All Things Bright & Beautiful in a Pared Back Family Home

I am so in love with today's home tour. Nestled in the jungle, but still a short distance from Singapore's popular shopping and dining precincts, the black and white colonial house was built in 1935 for an Officer of the British Army. Today the beautiful property is leased by Charlie Cameron, the creative behind interior and lifestyle blog Lottie Is Loving, her British husband, two children Finn and Pippa and their mini schnauzer Jet. Originally from Australia, Charlie has decorated the home with a fusion of Australian and Scandinavian style which includes lashings of fresh white, touches of rattan and pastel accents. The result is an incredible, light and airy relaxed family home.

 "My upstairs cup of tea / reading spot. When you’re not looking down at your book - all you see are trees and jungle. It’s my favourite room in the house."

The bamboo pendant light steals the show in the sitting room (this one is similar) and the Palm in the corner bridges the gap between the soft furnishings and pendant - while adding a little colour and drawing the jungle inside.

 "Over the years I have developed a less is more approach to styling.  I am drawn to a contemporary Australian aesthetic but I am influenced by a combination of styles and have a soft spot for Scandinavian design and Moroccan flair." 

The Swedish string shelving system has been used in replace of a windowsill and melts into the back ground. But my favourite piece has to be the pink Moroccan rug - how pretty is that? Happytapis sells similar (just saying!).

A white hanging chair, leather pouf and Rubber plant have been used to create the perfect reading corner! Having said that, we used to have a hanging bubble chair in our sitting room and these things are a total kids magnet!

Love this Mark Tuckey Stool from Australia - a new favourite of mine! 

"For me, it all comes down to pieces that I love and finding a balance between styles - a little masculine with a balance of feminine."  

 

I can't get enough of these rattan hallway benches right now, how about you? There are plenty in the shops right now (this one is from Elements Concept in Singapore) but I've got my eye on some of the one-off vintage ones too, like this fabulous mid-century modern love seat. Keep an eye on Etsy, Gumtree and Ebay for similar!

"There is something to be said for beautifully crafted well designed pieces and I prefer to practice patience and wait for the right piece than to quickly buy something to fill a space and then regret it.  I really believe that creating a beautifully styled home takes time."

 

The soft pink accent seen in the rest of the house is carried through to the bedroom using cushions and art. In the guest room (below) 'The King of Potreus' flower adds a hint of soft pastel.

And finally, Pip's room is as pretty as can be - with One Fun Day wallpaper and fairy lights.

Photography © Charlie Cameron / Lottie is Loving

The rooms are fairly spacious, yet Charlie has exercised a huge amount of restraint, giving each item plenty of breathing space. If you'd love to re-create this style in your home but not sure where to start, here are a few tips and tricks:

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Charlie's Tips for Creating a Pared Back Style

1. Use Negative Space

Leaving areas of your home free of design actually helps to draw your eye to the elements that are most interesting in a room.  Cleverly used, negative space can help a room to feel deliberate and well styled.

2. Think in Tones

A base of whites and greys can always be added to with a bright pop of colour - so keep things neutral and harmonious and choose a small amount of colour to add to your scheme.

3. Remove the Clutter

Have a small room or area of your home (that is preferably hidden) where all the everyday items of life with a family can live.  Regularly clear the clutter from the day and if you have kids, get them in the habit of clearing all their items away at the end of each day.

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You can see more of Charlie's home over on her Instagram feed and blog (where she also shares recipes and other lifestyle inspiration).

Other bright and beautiful family homes you might be interested in: a lovely Dutch family home, a striking and relaxed Swedish family home and a light-filled Swedish home.

Have a lovely day!

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A home with pretty pastels and inspiring details

Is there no end to the talent on Instagram? A few minutes scroll last night turned into an hour long session as I went from inspiring feed, to inspiring feed (cue double coffee morning today!). One of my new favourites of which is @Wunderblumen. Daniela regularly updates her feed with inspiring snapshots of her half-timbered house in Kassel, North Germany, which she shares with her husband Stefan and their three children and cat, Polly. As well as beautiful style updates for children and adults alike (check out this cute spring outfit for starters!) snapshots of her home reveal soft pastel hues, vintage finds, pretty floral touches and inspiring details. Here's a sneak peek...

Photography: @Wunderblume

Such a beautiful home, don't you think?

I particularly love the painting of the girl on the sitting room wall. It's by an artist from the Faroe islands (available here). I was also excited to see Daniela has the same brass mobile as me (which I've hung here) - great minds...! And of course, the soft pastel touches.

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Get the look from Daniela's home (in order of appearance): brass mobile, source a beautiful mid-century credenza here, art, the light blue wall colour is by Farrow & Ball. The ceramic wreath seen on the wall above the dining table and bed is handmade by Kat's (great shop!). Wallpaper by Sandberg. Children's dress from Kids on the moon.

Such a perfect home tour to wrap up the week, don't you think? But if you'd like to hang around for a while and more homes with a pastel touch you can always nip over to this archive (if this home comes up first just scroll passed). Yes, I have an archive for everything!

Thank you so much again for all the positive feedback around my new book, it's made all those nights burning the midnight oil worthwhile. I was also thrilled to see it appear in the home of TDC and @aboutthishaus as well as many other of my favourite bloggers and instagrammers and in newspaper and magazines including The Sunday Times, Home and Garden and Marie Claire UK - to name but a few! *feeling humbled*.

I think I'll be kicking off the weekend with one of these - Skål på er!

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Have a wonderful couple of days and see you Monday!

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A lovely London home with pops of pastel

It's Friday, the sun's shining, if the birds had migrated back to town they'd be singing (I'm sure of it!)- and the weekend is on the horizon - yeeeeah! This calls for a fresh house with lovely pops of colour that make you smile, don't you think? Available through Light Locations for photo shoots, film sets etc, this house is located in London's Kensal Rise on the aptly names 'Mount Pleasant Road' (love that!). White walls provide a backdrop for vintage finds, a hint of shabby chic and pretty floral touches. Let's take a peek inside. 

 Credits: Light Locations found via SF Girl By Bay with thanks.

The distinct architecture makes me all nostalgic (must head home to London for a visit soon!) where as the colour palette has a distinct Dutch feel about it, don't you think? (take a look at these lovely Dutch spaces and you'll see what I mean).

All in all, a lovely, fresh space and so much room to breathe!

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Before I head off to enjoy the sunshine, here's a little weekend link love I think you'll enjoy:

Inside a designer's cali-cool office make-over.

DIY table top standing desk (I could do with this at home!).
 
The Dark floral mural in this little girl's bedroom totally steals the show.

How about a strawberry and rhubarb doughnut this weekend? Mmmmm!

Ocean pinterest board: roll on balmy days and dips in the sea!

And finally how I'd like to be waking up to a view like this tomorrow - time well tent indeed!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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A charming, small swedish home in white and pastels

Hello there! Although we all may still be feeling the cold snap of winter (brrrr!), the days are getting longer and I'm starting to feel spring is around the corner (optimist, me?!). That's why I thought I'd share this lovely Swedish home decorated in white with pops of pretty pastel and floral detail throughout. It belongs to Stockholm-based photographer, stylist and journalist Emmy Lundström (who blogs here). Watch out for the clever space-saving ideas too (loving the window / wall divider). Enjoy!

 

Styling / Photography / home-owner: Emmy Lundström / Ennui. Shared with kind permission.

I do love this space. It's fresh and cute all at the same time with some really lovely feminine touches.

Is this your kind of style?

Get the look: sofa, pirum parum print, source a large ruler here, find similar rugs here, linen bedding,  vintage brown bottle, source vintage floral wrapping paper / wallpaper here.

Other homes with a pastel touch include a lovely home in a former kindergaten, and the cosy and relaxed home of a Norwegian blogger. Oh go on then. Here's the entire decorating with pastels archive.

More links from around the web today  thought you might like...

Ever wondered why barns are painted red?

Farrow & Ball have unveiled nine (nine!) new colours to mark their 70th anniversary - my friend Sarah-Louise is going to be soooo excited...Discover your favourite here.

Must dash, have a lovely day and see you tomorrow!

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A charming one room Swedish apartment

After two days rushing around it's lovely to be back home again enjoying a slow morning - coffee by my side (loving my new brewer), candles lit, snow outside the window, ah, so civilised! Today's home tour is a master class in how to decorate a one room apartment  (it's mere 45 m2 - (480 f2) - really!).  The space has everything - lovely open kitchen and dining area, cosy sitting room, private sleeping nook (tucked behind the wall), and even a cosy chill-out corner (above the bedroom).  Loving the white floors, pretty pastel accents and fabulous artwork too! What a charming studio?

Våningen & Villan

Could you imagine pottering around here today? I certainly could!

Get the look: source industrial pendant lights here, Smeg refrigerator, Aröd floor lamp. Although not sold in a pair - how nice is this vintage wall lamp - I might buy it to go opposite my scissor lamp?), mix and match pastel chairs. Does anyone know who the large piece of art is by? If so wonderful if you can leave a comment below. 

Other links I like today:

Life changing morning rituals (I was hoping it wasn't going to start with waking up earlier....).

Ten stunning IKEA hacks and ten ideas to steal from scandi summer cottages.

This wood closet is fab. 

I love this beautiful Scandinavian-inspired Tumblr - all the pictures are lovely.

How fabulous (and romantic) is this tree house?  

Could these be the cutest kids jumpers ever?

Yesterday's home tour had everyone divided - some loved the space and couldn't wait to move in and others not so much (which camp were you in?). Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts, a lively discussion always adds so much to a post! 

Have a lovely day! 

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