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 |

| from the hugo collection at graham & green |

This next one suffers from the lack of quirkiness, but the combination of seating furniture is splendid in my view. I also like the slightly beige/powdry walls – they make the whole room much more beautiful and nice than white walls would have done. The same but differently coloured lamps are also a great feature, they bind the two parts of the room together in a nice way. Shame they don’t have more books in the shelves, i would love them to be packed like a library and maybe some nice art, mirrors etc sporadicly hung over it. Oh and the curtains are not there yet.

And hey, imagine that black lamp was a huge, over-sized, Jeeves & Woostery hat lamp, hung lower…With heavy curtains – maybe red or dark green velvet ones – flowing from the left and a library to the right. Then I would only miss the drinks trolley.

| pics via because i’m addicted |

| white bedroom via house beautiful, a stool from reclaimed timber via rockettstgeorge, an electric arrow via mwest0425 at Etsy and a rococo-style velvet sofa via norrgården |

| cozy/boho photography by ditte isager via room and serve |

| white scene [DIY-tip for the mirror!] via inredningsbloggen & black vases via norrgården |

Have a nice week! See you when I see you.

…so begins the editor’s column in Living Etc’s June 2011 issue. And why is this new (and yet old and always existing) home decor paradigm so great? Because personal style is inclusive, manifold and rule-free. No one can say that someone else’s personal style is wrong. Ugly, possibly, but then again we all know taste differs; there are different strokes for different folks. In decorating freely, personally, creativity is truly a locomotive. When I feel uninspired and dull, creative pictures & persons are the very best stimulus. I enjoy house tours, and most often, I’ve noticed, the ones that deals with variations of “style on a budget”, like this luxury home on a budget or like this one below via Hus & Hem:

Often these tours comes with some thoughts. People explaining their choices and sharing their views. As much as I respect the knowhow and downright brain physics of decorating guides like Decorate, people’s own thoughts always tend to make more sense. Here’s some thoughts from the habitants/decorators of the lovely homey home above:

t hey collect things they are fond of. Basically their theme is a desire to mix anything and everything – and let the odd piece stand out. It is about daring to combine freely.

t hey haven’t bought everything in one store. By shopping at flea markets, second-hand stores, online auctions, etcetera it gets inevitably personal – and the interiors may emerge gradually. In addition, you must not use everything you buy or own at once. These people have in their attic storage a stock of furniture and stuff, of which they can pick when the urge takes them there.

t heir mix of different styles was not carefully planned, layed-out and calculated, but there are some thoughts behind it. For example, that the old and worn comes out better if allowed to stand in contrast to something new. Therefore, they combined the second-hand sofas with a brand new minimalist coffee table.

Tada! That was nice, I think :P In the last 24 hours I’ve actually done two pretty creative and very budget-friendly decor projects. I’ve fantasized on how to spice up grandma’s old kitchen sofa, which I have already painted, by replacing the seat cover. I cut and pasted different fabrics together (on the computer) and ordered a bunch of cloths. Design: ready (and as always: result very unpredictable :)) Secondly, I got stuck swooning over some lovely bedroom designs at design-vox and suddenly got the idea I should remove the legs from my bed (!) Or our bed, Mike was actually already lying in it, not asleep, mind you! although it was passed midnight he helped me lift it up and a few minutes later the traditional IKEA-style bed (or mattress with legs) looked like a japanese design dream…The whole room swayed and the atmosphere was one step more relaxed.:) Pics later!

And hey, check out estate agent Fantastic Frank‘s creative styling – new house out today! Happy Friday!

| pics via norrgavel, anthropologie, sköna hem & unknown/forgotten |

| image from Style At Home Jan-11 |

Reviews say they were a success. A soft and clean collection, slightly bohemian. Colour scheme is mild with a lot of beige, grey, some accents of coral and blue, and a few hints of animal patterns. And the fashion news – geisha shoes!

Now Ambition to Create Novel Expressions. The tone for the Acne brand is subtle luxury and understated items. Nothing dominating anything else, yet every piece effortlessly stylish. Cool and personal. ACNE ideas were also unfloded in this interview. Asked about his one style rule ACNE’s founder and creative director Jonny Johansson says:

Keep it simple. And go for something that is from your relatives – something that you know why you’re wearing it – and mix with something that’s contemporary. It gives you your identity. I have a brooch that I wear that’s a family heirloom.

How is that for a decor philosophy? Makes sense and is pretty easily adapted into interior design/home decor I think! Certainly the points to keep it simple, no fuzz, and: go for something that is from your relatives or something that you know why you’re having around you. Mix and be personal. Next to Jonny Johansson in the pic above is a sofa from Acne’s first collection of furniture. It’s design reference is Carl Malmsten’s 1949 Berlin Sofa. As with fashion they played with proportion, lineage and structure to create new sculptural forms – and they dressed it in indigo. Slightly more spiritual and eclectic is the floral version if you look below, dressed in collaboration with Liberty.

Now, one last thing on the ACNE topic. Be sure to visit the newly opened concept store on London’s Dover Street. I paid it a visit the week before last and got myself a pair of the oh so hunted-and-hard-to-get-in-Sweden Pistol short boots. The store is a former gallery, now with four floors of Acne. Someone called the interiors “updated white box with a twist” and that’s pretty much what it is. Very very nice though. Clean wood, concrete, simple and stylish. And hey, that black sofa is comfortable!