Shall I paint my antique chest or not? I am thinking yes! My husband says no and that I will regret it. What’s to regret? We are talking about a piece of furniture from the mid or latter 1800-hundreds in Sweden that you see in droves and that most people in Sweden wouldn’t give a second look.

So, this is my inspiration piece. A family room designed by Mr. Handsome Nate Berkus himself, and featured in Elle Decor not a long time ago. (Most of you have probably seen it). That same dark, royal blue color on the walls can also be found on a lovely, contemporary painting in my master bedroom. (I will show it to you in an upcoming post).

And here is my chest – looking all sad and lonely as it has been in hiding. I have now moved into the light for further inspection. I think it is “not-so-handsome” right now and only changing the hardware doesn’t do the job for me. And trust me we are not exactly talking high quality either (otherwise the thought would never have crossed my mind). But the carved details are quite lovely and in my book, the chest has potential.

What do you think about the idea of having it professionally painted in a high-gloss royal blue color, very much like the door in the living room above? I personally think that the carved lion heads would be even more stately and visible.

I would also have all the  hardware replaced (and some even removed) with some lovely Lion Pull Heads like this from Paxton Hardware.

Now that, to me, would be a lovely statement piece that I would want as my new bedside table. I would welcome that added drama and glamor! I would proudly show it off.

Since I am at it, I am also thinking of painting this lovely vintage mirror (actually of very good quality) that I found at a consignment store for – hold on to your hats! -$ 27!!! (I ran out of the store with it carefully protected in my arms). I am thinking perhaps white or light gray? I so adore the lines. Both classic and modern. (The mirror is larger than it looks in the photo).

Yes, no, maybe? Bring it on! I can take it! If I don’t get too many no’s I will get to it right away. I am not exactly famous for being a procrastinator(!). And my husband, you say? Well, I will just have to blame the verdict on you! Haha! (He is a usually a very good sport my wonderful husband!)

Thank you all for being in my life. You are the best!

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!

Image via Flickr

Happy Tuesday to you wonderful friends! (I took Monday off due to President’s day. All we did was to enjoy the sun - which is not always out in lovely Seattle!).

I don’t know about you, but in these times of economic down turn, we are paying more attention to our budget than ever before. No unneccesary purchases. I am so tired of things anyway. I want less – not more. I want to surround myself with good quality objects and things I really LOVE. And for the first time I am so ready to take on some Do-It-Yourself projects not only for budget reasons but also to bring even more personality and heart into my home.

There are 3 things that I would love to start and hopefully also get finished in March. (Am I too ambitious?). And this is where I was going to show you a close-up image of my $37 (!) consignment wing back chair before it will get a makeover (and I know it is going to look fabulous once its done! Maybe like below).

Wherever I look – I see fabulous wingback chairs….

Image via House Beautiful

Image via Coco &  Kelly

I was also going to show you a fabulous mirror (found at the same store) that I am going to paint. But you see, Prince William (2.5 years) took off with the camera on Valentine’s day - and it is nowhere to be found! I have turned the whole house upside down. Zip, nix, nada. Camera is in hiding.

So here is a 1 year old image of the chair and me (with the criminal!). You can’t see much but at least it will give you an idea. (I will bring you more pics as soon as the camera has resurfaced! The chair has wonderful bones and is so comfortable. It is just in need of some love and a good upholstery makeover.

Camera thief – Prince William!

Here is another project that I saw over at A Perfect Gray. And now I want this in my home too! The talented home owner/blogger (yes, that is her lovely living room!) put together those wall panels with mirrors. Hello!! She had two of these lovely antique French panels. And on them she attached vintage  Sunburt mirrors. (I might visit my local antique restorer and have him make a pair of panels for me). How lovely! How personal! How Splendid! (And her white wingback chair looks like mine – pre-makeover.)

Any DIY projects you are extra proud of and would like to share with us? Please step forward, friends! We all want to learn some new tricks!

Image via Flickr

I can’t believe that I still have not managed to get my act together and get started on one of my own favorite must-do-projects. Well it is a new year and I am so going to to put together an artsy and sentimental wall of framed vinyl records. (Just the ones we truly love)!  There are so many wonderful graphic artists behind some of the classics LPs. Actually there is a whole industry out there called Vinyl Art. Did you know that?

A recent picture in  Hus & Hem, reminded me of one of my old posts. The home owner has framed Talking Heads “True Stories”. (An easy and inexpensive way to add a personal touch to your home).

Personally, I am going for all white frames and a full wall! (White frames have been on my mind a lot lately!). Now I am off to do some research on vinyl cover frames. 

On a much more important note, I earlier today turned a “I-must-do-this-now-or-I-won’t-be-able-to-sleep” thougth into reality.

As relief efforts begin to mobilize,  officials estimate staggering loss of life from Tuesday’s disaster in Haiti. A grim road faces these quake survivors, and even the littliest support from all of us can make a huge difference. There are many help organizations,  I personally chose to donate via UNICEF. If you would like, join me.

Click here for a direct link to UNICEF, where you can donate via mail or phone.

Happy rest of the week, friends!

And Dear Kiki, if you read this. I hope your trip back to Sweden went smoothly. I miss you. All of Seattle misses you!  OX Monika

Happy New Year to my wonderful blog friends! I hope you created some fun memories this winter holdiay. I sure have missed you! I am very exited about this year. 2010. I feel it’s going to be a good one – for all of us!

I am starting the new year with one image that has kept me occupied for the last couple of weeks. Seriously, I can’t get it off my mind. I am drooling and drooling and thinking about this picture that I picked up at the oh-so-lovely blog Delight for Design.

To me this it the ultimate way of displaying treasured family photos – and because of it I have now decided to repaint my bedroom all white and adopt the concept myself on one of the walls!

Why I am so obsessed? Because of the large cluster of photos collected in one spot. (I like things organized. And I don’t like things skimpy). The monochromatic all white walls, ledges and frames make a quiet but stunning statement. I like the smaller frame sizes in different constellations. Reminds me of an art gallery. (And everything is hung in perfect eye level postion). I also love that there is no fighting for attention in the room. I would die for a room with just the artsy display and a cocktail table. What a hit! Nothing else is needed.

Yep, this I am so trying! And 2010 is off to a good start!

The sitting areas from that same home are also wonderful. The owner obviously has a great eye for art too.

Here is some eye candy for you. This incredible attic apartment in Stockholm is owned by the interior architect and artist Carouschka Streijffert. I am going to keep quiet for a change and let you go through all the details yourself. Take your time.

Okay, just one comment! Let’s talk about books for a second. I do not know of one home in Sweden (unless they are somehow staged) where books are not prominent. Back home we surround ourselves with books and display them with pride. I get totally nervous when I don’t see books in a home. I am so pleased to be reading more and more about how formal living rooms in the US are fading away. People instead are opting for libraries. Yeah! I hope that trend stays!

Images via Skona Hem

I found a fantastic (so professional and friendly) lady (Patti) on Etsy who runs the store PR Pictorials. Patti cuts the most beautiful silhouettes by hand. You send her a profile image of anything you want a silhouette of and she will cut away, capturing small details really, really well. I was so pleased with the outcome of my 3 images (each almost 8 inches tall).

But I have to tell you that those poor silhouettes were sitting in an envelope for the longest time because I could not figure out a good way to display them. Not being into “very cutesy things”, I one day decided to mount them on top of a favorite wall paper I already had in my hallway then frame them behind glass. They came out even better than I had hoped!

This way I get to continue a little bit of a theme with that stunning handmade wallpaper “Hexagon” by the famous David Hicks (designed in the 70′s) that I never get tired of. And when we are moving to our next house I will bring some of that gorgeous paper with me!

Say hello to Patti from me if you decide to have some silhouettes done yourself. She also makes personal note cards and ornaments among other things with silhouettes as the featured images. I think they make for really lovely gifts for close family members.

My friend Ingrid is very creative, and she always amazes me with new, simple design solutions for every day needs. One day I was using her computer at home and looked straight at this handy wall organizer. Only Ingrid can come up with something like this. She simply got tired of looking at her bills laying around so she made this version with extra deep pockets so she would not have to see them until they were needed. Instead she gets to look at something pretty and upbeat. How splendid!

She used a simple cork bulletin board (19,5″ x 25,5″) and with the help of some fancy fabric and some good sewing skills et Voila! All pockets are double sewed for sturdiness so no ugly threads can be found. A good little project for all of you handy people, otherwise I can put you together with Ingrid and she can make one to suit your style and color choices. I am putting in an order myself! Makes a great gift too!

There are so many interior designers that I admire and follow but for years I have had a soft spot for the very talented design group Heiberg & Cummings Design (hcd3) in NY. Their design work revolves around Scandinavian contemporary design with a focus on blending the old with the new. Mr. Heiberg is a native Scandinavian, just like myself, and it is easy to see that he is very loyal to his roots.  A wonderful example is this gorgeous beach retreat in the Hamptons.

If this is not relaxing for the soul – then I do not know what possibly could be!

One day (I have promised myself in my lovely dreams) I will team up with them so they can drive the design of our future kitchen… and dining room… and library and… I can’t wait to see them in action! For more of their portfolio go to: hcd3.

And look at some of their own furniture designs. Simply marvellous.

Last Christmas the Swedish School in Seattle, which I am part of, asked me to donate an art piece for their annual lottery. I can’t draw to save my life but I am pretty good when it comes to color and texture.

At Michael’s I found this great butterfly punch by Martha Stewart. I like it because the butterflies look more stylish than cute. Already armed with tons of good scrap booking paper, I happily started punching away.

At the frame store Aaron Brothers, I found this great deep frame (already equipped with a mat), which allowed me to play a little with the fluttery friends and raise them here and there.

I was so pleased with the outcome so I actually made another one that stays in the house!