A creative Helsinki home with a cheerful & relaxed vibe

As you know (I think I've been harping on about it ever since - sorry!), I finally got to visit Helsinki for the first time last summer. And it exceeded all my wildest expectations. It was such a vibrant city but above all else, it exuded creativity (if you go, don't miss the design walk!). Seeing these pictures of visual artist, Saija Starr's apartment in the heart of Helsinki immediately transported me back to my wonderful weekend in Finland's capital city. On her blog Cosy Home, Saija describes her home life and interior as an amalgamation of: 'swaying book blocks, long breakfasts, art, coffee moments, brightly coloured containers, old furniture and the ever changing sequence.' Let's take a peek inside...

Credits: Saija Starr / Cosy Home.

Love this! It's so charming and relaxed but above all else personal, I also like how the pops of bright colours add such a cheerful touch (take a closer look at how Saija has created small pockets of colour. In the sitting room for example, she has combined a poster, vase and painting which share the same tones).

I also love how the space has a wonderful, lived-in vibe. I could imagine walking in here and immediately feeling at ease. How about you?!

Get the look from Saija's home: sitting room - 'the party' painting source mid-century armchairs like these here, Remix blanket. Kitchen - Marimekko teapot. Iittala Nappula candle-holder in high and low versions.

The big painting is 'A Party' by Saija. You can see more of her art work here.

You can follow Salja's latest projects and home updates on her wonderful blog or over on her Instagram feed.

If you'd like to see more Helsinki homes today I'm also in love with this apartment that artfully blends of danish and finnish style, the home of a design blogger and a graphic designer's penthouse - and many more in the archive. Oh I do love Finnish style!

Have a lovely day!

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Step inside the charming home of a Swede living in Italy

It's so much fun to see the home of a Scandinavian expat. Last week we took a tour of a Swede's colourful home in Brooklyn, New York. And today I thought we'd step inside the incredibly charming Italian home of Swede, Annemo. Based in a small village 30 minutes from Milan, Anemo works as an agent for Danish brand Tine K Home and shares her house with her Italian husband and three children. The family have decorated their home with beautiful, understated furniture and muted tones allowing the high ceilings, beautiful period features and huge windows to take centre-stage.  Subtle hints of bamboo, rattan and handwoven baskets add a hint of the med while linen gently floats in the afternoon breeze for a fresh, cool feel.

Production: Jonna Kivilahti / Mrs Jones blog. Photography: Krista Keltanen.

*Sigh*. Such a beautiful home! I love the muted tones and Scandinavian feel. I can really imagine how lovely and cool the space feels in the summer time - a perfect respite from the scorching sun. How about you?

Get the look: these Tine K Home bamboo furniture (I love the idyll home chair!) and round basket lamp (in kitchen).  This basket and bag are similar. Dining - Bistro dining chairs. Sitting room - Gervasoni ghost armchairs and sofa. Source made-to-measure light grey pure linen curtains / drapes here (Click here to see mine in white). Study - lamps by Tine K Home.

It'll come as no surpise that this lovely home has also featured in back issues of Elle Decoration country, Elle Decoration Sweden and Glorian koti in Finland. Great minds... :)

Thank you to Krista and Jonna for the kind permission to share these images. The Finnish duo are often capturing beautiful homes - previous tours I've shared include a lakeside cabin with a twist, a pared-back Finnish summer cottage and even Jonna's own summer cottage in the Inkoo archipelagos - Guh! Take me to the Finnish islands now!

Have a lovely day!

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A little linen loving

Linen. Where would be without this beautiful fabric? Made from the fibers of the flax plant, not only does it look beautiful just the way it is (no iron necessary - oh yes!), it's also highly absorbent and valued for it's exceptional coolness and fresh feel in warm weather. Lately we've been seeing it all across the home in form of curtains, bed linen, table cloths, towels, aprons, clothing...in lovely soft, muted, washed out tones. One of my favourite go to stores is the small independent Etsy store notPERFECTLINEN.  Founded by a very small family of creative people, notPERFECTLINEN focuses on creating simple linen pieces for people who appreciate natural things for their home and about their person, a relaxed look and long lasting garments. I recently bought these linen curtains (below and also seen here) and was so impressed by the quality and way they've been made to measure. Had to share their shop with you! I'm so going back for more!

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home

And other items I have my eye on in the range:

Images courtesy of notPERFECTLINEN.

Pefectly imperfect  - love it!

In order of appearance: made to measure white linen curtains / drapes, set of two bluish grey pillow covers,  large linen tote, natural linen curtains.

I think I might just pick up a pair of these too - perfect for the Swedish spring! Do you have your eye on anything?
 

Have a wonderful weekend!

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A fab Danish home with a Moroccan twist

Godmorgon! It's Friday! Woop! I'm always super slow on Fridays, how about you?! I think I'm a secret 'four day weeker' except my mind hasn't told my body yet so I'm still at my laptop. Either that or I'm dreaming about the prospect of chilling out here over the next couple of days (can't wait!). But thankfully things feel super easy today since this little beauty of a Danish home dropped into my mailbox last night. Do you remember Julie Wittrup Pladsbjerg and her lovely flat in the Danish city of Aalborg (lest we forget that purple bike!)? Julie (who works for a Moroccan interior store), her boyfriend Mads and daughter Vanilla recently moved from the 5th floor to the ground floor in the same apartment block. Their new home has been furnished with a wonderful blend of designer items, vintage finds and Moroccan wares, or as Julie puts it: 'green, Scandinavian with a twist of Moroccan in my own, cosy, warm and colourful style'. Let's take a tour...

Home-owner: Julie Wittrup Pladsbjerg. Photographer: Benjamin Lassen. 

What a fab home - the apartment itself has beautiful bones and I love Julie's mix and match style.
How about you?

Get the look: dining area - Tom Dixon copper round pendant, Panton chair, Tripp Trapp children's chair, source a lovely boucherouite rug here and kilim cushions here, these string lights are similar. sitting room - source fashion prints and posters here, string pocket shelves.

In case you missed it, you can take a peek at Julie's previous apartment here and here and keep up to date with her latest home projects here.

If you fancy dipping into a whole host of other beautiful Danish spaces today, you could always check out the Danish home archive (oh yes!). My top tips - don't miss the dreamy home of a best selling author, an inviting space with vintage touches, and an eclectic apartment with attitude. Oh I do love Danish style!

Have a wonderful weekend!

PS I'll be dropping in tomorrow with a little pure linen inspiration.

PPS Or if it's drink trolleys (bar carts) you're after, you might want to hop on over to The Washington Post where I contributed to a splurge or save feature! So fun! Hope you like my selection. 

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My new window nook / reading corner!

We've got a window nook in our open plan sitting / dining room area and it's been home to everything from a drinks trolley, gallery wall and even our Christmas tree! But in the back of my mind I've always thought what a beautiful spot it would make for a daybed. Not only does this corner of our home get the most beautiful light, it's also really peaceful looking out over the garden and up at the moon at night.  And guess what?! I've finally got around to creating it thanks to a little help from Danish brand Nordal and their lovely wall lamp and cushions in grey, dusty rose and a soft cream throw as well as a few other bits and bobs (see below for more details!). It's turned out soooo cosy and already become the most popular spot in the house!

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home. Styling: Genevieve Jorn. 

What do you think?

Although it's super sweet seeing a little row of children's feet sticking out from under a blanket while they giggle over something on the ipad... but just one evening this week, just one!...I'd love to light that oil lamp, pour myself a large glass of something and read a book in this very spot!

Get the look:

1. Wall lamp 2. Floor cushion dark grey 3. Rug 4. Cushion cover purple grey 5. Cushion cover with circle print 6. Cushion cover dusty rose 7. Round serving platter 8. Oil lamp 9. Cotton shawl off white/beige

The open book is the first sneak peek inside my very own The Scandinavian Home (which launches in three weeks - exciting!). And I found the mobile here.

Give me a shout in the comment section below if you're wondering about any of the other items you see!

Have a lovely day!

PS Oh and a big Happy Birthday to stylist extraordinaire Gen! - I love working with you :)

This post was brought to you in collaboration with Nordal. All words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the brands which help me bring fresh posts to your mail box. And thank you Nordal for helping me finally complete my window nook!

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