trendey

I just have to re-post this interesting wall paper piece I stumbled across over at Apartment Theraphy. It’s for doorways – unused doors I presume, a handle would certainly interfere with the picture – and it features ‘old parisian metropolitan’s stairs’ (above), Montmartre’s stairs and stairs from the Catacombs, an empty dressing, escalators, a vintage iron store front, a castel corridor, a mesy book stack…view full range here. The idea is funny I think, although not all too often useful if not you remove some skirting and put up door moldings on the wall -  install a faux door. That would make this an exemple of framed wall art…! Anyway, for the one who has shut a door whose crossing serves no purpose – this should be excellent inspiration.

Aren’t chairs and stools the funniest decor pieces of them all?! I think so. In our kitchen we have a table by the window for fast breakfasting chews whilst watching the traffic on the bridge outside. To sit on, we got 2 IKEA Bosse stools. Bosse is small and handy, seat has a hole makes it easy to move. Here’s what I chose for personalizing our Bosse’s: the cool pale-blue hue havsbris (“sea-breeze”) and the warm light sand-yellowish hue strå (“straw”) from the Alcro Design Collection. Painted with a twist.

I’m not influenced by the Olympics and the roar popular hat, I promise..!! But I recognize the colours are hot these days (at least in my home country :)) There’s plenty of inspiration around, I got mine from images of browsing past. Think I fell for the light yellow colour on the cover of the book Cheap Chic (an excellent book btw) and various funny stool and chair ideas blogged, such as paint company Beckers’ inspirational photo via the blog Husligheter and Chair Personality Socks from Charles & Marie via High Fashion Home Blog. And not to mention the lovely Wood & Wool Stools. Imagination is the only limit when it comes to chairs and stools!

The Swedish official Olympics hat has made remarkable success. Swedes of all ages are now frantically crocheting a thick cap of blue, yellow, white and black. Crochet tips are highly demanded as hat spread like wildfire on a growing number of heads. The pattern of the hottest trend accessory right here right now comes from the yarn shop Trassel (link to crochet pattern).

|pic: video from svt.se/os |

I really like the thought of Swedes sitting in their sofas crocheting like mad right now. And as for olympics hats, I fancy the Swedish Olympics hat of ’94 as well. Little did our athletes know their style would stand the times. Pernilla Wiberg in Norwegian Lillehammer:

I find crafts and DIY-projects vastly inspiring. The creativity behind all the ideas is like brilliant sunshine to me! Best thing, you can soak up inspiration for your own unique project. Here’s a collection of a few of my favorites/thought nuts in this area:

| Distressed Folk Art Painting and Resolutions Subway Art (click for tutorials) by Lil Blue Boo |

| Cutout Mirror and Pom Pom Flowers (click for tutorials) by Poopscape |

| yarn pasted on balloon-lamp by Pickles |

| the painted globe by Abbey Hendrickson/Aesthetic Outburst |

La Maison – a feminine bohemian little house. By RobinsEggBlue on Etsy.

Birdhouses – as well as parrots and birds – add a touch of whimsy to the interior. Especially when they are boho charming like this one!

Tada! Today I’ve pimped my old corner cabinet I got from my grandparents when I was a child.

(more…)

There are soo many lovely wallpapers around these days! Today some wallpaper samples I’ve ordered arrived, and it got me thinking…how can they be of best use?

So far, my ideas are as follows: I will frame 1 piece. One of them I fancy so much I might order one more sample and get going on my old desk (as in example 2 below, from Sköna hem). Idea 3, to dress an old flower pot in a beautiful sample, is appealing as well. And maybe, 4, an old shoe box can be transformed into a decorative storage box. So What’Ya think?! I’ll get back on the results! =)

Lamps are the perfect DIY-projects. And vintage china is burning hot. As I reported earlier, nowadays everyone wants to take their daily (or in Henen’s case hourly) sip of coffee from a beautiful vintage cup. What could be more appropriate than to design your own vintage-china-lamp?

The most inspiring piece of cup-lamp I have seen is put together by Oddbirds (shown to the right). Oddbirds is a Swedish design group with a design philosophy completely in our taste here @ trendey. They say:

Nothing is sacred. Some might think it would be a shame to paint a Gustavian chair cerise and dress it with butterfly-patterned fabrics. But if we feel that is the right thing to do, that’s precisely what we will do.

Now back to the subject. At Country Living I found this great guide on how to make new use of mismatched china. Step by step, they let us know how stylist Paul Lowe turn a collection of castoffs into an Alice in Wonderland-inspired lamp not very unlike the Oddbirds-one. This version is tea, I prefer coffee. Here it goes:

First picture: A box of vintage china. In the guide I refer to, colour-coordinated, simply shaped teacups, pots, bowls, and saucers that would stack easily were chosen. 2. Organizing the spare parts. To create a balanced arrangement, the tip is to chose components that can form a pyramid – with large, heavy items on the bottom and lighter teacups up top. 3. Attach hardware. In this example the stylist filled the top cup with self-hardening clay. While the clay was still wet, he pressed in a socket-and-cord unit from Ikea and a harp from Lowe’s, an inch deep. He then let the clay harden for 24 hours. 4. Assemble it. Glue remaining elements together, let each piece dry for a minute before adhering the next. Paul in this example waited a day for the lamp to set, then he screwed a standard shade to the harp’s finial. The wiring of Paul’s creation doesn’t require any drilling, because the cord runs behind the lamp instead of through it. Keep the cord flush against the base with a few pieces of electrical tape, and then position the lamp against a wall. Extra tip: Sandwiching saucers in between the teapots and cups gives the lamp added stability. 5. Tada! A teapot lamp.

Pics and instructions: Country Living. If I misinterpreted their article and misled you, don’t blame Country Living. Thank me, for your overly oddish china lamp. :)

Many designers have jumped on the environmentally-aware bandwagon and some are designing the most beautiful chandeliers out of discarded every-day objects. How about this grand statement chandelier from en Pieza made out of Bic Ballpoint pens (!), or this chandelier from Josh Owen recycling used CD packaging?

Don’t they look the business?

However, since designer goods tend to come with big price tags, why not have a go at making one on your own? Take a peek at these two beauties below to get your creative juices flowing (Jelly Bowl Lantern by Madeleine Boulesteix and Milk Bottle Chandelier by Droog).

I particularly like the milk bottle one! Imagine that softly glowing over a rustic wooden kitchen table…

Hmm… time to raid some dustbins for unwanted treasures I think!