The Helsinki home of a composer

I thought we could all head to Finland today and take a peek at this bright and breezy apartment owned by Finnish music composer and producer Hank Solo, what do you say? Hank recruited Laura Seppänen Design Agency (great choice!) to transform the 72 square metre (775 square foot) space in the hip Kallio district of Helsinki into a spacious, peaceful home where he can enjoy slow mornings and concentrate on his music. The result is a fabulous home with industrial yet luxurious touches and a homely feel. I think it's time to take a tour don't you?!

Credits: Interior design - Laura Seppänen / @laurajuulia Photographer - Pauliina Salonen Styling Assistant - Minna Ritvanen

There's loads to love about Hank's home but most of all the symmetrical nature of the space and the rugs really caught my eye, how about you?!

 I'm also envious that he has the district of Kallio on his doorstep - such a GREAT place!

Here's a little guide on where things are from: Living room - Wall shelves and sofa - Bolia, Hay Coffee table, painting - Tanja Meski, concrete table + stool - from Made in Finland. Kitchen - high table by Hay, Frama bar stools. Bedroom - Floor lamp by Flos, black shelf wall light by Frama, rug by VM Carpet, Painting - Tanja Meski, Posters from The Poster Club.

I've featured lots of Laura's fab design work before - all of which can be found in the Finnish home ( definitely worth have a mooch around, it's one of my favourite archives! Enjoy!). 

Have a great day!

READ MORE...

2

A Tiny Danish Home That's Big On (Handmade) Design!

I was scratching around for something to post today. My criteria was to find something a little different from the other spaces I've shown this week. And since I went all white yesterday, I was thinking a pop or two of colour would be nice too. Little did I know my search would lead me to this beauty in the heart of Copenhagen! Measuring a tiny 44 m2 (474 f2), this little apartment in the Nørrebro neighbourhood serves as a pied-à-terre for Puk Sjelden, her husband Jake and their 17 year old twin daughters. The apartment is made up of two rooms: an open-plan kitchen / dining area and one double bedroom and has been renovated to incorporate clever design ideas, pops of colour and a series of fun DIY hacks.  Welcome to Puk's mini but mighty Danish world! 

The stripy stool is an IKEA DIY hack (check out the DIY highlights on Puk's instagram for the know-how) - and the built in bench and mattress are also handmade. The dining room wall has been painted in Sand from Jotun. 

Did you carry out the renovation yourselves? You seem very handy!
"We (or Jake!) are really handy and we do a lot of the minor details ourselves - like the blue shelves. However, we used a contractor for the larger renovations so that we didn't have to coordinate all the craftsmen. We were very involved in all the details throughout the process."

Puk and Jake have created two recessed shelves using electric blue paint ('Sadolin' code: U9.48.19) and light wood. 

How did you come up with the idea for the recessed shelving?  

There was a hole in the kitchen wall when we took over the apartment, so instead of covering it up we decided to turn it into a feature. The blue shelves came about because I wanted a change. They used to be a covered cabinet and I wanted to bring more dynamics to the room. The colour turned the shelving into more of an installation which I really like! It adds a bit of edge to the room. 

Print by danish artist Sini Salminen.

Can you tell me more about the pops of colour? 

It's funny because I used to be super afraid of colour! I always went for monochrome. But then a Danish design company inspired me to create the blue shelves - and now I can't get enough of colour! It can change the entire feeling of a room. 

What do you like most about your apartment?

I really enjoy the kitchen and the nook, it has a good feeling and it's so cosy hanging out here alone, together or with good friends. 

A Hay mega dot throw adds a sunshine feel to the bedroom. while simple crates provide as extra storage. A simple Pujo coat rack is perfect as a makeshift wardrobe! 

Isn't this space wonderful?

If you love this pad as much as I do you'll be excited to hear that it's also available to rent through Airbnb! Perfect little over nighter! I know where I'll be staying next time I'm in Copenhagen!

You can see more pictures here. 

Other small spaces to feel inspired by: 

A beautiful two room Swedish apartment

A mini but mighty Stockholm apartment

15 small space hacks to learn from a lovely Danish home

Anyone else dreaming of having a little pied-à-terre in town in which to hang out with friends and rent on airbnb? Such fun! 

Niki

Photography: Puk Sjelden / @poppelgade

A special thank you to my good friend Mette at @monstercircus for the tip!

READ MORE...

6

The Eclectic Home of a Danish Treasure Hunter

 

It's Friday friends, FriYAY!! Woooop! Any fun plans for the weekend? I for one, am looking forward to kicking off with a lie-in, it's been one looong old week. Thankfully, just as I was fading (fast), this pretty Danish apartment popped up and filled me with energy. The bright, playful home belongs to Luna Signe Hørdum Nielsen  - a writer, project manager, concept developer, founder of Moro Moro studio and one of Denmark's rising stars of the interior world (Luna is currently nominated for the esteemed Bolig magazine's stylist of the year award). I chatted with Luna to find out more about her beautiful, eclectic home in Copenhagen and new business initiative. 

Who do you live with?
I live with my boyfriend Jeppe, who is an IT engineer and sound nerd!

Saint ceiling light* (love these!), Fritz Hansen Egg chair*


How old is your apartment and where is it located? 
We live in a beautiful old apartment dating back to 1902 in the old Østerbro district of Copenhagen, near to nature and the water.

Can you tell us a little more about the layout?
It's 95 square metres (1022 square feet) and divided into six rooms: a kitchen, dining room, living room, office, bedroom and small bathroom. The apartment has high classical panels, stucco and rosettes, herringbone wood floors and three metre high ceilings.

Gubi TS coffee table

Wow - what a find! How did you acquire it?
It's Jeppe's grandparent's old apartment which Jeppe has renovated so the old decor and smell of smoke has gone - but the original details are still intact!

I love the energetic feel of your apartment - can you describe your approach to the interior?

The style of our home is really mixed. I blend colours, warm materials and crazy travel treasures with Nordic design, heirlooms,  flea market curiosities, gold from the trash, classic furniture, modern design and budget-friendly items.

Portrait of Hanne Wilhelm Hansen by Vilhelm Lundstrøm, Cat by Any Warhol,  Hay masks, the wall is painted in colour code NCS S 6020-B.

As a collector, how do you make sure the space doesn't become cluttered?

I have gathered items for many years, and occasionally I have to sell stuff so that Jeppe doesn't get tired of me!

 Luna made the art above the bed herself using circular mirrors and blue and purple paint to create a "space / heaven / sky kind of feeling." 

Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in shapes, colours and materials as well as moods, people, crooked details, art and poetry. It's not important whether or not it all fits together. For me, it's important that my home inspires me, feels cosy, tells stories and hold memories.  

 Tell us more about Moro Moro Studio

It's a new Copenhagen-based creative studio specialising in vintage design, interior details and local crafts which have been hand-picked from around the globe. We also represent contemporary international designers and are always seeking new collaborations.

Aaaah, I SO enjoyed chatting to Luna and noseying around her beautiful living space . Isn't it inspiring?!

I can't wait for Moro Moro Studio to open, I'll be there with bells on!

So friends, that's it from me this week! if you'd like to see a few more pics from Luna's apartment over the weekend, check out her instagram - and for more Danish homes - try this archive (one of my favourites!!). 

I hope your weekend sparkles (there is no angry way to say 'bubbles' after all!). 

See you Monday!

Niki

Photograhy: Luna Signe Hørdum Nielsen with kind permission

READ MORE...

2

A Mysig Swedish Family Home at Christmas

How pretty is this beautiful house in the suburbs of Stockholm, all decked out for Christmas? The beautiful home belongs to interior designer, photographer, storyteller and founder of Wiho Design, Jasmina Bylund who lives with her 'sambo' (live in partner) and their children - Winston (3.5) and Belle (6 months). Jasmina has decorated the house in shades of grey, white and midnight blue and a beautiful blend of old and new. "I don't follow a particular style, I simply follow my heart," Bylund explains.  Jasmina is a big fan of Christmas and loves to "gather family and friends, eat good food, bake, decorate and wrap presents." Evidence of this can be seen throughout their home - which is peppered with subtle festive touches  - including a Kungsgran tree, pretty wreaths, sprigs of pine  and paper star lanterns. No doubt there's snow outside the window too. Åh va mysigt!

Photography: Jasmina Bylund, shared with kind permission.

Oh so pretty, don't you think?

Get the look from Jasmina's home: living room - wall hanging from FROSTA design, Menu Turning Table, Hay table, seagrass belly basket. kitchen - wine glass rack. bedroom - on the wall 'Jotun Lady Happy Homes'. This natural bed linen is beautiful. sitting room - Bemz sell lovely linen slipcovers for sofas (see mine here!). The wrapping paper was sourced on Etsy.

For similar paint colours check-out the Jotun Lady range - they have so many beautiful colours (I used Blushing Peach for my bedroom). To achieve a similar textured surface seen on Jasmina's bedroom wall try adding Roll-A-Tex Sand Texture Additive to the paint (I used this in my dining room make-over and it worked wonders!)

If you'd like to see more of Jasmina's home and latest projects you must check out her lovely instagram feed and blog.

And if you're looking for more Scandinavian home tours with a festive touch - these will definitely get you in the Yuletide mood:

A Swedish country home at Christmas
A Danish home at Christmas 
A Norwegian home on Christmas eve
 Dreaming of a white Christmas in a Swedish home
A cosy Scandinavian home ready for Christmas 

If these have inspired you to rush home and decorate your own home I can recommend these beautifully simply DIY ideas:

Lovely, easy Danish Chrismtas DIY ideas
5 beautifully simple Scandinavian Christmas DIY ideas

Have a lovely day!

PS Are you still Christmas shopping (I am!)? If so this list of last minute Christmas presents for Scandinavian design lovers (and their children!) might come in handy. 

READ MORE...

5

A lovely family home in a former kindergaten

Our Christmas tree was cast out last night (always a sad moment!). This can only mean one thing: it's time for early spring, I even brought some tulips (optimist)! What better way to kick off the season than the lovely home of Britta and her daughter Emma Lotta in Oldenburg, Germany? Britta is influenced by Scandinavian style (she works as an interior design specialist for IKEA) and has decorated the space using a monochrome and pastel colour scheme. Her abode also reminds me of  some of the Dutch spaces we've seen (such as this and this home) so I wasn't surprise to discover she also enjoys design inspiration trips to Holland. The beautiful old building used to be a kindergaten and has now been transformed into a lovely, harmonious home decorated with a mix of IKEA pieces, vintage finds and nordic design items thanks to Britta's innate sense of style. Bring on spring pastels!

Home and photography: Britta (with kind permission). Via Solebich

Anything you love about this home in particular?

I love the entrance hall- it's simply stunning!! (more hallway inspiration here).  

A few items I know and love - if helpful?: Sitting room: J110 Hay chair, Lenn Bakker grey carpet, stockholm black and white rug, Karlstad sofa.  Kitchen: Industrial pendant lights: IB Laursen, the dining table is vintage,  the Shelf and chair are from IKEA. Office: chair and table, IKEA. Brakig boxes, Lenn bakker decorative boxes. Children's room: many of the items can be found at IKEA. Pastel pom poms. The print is man in the moon.

You can see more pictures of this lovely home here (interview in German).


PS The US version of the free My Scandinavian Home Calendar 2015 is now fixed and ready for you to print! I'm currently looking for pictures of 'February' to show here on the blog - so if you have a fun pic please do send it over!

Have a lovely day!

READ MORE...

9