trendey

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it right over again again again:.. the decor heros of our times are Granny and Grandpa! They knew how to do it :) Some of the most beloved items in our home were given or inherited from our grandparents. Here’s another tour at Mia’s! First up, the dining area rug – from Mike’s Grandpa. Grandpa Birger in his turn got it from his sister Elin, who was actually born and raised in the neighborhood we live in right now. In other words, this rug has been on a voyage and now, in its old days, come back home.

Next, below, my beloved pendulum clock I got from late Grandpa Sven. He got this clock when he quit his job as a private chauffeur in the 50s. I think it’s the most beautiful vintage clock there is. To the right, ceramic art signed Grandma Tora. She was a ceramic artist, who amongst other things had owls in her repertoire. This artistry is now contined through the trendey-mum (more about her works later)).

Well, not really… But close enough on the L’eau dining chair from Italian contemporary design company Calligaris (new in for 125 GBP at Heal’s)

I love the turquoise colour and the ripple effect on the seat!  I can see these chairs looking great around a white kitchen table. Only thing I’m not a 100 percent certain of, is the overall shape and design of the chair – doesn’t it look a lot like the chairs one used to sit on at school? Hmm.. I would need to see and test-sit this one in reality to make sure I don’t get any back-to-school vibes before considering a purchase!

I’ve got stripes, stripes around my shoooulders...

I rather like the impression of black & white stripes in decor. It’s classic, modern and stylish. Stripes work well in any style. How ever the trend winds blow. I love my b&w Bob Pappelina rug, it always fits somewhere. There are some b&w stripes around this Autumn, e.g. in the well-circulated pics above from DAY and Ferm Living. Always classic and an interesting style-break in many settings, right now I’d combine the black-white-striped details with grey, with colour schemes like these, added a bith of warmth.

Personally, I am not particularly fond of modern graphic patterns, I think they often have a disruptive effect. As small details though, they can be really nice..

| photo: Trine Thorsen |

For large surfaces, I prefer a white pattern against a black background rather than vice versa. These dramatic walls below are really cool I think. And and extra hello to the boho charmig magpies!

| photo: Andrea Ferrari |

Finally, after nearly ten years in a smallish two-bedroomed flat and one looong year of very active house-hunting in London, my husband and I have had an offer accepted on a new place, yay!! We’re so excited!! =) =) =) We’ll be getting some more space and a small garden at last!  As the deal is not 100 per cent final until the contracts are signed and the fat lady sings, I’m not sharing any pictures yet for fear of jinxing it, but in CELEBRATION please join me in drooling over three truly inspirational London homes which feature the best of London style – oodles of creativity, fearless individualism and plenty of eccentricity!

No 1: Victorian townhouse in North London (Hampstead Heath) owned by Sam Roddick – daughter of Body Shop creator Anita Roddick and owner of erotica shop brand Coco de Mer. The boldly blue living room is a very original and personalised space with family pictures, drawings, paintings and vintage furniture. Underneath a glimpse of the trendy industrial style kitchen (love those lights!) and of an inviting seating area with more well-loved vintage furniture. Striking, unique and rather cosy!

No 2: Equally original, but in a completely different way, is this quirky and colourful home of furniture designer Lisa Whatmough (of London label Squint) in Hackney, London. Here, uniform and minimalistic backgrounds allow the happy, multi-coloured granny-esque lamps and vintage-style furniture to take centre stage and really sparkle joy and friendliness. A brightly bohemian and homely fantasyland!

No 3: Third up, is this 1930s arts and crafts house in Brondesbury, London, owned by Joy and Daniel Isaacs.  While a little more “sober and grown-up” than the other two houses, this home is still full of charm and eccentric touches. I love the dark blueish grey on the walls together with the deep red accessories and the vintage stag head - which contrasts beautifully with the modern coffee table. I also really like the minimal yet full impact hallway. It’s bright, uncluttered and spacious and the zebra hide looks great in there.  All in all – a stylishly decorated home with a robust and timeless feel!

[all_images _via Marie Claire Maison and Living Etc]

I love the red chinese cabinet to the right (from John Lewis, 299 GBP). It would be so great in a black and white kitchen or dining room to add a global eclectic touch and a splash of vibrant colour!

[right: morton holtum, left: John Lewis]

…ever wondered what’s the hottest colour right now according to trendey?

Nah, I figured! ;) To me it’s blue, always, but this Autumn grey is all around. From raw concrete to the silkiest sophisticated shade and everything in between. The ‘new’ base colour. I like the room above, from Danish RUM. Shades of grey is not the base, but the elements that assemble the style and provides the harmonious and cool vibe.

And now to the thank yous. A great big THANK YOU to all you lovely readers, for following us, commenting, greeting and feedbacking. Without you trendey wouldn’t be nearly as fun. And a thousand thanks to all of you who have written about trendey this last month. We appreciate it dearly. This has also given us new blogs to follow, and I wish to highlight three of our new-finds. Thank you Sunny @ beautiful morning’s light. Thank you Natacha @ interior-passionate Mocca & Me and Thank you Michael @ inspiring and charmy Inspired by charm.

I really like the look created by mixing items from different eras in a completely current way. The contrast is fun and interesting and makes the old look older and the new newer! Mid-century classics (like the Saarinen tulip chairs from 1958 in the pic below for example) are great to use in an eras-mix as the 50s “space-age” style tends to look more modern than modern items!

To me, this “retro-vintage-antiques-modern” mix is all about recycling and reusing great designs from the past – disregarding as many rules about consistency and coherence as possible – and in the process creating interesting and elegant rooms fit for modern living. This eclectic style (which might be easiest to pull of in a period property), ought to have real staying power. So many combinations to try! Posssibly stay clear of the most heavily used 50s classics at the moment to avoid it all looking predictable, but overall I can’t see a room with a successful and harmonious vintage-modern blend going out of fashion any time soon!

Here’s more from the same stylist…

All of the above pics come from stylist Aaron Hom.

Although I still love Chesterfield sofas, I must confess I’m having an affair with the Knoll sofa at the moment. It’s just so simple, elegant and classy that I can’t help myself! Designed by Florence Knoll in 1954, it has never really gone out of fashion – and it still looks amazingly sleek and modern today.

This sofa has experienced a huge surge in popularity recently as part of the general trend favouring mid-century modern classics (a trend still going strong!), so if you don’t want to fork out on an original (at least 8-9,000 USD), there are masses of reproductions and cheaper interpretations of this sofa out there. For example, IKEA’s very good value version, the Karlstad range. Below left in white leather for 599 GBP. Also check out Sater to the right at only 239 GBP – now that’s cheap for so much style!

…when an antique chandelier is placed in front of a large mirror!

[pics from Living Etc and Idenfor & Udenfor]

This kitchen, which was used as the set for Sophie Dahl’s cooking show “The Delicious Miss Dahl”, is tranquil, bright and bang on trend with a rustic cooker, smart Belfast sink and public toilet style tiles. Although I’m not normally a huge fan of the all-white colour scheme or the shabby chic look, I really like this kitchen design. To me, it’s a blank canvas and perfect backdrop for adding splashes of colour and fun decorative objects according to mood and season. I just know this kitchen will look great even when it’s totally messy!

In the TV show, the kitchen looked much more lively than on the above estate agent pics (the north London house to which the kitchen belongs was for sale a few months back for £1.45 million (!)) With only a couple of additions - like a cheerful and pretty wallpaper and assorted vintage items, the kitchen became a much more colourful and homely space.

I never get tired of blue. It’s my favourite colour. It is a creative colour (great for home office/study), a soothing colour (great for bedroom); an easily matched, versatile, cold colour. I picked these three lovely blue rooms for today’s colour inspiration.

|1st and 3rd pic: House Beautiful, middle: Shoot Factory |

We have tropical temperatures in the cold North right now! The mercury is stable at 90° F, the sun roasts and you yearn for the blue, blue sea and lapping waves. This contrast is useful in home decor – the hot and the cold. Sunny yellow and cool blue-turquoise for dining..

| pics: channel4 – 4homes |