Hello friends, happy new week to you!

I just came across these cool “Pantone” folding chairs. Love them! A set of six, please! (They come in 7 colors, including a gray…!)

Pantone is the standardized system for the selection and accurate communication of color. Every conceivable color has its own reference number, used globally throughout the design industry.

Finally a chair that I would have no problem mixing with a contemporary chair like this one (when extra seating is needed).

… or with old style chairs like these.

I think they blend in just about anywhere. They add a splash of color and are so fun. Guaranteed conversation pieces! (And so easy to fold and put away).

Friends, I am a little on the busy right now with everything wrapping up before the end of the school season, here in Seattle. Just give me a little bit of time and I will soon catch up with my blog friends and share some some good posts with all my readers. Love to you all!

Inspiration for this blog post via DesignersBlock.  Image 1. via The Holding Company, image 2. via Living Etc, Image 3. via Skona Hem.

I just purchased “Simply Scandinavian” by Sara Normann. What a page turner this design book is! I really recommend it. I could scan (didn’t find any of these images on-line) pictures all day long to share with you. Here are a few that made my eyes extra large and teary with joy.

Ok, this is my favorite image in the book. I am borderline jealous (even if I don’t have a jealous bone in my body). The cabinet in the background (be prepared now) was found on a beach in Denmark! It is an old safety box used by swimmers to deposit their valuables! Paired with Arne Jacobsen’s table and chairs, I think I am about to faint. I love it all!

Maybe a little on the boring side to some. But I love bedrooms that are calm and serene. Love the simple details including the striped pillows and box spring and the old portrait and bedside table.

Count the objects in this image? Not very many! But the eye can rest in this room and focus on quality rather than quantity.

Love this room with the two sofas facing each other! Look at those large windows! And the two different light fixtures (one propped up on pile of magazines!).

A calm & neutral room with many old classics gets some added color with a striking wall art piece by Maibritt Ulvedal Bjelke. I love big and unexpected art pieces.

When I see all these images – I just want to book a large container and get rid of half of my house. The older I get – the more I appreciate less. Less is so beautiful in my book.

Happy weekend to you all, friends!

Publisher: www.rylandpeters.com

Happy new week to you friends. Hope the sun is shining on you!

This article has been making its rounds in the blog world – but I find it so worth re-cycling. I think that the home owner of this tiny studio (all-in-one)  downtown in Stockholm has done such a great job turning her place into a chic little jewel to call home. And I love how she has mixed lots of Ikea with more high-end pieces. Take notes, people!

A white Ikea sofa looks like it came from the more pricey store when paired with a classic, white Barcelona chair. I love the mix of materials and styles. Isn’t the coffee table from the 40′s the perfect piece for this area? The fireplace is a store bought piece that generates more ambiance than heat.

A fresh and  lovely look for the tiny balcony.

An old antique heirloom table paired with slip-covered Ikea chairs. Together with all the white – it just looks fresh and lovely.

The studio’s kitchen is all from Ikea. The choice of cabinets and the way they are displayed along one wall makes it  look more like a tailor made piece of furniture. Even the built in book shelf is an Ikea classic – “Billy”.

The bed has found its place in another corner of the studio. All white with small splashes of warm colors makes this area look & feel like a chic hotel room.

The entrance area looks a lot larger because of all the white. The drapes are cleverly hung on a rod way above the door frame, for the height effect.

The tiny bathroom feels fresh and current with its updated tiles and a modern shower with a high-end shower head behind the glass door.

Who said that large is better? I think this studio beats many grand homes that I have seen! It is homey, chic and in my book, beautiful.

All images via Skona Hem.

Hello friends! Hope you all had a fun and lovely Easter. We celebrated with wonderful friends at our house and had  a really nice time together while 14 kids hopped all over the house, and not one tear being shed or one thing broken!

Maybe now I am in need of quiet and serenity after this affair and this amazing NY home fits the bill. It has made its rounds in the blog world. But I had not seen it in its entirety until just recently.

The lucky owners of this fabulous brownstone home are Fitzhugh Karol, a woodworker and Lyndsay Caleo, a jewelry designer and goldsmith. Some creative couple, you will find out!

Their home is filled with natural light and incredible architectural details. And tons of their own designs and recycled items. A design love affair in white and brown.

The library ladder leads to one of the guest-rooms and the couple made the dining table together from a fallen tree.

I love the round wooden sculpture in front of the bookshelf filled with sentimental treasures. The classic white Panteone chairs fit in perfectly.

Ok, this is my absolute favorite piece in the house. A barn door that leads to the powder room. They apparently found it in the sheep run of  Fitzhugh’s family farm! This I have to have once in my lifetime!

Fitzhugh made the island counter top with its clever slit for kitchen knives. The wall shelves are reclaimed from a mill. Do you see the happy doggie? (I don’t blame him!).

Here is a carved wood and concrete table by Lyndsay. I love everything in this image.

Fitzhugh carved the four poster bed himself. Lovely room with an original fireplace.

Isn’t this just an incredible home? However, the one thing that I will remember the most – and will dream about tonight – is that sliding barn door!

Happy new week to you all!

Inspiration and images via Designsponge. Photos by Emily Gilbert

I am always dreaming about a little family summer retreat in Sweden. Our own little piece of heaven. Isn’t this small summer home called “Villa Else” lovely? It is beautifully situated in a Nature Reserve in Denmark.

Charming and easy living with a lot of heart – just the way a summer home should be. And not too big. I want to enjoy every minute with my family – not have to fix and clean the house. (As a matter of fact, I would be super happy if there was no vacuum cleaner in sight – only a simple broom for an occasional sweep!)

Love this corner of the house. And the skylight!

You could not bribe me with the largest yacht in the world for family summer vacations. This is my preferred way of living. This is what makes me tick. A quaint summer home surrounded by apple and plum trees. Lazy days and lovely quality time with friends and family who mean the most. And no TV and internet connection!

For more photos go here.

Happy rest of the week, dear friends. Dream big!

Photograph: Stuart McIntyre, Stylist: Katrine Martensen-Larsen

When I need to declutter my mind and find some peace in & harmony I often gravitate towards my old home country. Swedish interiors can at times be considered cold but when done right and with some heart, I find those rooms calm, serene and easy to breathe in. They are often filled with less stuff but instead things with a purpose. Let me introduce you to such a home in beautiful Sweden.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Anna-Malin is a friend who I have met in wonderful blog land. We have been sharing e-mails cross the Atlantic about  life issues and thoughts on design. Not only is Anna-Malin a wonderful person but she is also highly creative and talented. Her home is so inspiring and so is her Swedish blog Helt Enkelt. Take a deep breath – this is not staged, this is how she actually lives. Lovely or what?

Anna-Malin loves mixing Scandinavian design classics with heirloom pieces and vintage finds. She is an expert at taking flea market finds and turning them into must-have objects.

Just take a look at this vintage chair (Anna-Malin is well aware that I have a very serious crush on that particular chair!). She found the chair at a Swedish flea market, nobody wanted it (where was I!!), she paid about $40 dollars and voila. Hello?! Can a chair get much lovelier?

And now that chair lives here. In her kitchen. With sheep skins and everything. Oh no, that was 2 weeks ago! Anna-Malin changes furniture around on a daily basis and the kitchen of the week now looks like this!

                                                                                                                                                                                     She constantly moves things around and prefers to try new ideas before she would even consider going out and buying anything new.

As with most Swedes, Anna-Malin finds inspiration from nature. She is drawn to simple lines, organic materials and neutral colors. And she like to be good to mother nature by reusing things. She says: ” Being from the very North of Sweden, I get good energy from white and cripsy snow, complete quiet and branches from simple, wispy trees”.

Who said you need a whole roll of wall paper to make an impact? Just a little piece will take you a  long way!

My friend is a resourceful lady who is not afraid to use a hammer and nail on any given day. This sofa table is one of Anna-Malins own creations, put together on a weekend. (Maybe Hubby was involved in that project too, I can’t remember).

Another dining/work area in the family room.

All over the house you will find cozy and calm areas to relax and just be.

The rooms of her two boys are no exceptions.

I hope this gave you some good food for thought. Just writing this post got me so inspired that I am heading to a nearby consignment store – today! Thank you Anna-Malin for your friendship and all your wonderful ideas & inspiration! Happy Monday blog friends!

All images, curtesy of Anna-Malin @ Helt Enkelt.

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.

I can never get enough of Swedish white rooms (although I don’t have one single white room in my own home. How is that for being a true Swede! But I have several light gray rooms if that counts!). Just looking at these images calms my somewhat stressed december/holiday nerves. And as always I love mixing old with new. It makes for such wonderful contrast. Don’t you agree? Happy weekend wonderful blog friends!

All images via Skona Hem

Happy Monday lovely blog friends! Are you crazy busy like myself this time of the year? (I find myself running around in circles). A dose of Swedish might just be what we all need. Here are some lovely Swedish white rooms to keep you calm and collected this busy season!

This apartment is for sale (wish I could buy it today as our retreat when we go to Sweden on a yearly basis) and it is located in the vibrant neighborhood “Vasastaden” in Gothenburg (the second largest city in Sweden). My very first own apartment was located in Vasastaden in Stockholm (same vibrant neighborhood, same look and feel). Maybe this wasn’t such a good post after all. Now I get all emotional and home sick…!

Post inspiration via Designfragment

It must be the long, dark months ahead here in Seattle (not to mention in Sweden!) that give me an urgent need to brighten my home as much as possible. And right now I am swooning over these white objects. They can move in with me any time!

You have most likely seen these vessels several times before. They don’t tire me. I absolutely love these modern pieces by Sara Paloma and I am now ready for my own little collection of pottery that she describes as the “LA skyline”.

Image from Authentic Africa

Image via Designalogue

Yes, they have been featured in many design magazines but I don’t care! They are still so lovely to me! These beautiful feather headdresses, so called Juju hats, are handmade in Cameroon and worn by prominent members of society, as well as Juju dancers. I love the organic feel and the round shape. They come in many lovely colors but a white one will be moving in with me soon. I have a perfect spot for it in my living room.

The Facetta bowls from Kähler are so beautiful. A nice lamp and this bowl are all you need on your chest of drawers. The bowl is designed by Søren Thygesen from Denmark. The bowls are available in three sizes. They can be purchased from Illums Bolighus among other stores.

Also from Illums Bolighus are these classy candleholders crafted in brass, plated with 24 carat gold, from Georg Jensen. They are designed by Regitze Overgaard. Aren’t they lovely together with white candles? This image is going into my personal style file!

And here are two bedrooms with plenty of white to recharge any sun deprived body & soul. (Images from Skona Hem).

Happy Monday lovely blog friends!