A Swedish apartment with a mid-century touch

I do love a touch of mid-century in a home. And this space in Gothenburg has blended it in with some contemporary Scandinavian pieces so incredibly well. Just look at that mid-century cabinet paired with a Hay strap mirror and brass lamp next to a set of String system shelving. What a great combination!

Stadshem

Lauritz and Liveauctioneers are both great places to pick up a mid-century piece. For more mid-century inspiration I love this, this and this home tour (in case you missed them).

I think this is the third time this week we've seen a black and white kitchen - your style or not? For some alternative kitchen inspiration I have over 1300 beautiful kitchen and dining spaces (yes really! Sign of a slight Pinterest addiction?!) hoarded on my Kitchen Pinterest board.

And there's that wonderful cross blanket again. This time draped over a very cool vintage leather sofa.

Thank you so much to Marie Claire Maison for including me in a list of recommended interior blogs from around the world - what a true honour! Happy Friday to the team!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend (any great plans?) and see you Monday! 

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A fab mid-century home in Berlin

A mid-century treat today with this incredible 1957 bungalow 'atriumhaus' in the middle of Tiergarten Park, Berlin. It's been a while since I posted a home in this style, I don't know why as I'm a big fan of mid century and have nicked more than a few mid-century Scandinavian pieces from my generous parents in law's attics (coffee table here, drinks trolley here!).

 

BFS Design via Blissful Blog

What's your take on mid-century? Is this your kind of home?

I am heading off to Copenhagen this afternoon to attend an event hosted by one of my favourite Scandinavian brands, Muuto. Very exciting! I'll have to fill you in once back over the bridge.

I hope you all have a lovely day!

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An elegant Swedish space with a mid-century touch

I do love a little high ceiling elegance and this apartment embraces it by keeping the walls white and the look pared-back, adding a only few select mid-century pieces. Combine this with original white washed beams and floaty linen curtains as room dividers and the result is a serene, grown-up living space. My eye is on the detail too - instead of one large landscape picture above the dining table the owners have used three portrait images. Herbs hang in the window and plants and flowers can be seen in every single frame. Lucky it's spring - as everything we need is right outside our door right?! Oh and did I mention this space is for sale....?

Entrance mäkleri

A little about where things are from: Source hanging plant holders here. Mid-century furniture is available at Lauritz and Live Auctioneers. The pretty brass light in the kitchen is similar to the golden bell and the chairs are series 7.

Other homes with a cool mid-century touch include this Berlin space, an apartment in gothenburg and this truly fabulous house. Or for something completely different -how about this surfers home in Australia? Now, that's brightened up my day no end, how about you?!

It's a short week here in Sweden as it's Valborg (or walpurgess night). A pagan tradition,  villagers gather around bonfires across the country to ward of witches, who were believed to ride on their broomsticks to higher ground and cast evil spells on the eve of 30th April. And tomorrow it's the May day spring festival - and I love any talk of spring!

But I would never leave you high and dry without a post oh no!  To celebrate, I'm holding an exciting give-away, so make sure you stop by - it'll be open to everyone!

Have a lovely day!

PS There's a 5 minute clip of me on TV channel Arte, showing my home and talking about the home  if you fancy seeing it here- (in german).

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Apartment with a mid-century touch

Hello! At the weekend I nipped into Nirvana in Malmö which is a second hand shop specialising in mid-century scandinavian furniture, it's only open one weekend a month and is crammed full of cool bits and pieces. Such a fab place! My 2 and 4 year old were with me this time so was a bit hard to focus (read - 'incredibly stressful'!) haha! But that doesn't mean I wasn't inspired, and I'm going to have to return soon (on.my.own) to see if I can pick up some cool pieces like the ones in this apartment.

Stadshem via Cherry Blossom blog

Do you have any mid century pieces in your home? One of my favourite belongings is our mid-century drinks trolley which my mother-in-law gave us.

I hope you all have a lovely day!

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Holly's beautiful sitting room make-over

Hej hej! One of my favourite interior designers, Holly Marder, is doing up her house in Delft, Holland bit by bit and I'm glued to her blog Avenue Lifestyle, for updates! It's such a treat every time she completes a room (see Holly's beautiful kitchen, bedroom and studio and you'll know what I mean)! Today I'm excited to reveal Holly's lovely new sitting room where she has used white washed walls and sheer linen curtains (source similar, made to measure ones here) as a neutral backdrop for a beautiful blend of vintage, mid-century, and modern designer pieces as well as handmade ceramics and a selection of artowrk.  Enjoy!

Photography / interior design: Holly Marder - Avenue Lifestyle. 

Such a stunning room, don't you think? Relaxed, calm, interesting and above all else cosy!

Holly is a master at gallery walls (I also love the one she created in a client's bedroom in Amsterdam). Here she's combined oak, walnut and white frames with a mix of contemporary and traditional art including 'dragonfly' by Eile-Ethel Polli, 'nude painting of one minute pose' by Gretchen Kelly, and 'eye eye' by Fine Little Day. Such a lovely combination!

I also like how she has used a mid-century bar cart to fill the gap next to the chimney breast (I still love my bar cart but wondering where to put it right now since acquiring this brass one, I'm sure it'll find a home soon! Thoughts?!). You can source a similar vintage mid-century bar cart here.

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Get the look from Holly's sitting room: Flos pendant light, source a vintage Beni Ourain rug here, the sofa is from the SofaCompany.  These fab vintage mid-century trolleys / bar carts are similar. Flos parentesi light, African Bingan basket, hand turned plates on wall by Julie Alrichem.  Glass coffee table,  white plate from The Fine Store (on table).

The sun's shining here in Malmö so I've promised to take a walk along the beach before starting to write a chapter for my new book - Lagom (a Swedish philosophy meaning not too much, not too little - just right!). It feels apt in today's world where we're all rushing about and connected 24/7. The book is very much about slowing down and finding balance, the Swedish way - whether at home, or through activities like blackberry picking , kayaking, baking bread, swapping your car for a bike or even finding a beautiful old cottage by the sea in which to relax and unwind in the holidays! I hope you'll find it inspiring! 

Have a lovely day!

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A Striking Mid-Century Inspired Danish Home

Wow - I can't believe it's actually the end of the week. It's been getting darker by the day in Sweden which makes it almost impossible to get out of bed (and we're bad at the best of times - guh!). When I was doing research for my Lagom book (see also the US and French version), I discovered only 10% of us are natural early risers - are you one of them? If not I feel your pain - at least we have two days of lie-ins ahead - yasss! Anyway. On with today's tour. And I've got the most lovely, relaxed, Danish home to share with you. Birgit (also known as Fraubitte) has an expert eye at discovering all things mid-century and retro. Her home is full of treasures, set against a  striking backdrop of black and blue-green accents. Birgit loves to share snapshots of her home on her delightful instagram feed which is also peppered with pictures  of the Danish landscape, travel, design and art. Let's take a peek inside Birgit's world!

Photography credits: @Fraubitte

I love all her mid-century Danish furniture so much -  just how striking does the teak look against the back wall?! 

I also think the colours in the bedroom make a pretty combination.

Is there anything that you're loving about this space?

If you're looking to achieve a smiliar look, I find Etsy a great place source for mid-century furniture including dining chairs, credenzas and mirrors (I've had my eye on an asymmetric mirror ever since I saw one in this Danish home - aren't they lovely?)

If you fancy getting a little more Danish inspiration this weekend check-out this archive... one of my favourites...

Have a great weekend and see you Monday!

PS Don't forget to vote for My Scandinavian Home in the Domino Design Blog Awards (category 'Best International Design Blogs') if you have the time - it would make my day!

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Angles from Annabelle's home

It's amazing how much inspiration you can get from zooming into selected areas of a home. Take this barn conversion recently featured on Design Sponge as an example. It belongs to Anabelle Kerslake. co-founder of fete magazine, and her family in Balhannah in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. The pair have carried out extensive renovations and decorated the space using an eclectic mix of styles. French antiques rub shoulders with Danish mid-century items from her sister and brother-in-laws shop, while industrial and romantic florals also play a part in the overall look. Anabelle's rule has been if she loves it, she buys it. A rule close to my own heart.

Home: Anabelle Kerslake, Photography: Jane Cameron. Via Design Sponge with thanks. 

What do you think of this eclectic style? Anything that stands out to you in particular?

For more eclectic home inspiration it's worth taking a peek at this and this one.

Mid-century (as you know) is one of my favourite styles (I'm sure you've seen my drinks trolley and coffee table!), you only have to take a look through the 30 'mid-century modern' home tours I've squirreled away! To source fab mid-century items try Lauritz, e-bay, Etsy or LiveAuctioneers. 

Have a wonderful day! 

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A fabulous Dutch home in an old tannery

After two eye-watering early starts at the IKEA headquarters this week (checking out their new products for 2016 - eeeee, so exciting!) I'm finally enjoying a slow coffee morning at home. Slow is a bit of an understatement. I bumped into a friend on my way back from nursery and had a chat for the best part of an hour - just because I could! I'm finally at my desk and getting down to today's home tour. Luckily when the home is as wonderful as this (it's an old tannery in Gilze, Holland dating back to 1900) pictures speak more than a thousand words. Owners Wesly and Astrid have tirelessly nursed the space back to health, turning it into the fabulous home it is today. Let's take a tour....

Photography: Jansje Klazinga (shared with kind permission). Stylist: Emmy van Dantzig. VT Wonen.

Wow! What a space! Mid-century and Scandinavian pieces against a back drop of exposed bricks, glass room dividers and incredibly high ceilings. What more could you ask for?

And don't get me started on the plywood shelves and that swing!

This might be a crazy question, but could you live here?!

Items I know and love: source a mid-century armchair here, DLM side table, Hay tray, keep an eye out for a mid-century leather sofa here. There's a great selection of mid-century credenzas here.

See more of this fabulous Dutch home here. 

I had the pleasure of meeting the photographer behind this shoot, Jansje Klazinga when she came to shoot my home a couple of years ago. She's fab, and so talented! I love these pics she took of Valentina Fussell's Copenhagen home (you may recognise the name as Valentina wrote a lovely review of my book recently) and this fab family home in a former nursery.

Have a lovely day! 

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