A Swedish home reminiscent of the Nordic winter landscape

It was a while since I featured something with monochromatic appeal which is why I was excited when this popped up on one my favourite Swedish blogs Stil Inspiration today. Located in Örebro, The space belongs to Maria Karlberg, an interior designer, blogger and "creative Mom to a magical daughter." The clean lines and marriage of black, white and wood furniture with a concrete floor remind me of the beautiful starkness of the nordic landscape in winter, while soft textiles and textured surfaces add a warm and inviting feel. No wonder it caught the eye of Pella Hedeby and Sofi Sykfont who captured it for this months' edition of Elle Decoration Sweden! Enjoy the tour!

So striking! I particularly love the dining space and bedroom areas.

.....And that stonewashed linen bed skirt against the concrete floor is so beautiful! (this bed skirt / coverlet is similar!). 

Is there anything that stands out to you?

A few items I know and love: dining room -  Menu Afteroom dining chair, Kubus bowl (black). Office - Lampe gras. Bedroom - ConceptBetong bedside table, Muuto wood lamp.

Pick up a copy of this months Elle Decoration Sweden (it's a beautiful magazine for inspiration even if you don't understand Swedish!) to see the full tour.

And if you're up for a little more monochrome inspiration today, put your feet up and enjoy this archive! 

Have a lovely day!

PS I had a great evening chatting with the guys at LiveHappy about my Lagom book - the podcast is now live if you fancy a listen! 

Photography: Sofi Sykfont /  Styling Pella Hedeby (shared with kind permission).

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The striking, eclectic home of Malene Birger

When you go shopping do you find you have a handful of 'go to' brands / shops which you can almost guarantee will have something you'll love? One of mine is Danish brand By Malene Birger. Founder, Malene Birger sold her share in 2010, and left By Malene Birger in 2014. And now the designer and artist is relaunching her Interior and Design brand BIRGER1962 in January at Maison et Objet in Paris - oh yassss! To celebrate, Malene opened the doors of her flat in South Kensington, London to Danish photographer Birgitta Wolfgang and stylist Pernilla Vest. And what a treat! The space is decorated with finds from all over the world and expresses her unique and eclectic style beside her own art work. I remember reading once that Malene loves to move home often - and yet seeing this space tells me that she truly goes all out to make each house a home. Here's a peek inside her office and sitting room!

Photography Birgitta Wolfgang / Sisters Agency. Stylist Pernille Vest.

Such a striking apartment! I love that it has an entirely unique look and feel. It's the kind of place you could potter around for hours, studying all the objects. It makes me so excited to see what's in store for BIRGER 1962 - how about you?

Word on the street is that she's also opening a showroom in Copenhagen in April 2018 which will feature both her interior and design brand as well as her small clothing brand A JOURNEY London (designed, created and based on the idea of packing a suitcase and presenting two small collection per year just before the holiday season begins). A trip over the Öresund bridge is so on the cards for me April '18!!

If you'd like to get more inspiration from Malene, you might want to check out her interior books Life and Work 2010 and Move and Work 2014 published by teNeues as well as her instagram feeds - @malenebirgers_world and @ajourney_london.

Have a great day!

PS see more striking monochrome homes here.

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The dreamy home of a Danish writer

Goddag! I often think about people who 'split their time' between two places - more often than not both are fabulous and evoke serious life envy (in me at least). One such person is the Danish best-selling author Annika Von Holdt. If you follow her on Instagram you'll know that she spends her Winters on Harbour island in the Bahamas (can you imagine?!), has a beautiful apartment in Copenhagen, lives with her son and the cheekiest cat and is very, very funny. I thought it was about time we revisited her lovely home - where the essence of owning a few carefully selected pieces and keeping to a soothing colour scheme allows light and space to dictate the feeling. 

Photography: Annika Von Holdt, shared with kind permission. Thanks to Vosges Paris for inspiring this post!

So dreamy, don't you think? The muted colours, the light wood floors, the large windows and high ceilings - the de-cluttered neature of the space. Everything?!

Plus there are at least ten pieces that I'd absolutely love in my own home including: the Gervasoni Ghost sofa,  Platner coffee table, Bertoia diamond chairs, Flos floor lamp, Gatto table lamp (a new favourite), Panton chair, Mad et Len scented candles (I've had my eye on these for a while!), Z1 pendant (cheating a bit with this one as I already have it in my bedroom!), pure linen bedding, and a white sheepskin throw.

Think I might just nip out and buy a lottery ticket.... back shortly!

Is there anything you'd like to recreate in your home?

See more pics of Annika's lovely Danish home here.

Have a lovely day!

PS If you could - where would you split your time between? I'm thinking Sweden, London, The Alps, Kerala and the Bahamas. Actually, would I be allowed to swap in new places each year?

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The beautiful (and inspiring) kitchen of an interior designer

You can guess that someone who works in the world of interiors is likely to have a pretty great home. And my friend interior stylist Genevieve Jorn's is a fine example of this! You probably recognise the name as we often work together on projects and I love visiting her apartment in Malmö (as you can imagine!). A few months ago I featured her work space, and this week I thought I'd share a tour of her fab kitchen. Despite being a rental space and a fairly narrow kitchen with some awkward angles, she's been able to do so much with a few small updates, great items and lots of imagination. For example, a large window at the end of the room floods the space with light and bounces of a wall which Gen has painted in mat black and used as a gallery wall. And I love the little bistro table with just enough space for an afternoon fika (that stool!), the way the hanging plant catches the light, the row of hooks used for tea towels, and an iron trolley for extra storage - so inspiring! Let's take a peek...

Photography: Me, Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home). Home-owner / styling: Genevieve Jorn

Such a lovely space don't you think?! The plants, wood and textiles bring just the right amount of warmth. And trust me, it's such a great place to sit and enjoy Gen's freshly baked pumpkin bread with her and her little girl, Olivia.

Get the look from Gen's kitchen: 

1. Wall rack and hooks 2. linen table cloth 3.  Iron shelf on wheels 4. Tea towels 5. AURA wall lamp 6. Cast iron pot 7. Cast iron pan 8. Olive kitchen brush, spoon and whisk  9. cast iron tea pot 10. Black wood stool. Although not featured in the montage - I also love this round chopping board and sign.

More kitchen inspiration for the weekend: two Swedish kitchens, a French kitchen with a modern twist (this space had you divided), and a Scandinavian inspired Bulgarian kitchen (great light fixture!).

I'm so excited that Halloween is just around the corner - did you spot the green pumpkin in Gen's kitchen? First one to find it and comment gets a surprise from Nordal in the post (don't forget to leave a way for us to contact you)! If you're thinking of making something pumpkin-based this weekend you might want to take inspiration from these pumpkin pancakes - and that setting?! - beeeeautiful! I like the look of this pumpkin cheesecake too yuuuum!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend -  the clocks going back here mean we get a whole extra hours lie-in - LOVE that! If I'm lucky I might even get this (here's hoping....)!

See you Monday!

PS Since I'm in London for the kids half term there'll be a few less posts next week but I will be dipping in and out so definitely stop by!

This post was created in collaboration with the fab Danish online store Nordal, selling unique furniture and decor. All words are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and know you will too! Thank you for supporting the brands that enable me to create fresh content for you to enjoy.

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A Stockholm home rich in texture

I have to say, I've really enjoyed this week on the blog, it's been kind of crazy. From an apartment on top of a Norwegian ski jump to your very own Tasmanian (dream) island hide-away  you could never say I don't shake things up a bit! Since it's the end of the week I feel it's perhaps time to come back down to earth. But this lovely family home in Stockholm is far from ordinary. Owned by Petrus Palmér, the founder of Hem design studio and shop, wife Madeleine and two year old son Alvar, the house is full of beautiful textures - from light wood and concrete to marble, cork and linen, and of course, many wonderful items. Let's take a look around....

Photography Erik Lefvander (shared with kind permission).  Styling Alexandra Ogonowski 
Found via The Design Chaser with thanks. 

Get the look: kitchen - Alphabeta pendant duet lights,  Alvar Aalto chair 69,  cast iron Japanese teapot. By the Stairs - Vitra cork stool, Pocket armchair, Kenno throw. Bedroom: this light blue linen bedding is similar.

You can read more about this beautiful home in Residence here (one of my absolute favourite Swedish interior magazines).

And before I shoot off for the weekend, here's a little link love to enjoy when you have a moment:

Curious to know what happens when Parisien style is brought to a Swedish apartment? Take a look here.

The secrets to styling your home like a Parisien.

For the sweet toothers among us, how mouth-wateringly good does this fluffy smor dip look?! It's either that or this (or both?!). Or even this (someone stop me!).

This is where I'd like to go this weekend... what do you reckon?

Have a wonderful couple of days and see you Monday!

PS keep an eye out for my give-away on Instagram this weekend!

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A Swedish home with cosy textiles

One day at home and I'm back on the early morning train to the IKEA headquarters to see their latest range - busy (but exciting) days! Fortunately I've got something to keep me awake and feel inspired on the train - this Gothenburg home. Unlike yesterday's home tour, this one has been staged for sale (by the talented Emma Fischer). I know only too well that styling is a tricky business and requires a delicate balance. And Emma's use of chunky knit blankets, touches of light wood and the 'relaxed' look make for a lovely, cosy home. I could certainly see myself padding around here, how about you?

Source: Emma Fischer / Bjurfors

It's amazing what a difference the textiles make in this space - after all the shell is actually very modern and angular.

And if my girls see that bed canopy..... (for the record - it's by Numero 74).

As always, a few items I know and love: kitchen - Flowerpot VP1 pendant. Sitting room - this chunky knit blanket is similar (soooo cosy!). Bedroom - knot cushion (these are beautiful too), wishbone chair, linen throw. Children's bedroom - Hay cushion, Muuto wood lamp.

At Paris design week (see a few of my highlights here) I was invited to hear more about an exciting project (which I'll tell you more about in the next couple of days) over a delicious Finnish breakfast (well, if I must....)...and it had me dreaming about Finnish summer cottage life, which this video clip sums up beautifully.

If I've got you in the mood for Finland - here's my  Finnish summer cottage archive - pour that coffee, block the calendar!
 
Have a lovely day!

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A lovely Norwegian home in summertime

Summer's in full swing here in Scandinavia and there's nowhere I'd rather be ('there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing' - I hear in Finland it was 11 degrees yesterday - brrrrr!). One particular home in Norway is making full use of being in the land of  the glorious midnight sun. Photographer Elisabeth Heier, who's lovely home I've previously featured here, here and here (yes, I love her style), recently shared pictures of her terrace, ready for long suppers al fresco with family and friends. I love the delicate touches of wild summer flowers indoors too. Perfect inspiration for the weekend, don't you think?!

Source: Elisabeth Heier, with kind permission.

Oh so lovely! It's amazing what you a difference you can make with a handful of pretty wild flowers from the garden. 

Do you have a favourite flower?

Get the look from Elisabeth's home:

Terrace - Elisabeth laid the table on the terrace with Broste Copenhagen dinnerware, fresh white napkins, and flowers picked from the garden and arranged in little vases in various heights and shapes.

Bedroom - The back wall is painted in 1269 Demring (Lady Pure Color) from Jotun. Also featured -  milk lamp, beige stonewashed linen bedding, and Flowerpot lamp. Flower weave rug.

Front of stairs - marble table lamp.  Hallway - &tradition mass light (I also love this marble hanging light), Henrik Rasmussen vase.

Hallway - LIND DNA tray, Swing clothes hanger.

And before I head off, here's a little weekend link love:

I love the idea of designing a room around a painting (this is also a great example!). 

Go big (or go home) with botanicals this season. 

Two ways to see Italy - would you choose this or this?

This cute baby blanket has got over 35,000 repins on Pinterest (I can totally see why, can you?!)

That's the cake solved for Saturday afternoon tea (and Sunday)- nom nom nom!I'd need to recover on this Safari daybed / terrace afterwards - bliss!

And finally, the world's best beaches....just cos.

Have a wonderful weekend, see you Monday! 

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