The Beautiful Berlin flat and Country Retreat of Our Food Stories

Do you have a favourite creative you follow? A person or company where everything they share is simply breathtaking? Culinary-wise, mine is Our Food Stories. And judging by their almost 1 million followers on instagram, I'm not alone! I was crazily excited to catch up with Nora and Laura, the creative duo behind the brand to find out more about their recipes and work, how to achieve that 'moody' visual aesthetic, Design Tales and their beautiful abodes.

What a pleasure to feature you on MSH. We'd love to hear a little more about who you are and what you do?
We work as a photographer and food stylist. Laura studied photography and Nora actually fashion design. We have work together on our brand 'Our Food Stories' for almost 5 years and love it! Since we have a huge passion for design we decided to start an interior-Instagram Account as well. When we are not in our studio in Berlin, we love to photograph productions in our second home in the countryside, close to Berlin.

I love what you guys are doing creatively with Our Food Stories. Where did your passion for food / cooking come from?
We have both always loved good food! But when we met, it was really difficult to go out for dinner together, as Laura has so many food intolerances. So we started cooking together instead and had so much fun developing new recipes. Just before Laura finished her studies, we decided to share our recipes and pictures on a blog and we've never looked back.

What inspires your recipes / shoots?
Ingredients-wise we often get inspired by the changing seasons. And from the photographic point of view we love to roam in the countryside to find hidden corners at a lake or in the woods and these spots and memories always inspire us for dreamy photo shootings.

You have a very distinct photographic style when it comes to food photography - how did this develop? 
Thank you!! It just came naturally. When we started photographing food, our style was actually quite bright and clean, as we photographed only in our kitchen at home in Berlin. Quite soon we needed more space though and had the possibility to use Laura’s fathers house in the countryside for a while as a studio, as he didn’t used it during that time that much. There the light was more moody, we had plenty of old rustic tables and always found some interesting wooden boards in the garden. So our style changed of course!

This yummy looking gluten-free pumpkin seed berry cake features in their book Dialogues.

Do you have any advice to anyone looking to recreate the same dark, atmospheric look in their own photography?
 We are huge fans of natural light photography. So if you want to create this moody look, we would suggest shooting in a room with a small window and without direct sunlight. You can also use a black background, but you don’t even need that, if you just watch the light and get a feeling for it, when it’s best and at which time it helps you to create the effect that you want.

Do you each have your own skill set, if so how do you tend to divide tasks?
We always develop the recipes together. But Nora always cooks, I’m cleaning in between :) and then we do the styling together and I shoot the pictures. But the photo shooting process is always a moment where we work together. 

Seasonal recipes like this glutenfree pear cake can be found over on the Our Food Stories blog.

You divide your time between two (beautiful!) homes, can you tell us more about them?
Thanks a lot! We have a flat in Berlin which is close to our studio. Our countryside space, is a little flat in the house of friends, which we completely renovated. It’s so wonderful to live in a house with them, we're very grateful for this! Together we share a wonderful garden, which is our all time favorite photo shooting spot during summer.

Laura & Nora's Berlin apartment is near to their fabulous studio where a lot of the the culinary /photographic magic happens. Because of the creative chaos that often comes with photo shoots (although looking at the pictures, that's hard to imagine!) the pair like to keep their home pared-back and calm. Enjoy the tour!

"We love the mix between old and new things! Our home in Berlin is more modern, with new danish design interiors." 

GET THE LOOK

1. FRAMA shelf library / 2. GUBI Grand Piano sofa / 3. Linen bedding from By Mölle / 4. FRAMA Sintra table / 5. FRAMA writing desk / 6. 9,5 chair

Laura & Nora completely renovated their two room flat in the countryside just outside Berlin from scratch. It's part of a larger house owned by friends and offers a completely different creative setting for their work. Let's take a peek inside...

"Our home in the countryside is more rustic, but also with a modern influence."

The pair recently renovated their kitchen in the country and opted for the black METOD-LAXARBY kitchen from IKEA. There's a great write-up about it and before and after pictures here.

Laura and Nora's fluffy friends Collin & Carry often make an appearance on Our Food Stories and Design Tales. They're super cute (and looking very mischevous in this picture, don't you think?!

 "The way we choose the style of the interior comes quite naturally and is also kind of indirectly dominated (in a good way) by the space itself, its aura and its architectural character."

"We try to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere at home and this is what we love most! We have so much chaos during photo shootings, that we value a calm yet cozy home a lot!" 

GET THE LOOK:

1. FRAMA shelf library desk / 2. Taccia table lamp / 3. Aesop soap / 4. By Mölle linen bedding
/ 5. &Tradition Fly sofa / 6. Industrial pendant lamp / 7. Aure print / 8. Vintage chopping boards
9. Tea towel / 10. Industrial scissor lamp /11. Silke Bonde 'dew' art print / 12. Saxe chair By Lassen
13. Marshall speakers

If you loved their homes as much as I do, and don't already follow their blog  Our Food Stories and instagram feeds @ourfoodstories and @designtales - they're a must!! Who knows, you might even feel inspired to whip up a plum pie this evening (although I can't imagine mine looking quite like theirs!). You might also be excited to hear they have a book out too:

"Our book 'Dialogues' is a collaboration with Frama Cph. We love their work and have a lot of their beautiful furniture in our home. To work on a book together was such a great experience! The book is a mix of interior/design content and recipes and we hope, that it will be inspiring for others!"

Dialogues is available here.

Thank you so much for sharing your trade secrets and beautiful abodes with us Nora and Laura!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday!

Niki

PS I can't wait to get out in the knee-deep snow (such a kid!).

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ©OUR FOOD STORIES.

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A Light-filled Apartment on Sweden's West Coast

I always read every single one of your comments (both here and on Instagram and Facebook) - It's so interesting and fun to hear your thoughts, tips and ideas. Yesterday Roxanna requested a home with colour to brighten up her winter in Slovenia (where the mercury hit minus 23 yesterday - BRRRRR!). I totally get it (the weather can be decidedly monochrome here at the best of times) but I really couldn't resist sharing this home with you first - err, do hints of pale mint, terracotta, and gold count? Probably not, but this home inspired in part by the Artilleriet studio (as read on Trendenser and looking at the pictures I can totally see why!) will hopefully brighten up your day all the same! 

There are some lovely pieces in this light-filled kitchen including a Moravia Star light, Era chairs, and Lampe Gras wall sconce. 

 

I love an internal window - they're idea for slipping light into dark areas. In one of the homes in my book The Scandinavian Home, an old warehouse window had been installed for this very purpose and it looked beautiful!

The Suspension Vertigo light reminds me of a hat - it's kind of cool. The bigger the better in my mind! The Atollo table lamp seen on the table in the far corner is far more subtle with it's clean lines, but also cool in its own way! You can pick up a Beni ourain rug from this lovely Etsy shop.

Photography: Anders Bergstedt for Entrance.

 

Although a little wet looking in this picture, I'm thinking better weather is around the corner and we'll also be able to hang out on our balcony (with blankets!) any time soon! 

 

Stay warm (unless you live somewhere like Oz right now, in which case I'll send a refreshing cold blast your way!).

PS this lovely apartment is for sale  - in case you fancy a move to Gothenburg - you'll have the beautiful archipelago on your doorstep too? Just saying! 

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A Soothing White and Caramel Swedish home

So the 'beast from the east' has arrived. How are you coping European friends (I hear there's even snow in Rome!)? Keeping toasty? In Sweden it's been snowing all night and all day and it's minus 9 (here in the south!). Crazy! Still, I do love a proper winter, how about you? All this snow has meant I've been completely distracted (my Swedish friends on the other hand, are completely unfazed by it all - proof that you can take a girl out of London, but you can't take London out of the girl!') and left hardly anytime for today's post (squeezed in between an afternoon coffee and collecting the girls with their toboggans in 30 minutes time!). But this home tour is a goody and totally worth stopping by for nevertheless, especially if you love a calm, white, minimalist home with warm caramel accents! It's been styled for sale viewings, hence the more minimalist look and feel, but I think there's plenty to feel inspired by all the same. Enjoy!

Pick up similar abstract artwork here. I'm so curious about the armchairs - if you have any idea where they're from it would be wonderful if you can let me know in the comment section below and I'll update the post. 

The Gubi semi-pendant is a favourite of mine, it comes in a load of colours but the white option keeps it classic.

If we think it's cold in Europe right now, we'd better be thankful we weren't around for Europe's mini ice age between 1500 and 1800! There'd have been no choca mocha lotta lattes to warm our cockles. But there was an invention in the 18th century which we'd have been grateful for - the Swedish 'kakelugn' (seen above). Considered a heat efficient way to warm a home at the time - many masonry ovens are not in working order today but look super pretty all the same!

These warm brown linen duvet cover and pillow cases are similar. And I'm a big fan of the Cord lamp by Design House Stockholm! 

 Photography courtesy of Stadshem.

Oh so lovely. The apartment has such a soothing feel to it, don't you think? I love the space-saving fold-away chair in the hall  - so handy for tight spots. The closest I've found is by Henrybuilt - any tips where this one's from?

Is there anything you love about this home?

Have a lovely day and stay warm friends! 

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Is Embroidery the New Avocado Toast?!

In my Lagom book I talk about the importance of swapping screen time for analogue activities such as reading, writing a diary and handiwork before bedtime in order to feel more relaxed, doze off quicker and enjoy an improved quality of sleep. So you can imagine how excited I was to see embroidery popping up more in the social media sphere! Pinterest, Instagram (6 million hits!), blogs, DIY magazines, you name it. For those of you shuddering as you cast your mind back to a cold classroom with pricked fingers - fear not, we're talking embroidery with a modern twist and a Swedish start-up has you covered! Founded by Sofia Magnusson, The Folklore Company combines the digital world with old school cross stitch embroidery, meaning that anyone who hasn't done a cross-stitch since primary school can still enjoy the mindful activity and create something wall-worthy too! How fab is that?!

When Marielle at The Folklore Company first approached me I was quick to notice you can buy ready made embroidery patterns too - the 'busy' person in me was incredibly tempted! But then I realised I'd be missing out on the whole relaxation side  plus I'd never find out if embroidery truly was the new avocado toast! I fired off a mail with my concerns and was assured: "it’s really not hard to embroider your own, it’s a little time consuming but a very soothing activity, which is made even more cozy with a cup of tea."

Being a Brit, she had me at the tea. Here's how I got on:

1.  Selecting the pattern. The Design Editor offers a large variety of patterns ranging from more traditional flowers and lace to swallows, hearts and even unicorns! I went for the The Malta pattern - which is one of their best sellers since it's a relative simple pattern (best not to run before I crawl!). 

2.  Selecting the colour: I opted for the pewter grey thread, which I'm really pleased with. On the home run I exchanged one of the birds for a pink thread which I found at home. I think it added a nice little twist do you?!
3. Adding your text, favourite quote or poem: (remember the longer it is the more hours it will take, but then again, the task is not meant to be rushed and March is one looong month!). 
4. Choosing the text style: I chose the Primus Script as I kind of wanted the juxtaposition of the modern quote with the traditional lettering.
5. Ordering the kit: The embroidery kit contains everything you need to get started right away including a needle, fabric, yarn and pattern but I kind of got carried away and ordered the pretty peacock scissors (was tempted with the Eiffel tower ones too), a wooden embroidery hoop, and a thimble!

6. The process: I was so grateful for the very straight forward instructions and the embroidery was truly therapeutic (it's a perfect activity for a long journey, wiling away a few hours at the weekend or simply kicking back in the evenings!).

Once finished I placed the fabric in a black frame and hung it on my bedroom wall! I have to say, I'm so happy with the result!

Keen to make your own? All the information you need to get started is right here
- and the fab team are offering you 15% discount with the code: 15%SCANDINAVIAN up until 31st March. You The Folklore Team girls rock!


Don't forget to share a picture of your masterpiece using the hashtag #folklorecompany, we'd love to see it!

Thank you to the fab girls at The Folklore Company for setting me on the embroidery path and sponsoring this post - I'm already wondering what pattern to create next. Something for my daughter's room perhaps?! Watch this space!


Photography credits: 1 (montage) & 2 courtesy of The Folklore Company / 3, 4 & 5: Niki Brantmark - My Scandinavian Home.

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