A creative Helsinki home with a cheerful & relaxed vibe

As you know (I think I've been harping on about it ever since - sorry!), I finally got to visit Helsinki for the first time last summer. And it exceeded all my wildest expectations. It was such a vibrant city but above all else, it exuded creativity (if you go, don't miss the design walk!). Seeing these pictures of visual artist, Saija Starr's apartment in the heart of Helsinki immediately transported me back to my wonderful weekend in Finland's capital city. On her blog Cosy Home, Saija describes her home life and interior as an amalgamation of: 'swaying book blocks, long breakfasts, art, coffee moments, brightly coloured containers, old furniture and the ever changing sequence.' Let's take a peek inside...

Credits: Saija Starr / Cosy Home.

Love this! It's so charming and relaxed but above all else personal, I also like how the pops of bright colours add such a cheerful touch (take a closer look at how Saija has created small pockets of colour. In the sitting room for example, she has combined a poster, vase and painting which share the same tones).

I also love how the space has a wonderful, lived-in vibe. I could imagine walking in here and immediately feeling at ease. How about you?!

Get the look from Saija's home: sitting room - 'the party' painting source mid-century armchairs like these here, Remix blanket. Kitchen - Marimekko teapot. Iittala Nappula candle-holder in high and low versions.

The big painting is 'A Party' by Saija. You can see more of her art work here.

You can follow Salja's latest projects and home updates on her wonderful blog or over on her Instagram feed.

If you'd like to see more Helsinki homes today I'm also in love with this apartment that artfully blends of danish and finnish style, the home of a design blogger and a graphic designer's penthouse - and many more in the archive. Oh I do love Finnish style!

Have a lovely day!

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The lovely, relaxed home of a fashion designer

Loving that it's Friday already! My home has been turned upside down due to a shoot in my office with friend and stylist Gen of The Youngsters. I'm feeling the weekend vibe all the same, which is why I'm inviting you to step inside the lovely, relaxed home of Domino magazine's cover star Ulla Johnson today. Born and raised in Manhattan, Ulla Johnson lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three children and runs a successful clothing line with an eponymous name featuring beautiful custom prints, intricate embroideries and fine tailoring.  Her home has been decorated using light colours and warm textures and furnished with vintage finds from New York as well as far flung places. Enjoy!

Home-owner - photographer Pia Ulin (shared with thanks). Domino magazine

What a lovely family home, don't you think? And just how adorable is her little girl!

A few tips on where to find similar items- sitting room: sofa from CISCO Brothers, Chandelier, source a beautiful Beni Ourain rug, moroccan wedding cushion, sheepskin throw.  Dining room - Copenhague table. Pick-up a mid-century chest-of-drawers here.

Ulla's clothes are from her lovely clothing line. 

See a full interview with Ulla over at Domino magazine.

Pia Ulin, the talented photographer behind this shoot hales from Sweden but is also Brooklyn based. I've featured quite a few homes captured by her before - including Jessica De Ruiter's fabulous LA home, a cool, calm and collected Danish home and that Gotland retreat! Yup, she's got that knack....

Right, better get on with that shoot I was talking about...

Have a great one and see you Monday! 

PS I love the idea of using a Kimono as styling. I think this one is perfect for rooms with dark blue walls - so pretty.  Oh and perhaps this one rocking Saturday night! 

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A charming innercity home with soul

One of the most popular homes I've shown this year has got to be this 'beautiful 1920's home decorated on a shoestring budget' in Brisbane, Australia. I can totally see why, it's relaxed, unique and personal - with fab vintage finds, treasured artwork and handmade pieces. All within a relatively small rental space of 55 metres square / 592 square feet. Yesterday I came across yet more lovely snapshots taken by the owner - photographer and documentary filmmaker Nicolette Johnson who shares the home with fiance, Tom Dawson. And fell in love with the space all over again. It just goes to show what you can do with a little creativity and oodles of love!

Photography: Nicolette Johnson. Found via The Design Files with thanks.

I never get tired of seeing this home - it's sooooo cosy and charming. I especially love the beautiful mix of dark blue and teak.

Is this your kind of style?

Items I love: sitting room - this navy blue mid-century chair is similar (and fabulous!), as is this mid-century oval-shaped table, I like this teak mid-century credenza. Workspace - wishbone chair, white sheepskin throw. Dining area - I love this mid-century style dining chair. Bedroom: blue linen bedding, sea grass belly basket. 

You can read more about this fab home here. And check out more homes with a cool mid-century vibe here.

Have a lovely day!

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A Parisien apartment with beautiful bones

Hello Monday! I usually try to think inspiring, positive thoughts at the start of the week but today all I really want to be doing is sitting here drinking coffee all morning or back in this bed (it looks a lot like Sri Lanka).  But most of all I'd like to be padding around this Zen like space high above the rooftops of the hip Marais District of Paris. If a morning coffee in the sunshine isn't enough then the beautiful herringbone floors, period features and marble fireplace will have you swooning!

Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer / Sisters Agency

Oh the things I'd do to this apartment if it were mine. What a beautiful space?!

Could you see yourself living in an apartment like this?

Get the look: Bubble lamps - Modernica, Beni ourain rug, mid-century modern chairs, Isamu Noguchi coffee table, white bed linen.

Other lovely apartments Paris include this truly unique and eclectic home, and a perfect Parisen home. I also love this home just outside France's capital in Fontainebleau.

More Monday links:

Have you ever thought about escaping the city altogether and moving to the countryside? This lifestyle blogger did, and she shares her lessons learned here.  Tempted?

Does this lovely idea solve your 'back of the sofa' dilemma?

Etsy find of the day - a vintage industrial lamp shipping from Germany. Oh yes.

A guide to the best indoor plants (love the windowsill display).

And finally.....thank you so much to everyone who entered the weekend give-away to win a poster from Posterlounge - the three winners have now been announced here (oh the suspense!). Oh and Posterlounge are offering all readers 10% discount (more info here).

Have a great start to the week!

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A fabulous Dutch home in an old tannery

After two eye-watering early starts at the IKEA headquarters this week (checking out their new products for 2016 - eeeee, so exciting!) I'm finally enjoying a slow coffee morning at home. Slow is a bit of an understatement. I bumped into a friend on my way back from nursery and had a chat for the best part of an hour - just because I could! I'm finally at my desk and getting down to today's home tour. Luckily when the home is as wonderful as this (it's an old tannery in Gilze, Holland dating back to 1900) pictures speak more than a thousand words. Owners Wesly and Astrid have tirelessly nursed the space back to health, turning it into the fabulous home it is today. Let's take a tour....

Photography: Jansje Klazinga (shared with kind permission). Stylist: Emmy van Dantzig. VT Wonen.

Wow! What a space! Mid-century and Scandinavian pieces against a back drop of exposed bricks, glass room dividers and incredibly high ceilings. What more could you ask for?

And don't get me started on the plywood shelves and that swing!

This might be a crazy question, but could you live here?!

Items I know and love: source a mid-century armchair here, DLM side table, Hay tray, keep an eye out for a mid-century leather sofa here. There's a great selection of mid-century credenzas here.

See more of this fabulous Dutch home here. 

I had the pleasure of meeting the photographer behind this shoot, Jansje Klazinga when she came to shoot my home a couple of years ago. She's fab, and so talented! I love these pics she took of Valentina Fussell's Copenhagen home (you may recognise the name as Valentina wrote a lovely review of my book recently) and this fab family home in a former nursery.

Have a lovely day! 

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The perfect blend of modern and traditional in a Paris home

Hello! I hope you're having a great start to the week? We're back in Sweden and the snow (shock to the system after the soaring heat of Sri Lanka! - not to mention the start of the working week!). But the good news is, I've got a home tour that is set to put a smile on all our faces! It comes in the form of the fab Parisian home of Morgane Sézalory - founder and designer at Sézane the first online French fashion brand. Clients are invited to try on the collections in 'The Apartment' (now that's what I call my kind of changing room!). Morgane's private home is the perfect blend of modern and traditional which is both relaxed and stylish. I sense a touch of Scandinavian influence too. Yay!

Photography: Hervé Goluza - shared with kind permission. Found via French by Design with thanks. 

What a truly lovely home, don't you think?! Relaxed, personal and homely. It's really brightened up my day!

Get the look: this lovely blue velvet mid-century chair is very similar, House Doctor floor lamp and rug, source a vintage Japanese cast iron teapot here, or a new one here. Keep an eye out for an industrial table lamp here and pom poms here.

Other spaces with a mid-century touch I love today include the fab home of Natalie Myers, an LA pad (one of my favourite homes!) and a beautiful Swedish space.

Have a wonderful start to the week!

PS  If you order a copy of my book through my book store before Friday18th March 2016 I'll happily sign it for you.  Simply send me a separate email with your order number and the message you'd like me to include. Your book will be shipped week beginning 20th March 2016.

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Plants and mid-century pieces in a New York City brownstone

Hello weekend (almost!). The beauty of the Internet is that you can transport yourself anywhere in the world, anytime you like! I'm taking full advantage of this and whisking us to a Brownstone in Brooklyn. I was fortunate enough to visit this fab borough of New York City last summer while working on my book. It's so vibrant and celebrated for it's diverse people, restaurants and bars as well as it's art scene. Lisa Munoz, owner of Leaf and June - an interior plant design company and David Azzoni, a partner at Turntable Lab DJ shop recently moved to this lovely apartment in the Clinton Hill neighbourhood. The duo have furnished their pad using only their most treasured items which include salvaged, vintage and inherited pieces...and of course an abundance of plants. So inspiring!

Photography: Erica Gannett. Via Design Sponge with thanks. 

What a great space! I'm loving the mid-pieces and all the plants!

You can read more about this home and see a few more pics (captured by Erica Gannett) over at Design Sponge here. It's fascinating to read about why certain plants have been placed where.

Get the look: loving these fab hanging plant holders and stands. Source teak mid-century furniture here. For more plant and flower inspiration you might want to check out my archive (yes, I have an archive for everything!).

I'm writing this from a café inside the walls of beautiful Galle Fort here in the South of Sri Lanka. I have to say though it's scorching today so we've been camping out hiding from the heat!

Have a lovely day!

PS This home is filed under my 'International Homes archive' - not that I want to wile away a morning for you.....but just saying! 

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