A lovely light-filled Dutch family houseboat

Yaaaay, it's the weekend (almost)! The sun's shining and I can see the sea sparkling in the distance (definitely heading off for a swim shortly!)....but first today's tour. Could you imagine anything more wonderful than living on a house boat at this time of year? Brought up in a sailing family, I was practically born on a boat and this would be my dream come true, but it does conjure up images of a rather dark, cramped living space. Not in this Dutch house boat captured by Binti Home though. Located a mere 10 minutes from the centre of Amsterdam, Annelie (co-owner of Bynorr.nl), Hans and baby Scott's home is flooded with natural light. The self-designed open-plan space is uncluttered with fresh white walls and pretty pastel accessories.  The only real hint that it's afloat is from the water seen from the living room window. Such a lovely family home, don't you think?

Homeowner: ByNorr.nl. Binti Home (shared with kind permission). Featured in Flair Magazine.

Apart from the fresh colours, patterns and light wood I think my favourite thing about this home is the mix-match coffee tables in the living room. How about you?

I love the cute children's room too. For similar inspiration it's well worth popping over to fellow Malmö blogger Paul et Paula. My favourite online children shops right now are The Youngsters (owned by my talented interior designer friend Genevieve who also lives in Malmö and who I recently collaborated with on my little girls bedroom) and British/Swedish brand Indikidual (Syreeta used to live here too!) - so lucky to be surrounded by such talented people!

There are a load more pictures of this lovely home plus a full write-up over at Binti Home and Flair Magazine (in Dutch). 

For more inspiration from Holland this weekend (after all, the Dutch do have such a great sense of style don't they?) there's an entire archive here (scroll through the first one as it's most likely this home). 

Have a wonderful couple of days and for those of you in America...long weekend!

PS if you fancy a dip this afternoon but have no where to go - you can always imagine yourself relaxing in one of these beautiful swimming pools. Love!  

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A fab Amsterdam apartment

This is my second dutch home tour of the week (see the other one here). I really do love the Dutch style. It's incredibly similar to Swedish decor with the white floors and walls, but the Dutch tend to go for more bright pops of colour. This home, spotted over at wonderful blog French By Design, in the heart of Amsterdam belongs to interior designer / stylist Brechtje Troost. It follows the general Dutch design rule with the white backdrop and bursts of colour but it also features a fab mid-century twist. And wait - I even spot a Swedish print! An apartment truly deserved of the coveted Friday my scandinavian home tour spot, don't you think?!

Photography Jantien De Bood. Inside Out Magazine via French By Design

Photography Jantien De Bood. Styling Josefin Ljungberg & Brechtje Troost. Inside Out Magazine via French By Design

Photography Jantien De Bood. Inside Out Magazine via French By Design

Photography Jantien De Bood. Inside Out Magazine via French By Design

Photography Jantien De Bood. Styling Josefin Ljungberg & Brechtje Troost. Inside Out Magazine via French By Design

Photography Jantien De Bood. Styling Josefin Ljungberg & Brechtje Troost. Inside Out Magazine via French By Design

I love this apartment,  it's very cool don't you think?

For classic mid-century furniture try auction houses Lauritz and Live Auctioneers. I love the cognac tote (similar one here). I'm not sure if it's possible to find a kitty cat as cute as that one though....?

You can read more about this fabulous space Inside Out magazine. 

Do you know what I'm noticing more and more of? Wall to wall carpets! Now, I know that in the UK and the US it's extremely common to have carpets in the home, especially in more cosy rooms such as the bedroom and sitting room. But I was amazed to hear a Swedish friend who is currently planning to add carpets to all the bedrooms in her new home. This is something of a revolution. Could it be one of the big trends for 2015?! 

How do you feel about wall to wall carpets?

Wishing you all a very happy halloween and a great weekend (up to anything fun?).  See you Monday!  

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Tina Fussell's lovely Danish home

Hello! I hope you had a great weekend? I'm not sure if you remember, but last summer I had a visit from the wonderful stylist Holly Marder and photographer Jansje Klazinga (resulting in these shots of my home). As part of their tour they also photographed Tina Fussell's home in Copenhagen. I've had the pleasure of meeting Tina of Traveling Mamma several times and she's as lovely as she is talented (Tina works as a stylist, blogger and photographer. Tina and her husband and two children recently returned after a six month stint in their home country of the USA.  Her lovely Danish home is featured in this month's edition of Dutch magazine Ariadne at Home. Here's a sneak peek.

 Photography Jansje Klazinga,Styling: Holly Marder (Avenue Lifestyle). Home-owner: Tina Fussell

 Photography Jansje Klazinga,Styling: Holly Marder (Avenue Lifestyle). Home-owner: Tina Fussell

 Photography Jansje Klazinga,Styling: Holly Marder (Avenue Lifestyle). Home-owner: Tina Fussell

 Photography Jansje Klazinga,Styling: Holly Marder (Avenue Lifestyle). Home-owner: Tina Fussell

 Photography Jansje Klazinga,Styling: Holly Marder (Avenue Lifestyle). Home-owner: Tina Fussell

 Photography Jansje Klazinga,Styling: Holly Marder (Avenue Lifestyle). Home-owner: Tina Fussell

 Photography Jansje Klazinga,Styling: Holly Marder (Avenue Lifestyle). Home-owner: Tina Fussell

 Photography Jansje Klazinga,Styling: Holly Marder (Avenue Lifestyle). Home-owner: Tina Fussell

Welcome home the Fussell's!

There are so many great things about Tina's home - the inspiring office space, a bathroom cabinet updated with leather handles, or how about the black accent wall in the kitchen? I really love the hints of light blue too, it makes me want to block paint an item in my own kitchen, how about you?

Other fab spaces with a touch of blue include this, this and this one. Which shade would you choose?

Before I head off - I have some exciting news. This spring I'll be taking the stage at The Hive 2015 - a gathering of digital storytellers, tastemakers and bloggers in Berlin. Seeing my name among the list of speakers makes it scarily real and so exciting - I can't wait to share some of the things I've learned about blogging over the years. I must admit I'm slightly fearful of public speaking but was inspired to step out of my comfort zone by these quotes (so true don't you think?!). Will you be there too?

Have a lovely day! 

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A Beautiful Light-Filled Sunroom in Holland

Hello there! Thank you for your patience, we're back after bottling up as much sunshine as our EasyJet baggage allowance would permit - not much then! But still, nice to get a little boost and see my sister and nieces before the darkness sets in! While on the subject of darkness, the clocks went back on Saturday which means cosy season has just begun. Have they changed where you are too? This means two things: 1. Ramping up on candles and warm lighting to amp up the hygge and 2. Working on capturing as much daylight in the home as physically possible during waking hours. And it's the latter which is the subject of today's post!

I've talked about the popularity of greenhouses (remember this beautiful Swedish one?) - but a space that REALLY comes into its own at this time of year is a sunroom. Sunrooms come in all shapes and sizes from ornate conservatories to a simple balcony with wrap-around glass - but they're all based on the same principal: enjoying the daylight while staying toasty. And this incredible 'vintergården' (Swedish for 'winter garden') in the home of Wiola (@rapsiodia_w) and her family in Leiden, The Netherlands is a dream!

Wiola's sunroom doubles up as a place to relax, a guest bedroom under the stars and a home office. And her cats love it (of course!). 

I have my eye on this sofa bed for our tiny cabin (look out for the update later this week). It's designed by Karup specifically for small spaces. 

In the corner I spy a lemon tree, with a LOAD of lemons on it. I have become ever so slightly obsessed with my lemon tree lately (just ask my family). Yesterday I ceremoniously brought it indoors for the winter as the temperatures. Mine only has two lemons on it (which Per refers to as the most expensive lemons of all time due to the level of man hours and nutrition involved!). Do you own a citrus plant of some kind? If so, you might well understand what I'm talking about! 

The art - the largest of which is by Marta Chmielecka - focuses on nature, a perfect way to connect the space with the garden. I also love the felt wall lamp from sustainable design shop Luma Lano. 

I have been a fan of this desk from IKEA for many years as it's perfect for smaller, narrow spaces. 

But more importantly, have I mentioned the floor yet? Soooo beautiful, don't you think?

The 'Meet Me at Jaures' print* adds a touch of colour to the home office area. 

Light floods through the sun room into the main living room which has been kitted out with a number of fab pieces including a TOGO armchair, a sofa from FÉST Amsterdam and the Elipse pendent*. 

What a wonderful space to enjoy at this time of year! I can definitely imagine curling up here on a Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea and a book, how about you? 

Not got the space for a sunroom? Join the club! No worries though, I find simply rearranging the furniture a little to ensure you have somewhere to sit by the window can work wonders at this time of year. 

I have to say, it's been such a long time since I featured a Dutch home. Here are a few other Dutch spaces to enjoy today:

Sanne Hop's earthy, warm home

A Swede sets up home in The Netherlands

12 inspiring living spaces designed by stylist Kim Van Rossenberg

Have a great start to the week! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of @rapsodia_w with kind permission 

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A Relaxed Tucson Home In Sun Kissed, Earthy Tones

Hej hej! I hope you had a fabulous weekend?! We've been busy renovating the kitchen at the cottage and I can't even lift my arms today. But Per and I did manage to sneak in a sail yesterday afternoon which was BLISS if not on the chilly side- brrrr! Perhaps that's why I was thinking we could head to balmy Tucson, Arizona today - whad'ya think? Emily of fabulous instagram feed @oursouthwestnest, shares her home with her partner and three little ones, and has taken inspiration from the scorched, earthy tones of the desert. Think minimalist furnishings in wood, rattan, stone and terracotta against a white backdrop for a relaxed and inviting home - as well as a cool respite from the Arizonian sun.

Bamboo pendant lights*, Smeg toaster*, wood stools*

Block Prints / The Printable Studio*

This fabulous binga basket* is similar

 Art by Jan Skácelik

Someone asked the other day if any of the homes I show actually have TVs. Fair point! This one's for you! I think it's really inspiring how Emily has transformed the wall into a gallery space too. 

Art by Tucson photographer Emily Tartaglia, Bath from Wayfair, Bungalow pendant light

Absolutely love this home! 

Did you feel inspired too? Is there anything that stood out to you?

The white and wood tones works anywhere. It reminds me a little of this cabin in the woods, Serena and Mason's Topanga Canyon home and a Dutch home enthused with warmth and harmony. 

See more pics of Emily's home over at @oursouthwestnest. 

BTW, one of my daughter's 8-year-old friends said the other day "your mother loves wood, doesn't she?!" It made me look at my home in a new way - and she's right, I have a LOAD of furniture made from wood. But seriously, what a great material (as long as it's sustainably sourced, of course). Do you have a lot of wood in your home too?

I've got to run as I'm packing for a blogger trip to Transylvania with Tisca rugs. My flight leaves in a couple of hours and I'm nowhere near ready. EEEEEK! I'm super excited though, as we'll be visiting Dracula's castle! Keep an eye on my IG stories if you'd like to follow along!

Have you ever been to Transylvania? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

I'll be stopping by as usual with the daily post tomorrow! See you then!

Niki

Photography @oursouthwestnest

Affiliate links marked with *

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Mindful Decorating: Tips and A Tour of a Cosy Swedish Home in Holland

This grey, rainy Tuesday in Malmö calls for a day indoors - preferably in 'mysbyxor' (comfy track pants) and some very chunky knit socks (although these days I swear by my Swedish Shephard slippers!). Slightly further South, founder of Hemma Interiors Matilda Kristoffersson, a Swede living in Amersfoort, The Netherlands is cosying up at home with her Dutch husband Thijs and their three children Luuk (2.5 years) and newborn twins Joep and Lill. Matilda is an interior stylist who prides herself on a 'feeling first' approach. The mindful home has become a hot topic in recent times, especially as we find ourselves spending a copious amount of time indoors. I caught up with Matilda to find out a more about what it means and garner a few tips. 

Can you tell us a little about your house? 

We live in a terraced house measuring 135 square meters, divided over three floors. On the ground floor, we have our kitchen, dining, and living room as one open space with warm oak floors throughout. On the first floor we have our bedroom, family bathroom and our children's bedrooms  (Joep and Lill share a room). On the third floor, we have an attic space with high ceilings which serves as my workspace as well as a guest room for when my family comes over from Sweden. Both the first and second floor has white stained pine wood floors. I am very traditional Swedish in that I love white walls and light wooden floors. The house is situated on a quiet street in a newly built area with a canal just in front which we can see from our large windows in the kitchen and our bedroom. It is a great place for children to grow up and our son often plays with his friends out on the street in front of our house. 

How has being Scandinavian influenced your style and work? 

Being Swedish I think home is something really important. It gets pretty dark and cold during a big part of the year, so we tend to spend a lot of time in our homes, and that of our friends. I am very passionate about helping and inspiring others to create a home that truly makes them feel good and “at home” via my company Hemma Interiors (hemma means "home" in Swedish). I do this via my Instagram, my Online Course in Mindful Interior, and a new Guided Room Meditation that I am about to release. 

That sound really exciting, I'll be keeping a look out for your course! How has your interest in mindfulness and your Swedish background contributed to your home decorating? 

I take a mindful and “feeling first”  approach to how I decorate our home. This means that I think about how I want to feel in a space, and then connect this to design and style choices. So there is quite a mix of styles in our home with a more rustic kitchen, minimalistic bedroom, eclectic and classic look in the living room. But our entire home is still very Scandinavian I would say. In order to have a peaceful flow in the house, each space still has a similar color palette and materials; I’m very traditional Swedish in that I love a white wall and natural wood. We buy most of our furniture second hand as I believe that it is the best for our environment and it gives a very personal feeling to a home. I also buy a lot from IKEA (also second hand often) which I hack and upgrade to make my own. This really gives an outlet for my creativity.

Mindful decorating has become a big topic lately, can you tell us more about it?

When people hear I combine mindfulness and interior, they assume that it must mean minimalism and light colors, kind of like walking into a yoga studio. But in reality, a mindful interior does not necessarily mean that it looks in a certain type of way, but rather it is about the power of really tuning into our own personal style and focusing on how you really want to feel in your home, rather than how it looks from an outside perspective. Something I call “Feeling First” interior.

I think how we feel in our homes have become even more important over the last few months as we spend so much time in them now. Our homes are, and can be, so much more than just a place where we eat, sleep and watch TV. It is truly a space that we can use to relax, spend loving time with family and friends, and fully be ourselves in. 

  

How does mindful decorating differ from the usual way you might approach decorating a home? 

Decorating your home in a mindful way, 'Feeling First' instead of 'Design First', flips around the traditional decorating and interior process. You start off by exploring how you want to feel in your home, and then think about what type of colors, materials, designs and styles fit with this feeling. It is about starting from who you are and realizing your own personal style in your home, rather than trying to recreate that of someone else. And by doing so, empowering yourself to be and show who you really are in your home. Because if we are not able to celebrate our true selves in our own homes, then where else?

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to try a mindful approach to decorating? 

To me, the core of mindfulness is to embrace what is and be grateful for what you have in the now - because at the end of the day that is all we ever have - this moment now. By embracing what our homes are right now we can decorate from a place of gratitude and start to truly connect to how we want to live in them. I believe that we all have something that I call “Interior Intuition”, a sort of powerful guiding gut feeling of how we want our homes to look and feel. The trick is just to learn how to connect to it, and trust it. 

Here are three tips to get your started: 

1. Dare to listen to, and trust, your own interior intuition
2. Start with gratitude. Embrace what is already there rather than get caught up in the things you don’t like 
3. Think about how you want to feel in your space rather than how you want it to look

***

Thank you so much to Matilda for sharing her home tour and mindful interior tips. Oh - and a big congratulations are in order on little Joep and Lill! 

You can find out more about Matilda's online courses here.

I hope you found this topic as interesting as I did - do share your thoughts below, I'd love to hear them! 

Niki

Photography: Matilda Kristofferson 

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