A bright and cheerful Dutch family home

Oh do I have a refreshingly bright, cheerful family home to share with you today. Located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Lenneke and Joey's charming townhouse is like a little ray of sunshine (much needed on a grey morning in Southerm Sweden I must say!). The pair decorated the home from scratch using several bucket loads of white paint, cheerful second hand pieces and a lorry load of love and patience. The result is a lovely, warm home with a unique signature style.

Photography: Jansje Klazinga, Styling: Emmy van Dantzig.  Shared with kind permission.

Such a lovely space don't you think? I always think The Dutch have a wonderful knack for injecting colour into a home, and this family has proved it once again!

Items in Lenneke and Joey's home I know and love: Dining - Eames chairs, gold / kilim cushions, Tripp Trapp children's chair. Sitting room - Beni ourain rug, this beautiful black vintage scissor lamp is similar, pick up a vintage industrial stool here. Hallway - rustic bench, panama hat, Swedish Kånken rucksack, little yellow and white children's boots. Bedroom - pink linen bedding, lovely throw with pom poms (also seen in this fab bedroom).

You can see more pics of this charming home over at VT Wonen here.

Jansje came to photograph my home a few years ago and it was such a fun, memorable day! Here are some more homes she's captured and I've featured: Valentina Fussell's lovely Copenhagen home, a Dutch home in a former kindergaten, and a home in The Netherlands with red floors (you'll be pleasantly surprised!).

A few other links I love today:

Five ways to add character to a kids room.

Sitting room storage by String (and a new way to add plants to the home). 

How to make drawer pulls from just about anything (our bathroom cabinet hasn't had door handles for several months now - looks like some craft DIY is in order!).

And finally - black bedding? Why not! (This set is on sale.... just saying!).

How to get Scandi-style for your interior by Amara (including a quote from yours truly....:).

Have a wonderful day!

PS Thank you so much to My Warehouse Home for a great review of my book (I'm going to have to pick-up your latest edition, it looks fab!). 

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Your Swedish island hide-away?

This cabin will have you dreaming of an escape to the tiny Swedish island of Furillen in the Baltic off the northeast coast of Gotland. The space was formerly used as army storage and has been carefully renovated using raw materials as well as relics from the original building to create the wonderful holiday home it has become today. Large floor to ceiling windows draw the surrounding wild and untamed surroundings indoors and allow natural light to flood the space, while a bicycle awaits to transport you to your daily dip in the sea.  I actually featured this cabin many moons ago here. And now it's for sale! Dear friends, your Swedish island home is waiting for you!

Credits / source: ESNY. Found via Stil Inspiration with thanks.

The only thing I ask is that you invite me to stay in the summer?! 

Or maybe I could stay at the nearby Fabriken Furillen (owned by photographer Jonas Hellström) and we could meet for a glass of rosé on your terrace?!

Get the look: I love this rattan hanging chair, E27 pendant, Gotland sheepskin throw, Swedish L:A Bruket hand soap, source beautiful vintage chopping boards here.  Swinging chair in white. For a similar paint colour try Farrow & Ball railings.

I have to say, I'd love to own a home on Gotland one day. If you're not convinced - here are some cabins and cottages I've shared in the passed: Amelia Widell's idyllic island holiday home, a lovely summer cottage, and a fashion photographer's rustic retreat.

This site has everything you need to know about visiting Gotland (in case you're tempted!). 

Have a lovely day!

Oh and someone in particular's week has got off to a really great start - the winner of the designerbox give-away has now been announced here! Make sure you pop by to see if it's you!

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The winner of designerbox#34

I'm excited to announce the winner of designerbox#34 as Tamara Delange who commented - 'I like them all, but box #5 'candle in the wind' stands out. It reveals a story in all its simplicity. I love the combination of storytelling & design. It makes a design item iconic'. We totally agree! Congratulations Tamara! Please email me to claim your fabulous 'Murakami' bookend / paperweight, designed by Studio Dessuant Bone.

All is not lost if this isn't you.  All your favourite designerboxes are available for purchase and for as little as 29 euros a month, you can receive a designerbox containing a beautifully made limited edition design object, together with a small surprise, a special newspaper about design and a wooden box directly to your door. Find out more here.

Featured: Designerbox#34. 

You can also see this beautiful piece propping up some of my favourite books at home here (like how I've sneaked my own book in at the end?!).

This give-away is now closed.

This post is brought to you in collaboration with designerbox.

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A Swedish home on a hill with lovely lake views

Well hello Friday - I didn't see you coming! Wooop! Do you have any plans for the weekend? I think we'll be tinkering away with our boat (and maybe the house too - but then again that's always in the plans!). Somewhere I'd like to be though is at Lena Englund and Ola's home on a hill looking out over lake Siljan in Dalarna, central Sweden. The rural home has been renovated from scratch using a monochrome theme, and a mix of design classics, high street finds and reclaimed items. Outside, views of the lake can be enjoyed from a greenhouse. What a lovely way to wile away a weekend?!

Credits: photography - Pella Hedeby (with kind permission), Styling - Sofi Sykfont. Homeowner: Lena Englund.

Get the look: dining room - Norden table, Thonet chairs, House Doctor molecular ceiling light, linen table cloth. Sitting room - I like this mid-century black leather sofa, Flos 265 light, Therese Sennerholt 'Urban Walk' print, Beni Ourain rug. Workspace - IKEA desk, print from the Fairytale collection. Clothing: Turbo clothes rail, prints by Therese Sennerholt. Greenhouse: these black string lights are similar, white lanterns, sheepskin throw, vintage terracotta plant pots.

You can see more of Lena's home over on IG and read more about it here (in Swedish).

Links I love for the weekend:

The other option is to laze around in this garden with a pool?

Pretty earrings for summer. 

DIY project for the weekend: make your own mid-century side table.

If I didn't have family in London, I'd stay at the Artist Residence - fabulous!

Loving this colour combination, how about you?

Have a wonderful, relaxing couple of days! 

PS I've got an exciting give-away install for you this weekend so make sure you pop by to enter!

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A Swedish space with a dreamy bedroom!

I loved how popular yesterday's beach cottage was. It's such a lovely, simple home with everything in it either recycled, upcycled or locally sourced - plus they'd made the big move out of the city too. It just shows how much this lifestyle resonates with us all, don't you think?! I've got another beautiful home to share with you today, this time though it's about another form of escapism - like heading back to bed with a freshly brewed coffee and a copy of The Kinfolk Home! Located in Gothenburg, this Swedish apartment from the 1920's simply has the most dreamy bedroom ever - think clouds, fresh air and serenity! Loving the grey tones throughout too - and simple, inspiring details! Enjoy....

Photography: Anders Bergstedt. Styling: Östlingh & Schedin. Entrance Mäkleri.

So unbelievably charming.

Duvet day here?!

Get the look:  sitting room - Hay dot cushion, and Himla cushions in blue and pink, Beni ourain rug, fig tree plant. I like these plant stands, Hay tray coffee table, Menu chair. Bedroom - white washed linen fabric for a DIY canopy, dark grey stone washed linen bedding, light grey linen bedding, love this chunky knit throw, The Kinfolk Home book.

A couple of links I love today:

7 ideas to steal from  a super stylish Scandinavian home.

15 amazing outdoor playhouses for children with grubby knees and stylish parents. 

And my favourite - 'Fame of thrones' - the world's most extraordinary loos!! - Thank you to Anna Kay-Sproul for this tip. We agreed the Norwegian 'hut' was the prettiest! Do you have a favourite?!

Have a lovely day!

PS I went to see The Danish Girl at the cinema last night. What a beautiful, moving film!  Have you seen it?  I couldn't take my eyes off the costumes and the artist's studio in the heart of Copenhagen either.

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