The April issue of Elle Decor landed in my mail pile and I took some (rare) time out, crashed on the sofa and started to turn the pages. I must say, there are some lovely features in this issue. The article that really made me hyper-ventilate is the one about the London home by the Cosmetics Exceutive Christine D’Ornano (her family is behind Sisley). Lucky woman is all that I have to say! She has created a warm, chic, kids friendly and lived-in haven filled with contemporary art and splashes of antiques.

Forgive me for my crummy (self scanned) images. Elle has not posted theirs on-line yet. (And I could not contain myself!). I will re-fresh these as soon as they are available.

So, let me tell you what I see instead.

I see beautiful colors in this amazing combined library and dining room. I LOVE the light blue upholstered Chesterfield sofa in the background, together with the yellow leather covered chairs (how divine!) with splashes of that purple/read peonie color that I so adore. And plenty of books and art – smashing!

Hard to be unhappy in this living room. LOVE the sofa, the industrial light fixtures by Serge Mouille, the over-sized ottoman and the nonchalantly placed photos on the wall. (The walls have been upholstered in pink linen!).

I investigated further and the arm sconces can be found here at Gueridon in NY.

I see a bright and happy kitchen dining area. The vintage lamps are lovely with the long rustic table and the simple black chairs. And aren’t the flower arrrangements fun!

And here is the lucky owner, herself – Christine d’Ornano. She apparently found this white chair at a flea market in Paris (where was i?). The lovely painting is by Mark Quinn. And as always I love any gray wall.

Christine and her husband have 3 young children together (I know what that feels like!) and she wanted a cozy environment for her family. Mission accomplished, I’d say. And look at the tall, beautiful windows that let all that natural light in. I personally would be very content here!

Oh, and here is her bathroom. Unique and fun! An old worn sofa next to the new bathtub with a small yellow sidetable  for your occasional glass of wine!

Happy new week, friends! Let it be a good one!

Show me the books – and I will tell you who you are! You have heard me saying over and over again that seeing no books in a house makes me somehwat nervous! Please, tell me that you read books. Please tell me that you are curious about the world and everything beyond. Don’t be afraid to show your books (even if they all fit on one tiny shelf) and who you are! (Not to impress, not to be liked – just to share the true you and what makes you tick. And for that you will be admired).

Here are some lovely areas where books take the center stage.

I love that over-sized architectural print. I am thinking I might need to copy that idea!

I have a serious crush on that ladder!

And I am still waiting for an old bust to move in with us!

Happy reading & Happy rest of the week, dear friends!

I am so incredibly happy to have met you all.

Image 1. via We Heart It, image 2. via  We heart it, all other images from Rum

Thank you all for your comments and e-mails! In a previous post, here, I wrote about getting a shelf for my beloved Swedish cups that I collect. You had me convinced and I decided to go with a new cubby storage from Pottery Barn (until maybe an edgy vintage industrial version comes along?). I could not wait any longer, so I dragged the shelf home this weekend and forced poor Hubby to put it up Sunday morning. (He is always such a trooper). Here it is in full display. And I have 25 cubbies to fill up. Yeah! (Sorry I don’t take better pictures!).

The old Italian secretarie and I never got along that great (not my style – or so I thought). But when I put it all together, I really started to appreciate the writing desk and have now decided it will not be in hiding anymore!  I am not even convinced that I will paint the cubby shelf gray anymore (but that remains to be seen…).

Do you see the green pottery egg? It was made by the well known Swedish ceramist Hans Hedberg. Hedberg was known for his outsized fruit and egg ceramic sculptures. He passed away in Cannes, France, in 2007 at the age of 89. He used to swap pottery tips with Picasso, taught Chagall, and was highly successful as an artist in his own right. I have always been drawn to the egg shape. It is such a wonderous and magical shape connected with new beginnings!

A really large egg  by Hans Hedberg is something to dream about. But I am perfectly happy with my little green one!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend and that you are re-energized for a new week. Happy Monday, dears!

Friends, for the longest time I have been searching for a wall display for my treasured handmade cups by Swedish artist Åsa Lindström (tomorrow’s antique  trust me).  I don’t know how many posts I have written about these cups - and yes I am absolutely obsessed with them! (BTW, Camilla at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm who I wrote about in my last “In the Spotlight” post, was the one who kicked off my collection. Thank you, dear!).

As a home for my cups, I envision something vintage with some edge. Maybe something industrial gray. (I don’t want glass, I know that). I see cubbies. I like things organized. And lately I have been googling for everything from vintage mail cubbies to industrial storage, but so far I have come up with zip, nada. (Or do you have any other display ideas up your sleeve?)

And then today I opened the new Pottery Barn catalog and out of a page jumps a brand new product – a cubby organizer. I started to hyper ventilate. Could this be it? I love the look and the dimensions are perfect. I like the hand written numbers. There are 25 cubbies in total. I only have 12 cups which means I need to collect more – and I really like that! The price is very low. But folks really, a mass produced shelf for my collectible cups that I so adore?

Have any of you seen an unique, vintage display cubby organizer similar to this, anywhere? I will give you a nice reward if you find the perfect one! Or should I settle for this??? What do you think? Help!!

I know that we are all pleased that the Holiday season is behind us – for now. But this wall display could also get a different look for next winter holiday. (All the Christmas knick-knacks collected in one spot). I know the kiddos would love it!

Have a lovely rest of the week, friends! You are always on my mind.

This weekend I attended a community event where I had been asked to represent my home county Sweden. I dragged my girls with me (dressed up as Pippi Longstocking and Lucia) and decorated my area with lovely things from Sweden. (Think everything from 18th c. chairs and gray linen to salty black licorice and pop music). I got to meet a lot of people and certainly did my share of PR for the country. And then a couple of well dressed ladies walked up and we chatted up a storm about Swedish design until one of them asked what I thought of Belgian interior design. Ehhh…

An oil painting by Belgian artist Nele Cornelis is a focal point in the foyer.

And then from nowhere information started to pour out of me. And I tell you, most of what I know is because of my talented blog friend who is no stranger to so many of my close blog friends. But if you have not yet met her, huddle over and say hello!

Her name is Greet Lefèvre. She lives in Belgium and is behind The Belgian Pearls. She is someone Belgium’s Cultural Ministry should view as a national treasure .

Here are some lovely interiors from her home where she lives with her family. (Yep, I know!!!)

On her blog you will find images like these. (Yes, go ahead and drool!)

Together with her brother she runs a succesful wood carving company – Lefèvre Interiors. Had I lived closer I would not have hesitated for one second to have my next dining table designed by them.

And what did I actually tell the ladies? Well, I told them that there are many similarities between Swedish and Belgian Design. Both styles include simple, uncomplicated pieces. They both cherish organic, natural materials, textures and colors. We use a lot of gray and white in Sweden and I believe that the further south you go in Europe – the warmer colors. So, I see more of a warmer beige used in the Belgian interiors or rather “Greige” – a mix between gray and beige. Belgian style might also be a tad more relaxed in my opinion and the furniture seems more grand in size. And I think that both styles are against too much color and clutter! Both represent peaceful and serene rooms.

Now, some people in the industry will claim that Belgian style is the “new Swedish”.  Of course I will not agree with that! But the style is very attractive indeed. And I am convinced that we are just going to see more and more of it. 

There are also a number of blogs outside of Belgium who I follow and who include Belgian style in their reportings. I highly recommend Cote De Texas,  Willow Decor, Trouvais and Velvet & Linen. They are all lovely! (And I am sure there are other great ones both in and out of Belgium waiting for me to discover).

A new week, friends! Let it be a good one!