A White Dutch Home With Salmon Pink Accents

We made it friends, it's Friday - whopeeee!!! The crazies broke up from school today too (Eeeek, so early...!). Time to make some holiday plans. Have you noticed that the Instagram place to go right now is Tulum, Mexico? I visited around 18 years ago - and I have to say it was truly stunning! I promise there is a rationale behind all this chat. I was taking my usual evening scroll through IG yesterday (as you do!) and stumbled across Suzanne's beautiful feed. Suzanne is a stylist, blogger and Mother of two and snaps beautiful pictures of her family's adventures (of which the recent one was to, es, you guessed it, Tulum!) and their wonderful home in The Netherlands. The delightful living space truly puts children in the centre - which goes to show that you can have a predominantly white home and a little children running about! The fabulous salmon pink accent also helps to add fun pops of colour throughout. Enjoy the tour!

How fabulous is that salmon pink Orange Slice chair? It's like a work of art and transforms the entire space.

Rattan stool*, Block rug, macrame wall hanging*

I love the idea of having a children's desk in the corner of the sitting room - and this zone with a homemade desk is so pretty, don't you think?

Once again, it's quite incredible how one statement piece (in this case the patterned throw) can make such a big difference to an otherwise all white space! I'd love to know where this one is from - tips welcome!

Bamboo pendant* 

The little boy's room has been kitted out in a white, dark blue and mustard yellow theme (see this guide on to how to create a half painted wall). It looks as though the desk has been painted the same colour as the wall, which is a nice way to create a cohesive feel (we did this with the shelves in Albin's room, and Lovisa did the same with her bedside tables in her fabulous Stockholm home).

What a great family home, don't you think?!

I really love how the Dutch incorporate colour into their homes, it always looks so fresh!

You can check out more of Suzanne's shots (including that trip to Tulum I was talking about!) on her IG feed and blog Ensuus and explore more homes from The Netherlands here.

Right guys. I do believe that's it for the week!! Hope you've found the posts inspiring!

Have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday!

Niki

Photography: Suzanne / Ensuus shared with kind permission.

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New Interior Design Book: Modern Macramé

A new interior design book arrived on my desk this week and it's an absolute beauty! If you love the fine art of knotting and swoon-worthy boho interiors, you'll love Modern Macramé: 33 stylish projects for your handmade home* by Emily Katz. Not only does the tome include page after page of inspiring living spaces, it also offers a contemporary guide to the traditional art and craft of macramé. From wall hangings and plant hangers to lampshades, swings and even a tent (who knew?!), the book includes 33 achievable projects as well as ideas on how to incorporate the custom hand knotted pieces into your home. Time to get knotting!

//affiliated links marked with *//

Just looking at these pictures alone, which include a wall hanging, plant hangers, a day bed and bath mat makes me feel there's no end to what you can achieve with a little rope!

Feeling inspired?! Pick up a copy of the book here*!

In case you're on the look out for more interior design books for your wall of books or coffee table, there are a ton more to choose from in this archive.

If you have any great book recommendations (interior design or simply great summer reads) I'd love to hear about them in the comment section below!

Have a lovely day!

PS Did you recognise the home of Malia Grace Mau in the third picture down? I featured their beautiful Topanga Canyon home a few months back.

Featured with kind permission from Modern Macramé: 33 stylish projects for your handmade home* by Emily Katz, copyright © 2018. Published by ten speed press, a division of penguin random house, inc. text and tutorial photographs © 2018 by Emily Katz; interior design photographs © 2018 by Nicole Franzen.

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The Fabulous Stockholm Home of Lovisa Häger

Hello there! Kind of tricky business this hump day, don't you think? It's when you realise there's only a few days left until the weekend and yet you've got about a week's worth of stuff to do - bah! In my lagom book I wrote that no matter how busy you are - breaks are essential and will actually make you more efficient - and who am I to ignore this?! So, let's down our tools, put our feet up and take some guilt-free minutes to admire Lovisa Häger's beautiful Stockholm apartment! Lovisa is a Swedish interior designer, blogger, artist and economist! The contrast between creation and structure in Lovisa's daily life is reflected in her interior and art where she looks to combine classic design furniture with unexpected details to create an artistic and personal home.

//affiliated links marked with *//

Lovisa's home is made of off neutrals and a dark grey accent. I LOVE the way Lovisa has used the accent shade to create a dramatic, yet cocoon like feel in the bedroom and cleverly carried it through to the main living area in the form of skirting boards and window frames for a truly striking effect! 

Intrusion print, mantis wall lamp*, the Härmanö bed in Zaragoza Eggshell and washed white linen bedding* are similar. 

 "The (interior) style that I'm going for is classical and Scandinavian with an edge! I love soft colours and tone-in-tone, and I try to compliment it with natural materials and a few favorite designer pieces. I love things that you spontaneously want to look twice at, perhaps to understand the construction or origin, and that's one of the main reasons why my focus over the years has become DIY. When people enter our home they always have to go on an 'exploration' to see my latest projects, as our home is in constant change they are always very curious to see what has happened since last time they visited!"

Floatation print, Lovisa made the table herself, Wishbone chairs*

Serge Mouille wall lamp, Atollo table lamp, Abstraction print

Lovisa made the coffee table herself, source a similar beige waffle throw here.

Lovisa has recently joint forces with Wall of Art to convert her beautiful artwork into large scale, limited edition prints.

"The idea behind my art was really to create something that would compliment the interior in my own home, where the focal point is colour and structure - a feeling - rather than a motif. I have been craving large paintings for a while now, I want artwork that isn't afraid to be noticed but that still isn't overpowering, so I've been working a lot with trying to find that balance through size and soft tones. When working with interior design, I'd say that artwork is the best way to transform a space and add new dimensions, and that's why I was so excited to take on this project!"

I was so busy admiring Lovisa's artwork that it took me several moments to notice the cane radiator covering  - I mean, how beautiful is that?! Trying to think where I can incoporate the same idea into my own home. Hmmm! 

Flos Snoopy table lamp*

 Source a similar vintage credenza here*, Perception print

In the last picture you can also see a close-up of the beautiful parquet floor which looks like it's been sanded down and white washed, it looks especially great next to the dark grey skirting boards.

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I must say I've got a serious case of home envy over this one - anyone else feeling the same? So much so, that I might just have to hop over to Lovisa's 'An Interior Affair' instagram and blog (I need to find out more about the DIY tables!) - see you there?!

And for more Stockholm apartments like this I'd recommend these tours: Karolina Modig's creative home, a striking Swedish home with a wall of books and the beautiful Stockholm home of Amelia Widell.

Happy hump day!

(is it just me or is this term a little awkward among Brits?!).

Niki


Photography: Jesper Florbrant / Lovisa Häger 

FYI - some if these pictures have been taken from Lovisa's instagram which have been taken over time. This is why you might see the same item appear more than once (The Kinfolk Home*, I'm looking at you!). 

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A Finnish Collector's Home Full of Vintage Treasures

I've posted a LOT of Finnish homes on here in the past, but never one like this! Stepping inside Pauliina's home in Harjavalta, Western Finland is like stepping back in time."I love 50's and 60's furniture and get so much inspiration from a thrift store," Pauliina tells me. "Usually I don't want to buy anything new, I try to find everything thrifted." The fruits of Pauliina's search have resulted in a unique home full of vintage treasures with pops of pink, blue and yellow accents. Don't miss her very pretty, very fluffy cats too!

I love this pair of brass cranes, I spotted similar ones at Hotel Henriette in Paris. This corner of Etsy is a great place to pick up a pair of your own.

The walls have been painted in code G370 from Tikkurilas and the floor is dotted with pretty rag rugs (traditional floor coverings made from leftover fabric scraps). 

"One of my favourite pieces is our coffee table in our living room. I also love our green armchair, it's designed by Olli Borg and is called 'Rondo'."

Keep a look out for an original version of the 60's Rondo chair on auction sites like Bukowskis. The light grey walls have been painted in Tikkurilas (code 1923) and the pink linen curtains are from IKEA (don't you love it when that happens? It's like when you ask someone where their dress is from and they say they 'bought it yesterday in H&M' - result!

The retro style wallpapers have been sourced from BoråsTapeter and Pihlgren&Ritola.

"The three best places to find lovely vintage items in Finland are Pimee vintti, Wanha mari and in summer time there are many good outdoor flea markets here in Finland. You can find the schedule here (in Finnish only)." Pauliina.

How pretty does Pimee vintti look? It's a little like the area I visited for my book The Scandinavian Home and I've been dying to go back ever since!

This guest room is full of 50's / 60's floral prints - and looks right at home in the house built in the same era.  

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Aaaaa, I really loved looking around this home, it was like going in a time machine, right down to the last detail (did you spot the retro radios?!). If you have a spare moment today you must visit Pauliina's instagram feed and blog where there are hundreds more pictures of this space and snippets from the homes of similar minded vintage bargain hunters! 

Does this home inspire you to go hunting for vintage treasures?!

For more retro vibes today check out the relaxed Antwerp home of a creative duo, Tamsin Flower's cheerful London Home and a pared-back Australian beach house with a retro vibe. These are all such wonderful homes - I love them all! 

Have a lovely day!

Photography: Pauliina

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A Small Swedish Space That Will Make You Want to Downsize!

Tjeeeena! Hur är läget?! Shall we start small this week? This Swedish studio in Gothenburg is a mini 45 metre square (484 foot square), but it's proof that you can have it all (even a piano!) in a small space! I also threw in the floor plan from where this lovely space is currently for sale so that you can make heads and tails of the layout (sometimes it can be hard to tell from the pictures). Sure, it helps that the building dates back to 1899 and the period features are still intact, that it has magnificent high ceilings and a beautiful arch window to boot - but there's still plenty of ideas to steal for even the most dark and dingy of flats! White paint at the ready....

Bed-side essentials such as a dressing gown and slippers can be turned into decoration in their own right. I've got my eye on a pretty floral kimono such as this liberty print one! 

White linen bedding, small beni ourain rug

Using the windowsill as a make-shift bedside table for books and a lamp helps to free up floor space.

Milk NA1 table lamp

A small space can become cluttered very quickly. Try to group items together and leave blank space between each zone so you can see some nice, clean areas - it will make the room feel bigger and less cluttered.

Hay Tray Coffee table, IKEA reading lamp.

It's quite incredible how you can fit showers into the tightest of spaces (my sister managed to get one into a small closet in her second bedroom and now has a lovely little en suite!). Even though this little bathroom is a wet room, a shower curtain would be essential for me as I've got something about getting my socks wet in the mornings (not to mention the loo roll!) - how about you?!

Fouta / Hammam towel, L:A Bruket hand and bodywash, Marvis toothpaste

Floor plan

Photography: Anders Bergstedt / Styling Studio Cuvier for Entrance.  

What a pretty space. Does it make you want to pack it up, pack it in and go for a studio in Sweden's second largest city?! I'm not sure I'd swap it for my house right now (what with all my kids and all!) but I wouldn't mind having it as pied-á-terre so that I could pad around, tinker on the piano (when I'm not at Theo's piano by the window in Berlin, of course!) and visit the likes of Artllieriet and Grandpa Store.  A girl can dream after all, right?!

For more small space inspiration this bright and sunny Monday morning - sit back and take a scroll through this archive (as always hop over this apartment if it pops up first!). If there's anything our Scandi friends totally rock at - it's making mini spaces mighty!

Have a great start to the week!

Niki

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