An Inspiring Pastel-infused Finnish apartment

Hands up everyone out there who loves dash of colour in the home. This pastel-infused post is for you! In her instagram profile, Finnish interior designer Emila K described herself as someone who 'loves colours, vintage and good breakfasts'. Her feed is a sea of pictures of her fabulously funky wardrobe and her apartment in Tampere - Finland's second largest city. Think shades of cotton candy, sherbet, lavender and baby blue, as well as on trend curves and playful pattern. Nauti kiertueesta (enjoy the tour)!

This has really brightened up my mid-week, I hope it has put a spring in your step today too! 

Check out more pictures from Emilia's Finnish home here. 

Why not pull up an Artek chair (like the one in the picture above) and check out these Finnish homes: 

Kati's rustic log house in Iitti

Step inside Maiju's charming house in Vaasa, Finland

Ilkka's charming rural retreat

What are your go-to colours at home? Are there some shades you would never use? I'd love to hear!

Niki

Credits: lead picture by @mariaputaansuu, remaining pictures by @emiliakokko_

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Colour tips and Inspiration from a Danish Interior Stylist's Home

A new dawn, a new day... and a whole new month! Let's kick off with some colour! What struck me most about the Danish home of Charlotte Kruse is her home office - a hot topic these days, and this one is very inspiring indeed! But there are some other corners of her home I love too - not least because they include some wonderful pastel hues. I caught up with the interior stylist in Herning, central Denmark, to find out more about her home, sources of inspiration and favourite online stores. 

What do you do for a living? 

I have my own company Studio Decor where I style and take pictures for interior and lifestyle companies. And I also teach small business owners and instagrammers how to style beautiful pictures. 

Who do you live with? 

I live with my boyfriend and our two dogs (Pomeranians) in a small house. 

The arch was added last week - what a lovely addition, I love the soft feel it adds to the space. The white opal glass pendant* is by Louis Poulsen. 

Your house has lovely high ceilings, when was it built, and can you tell us more about the size and layout? 

Our house is from 1926. It's 87 m2 (935 f2) and we also have a workshop that's 27 m2 (290 f2). It consists of a kitchen, living room, dining room, a master bedroom and a second bedroom which I use as a study - it's where I run my business from. 

I love that your home is so colourful, can you tell us more about the tones in your home?

I absolutely love colour and use it as much as I can in my home. Colours make me happy and give the room a special feeling. I really like pastel colours, rose and other warm tones. I love to play around with colour, mix my own (the colour in the kitchen is a mix of leftover paint) and see how the rooms turn out. For the most part, I love the result - if I don't, I'll just try again!

Would you say it's unusual for a Dane to have lots of colour in their home? 

Over the past few years, colourful homes have become more and more popular in Denmark, especially on instagram! We want our homes to be as full of life and personality as we are! 

What colours have you applied to the walls in your home? 

Bedroom: Green Harmony from Jotun Lady

Kitchen: a home-made blend of NCS s2010-Y50R and NCS S3020-Y70R (I used a little more of the latter). 

Living room: Hummus from Jotun Lady

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to apply more colour to their home?

If you'd like to add more colour to your home, opt for toned down hues. They are softer and add a pleasant feeling to the room.

 

You have lots of art in your home, where do you. buy your prints? 

Most of my prints are from instagram collaborations - they are from Desenio and Juniqe. I also have bought some from Permild-Rosengreen and Little Detroit. 

Can you share three styling tips? 

1. Give your home a whole new feel by adding colour

2. Always be on the lookout for cool inter items in thrift stores or Facebook marketplace. You can buy a lot of unique items for a little less! 

3. Use plants and fresh flowers in your home. They bring joy to the room and create a nice atmosphere. 

The patchwork curtains seen above are taking the Danish interior world by storm right now. They are made in Denmark by Arvestykke. I also spy a little wooden stool* just like the ones I have by my bed and vases by Ljungby. 

What are your three favourite online shops? 

Luxo Living, Fabrek and Sakura Copenhagen. 

Where do you do you find inspiration?

I like these instagram, including these Danish accounts: @mariaharmuth, @christinedelmar, @trinesblend and @danicachloedk - but also look a lot on Pinterest! 

Thank you so much for telling us more about your home and sharing all your styling tips, shops and sources of inspiration! 

***

If you'd like to see more snapshots of Charlotte's home and find out about her courses, hop on over to @decorstudiodk or Decor Studio. 

For a total colour fest today, you might also like: 

A fabulous Danish home in a plethora of colours

Home tour: how to add colour the Danish way

Lessons to learn from a colourful yet calm Norwegian home

Do you use lots off colour in your home, or do you prefer neutral tones? I'd love to know!

I'll be back tomorrow with a tour of a wonderful home in Finland, watch this space! 

Niki

Styling and photography: Charlotte Kruse / Decor Studio

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Maria's Colourful Apartment Will Brighten Up Your Day!

It's very grey here in Malmö today which made it almost impossible to get out of bed this morning (not helped by my new bedroom make-over!). To pep things up a little, I thought I'd go for some colour, what do you think? Maria-Silva Villbrandt's home in Wedding (love the name!), Berlin is just the ticket! Maria is a content creator and manager for the popular lifestyle blog Herz und Blut, founded by her sister Jules. Her creativity transcends through to her apartment, which is made up of a spacious kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. Maria has created a wonderful, unique living space which is a sea of vibrant colours and full of interesting art, eclectic furniture and interesting details. Ready to feel inspired? 

Maria's pink kitchen is from Burger Küchenmöbel. The TR Bulb, Suspension Frame light from Menu hangs over the countertop. 

A Flowerpot portable table lamp* sits atop a vintage table for two in the kitchen. But the showstopper is the striped curtains - very funky and different! Try Etsy* for similar. 

'Illegal Party' lithograph by Stefan Marx (I see there are only a few left on his site). Colourful art by Janes Haid-Schmallenburg. Ambit Lamp* by Muuto. 

Art by Fabienne, Jules Villbrandt, and GABE. The cabinet is by Swedish brand String. 

Colourful parasols are the way forward right now. This fine specimen is from Business & Pleasure Co. I also love the ones by Sunday Supply (here's Ali and I enjoying our yellow and white striped one on the beach a few weeks ago! - yes, I'm on TikTok - just trying to find my feet, with a lot of help from my girls! Are you on there too?).    

Speaking of sunny yellow, Maria's sofa is from the young furniture brand Noah Living. 

One of the big Danish colour trends this Autumn (discovered at Formland) is a yellow accent combined with lavender and coral, as seen above! 

Colourful Montana shelving (on the far side of the sofa) is used to display a variety of eclectic pieces including on-trend colourful twisted candles*, a flowerpot lamp* as well as books. 

Such an inspiring home! I loved all the colour, it's really brightened up my day - and given me a load of ideas. 

Has Maria's home put a spring in your step and inspired you, too? 

See more of her home over at @ponysailor - and feel inspired by her wonderful travel, food and beauty stories over at Herz und Blut. 

Looking for more colour today? I love: 

A fabulous Danish home in a plethora of colours

Home tour: how to add colour the danish way

Lessons to learn from a colourful yet calm Norwegian home

Wishing you all a bright, sunshin-ey day (who knows, the sun might even make an appearance here at some point!). 

Niki

Photography: Jules Villbrandt 

*this post contains affiliate links

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Snapshots From a Playful Copenhagen Home

Good morning! How are you today? A simple question, but an important one, particularly right now! If you're in need of a bit of a lift today, I've got some interior shots to share with you that I hope will put a smile on your face - just like they did with me. yay! Welcome inside the former Copenhagen home of Linea Maria also known as @guest.studio. Well, I wish this was a guest studio, I'd be there in a flash - how about you?! The delightful space is awash with subtle colour and pattern against a backdrop of white, pale blue (some might call it green) and lavender. Look closely and you'll also spot an eclectic blend of furniture and accessories which might just tempt you to get the paintbrush out! Ready to take a peek?

Gorgeous! 

I love how effortless and natural this home looks - it's also calm and yet subtly playful. Fab! 

Are there any ideas here you'd like to apply to your home? 

I'm tempted (as always) to go to flea markets and find some beautifully shaped furniture to paint. Remember this bed frame?

You know what's coming, don't you? Yep, some more danish homes to drool over of course! Here are some other colour happy living spaces I love: 

A Copenhagen home full of arts, books and danish design

A vibrant Aarhus home with a sustainable touch

Enjoy the hint of colour in this light and airy danish summer cottage

Gotta love Danish style! I love the use of colour! Are you a fan too? 

Niki

Photography: Another Studio - shared with kind permission

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Danica's Delightful Danish Home In Cotton Candy Shades

New York Fashion week 2020 was a sea of dreamy pastels - a trend quickly adopted by the Danes. Actually, who am I kidding, the Danes have been rocking pastels for years! If there's one thing I've learned living so near the danish border, it's that the Danes are the ones to watch! One of my latest Instagram follows is the lovely Danica Chloe. Danica lives in a 98 m2 (1054 f2) apartment in the Amager district of Copenhagen with her husband, a paramedic, and their two young children Sylvester and Nola. Danica loves to experiment with cotton candy shades including pistachio green, orange sorbet, baby blue and lavender - both in her home and her choice of clothes - giving a sense that spring is just around the corner. Keep an eye out for quirky, on-trend details too! 

Spot the TV? The Samsung Frame never fails to disappoint -  I love the art Danica has found for hers - found on Etsy*! I had no idea Etsy was such a great source for Samsung The Frame art*, did you? Also seen on the wall are pieces from Paper Collective, Sorte Negle, Little Detroit* and Arthus Studio. 

The Muuto stacked shelves system* have become a real classic - I've had a set in my own home for years, although I wish I'd also gone for the ix of white and wood! 

An array of colourful glasses from Karen's Bord and a Hay candle add a pop of pastel in the kitchen.

The handcrafted dining table is from DAYLY and the twirly candles are from HAY (you can easily make these yourself too - check out the simple twisted candle hack I shared last week!). 

A fan from Sakura Copenhagen has been displayed under Swedish string shelves, lined with pretty pastel ornaments. The bed is made with linen from Juna Design. 

Danica also shares a load of style and beauty inspiration on her instagram and blog - and even the occasional trip (not right now though, of course) as well as recipes. I love her style - it involves her signature pastels, over-sized pieces, quirky accessories and lots of layering! 

Sylvester and Nola sleep in a funky bunkbed by danish brand FLEXA. 

My friend Sarah's going to cry when she sees this picture - which includes not one but TWO rattan wardrobes from IKEA - now out of stock with a rapidly increasing secondhand value on eBay! Gaaah! 

Just as I was writing, the sun came out for the first time in days - and I suddenly feel like spring really is just around the corner. Hurray! 

Time to add a few pastels to the home? 

See more pics of Danica's wonderful home and her fab daily outfits over at @danicachloedk and on her blog. 

Shall we take a peek at a few other pastel-inspired homes today? Why not! 

Trend alert: how to rock the pastels

A delightful Swedish family home in a former schoolhouse

A pastel-infused Danish home

By the way - thank you so much for all your tips yesterday about buying / installing / tuning a piano - so helpful! Happy you loved the home tour as much as I did too! 

Wishing you all a lovely day!

Niki

Photography @danicachloedk - shared with kind permission

*affiliated links, which means I might make a tiny amount of money (at no cost to you) if you click on the link and buy something. 

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