We still remember that evening — the one where the country held its breath.
Mark Rutte sitting in that small study, the quiet tension in the air, the flicker of the television light. For us, as shop owners, those first days of the pandemic were full of uncertainty. We didn’t know what was coming, what was safe, or how long it would last. Out of caution, and care for our staff, we decided to close Misc Store before it was even mandatory. We just… didn’t know.

It’s strange to look back now. The streets were empty, but our minds were full — of worry, of hope, of thoughts about what really matters when the world slows down.

Distance, Design, and the Small Things That Keep Us Connected

Time has passed, but that feeling — of distance and reflection — still lingers in objects and art.
Books like Apartamento’s At A Distance capture that global pause beautifully: stories and images of creative people adapting to new rhythms, finding connection in separation. It’s a quiet but powerful record of a shared moment in time.

Then there’s The Sm:)e Book — a joyful blur between design history and pure optimism. The Smiley, once a simple yellow circle, became a cultural constant; a reminder to stay light even when the world felt heavy. Reading it now, you can almost feel that shift — from anxiety to acceptance, from frown to grin.

Smiles in Paint — Jochen Mühlenbrink’s Subtle Irony

In art, too, the Smiley reappears — but not always as pure happiness.
German artist Jochen Mühlenbrink paints Smiley icons that seem to float behind fogged glass, half-visible and ephemeral. They’re playful, but also a little haunting — like traces of joy we’re still trying to rediscover. His work reminds us that optimism isn’t about ignoring reality, but about finding small sparks of warmth within it.

Soft Joy — Bon Ton Toys’ Smiley Plush Collection

And then, of course, there’s the simplest joy of all: something soft to hold.
The new Bon Ton Toys Smiley collection brings back that familiar face in its purest form — plush, round, and irresistibly comforting. They’re little reminders that it’s okay to smile again, to feel again, to bring a bit of lightness into your space.

Sometimes joy is design, sometimes it’s art — and sometimes it’s just a really good hug.

From Distance to Warmth

Maybe that’s what this moment is about: remembering the distance, but also celebrating how far we’ve come.
A small yellow face, a book on a shelf, a painting on a wall — they all whisper the same thing: we made it through, together.