The one and only”Rothko”, sure knew what he was doing.

Full speed ahead with all my big projects and so little zero time for any domestic design fun right now. My two girls are patiently waiting for their long overdue room re-do’s and keep dreaming about how their new nests will look and feel. My eleven year old wants a “good vibe Swedish” bedroom. And my nine year old longs for a happy room with “not too much pink and absolutely no purple”! Swedish I can handle but the happy room has given me a major brain freeze. Until last week when I ran across these darling burlap pillows. I showed them to my nine year old who was weepy happy over the color combination (and that her Mom finally has started to move a little)! Yeah, I feel we have the perfect room inspiration piece!

The entire room will be designed around her existing floors and these new pillows. I think you can see where I am going with this. A happy but soothing bedroom! And just the perfect amount girlie!

Pink and Orange + (creme/white) rock together! Very “tasty sorbet”!

More Pink and Orange loveliness:

(Personally I need lots of white for these colors to work perfectly. Otherwise I feel it will be one heavy sorbet…).

Back to the pillows, I found them at World Market while looking for a great step ladder of all things. I LOVE the pattern and the fabric (they are well made and come with zippers). And they cost so little it is ridiculous. (I would have paid a lot more but don’t tell World Market!).

Speaking of lovely fabric.

My good blog-sis Donna with A Perfect Gray hit a home run with her chair makeover. She found this sad French chair for a song at a Thrift store…

… and gave it a much needed makeover (beautiful fabric and gray paint).

Lovely or what! 5 stars Ms. Donna! Hop over here for the entire post.

Hugs to you all.

Images: No. 2+3 via Splendid Willow, no. 4 via SF Girl By Bay, no. 5 via Flex Inredning, no. 6 via Tory Burch Blog, no. 8+9 via A Perfect Gray.

Hello everyone. I am back in the saddle again! Thanks to so many of you for reaching out and wondering what (on earth) I was up to and asking when I was coming back. All is good, friends! I just needed some more time to get back to normal after an insanely busy holiday season for the store and my family. Thank you for thinking of me though.

I am also busy working on a couple of big new projects — you will of course learn here first.

So, not starting a new year without some serious focus and a few new resolutions.

1) Think Green

After spending some time before Christmas with my Dear Mom who sadly is ailing and seeing my extraordinary Mother-In-Law having a mini stroke on Christmas Eve (we had Ambulance people dancing around the Christmas Tree – thankfully it all ended on a positive note!) 2013 will be the year when I take better charge of my own health. I am already fairly active, healthy and happy but I can do so much better. An energy filled green smoothie (min. 16 oz all organic greens + berries – no fruit) in the morning is now as part of my morning ritual as brushing my teeth!

2) Embrace Emerald Green

The Yellow Brick Road leads to Emerald City.

It works for me that Pantone announced “Emerald Green” as the color of the year. Finally they got it right. I love that color! (Always wanted a sassy, modern evening gown in Emerald Green. Perhaps this will be the year.).

To add a little bit more Emerald Green into my own home, I purchased this print on Etsy - a loosey-goosey, fun cameo portrait drawing. I find the illustrator Kathryn with hhop so creative and fun. Of course I ended up buying other things as well!

3) Don’t be a design/brand snob (Note to myself!)

I am proud to say that my absolute favorite daily china right now are these practical gray-blue, glazed stoneware dishes (Dinera) from Ikea! I love the color, the look, the material and the price. Come on, the large bowls are $12.99 for a set of four! You could not entice me away with anything fancy from Bergdorf Goodman. I swear this is better!

I also snapped up this pretty velvet-like pillow at Ikea for a song (here in our family room). There was just something familiar and calming about it.

4) Less stuff

Filling an entire cart with gray-blue china might not go hand in hand with wanting less stuff in the house. January is usually the month when people do some serious personal and home cleansing. I am hoping 2013 will be the year when I start really thinking through every single purchase. Do I Need It – do I Love It? And with everything I buy, AT LEAST two things need to go (yep! friends, charity, dump whatever — but they are not staying!).

In 2013 I will strive for piece, calm, serenity and a happy, healthy heart. And with all that renewed energy, I also hope to give more to you! What are your personal commitments for 2013?

Hugs to you all. It’s good to be back.

Image no. 3 via Katie Rosenfeld Design, no. 4 via hhop, no. 5 via Ikea , no. 6 + 7 via Splendid Willow.

Busy season folks! How are you all holding up? Not much new happening at my house (the store is taking all my time) but I managed to get some simple holiday decor up this weekend. Perhaps nothing to write home about. And not too much glitter and glam. I am a simple Swede after all….

Last week I found a gray vintage door that I dragged home (Hubby shook his head…) and leaned against a wall. That is where all the holiday cards are going up! (If I only can get mine out in time…). Note: The lighing is pretty bad in these pictures. Trust me, the door looks better in real.

I am using simple green moss balls (from my store) which I added some silver thread to and placed in our stocking pot holders. It took me a whole 4 minutes to put together…

The tree looks pretty much like last year’s. (Forest/wood themed for this animal loving family).

The Winter village is up again. My kids love this simple Holiday display! The wooden house is vintage.

(Only our traditional “Swedish Candy Store” is left to tackle. I will show you soon).

Before I sign off, I want to send some extra big hugs to these talented ladies, bloggers, designers and friends who all plugged my store, Splendid Avenue. Thank you ladies! What unexpected and lovely treats!

Thank you to my dear & mega talented friend, Greet with Belgian Pearls (everybody’s best friend!). She highligted some of my Swedish finds in her blog post, jam packed with holiday inpiration. Don’t forget to check out her brand new business website. Can we all say Magnificent!

Thank you to the lovely Leslie with Trouver Le Soleil.

Leslie hung some of our Boxwood wreaths in her window.  Your holiday decor looks fabulous, girlie! (Read her entire post).

Thank you to Phyllis with Henhurst Interiors (who we all pin like crazy because she is sooo good!). She also featured a wreath from us in a recent blog post.

Thank you to my dear friend-sis Charlotta (“Hej Lilla Loppan”!) with Space For Inspiration (who I did not get to see in Stockholm this time around. Bohhoo! But this summer you can count on me knocking on your door!).  Charlotta highligted Ylva Skarp’s popular artwork which we are the only US store to carry. Charlotta’s post/blog is jam packed with lots of Scandi-design inspiration.

And finally, Linda Merrill with Surroundings who is a really good and loyal friend and who is mega busy with her high-flying design business. She featured our reindeer candlesticks in her latest issue of Surroundings Holiday Style Guide.

Hop over here and read her magazine here!

Make sure you follow all these ladies. I already do. And you know how picky I am! (:

There you have it. Some Decor & Blog Shout-outs. “Gott och Blandat” as we say in Swedish. Happy & Mixed.

Ta Ta!

Hello (or Hej in Swedish) friends! I am back from Stockholm and grinning from ear to ear. Having spent quality time with family and enjoying a beautiful and festive Stockholm gives me fantastic energy for the next few months.

Trotting the streets in Stockholm also gave me tons of design inspiration and ideas. And I brought some of that back with me home.

1. Hyacinths EVERYWHERE

Fragrant hyacinths have got to be the most popular flower plant in Sweden during the winter season. Swedes make the most pretty and inspirational Hyacinth arrangements, often with treasures from mother nature. I LOVE hyacinths myself and I can’t imagine Christmas without them.

2. Modern Rustic Gnomes

Forget cheerful elves. The Swedes prefer quiet & witty gnomes to protect their homes. And the ones you see everywhere have their funky hats pulled down over their heads and are dressed in more neutral colors. A traditional gnome with a modern twist. Of course I brought a few fellows with me home.

 3. Reindeer hides

So pretty and winter rustic. You can find them in just about every design magazine and in decorated store windows all over Sweden.

I bought my first hide for my own home. Right now it is placed over one end of my dining table. But I’m sure it will travel around to the house and serve many purposes.

I am so happy with my gorgeous reindeer hide that we now have teamed up with the Swedish company selling them. They are based 80 km north of the Arctic Circle and the family business is on its third generation offering reindeer products. (Note: The hides are by-products of the food industry).

Reindeer hides are on their way from Sweden to our store, Splendid Avenue. We will only carry a limited edition — so place your order now if you want one. I expect them to go quickly.

 I also brought home a few other things for the store:

1. Several wonderful Swedish antique engravings (some as old as the 17th century)

2. Charming Swedish tile stoves (kakelugn) tea-light holders

I found this handmade beauty in the Old Town of Stockholm.

Tile stoves have a long history in Sweden. In the 1700′s, due to concerns over dwindling wood supplies in Sweden, two Swedes came up with a new energy efficient design (the internationally renowned “Kakelugn”) and by the late 1700′s Sweden had become famous for its cosy indoor temperatures.  Apart from providing an excellent source of heat, the “kakelugn” is also an object of great beauty.

The tea-light holder is made of ceramic by the talented artist Katarina Andersson and is as close to a real Swedish “kakelugn” as we will get here in the US!

3. Swedish Moccasins

Ok, I used to wear non-slip moccasins when I was a kid! And all my own children wore them. But none of them have been as cute as these Mocklis moccasins! All handmade in Sweden, with fun and unique patterns. We are super thrilled to now be carrying them in our store! (We will have them in stock around Dec. 10th).

Other than that I came home with tons of Swedish candy, clothes, home decor, food items, gifts, deodorant (US deodorants suck!), but most importantly loads of fun and precious memories.

Gigantic hugs to: Erik, Olle, Gunilla, Sanne, Anki, Sussi, Camilla, Sara, Adde, Monica, Petra & Anna.

You are the best and most beautiful friends!

This is my daughter Frida on our last day in Sweden. Surrounded by glorious, quiet, white snow!

Now switching gears from Sweden to Seattle… If you are interested in learning about my favorite winter holiday activities in Seattle, I invite you to my good friend Barbara’s Blog — HausDesign.

You can read my guest post here. And say hello to Ms. Barbara too! She is one lovely lady and friend. I am so glad that she moved to my city (after spending a few years in Germany).  Her blog is jam packed with beautiful home inspiration. That girl has excellent taste!

There you have it. A whirlwind trip to Sweden and now I am back in Seattle, busy decorating for the holidays! Thank you for tuning in. I look forward to hearing what you have been up to.

Hugs to you all. It is good to be back.

This blue tufted bench at the foot of our bed has been with me for 15 years, people! When I like, I like — and I stick to it (boringly long).

If you ask me what is important in a bedroom I will answer, the people (!), a high-end mattress, quality pillows, muted wall colors (for serenity) and yes a tufted bench. (An old Swedish bench would be lovely but if feels too precious with lively family members).

So why this bench? It is stable — kids and four legged friends can use it as a stepping ladder to your bed (oh no, perhaps not what you want!), cats take long morning naps on it, hubbies put on their fancy shoes from it (not me — I never have time to sit down) and if it has a timeless look (I like mine tufted and long with rounded corners plus casters) it will always work and be current. A classy piece can always be re-upholstered over and over.

Here are some other tufted benches that get my stamp of approval:

I want this as a sofa and as an ottoman. The perfect fabric.

Simple and always right.

Pretty, pretty.

I like this one too!

And this one! A different and more masculine look. I can see this in an all white bedroom with white wooden floors.

A fun touch of color.

One day I will schlep my ottoman into my dream library!

Yes, I snuck away from blog land for a few weeks. I so needed it, the kids needed it and now I am rested and ready for a fun and inspirational fall.

Hello and welcome to all new subscribers! Thank you to blog friends checking in and thank you to all of you who sent in your Home Inspiration images (see previous post).

I am off to see what I have missed in blog land!

Warm hugs.

Images: No. 1 via Splendid Willow.