Si's lovely San Francisco home

Hello! I hope you're having a great day? I'm on my way to Northern Norway for an Arctic sailing trip with some girlfriends - crazy, but hopefully lots of fun (keep an eye on Instagram stories for updates if you're curious!). I wanted to pop in on route to share this beautiful home with you. The apartment belongs to the wonderful Si, blogger behind French By Design and is located on the top floor of a Victorian building in San Francisco. I'm loving the dark floor against the fresh white walls, mid-century touches and mustard accents!

Photos / Interior design: Si - French By Design

Soooo lovely!

A few items I know and love (in order of appearance): Juju hat, Tom Ford book , source a mid-century credenza here, natural leather pouf (love this!), knot cushion.

For more pictures and notes on where items are from, hop on over to Si's blog here. And take a tour of her previous home here.

Have a lovely day!

PS I received a note yesterday to say my blog was downloading really slowly - is anyone else having this issue? If so, please give me a shout in the comment section below! 

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A Norwegian Home Gets The Dark Treatment, And It's Beautiful!

People often refer to Scandinavian interior design as a 'trend' - but to me (and I'm pretty sure all Scandinavians) it's anything but. The beauty of Scandinavian design is that's is timeless and surprisingly versatile - the simplicity means it blends with different styles, eras and architectural elements. And as this home shows, it definitely doesn't need to be all about the white / light look! Interior stylist and visual storyteller Catrine Svellingen has transformed her home in Oslo, Norway into a luxurious yet calm sanctuary using a delicious deep blue, rich greens and black and peach accents. The furniture is a mix of elegant contemporary classics, new Nordic design and the occasional IKEA piece for a smart yet homely feel. Are you ready to take a tour?

White Juju hat* (on wall), Kong Gloria candle / vase*, order a made to measure Beni rug like this here*, Flos 2097 chandelier. Oh and what's that we see peeping into the left of the first image? Shock, horror - a TV! Ha ha! It blends in so well it's barely noticeable too - another reason to go for a darker wall colour! 

Paint colour code. S3020-Y40R, Eames side chairs*

Pov wall candle holders* 

How beautiful this home? 

I love the colour combinations (I'm just trying to find out the exact shade she's used in the living room and will hopefully be able to stop by and update the post shortly.  

Is there anything you love about this Oslo home? 

You can see more pictures of Catrine's beautiful home and follow her latest styling projects here. 

I also thought I'd spread a little more Norwegian home love with this beauties: 

Lessons to learn from a colourful yet calm Norwegian home

A serene Norwegian space for the weekend

A Norwegian House by a fjord

I'm really excited to be heading to Bergen next month for a work trip - but thinking about staying for the weekend. Any tips are so welcome! 

Are you up to anything fun this weekend? Whatever you do, I hope you have a fabulous (and relaxing) couple of days!

Niki

Photography: Catrine Svellingen shared with kind permission

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Zoe Dent's exotic yet calm oasis in Avalon

Happy July! This has become one of my favourite months since moving to Scandinavia. When the sunshine comes out, there's no where I'd rather be and today's a ripper (I took this pic in Helsingborg yesterday, can you believe it?!). To celebrate I'm going for a home tour with a tropical vibe. And Zoe Dent of The Wedding Nest has achieved just that. Her light and open plan Australian beachside pad in Avalon, which she shares with partner and new born baby, reflects her love of nature and the seaside. The interior is decorated using a neutral colour palette and the varying textiles and textures add depth.  Wall to ceiling windows and plants bring the outside in to form a wonderful oasis of calm.  Let's take a look...

Photography: Hannah Blackmore (shared with kind permission). Styling: Claudia Stephensen. Adore Magazine.

What a wonderful living area, don't you think? I'm sure it would feel sunny even on the greyest of days.

A few items I know and love: Basket lampshade,  Beni Ourani rug, search for tribal ceremonial necklaces on etsy, wishbone and Safari chairs, juju hat (on wall).

Is this your kind of style?

For more boho-exotic inspiration I'm also loving Jade Jagger's Goa retreat and this little piece of paradise in the Philippines. 

Have a lovely sunny day!

PS I love to see unique online boutiques grow in exciting ways and Blackthumb is doing exactly that. This month the store, which brings a collection of Nordic design home and gardening products to North America, has added items from fab Scandinavian brands Nur Design, By Garmi, Kreavtivitum and Menu to the mix. I've got my eye on the Concrete Copper Chunk candle-holder, Nur tray and Opuntia print. How about you?

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An eclectic Copenhagen apartment with attitude

Hello there! I hope you had a great weekend? I arrived in Finland last night, and am sooo excited  (once again, any Helsinki tips so welcome!). We've got a full on shoot day today but I wanted to check-in, say 'hei' and share a few snaps from the striking Norrman household in Norrebro, Copenhagen. Beautifully captured by Lina Östling and Mari Strengheilm, interior designers Anna and Lars have decorated their home with a cool blend of white, dusty pink and dark grey, striking black marble and an eclectic mix of antique and flea market finds as well as items picked up travels. Their lovely doggy Helium looks right at home on that sofa, and rightly so?! 

Source: Photo Lina Östling. Styling Mari Strengheilm. Sköna Hem. 

What a fabulous home - soooo striking?! Is there anything that stands out to you? I've got my eye on that African juju hat - it looks beautiful framed.

Other items I love: sitting room - Beni Ourain rug. Loom and Field sells beautiful kilim pillows / cushions and rugs like these. Workspace - print: Faux poster collection - x,  wishbone chair. Kitchen - marble tiles, Calabash pendants.

See more pics and a full write-up of Anna and Lars' home over at Sköna Hem here (in Swedish). The duo have a great instagram feed too!

Other lovely homes captured by Lina Östling include the happy home of Johanna Flyckt Gashi (love this), Mari Strengheilm's island home (beautiful) and a Swedish home with a relaxed boho vibe (the colours). 

Right - better get on with the job... have a wonderful start to the week and see you Wednesday*!

*I'm on 'slow blogging' summer time right now while my girls are on their school holiday and posting every other day - bear with me for a couple more weeks and then I'll be back daily again! 

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Snapshots From a Serene, Light Family Home in Normandy

There's so much to love about Cecile Fossey's calm oasis just outside Le Havre in Normandy, France (yes, the French streak continues - if I carry on like this I'll need to change the name to 'My French Home'! - does that have a nice ring to it?!). It's a house which would make Marie Kondo proud (have you seen her Netflix series?). Items are whittled down to a minimum and carefully selected to fit with the calm nature of the space - which is a perfect blend of white and light wood. Rattan, seagrass, wicker and other natural materials add to the warmth, while soft blue accents offer a homely feel. It's time to sit back and lower your pulse. Enjoy the tour!

In a relatively small space, building a half-wall helps to provide space for extra kitchen units and much needed workspace. The simple wooden beams make a nice change from glass window dividers and add warmth.

IKEA kitchen cabinets, brass light from Leroy Merlin (this Frama light is similar)

 

Just look art that fireplace! Isn't it incredible?! 

Smaller items of furniture like this cute junior rattan chair cater for the younger members of the family Capucine and Gustave. 

Juju hat*, Grönadal rocking chair

Tiles from Mosaic del Sur (look out for the tile edit this weekend!)

Light pink linen bedding*, mobile (pretty shop alert!)

As mentioned in yesterday's home tour, cane furniture is set to be big this year.  I see there's currently a vintage chest-of-drawers* like this one on Etsy right now - but you'd need to be quick! 

Raphael wallpaper / Sandberg (also seen in this 2019 colour trend round-up), rocking lamb 

Natural seagrass belly basket*, Cam Cam organic swan rattle

Such a lovely space - I wish I could whittle my home down to slightly less items too.

Having said that, fear not friends. These are mere snapshots of sections of Cecile's home and it's highly likely there are plenty of items just around the corner.

See Cecilie's instagram @Octobre_et_mai and shop away at her pretty Sunday Shop (I've got my eye on the wall hanging!).

For more serene white and light wood spaces I'm loving a dutch home infused with warmth and harmony, the beautiful white farmhouse of an interior designer and a wonderful white and wood holiday home.

Tomorrow I have a whole day workshop at an atelier just outside Gothenburg where we're kicking off a VERY exciting project. I CAN'T WAIT to reveal more (hopefully next week!!). It's something I've been thinking about launching for a while and feel really passionate about - I hope you'll be just as excited as I am! The only problem is, I've run out of time to create a Friday post- guh! But I'll try to stop by on Saturday instead.

Importantly though FRIDAY NIGHT is only 24 hours away - we got this! Do you have any plans?!

Whatever you do, I hope it sparkles!

See ya'll Saturday!

Niki

// Photography: Cecilie Fossey shared with kind permission

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A Bright And Airy Paris Loft

Looking at the home of interior designer Marika Chaumet, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's somewhere tropical. But the predominantly white loft is actually located in the heart of Paris! Talk about an oasis! Marika has kept the space fairly minimalist and added interest through a combination of textures such as concrete, wood, rattan, metal and sheepskin. I could seriously see myself returning here after a day in the city, how about you?!

Afteroom bar stool, Bamboo pendants, Dualit toaster.

Bertoia side chairs, white juju hat.

Bertoia asymmetric chaise

Butterfly outdoor chairs, ALSEDA rattan footstool.

Aperol spritz on the terrace, anyone?!
See more of Marika's projects here and step inside other inspiring homes in the French capital here and here. Vivre French style!

Meanwhile, we've just arrived in Edinburgh for a few days to visit a friend. I was at university here and it's so great to be back (admittedly a lot of my student years were spent in the pub so it's nice to see loads more of the city, and show my girls where I used to hang out. Might have to get them to sample a little haggis along the way - although I'm sure they'll be more tempted by the deep-fried mars bars - bah!).

Hope you have a great day too!


Photography courtesy of Atelier Marika Chaumet - and found via Style Files with thanks! 

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