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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An Inspiring Family Home Which Combines Old and New - Inside and Out!

Hej raringar! How was your weekend? Per and I are feeling revived after a night in Copenhagen. I was so overly excited to be back in the Danish capital (while being very careful, of course) - what a beautiful city. I can't wait to share some pics soon. Slightly further afield, Jessica Haas has created her own inspiring oasis at home.  Jessica lives in a beautiful house from the 1930's in Hamburg, Germany which she shares with her husband Christoph, their five-year-old daughter Greta (such a pretty name!) and two cats. The home is filled with some fabulous Scandinavian design pieces and calming pastel tones as well as warm wood, cane and rattan. Keep a look out for the before and after of the house exterior too. The perfect tour with which to kick of a shiny new week!

Spotted in the kitchen: eco and allergy-friendly hand wash and other items from Danish brand Humdakin. I use their cleaning products and LOVE them.

I spy a Skagerak side table and HK living stool in the sitting room. I'm not sure which exact shade of pink has been applied to the wall (I promise to update this post if I find out) - but Deco Pink from Jotun Lady is similar. 

Note the pink colour blocking above - with the lamp in a darker shade of pink against a lighter shade on the wall - a clever styling trick which never fails. 

"One of the most important things (to me) is the mix of old and new. During the renovation, we preserved a lot of the original elements. I love to combine vintage and handmade furniture with some newer pieces"  - Jessica

String shelves help provide a place to store items. The JWDA lamp* is from Danish brand Menu and the Slåtterblomma print is from Fine Little Day. The Eiffel coffee table* is from Hay. 

"Our home is clean, minimalist bit still cosy. I prefer soft and earthy tones. I like to take home decorating inspiration from interior magazines, Instagram and Pinterest." 

- Jessica

A Formakami JH4 lamp hangs over the bed, which has been covered in a beautiful waffle Anadia bed spread from Urbanara. 

I LOVE the family bathroom! Jessica has managed to turn fairly awkward angles into a design feature - and the wooden casing around the bath gives the room a warm, spa like feel. Beautiful!

The family have also done a lot of work with the exterior of the house, including revamping the original facade, creating a modern entranceway and adding a contemporary extension. This is what it looked like before: 

 And this is how it looks today:  

Incredible transformation! I love a good 'before and after', how about you?

We're thinking about building an outhouse / guesthouse in the garden of our summer cottage and this might just give me the confidence to go modern. Are you a fan of combining modern and old architecture? I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. 

Head over to Jessica's lovely Instagram @dekorationswut for more inspiring pictures of her home. 

Big news from the Brantmark: we have a birthday in the house - Allie is ten today! We had a birthday breakfast this morning, which involved her favourite 'kaiserschmarrn' (Austrian pancakes) - which her big sister made. And soon it's time for some after-school fun! 

Wishing you a wonderful start to the week! 

Niki

Photography: Jessica Haas, shared with kind permission.

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Trend Alert: How To Rock The Pastels

The skies might be slowly darkening here in Sweden, but summer looks set to continue thanks to one of this year's hottest interior trends: pastels. Powder pink, mint, lavender, clearwater blue, lemon yellow - it's all about that soft, sweet touch. Own the look by colour blocking with tone on tones or add simple, subtle touches in the form of a single item of furniture or accessory. Combine with clean lines and contemporary touches for a tougher, modern vibe. Here are three pastel shades I'm loving - and a guide on how to rock them in your home this autumn! 

Powder pink

1. Tom Fereday 2. Kelly Day 3. Mark Hadden 4. Surrounding Australia 5. Anna Pirkola 6. H&M Home
Powder pink has reigned supreme in the world of interiors for a while now. Often referred to as 'millennial pink', the earthy shade holds an element of retro (my Granny Ruth had a matching bathroom suite in this shade - and although I didn't appreciate it at the time - looking back it was pretty awesome!). The beauty of this shade is that it looks equally great as an entire room (try deco pink by Jotun Lady or Sweet Pastel by Valspar for the ultimate wall colour) or as an accent in the form of lamps, vases and bedding.

Get The Look

1. SP01 Jeanette Chair
2. Ferm Living Hexagon Vase*
3. Gubi Grasshopper Floor Lamp*
4. H&M Washed Cotton Duvet Set

Lavender

1. Ferm Living 2. Earthborn 3. Little Greene 4. Earthborn 5. Taubmans
I've got a confession to make. I was sceptical about this shade. But then I started to see it creep into interiors in the form of soft, earthy lavender-grey walls (try Lavender Lace by Behr) or a rug here or a sofa there and I quickly changed my mind. In order to avoid it looking fusty, combine with beige, gentle browns, grey and light blue, for a style that's bang up to date.

Get The Look

1. Dino Floor Lamp
2. Anthropologie Veru Dinner Plate
3. Parachute Sateen Sheet Set

Mint green

1. Carpet Right 2. Beth Kirby 3. Deiji Studios 4. Anthropology 5. Mindlike Studio
The least cutesy of the three, mint is cool, calm and contemporary. I'd lean towards the light green- pale blue of the spectrum (try Top sail by Sherwin Williams or even Soft Mint by Jotun Lady if you're looking for something slightly darker) and combine with other natural, earthy shades. I think it works particularly beautifully with rattan, light wood, dark greens and chocolate brown.

Get The Look

1. Ferm Living Tufted Wall Deco Rug*
2. Ferm Living Bau Plant Pot
3. Louis Poulsen AJ Table Lamp*
4. Cachae Tall Pendant*

Did any of these shades leap out at you? I have both powder pink and a darker shade of mint green in my own home. They're very soothing and easy to live with! I'd  absolutely love a pink bathroom just like Granny Ruth's too!

What are your thoughts on pastel? Are you a fan? Do you have any pastel shades in your home?

Niki

PS I've just arrived in Hamburg for the day to record a podcast with Holly Becker (Decor8) and Living At Home Holly magazine. Eeeek, wish me luck! I'll be sure to share snippets from the day on instagram stories so hop on over if you're curious to see how it's going!

*This post contains affiliate links which means I might receive a teeny amount of money (we're talking one coffee bean) if you purchase any of the items accompanied by an asterisk! 

Thank you so much to the wonderful Ana Degenaar for your help to compile this post. 

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Peek Behind The Facade of a Beautiful Red Danish house From The 1920s

FREEEEEDAG! (FRIIIIIDAY!) people, WOOP! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? I'm currently waiting to feel my mouth again after a visit to the dentist (don't you hate it when they give you an injection?!). I'm praying it'll wear off in time for tonight! Since I can't talk, I've been able to spend even more time than usual hunting for home tours and that's how I stumbled across this one (via Nordic Design). You can kind of guess that the owners of Danish brand Skagerak would have a beautiful home and a peek behind the facade of Jesper and Vibeke Panduro's red house in Aalborg is a real feast for the eyes! Think spacious rooms, walls painted in soft pastel hues, Danish design and beautiful original details from the 1920s. Let's go inside! 

The wishbone chairs around the dining table are over 50 years old and will continue to be a favourite for many generations to come. The terracotta bowls are from the Skagerak Edge collection. 

Swooning over that 1920s floor! Isn't it lovely?

The all-time classic Flag halyard armchair has been given a cosy touch with a simple brown sheepskin*. Check out the 1920s radiator and ceiling too! 

Loving the simplicity of the Massai bench - it was inspired by old stair handrails and industrial machinery. 

This giant cork board (made up of smaller cork boards) is awesome. I'd love something like this in my kitchen, how about you? (This cork board* is similar). The beautifully crafted Hven chair is from Skagerak. 

There's a load more about Jesper and Vibeke's home here. And look out for my post on pastels next week.... it'll sure to include some tips on the prettiest pastel paint shades. 

In the meantime, the Danish home archive is always worth a scroll (warning: you can get lost in that one for hours!). 

Right folks, it's time for the weekend. If only my mouth would feel like normal again (the drool is not a good look either!). 

I hope you have a fabulous weekend! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Skagerak

*affiliate links

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Easter Touches in a Charming Swedish Home

The Easter school holidays have officially begun in Sweden, the spring flowers are finally in bloom and the sun is shining (if only it were a little warmer though - BRRRRR - up North they have three metres of snow, crazy!). The home of Ulrika Andåker - the fashion and interior blogger behind Colorelle has added some lovely Easter touches to her charming home in Norrköping - which perfectly captures the essence of spring time in Sweden.  Keep a look out for subtle pastel accents, feathers, eggs, lilacs and blossom! 

In Sweden it's customary to tie coloured feathers to branches - I love these subtle brown-pink hues, they're so pretty!

A simple bouquet of lilacs from the gardens make a pretty display in the window. 

Pretty daffodils and geraniums brighten up the stairway. 

Ulrika's dressing room occupies a small yet bright spot on the upper floor and a garden trellis has been used for shoe storage - such a clever hack!

William Morris Pimpernel wallpaper brings spring blooms to the master bedroom! And there's even an Easter touch in one of the children's rooms (below!)

I love these subtle ideas! In fact, there is so much inspiration to be taken from all the decor, don't you think?! 

See more pictures of Ulrika's home as well as get fashion and styling ideas over on her blog and instagram. 

For more DIY ideas check out My Big Easter Edit and Five Beautifully Simple Easter DIY ideas. We're heading to London for Easter this year but I might contribute with my DIY bunny ear napkins! 

Do you have any Easter / spring decorating traditions?

Niki

Photography: Ulrika Andåker shared with kind permission 

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