trendey

I don’t have any kids. Yet! So I haven’t ever thought in terms of decorating children’s rooms. However, I have seen a lot of sloppy kids’ rooms. As if they did not agree to be furnish fine or *has* to be decorated in a completely different way than other rooms in a home. Of course, childrens’ rooms must be practical and tailored to games and other pursuits. But they can still be stylish! Three interesting examples, all including recent trends:

| pic: veranda.com |

| pic: real estate ad – Oscars |

| pic: livingetc |

| pics: Living etc |

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!

Jacob and Line Blom has staged their townhouse in Copenhagen as a long series of collisions between different eras, styles and cultures. In a cultural landmark townhouse from 1878, they went as far as they could without toppling over. Posh yet decadent, rough yet strict.

IMHO? Amazing. A creative and interesting decor that stays balanced and harmonious. A splendid mix with lovely details. Elaborate yet relaxed: A fresh white-based eclectic style.

Story and (more) pics via the magazine Sköna hem.

From time to time I amuse myself by looking at the current real estate ads. It’s one of few ways to see how people really decor their spaces. Or at least, decor it for selling.  One thing I found spring-fresh and inspiring in today’s sneak is the use of colurful chairs. Strong and light pink, and mustard/yellow – in otherwise white-ish interiors. The pink and grey combination is super nice I think.

| pics: Lagerlings, Erik Olsson and Alexander & Co |

There is no doubt the trendiest colour 2010 is blue. Blue is simply the new black! Here’s some inspirational photos, first from the London home of the excellent interior designer Abigail Ahern.

|photo: Mads Mogensen for Sköna hem|

It is easy to spot that these chosen gray-blue hues have many matching-options. Other blues, beige/light brown,- white, copper, wood…it makes an elegant and friendly look.

|photo: Mads Mogensen for Sköna hem|

…and not least, a great combination with attention-grabbing red and yellow (complementary colour of blue) details:

|left photo: Mads Mogensen for Sköna hem, right photo: ATELIER Abigail Ahern|

The book on international colour trends 2010 pointed out a variety of shades of blue along with the light airy Colour of the Year 2010. From airy and optimistic – lifting the spirit and lighting the darkness – to soulful teals and turquoises and rich, clear ultramarines. Personally I am particularly fond of spiritual and creative blue in a home office/study room, but blue is a colour that fits any room. Below are two dining room-examples: Pale blue crispy walls with white and crystal…a modern quirky look. And white furniture and accessories against a pale blue-greenish background and rustic floorboards.

|photos: HouseToHome|

Calming blue is of course great for bedrooms. Though, the shade and decor does not need to be sleepy. Below, a french country style bedroom with pink roses and turquoise details, – and a strong lively shade of blue together with green and gold in a Spanish inspired sunny bedroom.

|photos: HouseToHome|

As shown in Sköna hem. I love the powdry wall colour and the atmosphere…

…the lovely cupboards

…and the effortless details.

I could live here! :)

Your thougts?

|photos: Johan Kalén for Sköna hem|

..this vibrant home with a personal mix of 50’s, vintage, comics, fantasy, toys, 16th century details, wayward puppets, glamorous movie stars, bright colours, beautiful dresses, fairy tale creatures (etc.!) is inhabited by a young illustrator, artist and student. |pics: Frida Ekman, SvD.se|

The prevailing style of decor in the capital of Sweden has been a topic in this blog several times. My apology and explanation is that I – during my four months long search and hunt for an apartment to buy – glanced through countless real estate ads and visited numerous styled Stockholm homes. It has been summed up in Scandinavian style and the “colour” Stockholm-White (its definition and colour code is disputed, some holds it’s S 0502-Y). Now, I stumbled across the (very fine) blog Splendid Willow, written by Monika, who is a native Swede living in the US. She has recently listed the design elements you can be sure to find in a Stockholm apartment:

* White. Swedes embrace gallons and gallons of white paint.
* Hardwood floors with individual rugs (we stopped using wall to wall carpeting decades ago).
* State of the art kitchens.
* State of the art bathrooms.
* Books! Books are prominent, we surround ourselves with books and display them with pride.
* A great mix of old and new. A true Swede will rather have no furniture at all than to get rid of historical elements such as old wood burning stoves and the old beams.

I endorse all the points and add to the list:

* Naked windows. A fear of curtains lives inside the city homes.
* Stylish lighting. Lighting is a crucial point. Right now, two trends stand out: large round lights hanging from the ceiling (the IKEA Maskros lamp probably sell like crazy) and chandeliers, preferably crystal.
* Well-arranged wardrobes. Again, you’ll never escape IKEA, that company has distorted our brains showing their shelving systems with thousands of practical options. (The dream of a walk-in closet is intrinsic but not always pronounced.)

Proof. (Exhibit A to F)

|photos from Skeppsholmen|

By Shootfactory Ltd

Speaking of the super-brand Day Home and speaking of home offices / study rooms and how to furnish and arrange for the Creative Flow to check in…the latest issue of Swedsh Elle Interiör features the Copenhagen home of Marianne Brandi and Keld Mikkelsen, the founders of the Danish fashion empire Day Birger et Mikkelsen and interior collection Day Home.

Marianne Brandi’s favourite room is their large bright home office.

|scanned from Elle Interiör 9/2009|

The Swedish blog / webshop Smällkaramell holds a very nice concept. Lisa Bredahl, the creator and designer, buys old furniture from relief organizations and refurbish them using colourful and exclusive fabrics. Part of the profits for her sales go to the World Wildlife Fund. It’s a colorful, original and eco-friendly concept. The basic idea has a genuine reason. She herself being an economist specialized in environmental economics, she is well versed in the problems of today’s consumer society: To buy second-hand does not burden the environment as bad as when you buy newly-produced goods. And may I add, you actually can’t even find this beautiful, unique and creative goods in mass production lines.

In every aspect, Smällkaramell makes me happy. Some examples of the goodies below. I am soo keen on buying a ‘cracker – pillow’ or two!