| lovely lovely bedding.. / spring news at west elm |

Yay, that’s what I wish for in 2012 home interiors. More quirkiness! Unexpected twists, peculiar objects and jawdropping combinations. Here’s some pics from the The Selby, featuring the São Paulo home of Fashion Designer Alexandre Herchcovitch.

How about having a scenery like that behind the sofa? Gorgeousness. Love the weird anatomy doll as well. And actually all of it, the overall colour scheme is magnificent. Next: Madly nice sofa & cushions.

And lastly, words are superfluous. Great vibe – eclectic at its best.

| pics via the selby |

A new hotel – a luxury and homey guesthouse – is soon to be opened in Stockholm. It’s called Ett Hem (a home) and is situated in the fancy area Lärkstaden in a posh townhouse built in the year 1910. It’s been quite a controversy about this hotel, because the neighbours didn’t want this house to transform into a hotel. But it’s launched, by a venture capitalist, and decorated by the British design star Ilse Crawford. Room rates per night starts at $565/€420 (up to $1 500/€1 100/night), so when this hotel opens in May it might not become the top-chioce for many of us – so this is far from a recommendation – but the interesting part is: the hotel is designed to look and feel like a home. It wants to provide a sense of living at home, rather than at a (ordinary) hotel. And how does Home Is Where the Heart Is – Ilse Crawford do this? Considering how she made a home out of this historic buildning in Somerset, my expectations are huge. The first pics of a room can be glanced at Icon magazine. This is, I think, the best pic:

Very well, home-like for sure! Love the curtains. Many hotels are actually very nice & homey these days so I’m not overwhelmed. But maybe when it’s ready in its 12 versions, it knocks me off the chair. Speaking of interior designer Ilse Crawford, here’s 4 of her best advices for homey decor:

• Consider how your life looks like. Don’t start from functions, consider instead what it is that you really, really enjoy doing. If you love to cook together with your friends, make sure that your kitchen has room for it.

• Home is a place to socialize with friends, family, relatives and children. A home that requires that every single thing is in its right place is a nightmare, so decorate to make it look ok even if it is a bit messy. Messy is OK – it’s part of life!

• It is not enough that the couch has the right price, size and appearance. Are you sure you really want to sit in it?  There are modern sofas with low backs that are so uncomfortable that those who bought them rather sit in bed.

• Opt for safe cards that provide a homely feel: some old or inherited things, curvy furniture, rocking chairs, table lamps, rugs, sheepskins and soft fabrics like velvet or wool. Choose things that feel good, not only look good.

| haven’t figured out what the letters say, but point is they could say H A P P Y X M A S or so :) Pic via style at home |

| a view from our dining/living room: cozy wool & springbook, birds, a panther – and a slight touch of gold  |

| lovely xmas table. Golden cutlery is so stylish! Pic via house beautiful |

This weekend I had my first cup of chemex-brewed coffee. Delicious! I used freshly ground Kenya AA beans, and the result was the best coffee I’ve had in years. No giant step from my usual coffee making – which used to be a plastic filter holder placed on top of a cup – but a lot more refined. And hey, with the clean mid-centrury modern design – a blond leather band corseting the hourglass curves, it’s so stylish! Verdict: Chemex is found well worthy of its hype.

Invented in 1941 by German doctor of Chemistry Peter Schlumbohm, recognized as one of the best-designed items of modern times in the 50s, and honoured a place in the permanent collection of e.g. the Museum Of Modern Art, this retro piece is both spendid American design and excellent functionality. Schlumbohm is actually quoted saying “with the Chemex, even a moron can make good coffee.” I think it’s true! and maybe he had his hunches this invention would be ultra-trendy in the capital of a land far far away (Sweden) in the end of year 2011, at its 70th birthday :)

Update Nov 30th: I just noticed Anthropologie now has Chemex’s in their range! I guess it isn’t only Stockholm trendiness, then. It’s a wave.

Or Nomad – Bringing Your Travels Home is the title of Sibella Court’s latest book. It’s a photographic collection of travel shots and styled spaces. She has globetrotted and treasure-hunted to Japan, Italy, India, Syria and Mexico. Each place make a flavour with colour palettes and misc. stories. Room settings are inspired by ideas, photos and mementos, showing that any decorative background can be restyled with travel touches.

I realized I haven’t written a review about Sibella Court’s book Etcetera, but in comparison, Nomad is (imho) much more interesting. While Etcetera represents what I regard as typical Sibella Court-style – the glass jars, treasures from the bottom of the ocean, and ethnic-eclectic on smokey white vintage backdrops – Nomad takes a global step forward and delivers insprition from all over the world, still Sibella Court-ish and very likeable. My personal favourite among the exotic interior travels in the book is, at least after a first glance, Mexico!

Decorating a home is – like many other things in life -  a journey. But one needs not go travelling all around the globe in order to embrace the globetrotter approach to interior style. No tickets needed, just open this book and indulge! Or any other book, or movie or people’s home or nature or whatever inspires you. It is actually, in Sibella Court’s words, a matter of seeing things in a new way. And bringing it home. Sibella’s decor philosophy is about adding and subtracting, rearranging and recycling, transforming and rethinking a space to reflect your personality, lifestyle and adventures. The ideas can be as simple as painting a wall or creating a new ‘art wall’ or layering different textiles on your bed or hanging a new piece of fabric over your window. What the book Nomad wants to do, and does, is help open your eyes and fuel your imagination. After all, decor is all about stories and things reflecting you and your life. After reading Nomad, I feel the need for a touch of Mexico in my home.

And I’ve updated my top 5 of places I’d like to travel to:

1. New Orleans, Nashville & Memphis (by a big American car, listening to Townes Van Zandt and June Carter)
2. Clearwater Beach, Florida (for a loooong sunny vacation)
3. Paris (been there once, 20 years ago; must go back and stroll along the bridges nighttime)
4. Sri Lanka (the land of my brother-in-law)
5. Buenos Aires (to exercise the Argentine tango)

Where would you love to travel? And would you bring it home? :)