12 Child Friendly Ideas From A Happy Family Home in Berlin

This wonderful turn-of-the-century apartment in Berlin is everything a family home should be. Owned by Nicki (creator of Siglinchen) and her partner (both doctors) and their three daughters (aged 6, 12 and 15), the light-filled, 120 metre square (191 feet square) home is a blend of the minimalism (that Nicki so desires) and the relaxed, colourful vibe that comes from being a family of five. The result is a calm yet vibrant space bursting with happy colours, playful touches, music, books, art and plants. I clocked 12 great things to take-away from this delightful family home (scroll all the way down for notes on how to get the look too!). Enjoy the tour!

1. Research has shown colour affects emotions, and can have a significant effect on a child's development. Warmer colors like orange and yellow bring happiness and comfort and red has been known to increase the heart rate and therefore increase alertness and the appetite (according to Sciencing) - perfect for the kitchen then! 

2. Touches like the Donna Wilson cushions add a playfulness and help to create a home that embraces children and adults alike.

3. Children have the grubbiest fingers (at least mine do!). Using bright coloured fabric will protect your furniture (and can be thrown in the wash every now and again too!).

4. Using your kitchen windowsill as a mini garden for flowers, herbs and vegetables will help your children to learn about nature and the changing seasons -  and enjoy the proceeds too! 

5. Children's high chairs don't need to be boring! I've always loved the Tripp Trapp chair since it grows with your child - and how funky is that retro one too?!

6. It goes without saying that kid height hooks are helpful for keeping stuff off the floor - and they can't not notice these fabulous bright coloured Hang it All ones either. Perfect!

7. Who says you can't have white in a home with young children? White walls are easy to clean with a damp cloth and white furniture covers can be easier to clean than any others since you can always out tougher stains. Just make sure they're removable! 

8. Why stop at bunting when you can have pom poms and garlands too?! OK, this decor has been strung up for a party - but who says you can't totally leave it up for way longer than is necessary - especially when it looks this pretty!

"March to June is birthday season and the apartment is filled with garlands and balloons. The children and I love them so we leave them up for ages." Nicki.

9. Maps are great for helping children make sense of the world. Plus, if you're short for meal time chat, you can always start to plan your next adventure!

10. Marcel Proust once said "there are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favourite book." Words to live by indeed! 

11. Tap into the calming influence of nature. Not only do plants help to purify the air, research has also shown they help to improve memory and concentration in both children and adults. 

"Since I generally prefer a more minimalist look and feel, I try to keep furniture and 'stuff' to a minimum  - both on the floor and walls." Nicki. 

"I love colour and I think it works best against a natural background - so it becomes white with lots of pops of colour." Nicki. 

12. Art makes you smart! A recent study revealed that children who visit art galleries demonstrate stronger critical thinking skills, higher levels of social tolerance, greater historical empathy and a taste of museums and cultural institutions. Why not start with your own private gallery at home?! it'll help to brighten up the room too. 

What a truly inspiring home, don't you think? It feels loved and lived in!

f you're curious about any of the items or feel like creating a similar vibe, you might find the below helpful: 

Get the look:

1. Whole Wide World
2. Girl 1
3. HANG IT ALL wall hanger
4. High Chair in Aqua Blue
5. Meg Printed Cotton Accent Pillow
6. Nursery Decoration
7. Pamina Sofa

If you'd like to see more of Nicki's lovely home hop on over to her instagram feed here.

And for more family home inspiration I'm loving a cheerful and bright Dutch home, all things bright and beautiful in a pared back family home and a lovely light-filled Swedish family home (this last one is one of my favourites!).

If you've got any great tips for creating a family home I'd love to hear them! 

Ha det så bra!

Niki

Photography:  Nicki / Siglinchen

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Hygge and Pops of Colour in a Danish home

Hello! I hope you had a fabulous weekend?! The sun's still shining here in Sweden and the dulcet tones of Hanna Järver (thank you for the tip Karolina Modig!) are drifting over from the speakers on the other side of my office! I have a feeling this is going to be a good week, don't you? I thought we'd kick off with the lovely Danish villa of Louise, the creative blogger behind Mor till Mernee, her partner and two children Merle and Neel in Jutland. Welcome to a vibrant family home, filled with interesting art, mid-century classics, wall colours that change according to the season and an all round warm, happy vibe!

In the sitting room Louise has opted for a nougat colour. It's a unique blend that looks a little like a lighter, warmer version of the LADY Pure Color 10961 Raw Canvas. I think the pale pink, red and nougat make a pretty, warm combination, don't you?

Nothing says hygge like a sleeping cat! Don't have a cat?! You can get the vibes from Purrli (I had the sound on for five minutes and kept thinking a feline friend was about to bat my pen - not as relaxing as anticipated!).

The lovely AKARI 3AD light sculpture lamp looks great with the coloured art work on the wall which includes HAND / Paw with golden nails and V. Lundstrom - Opstilling med Kander.

One of the tricks with using colour is balance. Here, Louise has complimented the aforementioned print with a pink junior vernon panton chair.

The dining area is all about the classics. I spy the VP Globe suspension light, wishbone chair and a bright coloured Eames.

A vintage Moroccan rug (source similar here) pops against the white floor and dark grey IKEA kitchen cabinets. I'm loving all the higgledy piggledy crockery on the open shelves too!

A print by Kristine Hellesoe, cushions by Eline Engen (who's home I once featured here) and a restartmilano wall light make a pretty combination in the corner of the sitting room.

The pink wall colour is carried up the stairwell to the upper floor where Merle and Neel sleep.

Merle and Neel's bedrooms are full of vibrant colours and playful details including a Miffy night light and a pair of Series 7 chairs.

All photography © Louise / Mor till Mernee

Oj oj oj. What a fabulous home. So unique, warm and inviting!

Is there anything that stands out to you?

I particularly loved all the items that add pops of colour. I kind of listed some of the pieces as I went along, but to make things a easier, here's a round-up:

Get The Look from Louise's home

1. Eames Molded Fiberglass 4-Leg Side Chair
2. Uden titel
3. Paw with golden nails
4. FLOS IC Lights S Pendant
5. Vintage cushion cover
6. AKARI 3AD LIGHT SCULPTURE
7. VP Globe Suspension Lamp
8. Panton Junior Verner Panton, 1954 Pale pink

If you'd like to see more of Louise's home, there's plenty of inspiration on her lovely blog and instagram here.

And for more Danish home inspiration I'm loving this charming Danish home on a shoestring budget, the cool Copenhagen home of a typographer and a relaxed, mid-century inspired home. 

Have a dejlig start to the week! 

Niki

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Home Tour: How to Add Colour, The Danish Way!

It's fun to see more colour in homes right now (even in Scandinavia!). But this doesn't come without its perils - for colour-shy people like myself, adding even the most subtle of hues can be a daunting prospect - and I've even spoken to interior designers who say the same! If done right however, colour can breathe life into a space and yet still feel calm.  This vibrant 1940's Danish apartment is a fine example of this. Located in Frederiksberg, a leafy area of Copenhagen, the home belongs to Sofie Amalie who works at a design agency as a service designer and runs the instagram @thusthefuss and her boyfriend Niels. Sofie Amalie has always been passionate about colourful interiors and thrift shopping, and this shines through in their lovely home. I caught up with Sofie Amalie to find out more about the subtle injections of blues, yellows and pinks - as well as their collection of contemporary art.

 Louis Poulsen Enigma 425 Pendant Light, Arne Jacobsen Rosewood Coffee Table, paint Jotun Lady ‘Sval Sjø’ 5262. 

Tell us a little more about your apartment?
The building is from 1942 and the apartment is 114 metres square (1227 foot square) with a pretty awesome terrace.

The paintings in the dining room are both vintage: the smaller one is by Danish artist Helle Thorborg and the larger one by Tom Wesselmann which the pair found in a second hand shop in Tokyo. 

What renovations have you carried out?
We've lived here for 1.5 years and spent the first 8 months completely renovating it. The final details are still a work in progress. Nothing had been done for 30+ years, so everything needed stripping down. We lived there throughout the renovations (which meant no bathroom, kitchen or even running water for 5 months!).

Painting on the floor by Farshad Farzankia from Exhibition A gallery. Montana shelving. 

It's refreshing to see so much colour in your home, is this something you've always been passionate about?
Before moving, we had just renovated our old apartment (not as extensively) and played around with different colours, which we loved. So we decided to be even bolder with colours in our new apartment.

How did you decide which colours to use?
All our paints are from Jotun, they make great colours and have an inspiring selection - also I love their super matte finish. We spent a lot of time deciding on our wall colours and thinking how they would suit one another, which I think is important.

I love the light blue tone, was it tricky to find the exact hue you were looking for? 
We knew we wanted the living room light blue, but struggled to find the right shade without risking it looking like a nursery. In the end we went for Jotun Lady ‘Sval Sjø’ 5262 and it is perfect! Just the right mix of fresh and colourful, yet calm and comforting.

A poster by Hilma af Klint purchased at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Dining chairs by Rex Kralj, DOCKSTA table from IKEA. 

I spy some white walls in your home too...
We kept the bathroom and kitchen white (to my surprise). We wanted to let the tiling and the lovely oak of the kitchen shine on its own. But maybe it will get a splash of colour too at some point :)

Kitchen cabinets by IKEA, Jielde wall lamp, Le Creuset jug, Stelton Vaccum jug.

Pendant light by Broste, Georg Jensen alarm clock, this velvet cushion is similar. 

I love the cocoon like feel of your bedroom - what colour is this?
My boyfriend chose the color for our bedroom: Jotun Lady ‘Deco Blue’ 4477 and we love it. The dark and rich hue is soothing, perfect for a bedroom.
 

A vintage lithograph by Tom Krøjer adds a splash of colour to the bedroom. 

I love the glass details - are these original or something you added?
Most of the glass details are original. The building is from the architectural period of functionalism, so the small window details above the doors have a practical function to allow more light to flow through the space.

Can you tell us about the other colours in your home? 
For the miniature hallway between the bedroom and dressing room, we used a green-blue leftover from the other apartment called Jotun Lady ‘Prismegrønn’ 5341. And the dressing room is painted yellow in Jotun Lady ‘Velvet’ 10246. It was a bit of an odd one out, but I just loved the color samples and wanted to try it out. You can so easily repaint. But so far it is still a keeper.

I also love the pink in the hallway!
I really liked Jotun Ladys ‘Deco Pink’ 2782 and knew I wanted it somewhere. We ended up choosing the huge main hallway, which opens up to the living rooms. We were a bit concerned about the light blue vs. light pink right next to each other, but they complement each other well. Also, we have decorated the hallway with items in dark wood to even out the girliness, and actually think that my boyfriend is even happier with the result than I am!

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to inject a little colour into their own home?
Choosing colours was not easy. I used pinterest and instagram a lot in the colour selection process , so I could see pictures of how they looked in real life peoples homes and changed with the light. That was a big help in the process.

Thank you so much for showing us around your inspiring home Sofie Amalie! I love the use of colours, the unique furniture, the art - just everything! You've also made me feel a little more bold about using more colour into my home!

Does anyone else feel this way?

Colour guide:

1. SVAL SJØ 5262    2. DECO BLUE 4477   3. PRISMEGRØNN 5341  4. VELVET 10246   5. DECO PINK 2782

You can see more of Sofie Amalie's lovely home on her instagram feed @thusthefuss. And there's an archive dedicated to colourful homes here (hop over this home if it rocks up first - unless of course you'd like to look at it again, which I'd fully understand!).

Since it's a pubic holiday here in Sweden and I've got a man and two little girls waiting for me, I'm going to rush outdoors into the sunshine. I hope you don't mind that I won't be stopping by tomorrow to make the most of a bit of family time.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend and see you Monday!

Niki

All photography Sofie Amalie 

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A Berlin Home of Many Colours

Guten morgen! I hope you're feeling fiiiine? Looking through the survey responses a few weeks back I noticed the request for more 'colour' (gulp!). You know me - I'm kind of colour shy. I think it comes from living in Sweden for 14 years! Don't get me wrong, Scandinavian homes often feature colour - but it's often exercised with a huge amount of restraint, and hues tend to be of the muted, earthy variety. Done right however, splashes of bright hues and accent walls can put a real spring in your step and make your home that more interesting. A fine example of this can be seen in the Berlin home of Franziska. I caught up with her to find out more...

 The green in the kitchen is a mixed 'Schöner Wohnen' color, code 04.031.02

I love the use of colour in your home it's subtle yet bold in equal measure, do you have a go-to paint brand?

I love the colors by Farrow and Ball. The color choices at Jotun are great too, but unfortunately they are not available in Germany.

The green is carried through to the hallway to give the flat a cohesive look. I once styled a home with a black hall (for The Scandinavian Home) and the owner told me the darker colour does wonders to hide a messy entrance-way. Got to love that!

It's fun to see two different accent walls in one room. How did you choose the colour combination?

My all time favourite colours are blue, green and pink. To these, I combine 'playing colours', for example in the form of pillows, pictures or flowers that change frequently. Everything inspires me: films and series, art, fashion, nature...

Franziska's home office is painted in Farrow and Ball 'Hague Blue' and Jotun 'Warm Blush'. A zingy yellow eames chair adds another dimension to the colour scheme. 

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to introduce colour into their home?

In order to choose a color you always have to consider the light, the room and the surrounding colors. That's why I would use a large color sample, pinning it on the wall and watching it change over the course of the day. Otherwise: Just try it! A wall is quickly re-painted and gives the room its own character.

The dusty rose bed linen (source similar here) and ochre cushion (this is similar - and budget friendly!) look pretty against the calm Farrow and Ball 'Light Blue' wall.

Where did you get the painting your bed, it's so beautiful?

It's a photo from Billy and Hells, two photographers from Germany. I bought it from Lumas.

And finally, what do you love most about your home?

The cozy, relaxed atmosphere in which I can live my creativity. The apartment is so beautiful with its high ceilings, the old large windows, the hinged door and the floorboards, that it is the perfect canvas that looks good with everything.

All photography ©Franziska / Lieblingsblicke

I especially love the tip to just go for the colour - as it can always be re-painted. Words to live by indeed!

Here's a summary of the key colours used in Franziska's home: 

From left to right:  Schöner Wohnen' color, code 04.031.02, Farrow and Ball 'Hague Blue', Farrow and Ball 'Light Blue' wall and Jotun 'Warm Blush'.

You can see more snapshots of Franziska's lovely home over on her instagram feed Lieblingsblicke. 

Thank you so much for inviting us into your home Franziska!

Looking for more colour inspiration? This archive has tons of it (if this home pops up first, you know the drill... just scroll on passed!). 

Have a härlig dag!

PS If you're intrigued about what's going down at Milan Salone del Mobile it's all on my Stories!

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