Lovely Christmas Touches In A Calm Berlin Home

Friday friends, FRIDAY! And it's a special one in Sweden today: as we're celebrating Lucia. Alongside midsummer, the Lucia celebrations is one of my favourite. In case you're not familiar with the concept, Lucia is an ancient mythical figure and a bearer of light in the dark Swedish winters. This morning parents across the country (myself included) waited in the dark, cameras at the ready, while our children participated in a special Lucia procession - wearing candles in their hair (gingerbread men, 'tomten' (Father Christmas) and other characters were also involved!). It's a sight to behold! White must be on my mind - as I was immediately drawn to Katharina's beautiful home in Berlin, Germany this morning. Katharina sells beautiful homeware pieces through her online shop Edel Weiss. Many of the pieces she sells can be spotted in her home, and jostle for position with a fab array of  Scandinavian design lamps and cultural objects. Look out for the pretty festive touches too! Enjoy the tour! 

Print from wall of art, IKEA Nockeby sofa with a Bemz Belgian linen cover in soft white*. Z1 lamp, Cuba chair

"This year I have decorated a lot with paper stars and natural materials. There are also candles and small lights everywhere."

Woodland trees from Arboretum

Stoff nagel candleholder, Louis Poulsen table lamp*

Eve II limestone sculpture, Kizu table lamp, try the 'Snö' candle by Skandinavisk - smells divine! (20% off with code nikijul20 until 16th December too). 

"This year, our tree will be decorated with white Christmas baubles and pendants made of paper." 

Thonet chair*, candleholder

Vertigo pendant light, AJ Lamp*

What a beautiful apartment! 

I love the wooden trees - I've just been over at the Arboretum site, they sell such a great selection too (got my eye on the forest!). 

Is there anything that stood out to you about Katharina's home?

If you live in Germany, check out Katharina's shop, it's full of beautiful pieces! 

Right folks. That's it from me for the week! If you're looking for Christmas inspiration over the weekend, have a delve through the Christmas and Christmas decorations archives. 

I'm heading to London today to see my sisters and parents - ALL BY MYSELF! Luxury! 

I hope you have a fabulous weekend! 

Niki 

PS If you want to give someone the gift of a home that smells like a Scandinavian Christmas, don't forget to make the most of the 20% discount on seasonal candles from Skandinavisk with code nikijul20.

Photography by Katharina and shared with kind permission

*Affiliate links

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A Family Home With a Breath-taking View of The Austrian Alps

Sometimes it's the home you fall in love with, other times it's the setting. I can imagine that for the Sperrer family, it was both! When blogger, PR consultant and portrait photographer Lisa Sperrer, her husband and  two daughters (7 and 15) went to view this 1970s bungalow in the foothills of the alps back in 2015, they were amazed by the views. They also saw that the house had huge potential - despite the 1970s wallpaper! They set about transforming it into the light and airy living space it is today. I chatted with Lisa to find out a little more about the renovation, the inspiration behind the neutral scheme and THAT breath-taking view!

What was the house like when you bought it?
It was fresh out of the 70s - with outdated wallpapers, carpets and furniture. Everything was in good condition, so we were able to sell a lot of it, keeping a few special things.

Did you need to make any bigger changes too?

We stripped the wallpaper and carpets, laid solid wood floorboards and renovated the bathroom and the rest room. The house was designed with huge windows, which we loved, but we replaced the existing windows with wooden ones. We're honestly not finished yet, and I don't think we ever will be - there's always something to do and I love that! This week, for example, we got new doors. 

Was it love at first sight?

When I first stepped into the house, we immediately fell in love with the view. We love our window seat - it's like an ever changing painting. The mountain in front of our house is called 'kremsmauer' - and we have a lot of other mountains nearby. We love to hike with our daughter (meanwhile the teenie has different hobbies!!), we also love mountain biking. 

What is important to you when it comes to decorating? 

My husband and I fortunately share the same taste. We love the combination of white and solid wood, and the mix of old and new. For the last few years I've been focusing a lot on sustainability - with regards to food, clothes lifestyle and furniture.  

What inspires you?

I get inspired by a lot of things! Firstly, nature! Most of my ideas come to me while out walking in the woods. I also love to travel and soak up the culture and style of other countries. I like to look at old interior books from the mid-century. And last but not least, Instagram and Pinterest - there are so many creative people out there! 

I spy lots of designer pieces in your home - do you have a favourite piece? 

We have some classics from Vitra, Iittala, Fritz Hansen and Thonet but also items from new designers. I really love my shelves from Konstantin Slawinski - they are modular, so you can easily arrange them however you like - perfect for interior lovers who always like to change everything in their homes! We also have some IKEA furniture - like our kitchen and the solid wood items in my daughter's bedroom. 

Thank you so much for inviting us into your home this Monday Lisa - those views are just incredible! 

If you'd like to see more of Lisa's lovely home hop on over to her instagram feed: @wohnprojekt and blog: Wohn Projekt (I see she's also shared a great star / snowflake DIY!). 

This isn't the first Austrian house I've shown - a quick check in the archives revealed this fabulous ski chalet (which makes me so excited about our ski trip to the Austrian Alps in February! Have you been to Austria? If not, it's definitely one for the bucket list! 

Have a great start to the week friends! 

Niki

PS Did you stop by for Christmas inspiration? If so, head on over the Christmas and Christmas decoration archives - there are so many inspiring ideas waiting for you! 

Photography: Lisa Sperrer

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A Pared-back, Warm Family Home With Handcrafted Pieces

Why, hello there! Any plans to celebrate lil lördag (little Saturday) in style? Maybe this home tour will set you on the right path! Schirin lives in an old house dating back to 1928, in Bremen, North Germany with her husband Thomas and their two children Mattis (8) and Karlotta (4). Schirin works for a non-profit organisation by day - and at night pens Schmasonnen, a blog focusing on sustainable interiors. When Schirin and Thomas first bought their house over 7 years ago it was incredibly run down and in major need of repair. The duo set about renovating the property with a sustainable mindset, being careful to retain the original details. Today, the family enjoy a pared-back home which exudes warmth thanks to the abundance of natural materials, handcrafted pieces (Schirin and Thomas designed and built the kitchen table, shelving unit and children's climbing frame among other things! yep, I know!) and vintage finds. Step this way for the tour! 

There are so many pieces to love in Schirin's sitting room including: Nomad chair, Hay sofa, Kristina Dam table. I also love the woodturning stove tucked into the corner of the room - such a cosy touch in wintertime! 

Schirin and Thomas built the shelves (try Tylko for similar), Stockholm 2017 coffee table, Kristina Krogh print and Louis Poulsen Panthella lamp*. 

Schirin designed the climbing frame and slide, and Thomas, who is an engineer for wood technology, built it. Oh, how I'd have loved this when I was little! Lilla Gunga sells wonderful wooden indoor toys like this (Allie has the gymnastics rings in her bedroom and absolutely loves them!). 

Feeling very inspired by Schirin and Thomas's home - not least because of all the handmade pieces! 

Do you have any handmade pieces in your home? If so, I'd love to hear more about them! 

You can see more snapshots from Schirin's lovely Bremen home on her blog and instragram: @schmasonnen. 

Looking through the archives, this is actually the first time I've featured a home from Bremen (I'm guessing this won't be the last time, though!). But there are a load of other lovely homes from Northern Germany to drool over, including an inviting family home in a small village,  a charming home in kassel, North Germany and a playful home that will put a smile on your face! 

Have a wonderful day friends!

Niki

Photography: Schirin / Schmasonnen shared with kind permission

*affiliate links

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A Cosy Family Home For Seven In Byron Bay

Courtney Adamo and her husband have five children. FIVE! Look closely at their charming Byron Bay home and you'll see the clues: a little boy curled up on the sofa, a tricycle on the porch and two little ones putting the world to rights on the stairs. It's the type of house that makes you want to pull up a chair and stay for a while. It helps, of course, that the interior is wonderfully de-cluttered yet super charming and relaxed. White washed wood panel walls provide a backdrop for wood and rattan furniture, sofas laden with cushions and fluffy rugs bearing subtle, yet intriguing patterns. A perfect coastal retreat for a family of seven! 

Do you see what I mean about wanting to put your feet up for a while? The entire atmosphere is just so easy going. Lovely! 

Is there anything that stood out to you in particular about Courtney's home?

You can see more snapshots from their home and travels on Courtney's instagram feed: @courtneyadamo. 

Courtney is also founder and facilitator of In The Loop, a 5 week community e-course and Babyccino kids. 

I bet you know what's coming. Yep, you guessed it - some links to more INCREDIBLE homes and design hotels in Byron Bay (no shortage in that part of the world, I can tell you!). Here's a little home tour fodder for the weekend:

Dream stay: the cottage, Byron Bay

Stylist and author, Nathalie Walton's understated yet incredibly charming Home

Loll about at the chalet, Byron Bay

A beautiful boho cottager to rent in Byron Bay

... and that's just the tip of the iceberg! 

Got to rush as we have a birthday in the house! Allie's turning 9 tomorrow (how did that happen?) - so I've got presents to buy and fresh pancakes to make...

I hope you have a fabulous weekend, thanks so much for stopping by and making this week so much fun!

Niki

Photography: Courtney Adamo, shared with kind permission

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Get The Look From A Serene Family Home in Berlin

Why, hello there! How was your weekend? I'm feeling way to relaxed for a Monday morning. My family and I spent the weekend at a friend's cabin in the woods (can't wait to share a few pictures!) and my hair still smells of bonfire - don't you love that?! The Southern Sweden sun even shone for us - wonder of wonders! I hope you had a great weekend and the sun shone for you too! I always think it's a good idea to start the week as you mean to go on - calm! And boy, do I have a serene home to share with you guys! Fashion, hair and make-up artist Viktoria (AKA @tthese_beautiful_thingss) has decorated her beautiful, old Berlin apartment using soothing, earthy tones and beautiful design pieces to create a haven in which she, her partner and three children can truly switch off and relax. I really wouldn't mind spending the week here - once you've seen the tour, perhaps you'll want to join me! 

Pretty serene, right?! It's the kind of home you could never imagine getting in a mess (bet Viktoria is having a good laugh at this comment - we all know what living with kids is REALLY like!!). Even so, I bet it always feel calm. 

Here's a quick round-up of some of the beautiful items in Viktoria's home:

Get The Look

1. Mantis BS2 Wall Lamp
2. Söderhamn 3 Seater Sofa Cover
3. Knitted Cushion Beige
4. Large Knitted Pouffe
5. Vitra Nuage Vase
6. Aura Table Mirror
7. SERVEit tray table with tray
8. Cooee Design Ollie Sand
9. Table S + L rectangular
10. Gejst NEBL Mega Grey
11. 50X70 Miss Annie Poster
12. KK 4 Fold Soft Rose
13. Rafa Kids TROLLSTIGEN Wallbars
14. EOS Micro Light Brown
15. Georg Jensen Ilse Vase
16. House Doctor Wall Lamp
17. Rafa Kids F&A120 Bed
18. Rosendahl Clock
19. Kizu Table Lamp

I've featured so many Berlin homes in the past - all of which have very different looks! Here are a few of my faves:

The Berlin flat and country home of Our Food Stories
Bohemian touch in a magnificent Berlin apartment
Grey and greige in a wonderful Berlin home

Have a fabulous start to the week friends. Stay calm!

Niki

Photography: Viktoria /@tthese_beautiful_thingss

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