Free-Spirited Family Home on A Swedish Island

It's Friday afternoon friends - yaaaay! Any plans? Before I head off I wanted to share one final home tour to finish the week! I'm often being asked to recommend places in Sweden and one of my favourite tips (aside from my adoptive home town of Malmö, of course!) is the Gothenburg archipelagos. I recently discovered one talented creative who's lucky enough to live there all year round!  Catarina is a freelance photographer and stylist living on a car-free island with her husband and two daughters. Catarina is part of the relatively new Northern Sisters Collective - a delightful community of eight Swedish bloggers who share a free-spirited, slow, sustainable approach to interiors (it's so worth checking out all the blogs in the community - you could get lost there for a good few hours!). The relaxed family home is awash with earthy greens and blues, second hand finds and seasonal blooms. Enjoy the tour!

Photography: © Catarina / Annacate

What a perfect home tour to complete the week - don't you think?!

If you'd like to see more of her home (I can't blame you!) check-out Catarina's lovely blog and instagram feed.

I think I've also actually featured most of the homes of the Northern Sisters Collective at some point in the passed including Mari Strenghielm's stunning island home, Elin Lannsjö's idyllic cottage and Tuva Minna Linn's vintage inspired house. So inspiring!

If you're thinking of visiting Sweden this summer - my guide of places to stay might just be helpful (it includes a couple of places on the West Coast too!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Vi ses på måndag!

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8 Interior Trends from Milan Design Week 2018

Last week over 400,000 companies, designers, creatives, makers, architects and communicators flocked to Milan Design Week to feel inspired by a week of talks, exhibitions, latest news and tours across the fair and design districts. It was one crazy week but fascinating to find out more about the latest trends and news from the interior world. One of the highlights of my week was a Safari Blog tour organised by the monthly Italian DDN magazine in which we visited some of the major Italian Design Brands. From dark wood and cool stone to soft, velvety textures and amber accents, here's my round-up of the latest 2018 interior design trends from the tour:

1. Dark wood

Wood remains a key material in the 2018 interior, but there's a distinct move to the rich, dark side. These beautiful wooden worktops by luxury modern furniture brand Poliform, slide so you can place them where you like on the countertop (in fact, the entire kitchen worktop is adjustable to fit your needs - Italian design at it's best!).

2. Black metal

 While brass is still present, black metal might just have stolen it's party crown. Think sleek, slim furniture, small details, accessories and art made from black metal with a matt finish. Known for creating innovative bedroom furniture (such as the iconic Natalie bed), Flou featured examples of this across their stand in the form of slim, handles on chest-of-drawers, side-tables and art!

3. Dark earthy blue, green, and Brown. Powder and Amber accents

2017 was the year the world fell in love with pink (in all it's powder, blush and earthy forms). And it seems we haven't quite had enough of it yet. But there's also a new accent in town. Amber. Walter Knoll's carpets and Badawi cushions (I soooo need one of these in my life) were designed in collaboration with fabric designer Helmut Scheufele and inspired by the landscapes and colours of Africa. The deep amber tones and soft pinks looked particular beautiful against a dark backdrop (loved the statement blooms too!).

4. Silk, Velvet and Other Soft Fabrics

Who doesn't love a beautifully soft fabric? Tactile materials such as silk and velvet are adding a lush feel to the home in 2018. Treat your feet to a silky smooth rug and sit back in an upholstered chair (like these on trend beauties: Soft and Jane by Poliform) or add decadent curtains in a rich coloured velvet. The movement and texture in the fabric also adds depth and interest to a space.

Note the angle on the Jane chair leg - another key trend to look out for this year!

5. Texture

I love pieces that want to make you reach out and touch them - and 2018 promises to be a year of enticing textures. Think simple patterns, tactile materials and other subtle undulating surfaces. This swoon-worthy cabinet by Natuzzi (one of is the world's best known furniture brand, known for creating harmony throughout the home) is spot on - and such a great colour too, don't you think?!

6. Sustainability

In a time where there are serious concerns about the planet and the effects our lives have on it,  I was relieved to experience a conscious effort to move towards creating furniture with a sustainable mindset. A fine example of this is the Kartell Organic Chair, made from a revolutionary organic plastic material that's both sustainable and high quality. Hurrah!

7. Slim-line furniture

Forget bulky pieces, in 2018 it's all about a slimmed-down, more streamlined look. Shelves, chairs, and tables have come over all sleek and the airy look and feel gives a wonderful feeling of space. I particularly loved the floor to ceiling BROMPTON Shelving Unit and other streamlined furniture by Boffi, it created a real sense of calm.

8. Stone

And finally, concrete, marble, terrazzo and limestone have risen up the interior rankings, adding cool texture, tactility and interest to different areas of the home. I was completely taken by this powder pink stone against grey steel (and touches of brass) by Scavaloni - producer of Italian design kitchens and bathrooms as well as furniture. 

I hope you found these trends as interesting as I did. Is there anything you find particularly exciting or intriguing? 

A big thank you to Francesca Russo from DDN magazine for designing the tour and to the fabulous gang of bloggers who made it so much fun (from left to right: Desiree Groenendal / Vosges Paris, Stefan Nilsson / Trend Stefan, Mary Middleton, Agata Dimmich / Passion Shake,  Francesca Russo / Design Diffusion, Me! Holly Becker / Decor8 and Ula Michalak / Interiors Design Blog. 

If you'd like to see more from the Blog Safari check out the film on DDN Video News (in Italian), a dedicated film of the blog safari and a film about the Fuorisalone Inhabits and Milan Design City in Piazza Castello.

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