Step Inside Dave's Light and Airy Munich Home

Is anyone else sweltering today?! I'm back at my desk at home and it's over 30 degrees (86 F) outside - kind of crazy for Sweden! We're soooo not used to this! I love it, of course - but it's so distracting as all I want to do is head down to the sea every five minutes and dive in. It's times like this, that carefully edited, minimalist homes really come into their own, don't you think? Take Dave's home in Munich, Germany. The living space, which Dave shares with his boyfriend Enrico and their golden retriever Bruno, has been carefully edited to include only pieces they truly treasure. There's nothing superfluous to need. No frills. Just simple, beautiful pieces of furniture, each of which are like a work of art. The result is a light and airy home in the heart of the city that oozes cool. I wonder if he'd mind if I pulled up a chair and stayed for a while. Anyone care to join me?

I'm feeling cooler just looking at these pictures, how about you? Although a nice cool drink (did you see the summer herb infused lemonade recipe I shared last week?) on the rattan chair in his garden wouldn't go amiss too!

I particularly love the sitting room with the mid-century credenza (source a similar one here*), jungle wall chart and snoopy lamp* etc. Is there anything that stood out to you? 

Here a few other light and airy homes to keep you cool today: 

A beautiful, simple white Danish cabin

The wonderful playful loft of a furniture designer

Angelina's breezy Munich home (look out for the snoozing pup!)

On that note, I'm off to grab my towel (actually my bath robe - here by the sea where I live in Malmö, us locals wonder down to the waters edge in a robe over our swim gear and no-one bats an eyelid!). 

Have a wonderful start to the week friends, stay well, stay cool! 

Niki

Photography: @daves_home

PS I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was having computer problems (thank you for your commiserations, it really is infuriating!). The good news is that Apple managed to fix my laptop, the bad news is they had to wipe EVERYTHING - baaah! If you spot a few typos in the post it's because I haven't downloaded the Microsoft office (where I spell check my posts). It's on my to do list though, I promise!

PPS I'll be back with a new home tour on Wednesday! The crazies start school next week so I'll finally be back to posting daily again. Thanks so much for bearing with this mamma of two! 

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The Relaxed, Boho Copenhagen Home of a Plant Enthusiast

Have you got that Friday feeling? I'm feeling it friends - woohooo! I've been in sunny Denmark for the night - and I can't tell you how happy I am to return to this wonderful country! One of my favourite past times is people watching and there's so much to love about the relaxed, boho Danish style. This filters all the way down to their homes. Are you ready to take a peek behind the facade of a relaxed Copenhagen home? Louise Olofsson lives with her boyfriend Jonathan in a one bedroom flat in the heart of the capital. The self confessed 'Little Botonist', has a passion for greenery and filled her home with over 100 plants which nestle beside flea market finds and Scandinavian design classics. Welcome to Louise's urban jungle! 

"My passion for plants started around five years ago. My Dad gave me a mini orange tree that he owned but was dying. Somehow I managed to keep it alive and make it thrive again. It made me so happy that I had the power to nurture a plant. From that moment on, my love and passion for plants grew" - Louise

"We have over 100 plants in our two room apartment and I cannot imagine a home without them. They make our home feel alive and bring me peace" 

"I love to learn about biology and nature and spend a lot of time reading about and studying my plants. At the beginning I watered them every Sunday. Now I am somehow synchronized with them all and water them whenever I feel it's needed"

Thank you so much for inviting us into your urban jungle Louise!

Has this inspired you to introduce more plants to your home? I'd love to have more! I'm feeling a growing confidence having kept both a lemon and fig tree alive this year - miracles of miracles! Could this be my own 'urban jungle' year? 

See more green inspiration: 

A relaxed artists home full of plants

The cosy small flat of a Copenhagen creative and plant lover

A beautiful home in shades of moss green, white and brown

Right friends, there are two little ladies waiting for me - sun hats on, beach towels draped over their shoulders. Time to enjoy our last day in Denmark (if you haven't been to Hornbæk, it's a must! So many beautiful interior design shops!).

I'll be blogging three days next week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and then the crazies go back to school so it'll all be back to normal with the five posts again. Thank you for bearing with me! 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Niki

Photography: Louise Olofsson

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Beautiful Danish Glassware and My Favourite Summer Drink!

After a tour of the Swedish West coast (travel guide to follow soon!), it's been wonderful to be back at our summer cottage for a few days. I spent a lovely afternoon with my friend Tove, catching up over a glass of herb infused lemonade. It was one of those afternoons which turned into evening... which turned into night (and may have eventually involved some Prosecco!). I'd invited Tove to come over and help me shoot a set of beautiful mouth blown glassware for Pernille Bülow (the glass workshop on the Danish island of Bornholm where the stunning SKY lamps are also made). And we decided to put the pretty setting and smokey ODIN glassware to good use in the process! Here are a few snapshots - and more details about the glassware, the lemonade and a few other pieces! 

I picked up the chairs at a nearby 'loppis' (flea market) - such a find! The questions is, do I re-paint them or leave them in their naturally dilapidated state? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

On the table you can catch a glimpse of the handmade ODIN jug and drinking glass in grey, which have been designed in the Pernille Bülow atelier and handmade abroad. As with all their designs, I love how the ODIN glassware has a simple yet strong expression, and perfect for everyday use as well as special events (like catching up with friends!).  

My daughter Allie and I made the mint, dill and basil infused lemonade in the morning. The syrup is super simple to make, tastes really refreshing, and if you make a big batch can last all summer long! Oh and it's perfect for pepping up 'stronger' drinks - just sayin'! Here's the recipe: 

Mint, Dill and Basil Infused Lemonade Squash

Ingredients:

2.5 dl water

300 g sugar

2 tbsp fresh dill  

5 g fresh basil

5 g fresh mint

3.75 dl lemon juice

Method

Combine the sugar and water in a pan, place on medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Rip up the mint and basil leaves and add to the pan. Add the dill stems. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place mixture in a container in the fridge for 60 minutes. Sieve the mixture to remove herbs. 

To serve: combine the syrup and lemon juice with 18 dl of water and serve on ice with a sprig of mint. 

Tove and I found the jug works perfectly as a vase too! The thistles and ferns are from our cottage garden.

As the sun sank lower in the sky we brought out an ODIN pillar candleholder and tea light holder in grey. There are also two lovely bowls in the range - the small bowl in grey which we used for crabapples and a large bowl. 

Such a memorable afternoon. I love it when a plan comes together!

You can find out more information about Pernille Bülow ODIN glassware here - and also take a peek at the SKY lamps which I've featured in my home here, here and here.

Thank you to Tove for a great afternoon, and also to my wonderful neighbors for the pretty setting!

Niki

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Pernille Bülow. However, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too! 

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Welcome Inside The Home of a Danish Interior Consultant

Why hello there, or 'hej' (pronounced 'hi' in Danish - which makes it pretty easy for us English speaking guys!). Today, I'm whisking you away to Odder, a small town in central Jutland, Denmark, which Cecilie Kovsted and her fiancé Magnus have made their home. Cecilie works an interior consultant at Tapetforum and as a sales employee at ARoS Aarhus Art Museum. Little wonder her home - which she frequently shows on her instagram feed @interiorunivers - is a real feast for the eyes. The duo have filled their 79 m2 (850 f2) apartment with ceramics, colourful prints and 'loppemarked' (flea market) finds -inspired by Cecilie's childhood home. Pour yourself a Danish-style extra strong 'kaffe', pull up a chair, and enjoy the tour! 

"I am in the process of changing our decor and I am trying to focus more on warm colours, Japanese ceramics and prints that match my 'theme'." - Cecilie. 

"Art means a lot to me, and as you can probably see, we have a lot of it in our home! Most of the prints are flea market finds or bought from interior design shops. I look for unique prints. I particularly love prints from Galerie Maeght and even visited their little shop in Paris - which I can highly recommend!" - Cecilie. 

Such an inspiring home - especially the art! 

You often see the same prints time and time again in homes, but I loved how Cecilie had sought more original art, particularly in her home office. 

Feeling curious, I scoured her instagram feed to glean some of the sources she's used for glassware, ceramics, prints and other decor:

Cecilie's Danish Interior Shopping Black Book

Kræss Store (glassware, ceramics, art etc!)

Atelier Mathilde Vesterskov

Le Klint (lighting)

Louisiana Museum Shop

ARoS Art Museum Shop

Since my family and I are actually heading to Denmark today (WHOOPEE! I'm SO excited as we haven't been since the whole - whisper it, pandemic began - follow along on my instagram stories if you'd like to see a little of Hornbæk!), I thought it would be apt to go all out Danish today. Here are a few other homes I love:

Malene and Jeppe's Home With Lots of Dots

A Vibrant Aarhus Home

An elegant Danish home in the heart of Copenhagen

And while we're on the topic of 'great Dane' style and design, I'll be stopping by tomorrow with an extra post to share some pictures I took near our summer cottage of some beautiful Danish glassware and one of my favorite Swedish summer drinks! See you then! 

Niki

Photography: Cecilie Kovsted

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A Lovely, Relaxed Artist's Home Full of Plants

Tjena! We've had a great week on Sweden's West coast - despite a few howling gales. Now, we're starting to wind our way back to Malmö across the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund seas (it's a loooong sail!). I'm already dreaming about home and my warm, cosy bed - so it feels apt to start blogging about beautiful interiors again today! And what better way to kick off the week than an artists home full of plants, books and inspiring DIY ideas! Denise is a freelance illustrator and art therapist, who's watercolour box is her constant companion. Her light-filled home in Berlin has been furnished with an eclectic blend of pieces, and although pared-back, it's full of character and serves as a wonderful, relaxed space to live and paint. Welcome to Denise's world! 

What a great home! 

I love her DIY headboard against the textured bedroom wall. The futon style bed also emphasizes the tremendous ceiling height. 

Did you spot her amazing rubber plant? I'm not sure ours will ever be that tall!

Is there anything that stood out to you? 

Denise sells her beautiful watercolors through her Etsy shop KunstZimmerBerlin and is also a part of The Conscious Club, a studio and store in Berlin for mindfully designed and crafted products (one to visit if you're ever in town!). I also love her instagram @kunstzimmer - it's full of inspiration! 

How I love a Berlin home, do you feel the same? Here are a few others I've featured: 

A small relaxed bohemian home, filled with plants

A serene family home in Berlin

A bohemian touch in a magnificent Berlin apartment

The wonderful loft of a furniture designer (OK, I cheated a little here, this is not in Berlin - but it's well worth a peek!)

Have a great start to the week! See you Wednesday (I'll be blogging three days a week until Monday as it can be a bit tricky on the high seas!). 

I hope you're having a relaxing summer, and keeping well out there! 

Niki

Photography: Denise / @kunstzimmer

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