One of my favourite DIY departments is lamps & lighting [check out our DIY sub-category named Creative lamps]. The coolest lamps consist of various stuff put together (be it bottles, odd china or well, anything), handicrafted lamp shades (knit wool, braided birch bark, etc) or just some old thing made into a lamp (like a hat – think Jeeves & Wooster). Or a lamp shade hat put on a porcelain dog (- think Abigail Ahern’s lighting collection). Or perhaps a reclaimed neon sign. In this field of decor (as any), only creativity’s the limit.

And, most importantly: you can Do It Yourself! It’s one of the greatest way to create something unique because lighting can hardly ever look ugly or wrong. Especially not if you’ve put your soul in it. Few people have too many lighting sources in a room, problem is usually the opposite. Best of all, there’s plenty of inspiration around. Personally, I still love the idea of painting a globe, I think my wor(l)d would be o y s t e r :) And just take a second look at Henen’s DIY:ed hallway lamp: Purely made of branch, tape, paint and a good dose of creativity (there’s also a white smurf hidden among the twigs (!)). And it certainly casts both personality and amazing shadows at night. Interestingly, many of the brand new lamps in the market are upcycled, hodge-podgy and/or homespun. Definitely DIY-friendly.

Good examples: A creation of vintage rulers  /

a bunch of old lampshades (similiar cluster spotted at the AW 2011 Formex fair)…

And lastly, a slightly odd (but simple) one – to light up the kitchen of course – a colander.

| sources: 1, 2 & 3, 4 |

thrifty chic. Interior style on a shoestring is a book by Liz Bauwens and Alexandra Campbell. Unlike this spring’s fresh new book Undecorate, Thrifty Chic has been around for a while, both as a book (from 2009) and as a (partly overridden) concept. This beautiful book is packed with re-ideas. It shows you how to “reuse and restore, revive and revamp, and recycle and reclaim”, in order to create a stylish yet individual home without spending a small fortune.

As you can see already by the cover, the overall style is relaxed country – and vintage charm is all around. The concept of thrifty chic (and same meaning related concepts) is highly sustainable. Inspiration on how to paint up a tatty old chest, cut old curtains into cushions or give an old chair new life by means of some fabric – will never grow old and mossy. Reusing, restoring, reviving and revamping are things creative people have practiced for centuries and that – nicely enough – will contribute to less consumption and environmental destruction as it includes being cautious with both money and property. As if that weren’t enough, this book is pure beautifulness. It’s friendly written with lots of insider advices. This is one of my favourite photos from the book (photography by Simon Brown):

Gorgeous. All these furniture and stuff came from auctions, thrift stores and local sales.

The book has a feature on colour in hallways I found really interesting too (p.34-35), and some beyond lovely photos of thrifty bathrooms. See p. 118-127 for more pics and great advices on 2nd hand sanitaryware, etc.

It’s a must-have in the design book collection!

Etsy is one amazing place. I keep finding so many nice things! My latest catch is a gorgeous vintage monkey I’m so much looking forward to meet. Here’s a collection of some other nice things, available right now.

| a hand woven ikat pillow @ lai grai, a vintage task lamp & a vintage robert mitchum framed portrait @ confetti garden and a gift set for the craft lover @ funretro |

| a vintage 70s swag ceiling light (in sweden we call them ‘tiffany-lamps’) @ funretro, a sea foam herman miller eames chair @ comod and finally, there’s something special with this montana brewery fine art print @ awakes |

confetti garden’s flickr

Let me clarify I do not have any children of my own (yet) and thus no credibility (or insight) in the field of popular kid’s toys. But isn’t there a sudden explosion of retro cars? In the very same issue of Swedish magazine Allt i Hemmet, april/may 2011, two different homes are featured, each with a kid and a red retro/vintage car. Man, that’s over-explicit! In the left picture, the boy’s car is a replica of a car from the 30s. In the right picture (from a 30s house), nothing is said about the car but it surely is a signature piece in the kid’s room. Well now, if you want to live the happy glossy (Swedish) magazine life – then get your kid a good ‘ol retro vehicle! ;) I’d love one of those above…

If you haven’t stopped by the photography blog From Me To You - you should! The photos are appsolutely amazing. And I found some more lovely lovely beige walls….and gorgeous vintage decor – at Confetti Garden‘s photostream.

A tiny red cottage, in between Stockholm’s city and archipelago, houses this charmig little kitchen. It reminds a lot of the fabulously styled theatre pub I wrote about the other day. About their interior style, the couple living in this house say (the eclectic key words): “You can find gems within all styles. Why zero in on one when you can have them all?”

| this kitchen – and more rooms of this lovely house – can be found in DN Bostad |