good idea to get your sheet when you see it as the stamps never get outdated. See the article at this link to see what I'm talking about. I ended up framing the fondue sheet as artwork!
