….from the book True Scandinavian – Contemporary Living with photos by Pia Ulin. Also mentioned a while back; a particularly well-caught illustration of Swedish style. The pic above is one of my favourites, it has such a homely atmosphere and a smooth grannyesque vibe in a Scandinavian setting. Equally Scandinavian is the pic below, from Sköna Hem. A cooler, fresher, an all in all – whiter -  version…

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]

There is a blog called Fine Little Day. Maybe you all knew about it. I didn’t. It has a shop attached to it, a fine little shop, but what I particularly want to talk about is wallpapers. Wallpaper-envy. Of all the wallpapers on the planet, these below are of the kind I’m most passionate about. Vintage, in the very best sense of the word. Colourful in a muted, faded way. Floral in a pleasant non-disturbing kind of way. Most of all, they are granny-esque. If I’ve understood it correctly, they (i.e Elisabeth of Fine Little Day and her family) bought an old house, that looked like this on the inside …

Yummy. We might see more of this when they have moved in and settled (I hope). Another cool – fine – thing is that the son of this household, Otto, 9 years old, has designed his own wallpaper. It bears the name “Ohoy” and it is actually nominated to The Formex Formidable design prize.

You can vote for Otto & “Ohoy” at the bottom of this page.

The drug abuse, violin-playing and the outsmarting of super criminals aside, perhaps, I would be very comfortable living like Sherlock Holmes in his flat on Baker Street. Here I would feel free to spill tea on the carpet, paint an oil painting or two and read a stack of dusty old books in peace.

Sure it’s cluttered and messy, but who’s to say that’s necessarily so bad? I think this is an inspirational home. This vintage victorian style mixed with mad inventor’s hangout needs just a few modern touches to bring it up to date. Some more white, a few more uncluttered areas and some modern pieces (how about a giant anglepoise lamp?) What must remain however is the cosy atmosphere, the velvet curtains and the telescope - in my humble opinion.

In the above image I’m particularly liking the heavy-looking crown above the fireplace, the leopard skin slung across the ottoman, the marble bust to the left and the pair of granny-esque lamps. Oh, and I guess I wouldn’t mind so much if Jude Law and Robert Downey JR popped in to embellish the design scheme either ;)

[The above images come from the set of Warner Bros blockbuster "Sherlock Holmes" (2009) directed by Guy Ritchie. Set director Katie Spencer. Production designer Sarah Greenwood. Photographs by Barry Wetcher copyright Warner Bros. Via Set Decor Online]

I find these images fun and inspiring. What I like best is the yellow/deep pink colour combo and the granny-esque lampshades (I so would like a bedside reading lamp like the pink one! :)) However, while I would love to stay in a boutique hotel or visit a friend’s home which is decorated like this, I don’t think I would like to copy this interior design style wholesale myself. Mostly because I want more modern design classics in the mix and am not overly keen on quite such colourful walls, but also because I know I would struggle to get away with it as my husband would absolutely hate this style ;D

[upper right pic from Canadian Home & Country magazine via Brabourne Farm; upper left and bottom pics from photographer Chris Court]

| image via Shootfactory |