The winner of £300 (€355) to spend at Houseology is....

Thank you for entering the give-way to win a voucher worth £300 ($370 / €355) to spend at fab online store Houseology! I loved reading through all your home decorating goals for 2017 - there were so many great entries it was almost impossible to choose! But after a little deliberation, I now have a winner....

Congratulations Reelika J - please send me a mail so Houseology can send over your voucher!

If this isn't you, the team at Houseology are still available to help you with your vision. Visit the online store to pick up fabulous furniture, lighting and accessories from brands such as &tradition, Muuto, Menu, Flos and Vitra! Plus there's a handy interior design community section with master classes and tips and tricks to help you update your home and reach your goals! I think some of the below items might help me with mine....

Happy shopping!

 

1. Yeh wall table 2. Marble wall clock 3. Flos IC S1 pendant lamp 4. Nikki Jones Alber cushion 5.  La Lampe Gras 6. menu string lounge chair  7. Muuto dot coat hooks  8. &Tradition raft stool

This competition is now closed.

Terms & Conditions

No purchase necessary. You must be age of majority in your country of residence. Void where prohibited. We are not responsible for any duties, import taxes that you may incur. Only 1 entry per person. This prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for monetary value; No cash alternatives to the stated prize will be offered; Valid until 10th January 2018.

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Houseology.

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Cosy winter solstice / Christmas inspiration

Today is one of my favourite days of the year - the winter solstice. Not only do I love the short days, in the warm glow candle light, it also means that from now on everyday will gets a teeny bit lighter! And Christmas is only a few days away. This year we're celebrating 'Jul' - at my parents-in-law on 23rd (usually it's celebrated on Christmas eve). It's always such a lovely day with a 'julbord', schnapps, singing and then a knock at the door from 'tomten' (father christmas) with lantern in hand and a sack over his shoulder with presents for all the children (cue lots of excitement!).  Afterwards we're heading to London to celebrate a traditional English Christmas with my parents. So exciting! What are your plans? How do you celebrate Christmas in your home (if you do)? Just in case you're after a few last minute decorating ideas, I've compiled a little inspiration - think cakes decorated with pine, blue candles, foraged wreaths an oh so cosy bedroom and of course, a snowy log cabin. Enjoy!

1. Son de flor 2. Photos : Jeroen van der Spek, Styling Cleo Scheulderman for VT Wonen. 3. Foraged wreath photographed by Sian Richards styling Sarah Nixon.  4. Hanna's Änglar 5. Malin Persson
6. This lovely cabin has been separated from the photographer, can anyone help?

Aaaaaaa, I really do love this time of year, how about you?

If you'd like to discover some of the DIY tutorials / stories behind these images it's well worth checking out the 'Christmas in Blues' feature in VT Wonen - seen here (who would have thought blue could be such a beautiful Christmas colour?) and as always Malin Persson has worked her Christmas magic with a wonderful candle wreath. So inspiring!

And finally, a question for you. Inspired by this snowy cabin, my family and I are looking for a little cottage or cabin to rent in Southern Sweden, Denmark or around Oslo in the first week of January - something cosy, with board games and a log fire. If you have any tips we'd be such happy campers!

Have a lovely day!

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Your New Year cabin hide-away?

As the Christmas holidays draw near I'm dreaming about getting away from it all for a few days at a little remote hide-away. Nothing fancy, just my family and I and a little wood burning stove - doesn't that sound wonderful?! This tiny Swedish cottage in Marie Emilsson's garden at Håkesgård, just outside Varberg on Sweden's west coast fits the bill perfectly. The traditional falun red cottage, which includes a kitchenette, bedroom and basic facilities has been newly renovated in classic green tones to match the surroundings. Oh and it has a hot tub too. Guh! How I'd love to spend my holidays here, how about you?!

Credits: Photography - Kristin Lagerqvist (blog here) - shared with kind permission. 

So pretty! And the surroundings? Beautiful!

Could you imagine spending a few days here?

Get the look from Marie's little cottage: Morris Willow Bough wallpaper, Farrow & Ball sells a selection of green paint like this, straw fedora (source vintage ones here), buy beautiful grey linen fabric by the yard here, L:A bruket soap, these traditional linen cushions /pillows are pretty.

You can see more pics of Marie's lovely cabin here. 

The second to last image of the wood burning stove is taken from the main house - and features a beautiful garland made with fir and other foliage gathered from the garden - more pictures and a great tutorial of how to make this garland here.

Although not currently for hire, word on the (blog) street is that Marie might start to make it available - watch this space! In the meantime, if you're in Varberg, Trip2garden is definitely worth a visit with it's garden, café, shop and gallery.

More beautiful homes captured by Kristin Lagerqvist include a vintage inspired Swedish home full of soul, the lovely home of Johanna Bradford and an idyllic allotment house. I have to say, this Scandi-boho style is one of my favourites.

And if I've got you dreaming about getting away from it all, you might also want to check out three of my favourite archives: swedish cottages, rural reteats and log cabins (just scroll passed if Marie's cottage comes up first). And relax!

Have a lovely day!

PS Thank you to everyone who entered the give-away to win two vases from Nordal - the winner has now been announced here.....drum roll....

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A minimalist yet cosy Finnish home

Well hello there! This summer I visited Finland for the very first time, and what a beautiful country it is! Have you ever been? I particularly loved Helsinki and the Taamisari archipelago (where we photographed two beautiful homes for The Scandinavian Home). I realised I have so much more to discover and I can't wait to go back some day. In the meantime I'll be living vicariously through beautifully captured Finnish home tours! You can imagine how happy I was to receive a mail last week from Laura Seppänen Design Agency with Laura's latest project! Stina Mäntyniemi, head of Cosmopolitan Finland,was looking for a clean and monochrome interior - with one explicit request - it included a Bertoia Diamond lounge chair (I love her style!)! Using this as a brief, Laura has transformed the space into a bright and breezy two room apartment which is minimalist yet cosy. The space has been furnished with a wonderful blend of Scandinavian design classics, new Nordic brands and natural materials. Let's take a tour...

Credits: Interior design / styling: Laura Säppenen Design Agency / Laura Seppänen. Deko Magazine 12/2016 photographed by Krista Keltanen. 

So lovely and fresh, don't you think?

Get the look from Stina's flat: kitchenware from Formverk, faucet by Nivito, vases, trays and candle holders from Cooee (same shop as the beautiful brass wreath in Elisabeth's home), all posters from The Poster Club, Eames chair, sheepskin throw, light box with changeable letters, Flos 265 lamp (over sofa), By lassen kubus 8 candleholder.

I've featured many of the homes Laura's designed in the passed including this delightful Helsinki penthouse (love the mix of old and new) and a one room apartment. There's also an entire archive dedicated to Finnish homes (including some idyllic summer cottages and cabins- don't miss these!).

Got to love Finnish style?!

Have a great start to the week!

PS It's the last day to enter the give-away to win not one but two beautiful vases from one of my favourite  Danish brands - Nordal. Go go go!

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