anordinarywoman

Homes / Interiors Gallery

Floral style

I spent a half day in a flower shop the other day. Not so much for the flowers, to be honest but the more for the owner & all her stories about different flowers. There’s all types of individuals, which I always find exciting & interesting to listen to as well as ponder about. People, in general is an interesting phenomenon – imagine all different individuals with different opinions & viewpoints. It turned out that this lady’s view of plants, resembled my way - only that it is people instead.

Every plant behaves different to another. SO when she talked about a certain flower, or plant, I actually saw a person in front of me. This was especially between rose varieties. From the simple & humble to the real divas & everything in between. You could say that we found each other through a common view despite different interests. Life can be that simple at times.

Colour combined with white / Kim Timmerman

Colour with white again but more pale / 79ideas

Flowers with stripes & squares / suziebeezie.tumblr.com

Old-fashioned rose pattern / llebeatelier.tumblr.com

Striking / pinterest.com

Cute / ideasandinspiration.tumblr.com

Stylish / google.com

Summer feeling / fancy.com

Romantic / theinfamous

I seem to have a fondness for white & floral / happydayout.tumblr.com

Modern cottage style / sanna&sania

Timeless / keltainen

Matching accessories / obaz.com

Detail that makes a difference / husligheter

Textile styling / 79ideas

Take care / Marie

Tagged Floral, Flower, matching, romantic, Rose, rose pattern, rose varieties

13/05/2013

Food

Fresh baked

Standing in a long queue early Saturday morning to buy fresh baked bread makes you wonder. Even if it’s a well known bakery with lots of supporters. Yes, it does taste fantastic & it feels good when it’s still warm & with strong cappuccino to it & the sun shining & people buzzing & you have a day off without any plans … maybe all this adds to it. But no, there’s something special about bread. Always has & always will be. I grew up & was spoiled with freshly baked bread with a mother who loved to bake. AND did it in a snap without frills. Unfortunately, I never learned the art.

I really think it’s an art to bake, it requires some talent. To bake a loaf may well most, if you just follow a recipe. Sure! But then, in this case, a majority would also be able to do most things, or well, anything really. True indeed, but with a key difference. That little extra! That what makes the BIG difference, that captures the individual, that creates traffic, where people pilgrims, makes & takes the time to go there, if only for freshly baked bread.

Food styling / livet hemma

A little trip down the street / stillnessmeetsme.tumblr.com

Fresh baked & organized for hungry stomachs / skonahem.se

Morning ritual / dailycandy.com

Nice for the eye / fancy.com

Simple & appealing / @mycasa

No dinner without bread / vanessacorea.com

Delicate small buns / pinterest.com

On the way somewhere / flickr.com

Art for sure as well as talent / charmingspaces.tumblr.com

Bread with variety / google.com

There’s something specific & special with bread / livethemma.com

Creativity / ablognamedscout.com

My dear friend Helen / facebook.com

Wonderful sight / thegiftsoflife.tumblr.com

Arranged / coop.se

Take care / Marie

Tagged bakery, Baking, bread, bread food, bread roll, bun, dough, food

10/05/2013

Style

Shoe lust

Shoes in various material & models are exciting, but I’m relatively restrictive with what I use. NEVER high heels unfortunately – even though I’m short & would benefit. For everyday use, I wear sneakers or desert boots. Flat shoes are my melody - sneakers, boots, sandals, party shoes, formal shoes – doesn’t matter what occasion. Very similar to the first image but in leather or suede. It doesn’t matter how well-dressed you are, if the shoes don’t fit, the whole thing then looks drastically wrong. Or feels wrong, which is worse. I were in the city on a course & stayed after, for a stroll before I went home after work. No intentions to buy but to just look around, have a coffee & soak up the urban atmosphere.

I ended up buying two shoes in suede, black & dark blue in different shops. I must probably acknowledge that it was a feat considering all the high-heeled models that existed – everywhere! But shame on those who give up :) Even If I wasn’t looking really. My philosophy is that when you see something you like, just buy it. You can’t regret that you bought something since you have the option to return the item. But if they run out of stock, that is more – well, not nice if you changed your mind.

Nice style & colour / beelianwee.tumblr.com

Fun idea /buttercuptrend

Haven’t seen these in a while / fancy.com

Black & beige, some of my favourite colours / theyallhateus.com

So cute / kaszkazmlkiem.wordpress.com

Wondering about the idea behind this fashion photo / tumblr.com

Seeing these everywhere / freepeople.com

Cool / annagillar

Decorative / fancy.com

Interesting / google.com

Leopard sandals / thesartorialist

Classic loafers / classygirldwearspearls

Him, her & the best friend / giselarydberg

Red shoes for any event / sharedesign.com

Comfortable & stylish / beelianwee via tumblr

Take care / Marie

Tagged desert boots, Fashion, Footwear, formal shoes, High-heeled footwear, Sandal, Shoe, Shopping, style, women's

05/05/2013

Homes / Interiors, Style Gallery

Porcelain pattern

Chinese blue pattern is so common in the trade nowadays, whether it is textiles, porcelain, or other. When I grew up, it was usual with the blue pattern on porcelain to collect mainly, not antique, but the kind you got at each celebration, so that you had a complete set – when it was time to leave home. There were one collection that I remember was very popular although I didn’t really fall for that particular style. I have struggled ever since then actually. I can’t really decide whether I like this kind of pattern & colour. I do that sometimes & so suddenly it feels boring & predictable. Maybe it depends on the occasion & mood, what do I know. Well, I know that some of my friends is completely in love in both this colour & pattern. Either way, it is perhaps not so bad anyway, it’s rather neat when you look at the variations of the pattern & the different blue tones of the china – Swedish East India – as I prefer to call it. What do you think?

Nice patterns & shiny blue on the inside / anettewillemine

Glamorous style / agatha via fancy

French inspired / pinterest.com

Greek inspired / weheartit.com

Swedish style / analoguelife.com

Summer house style / housetohome

Party style / katelondon

Grandma style / waterproofvalentines

Talented painter / wordpress.com

Styling / rusanson.com

Bike style / thebonafidechainblinger

Coordinated / theshinesquirrel.tumblr.com

Modern skull / darksilenceinsuburbia.tumblr

Patterned blues / studiokarin

China blue / passages8391tumblr.com

Take care / Marie

Tagged blue, Bone china, china, collections, Crafts, Crockery, porcelain, swedish east india

02/05/2013

Food, Homes / Interiors, Style Gallery

Black & white

Inspiration can be found everywhere & there are always details that catches the eye, even if only a colour or a tiny item that attracts. Some sees the whole solution where others might not see anything special at all. It’s hard to tell what makes some things immensely popular, where many suddenly seem to like or fall for the same things. While similar solutions are completely without charm & arouses no-must-have- feeling at all.

There’s not much to say really – black & white always works, although I’m aware of & respect those who want more colour in their everyday lives. I just think that it’s nice to have a base that always works & which is also easy to change, when you feel like it. With simple means.

A pleasurable environment / dusty.com

Classic piece / breitling.com

Frames with black white photos – so simple / vineetkaur

Posing / fabforgottennonility

Black & white base / lovelylife.com

Amazing tiles / newravenna.photoshelter.com

Beautiful image / solidfrog.com

Great storage / trendland.com

Stylish style / tumblr.com

Useful / suitupordie

Love(ly) design / momadesignstore

Suitable quote / hgreytale via tumblr

Neat candy / etsy.com

Dramatic architecture / fancy.com

Styling / livethemma

Take care / Marie

Tagged black and white, Fashion, home decor, office, picture frames, style, suit, underwear, watch

29/04/2013

Homes / Interiors

Light grey shades

We are just in the phase to renovate our shed in the garden. It’s around 15-17 square meter & has been used for various storage needs. It’s a perfect little house to furnish as a guest house. And so it will be used too – with relatives that will arrive within four weeks & stay for four weeks. It’s just outside the veranda, in the corner of the garden with all the lovely trees & bushes around. It’s been made in country style which fits well with the rest of the house. We will retain the outside in same style so most of the work will be to get the interior nice, comfortable & functional. All walls white, I guess we will choose white floor also. White tiles for the shower area & for the sink too.

It will not be much color except textiles, rugs & accessories. The usual, so to speak. Colour is always nice in many ways but ” colourless” works well too. To visualize that, I chose to do a post with images in grey – shades of light grey.

Stylish & simple / mtrlst.com

Cool hair colour / jeanbaptistesantens.com

Kitchen styling / agentbauer / camilla Krishnaswamy

Store & organise / studiokarin

Simple & striking design / contemporist

Welcome home / tyrifrid.com

Cool combination / takeovertime.tumblr

Natural material / stylizimo

Scandinavian freshness / IB_S_CONTENT_DESCRIPTIONWRITER

Contemporary country / city style / livethemma.se

Hang them right / stilinspiration.blogspot

White & grey / studiokarin

Nice wall paper / borastapeter.se

Rustic elegance / rosesandrustblogger

Tagged Color, colours, grey, grey shades, hair colour, home design, home styling, light grey, scandinavian

26/04/2013

Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor Gallery

Coffee culture

Coffee with something small, a snack, has for most of us, regardless of age, become a well trendy socializing-form, an almost sacred ritual. There’s a coffee shop in every corner nowadays. Still, it wasn’t until late 1600s that coffee had its breakthrough. It was regarded as something expensive & exclusive, where only the “elite” could afford the luxury. We have a swedish expression that’s used daily … to grab a fika, which is a coffee with something small & sweet to. It’s hard to believe that it’s the Swedes today who, together with the Finns, are the ones who’s drinking most coffee in the world. There’s a strong coffee culture in Australia too, surely one the best places where the coffee tastes wonderful no matter where you are.

Wikipedea: Coffee is a brewed beverage with a distinct aroma and flavor, prepared from the roasted seeds of the Coffeaplant. The seeds are found in coffee “cherries”, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. Coffee is slightly acidic (pH 5.0–5.1) and can have a stimulating effect on humans because of its caffeine content. It is one of the most consumed drinks in the world.

Always in the mood for coffee / tassike.ee

Beautiful vintage sign / fancy.com I love this image / Google.com

Simple but beautiful /dustjacketattic.blogspot

Inviting & exciting /atelierrueverte

One of the most popular drinks in the world /cafeapostrophe via tumblr

Swedish expression / ablogwithaview

Grab a fika / photobucket.com

Simply beautiful / devidsketchbook.tumblr.com

Good to know / designyoutrust.com

Lovely atmosphere / foopie via fancy

Yes, please /photobucket

Dedication /thediaryofaminimalist

Coffee beauty /thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com

Early morning & first coffee of the day / stadshem.se

Take care / Marie

Tagged Australia, barista, cafe, coffee, Coffee culture, coffee shops, decor, most popular drinks, popular drink, Swedes

22/04/2013

Homes / Interiors, Style Gallery

Timeless heroes

I cannot claim that I am a collector of classical design icons. I’m not a collector of anything more than the things who has been with us throughout the years & which, by usage, have gained significant personal value over time. These, including memories & occurrences that are connected with the items, that I cherish. I am trying to reduce on possessions, actually, no matter what they might be worth. You can only own so much or use so much, really. All the moves that we have gone through, has helped to reduce the number of things in the household, thanks & praise. In time, it becomes easier to realize what’s really needed & what’s important. Experiences as well as small moments of happiness – that’s what I collect nowadays. One of those experiences as well as moments of happiness, is the beauty of design classics – our timeless heroes.

Arne Jacobsen AJ table lamp / fancy.com

Arne Jacobsen Egg chair / google

Borge Mogensen Spanish chair / Pinterest.com

Charles / Ray Eames, army green molded plastic chairs / tumblr.com

Eames, hang-it-all hatrack / pinterest.com

Fritz Hansen swan sofa / fancy.com

George Nelson sunburst clock / designclassics.com

Hans Wegner black wishbone chair / google.com

Louis ghost chairs / tumblr.com

Verner Panton VP4 table lamp / weheartit.com

Coordinated classics / designcollectors

Knoll butterfly chair / pinterest.com

Werner panton UFO lamp / designandfashion.com

Timeless style / theyallhateus.com

Thomas Pedersen stingray rocker / designcollectors

Take care / Marie

Tagged arne jacobsen, Borge Mogensen, Charles and Ray Eames, design classics, Fritz Hansen, furniture, George Nelson, Hans Wegner, verner panton

19/04/2013

Homes / Interiors Gallery

Headboards / 263

I have been looking for a new bed & kept my eyes open in case I’d find someone I fell in love in instantly – cause that’s how it should be – but I dont’ know, after I while, I just realised that we already have a perfect one. So, no need for a new bed at all. The important part was the headboard plus the colour. White of course or maybe in birch but very simple & no fuss. I want it to be a bit high in the head end & low in the front. Just enough to lean towards when reading. I thought our bed had had enough after all the moving we have been through. We have mounted it down a number of times so this time it felt like that was enough, the last time it could or would cope with a dismantling.

We had the perfect moving company, the guys were very helpful with the bed when I mentioned that it might not withstand a move again. They picked it apart & mounted it on the spot – with extra support for the headboard – just to ensure that we were able to lean back, when necessary. People who help others simply for fun – it’s the height of joy, especially when you are not expecting it. Perhaps the secret in this case was that a Swedish guy was the group leader & he was so happy to see a Swedish family, during one of his missions. Anyway, we still have our bed with its nice headboard & it’s as good as new.

Upholstered headboard with your own expression / vintagehome.tumblr.com

Reuse & enjoy / vintagehome.tumblr.com

Build your own bed with recycling / adayinthelandofnobody.tumblr.com

An old iron bed always works - here in a bright colour / hus&hem.se

Or here in metal grey with pastel / ikeafamily

Pure beauty indeed / google.com

Stylish in steel gray with elegant bed skirt / justthedesign.com

Suitable for romantic style / vtwonen.nl

Simple & uncomplicated / laurejoliet.com

Oversized in white / google / philippestarck / Cassina

Nice combination / hogartotal.com

With integrated bedside tables / thestonecutter via Fancy

Charming homemade solution / woodwoolstool.blogspot

Very appealing / marzdesigns.com

Personal style / molitli.nl

Take care / Marie

Tagged bed, Bed frame, bedroom, bedrooms, beds, furniture, headboard, headboards, upholstered headboard

13/04/2013

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor Gallery

Textile candy

Textile candy – materials, textures, color, pattern, design – all kind of fabrics that add warmth and caring for the home. Such as cushions, perfect to use in the sofa of course. Admittedly, these alters the expression of both the couch & the room, but they cause a misery, too – when you have to fix & organize these beauties. It’s not as bad as in the bedroom when everything ends up on the floor, as soon as you want to go to bed. Which also is the reason why I don’t use them in the bed anymore. But to the point, cushions are such a great way to spice up your furniture or your room. It’s easy to create a homely feeling as well as atmosphere through choice of colour, size & quantity – for nice comfort. Not to mention how affordable it is, instead of an expense of the entire room. Moreover, one can easily create constant changes in season without the hassle. Unless you’re the type who likes to sew & fix, to create your own design. Then it is a further plus of course!

I’ve put together some images that I hope will inspire you, no matter if you buy or create on your own. Here are some textile candy to enjoy.

Just enough to not overtake this beautiful sofa / lantlig&shabby

Muted pastel shades / cyrillus.fr

Adorable / HMhome

Flexible with pink red pastel colours / lamaisond’annag

Beautiful pattern, colors & materials in pure linen – designed by a good friend / feloffa design. Check out on face book!

Perfect addition of colour / lilihalodecoration.blogspot

/ pinterest.com

Cool mix / ikealive.com

Romantic in the open air / homelife.com

Colour splash for the brave / google.com

Exciting design / spirainredning.se

Colourful pearls in the couch / spirainredning.se

Cool combination in colours & patterns / spirainredning.se

Black & white always right / stylizimo.com

Grey seat unit with colorful elements / John Deer 2011

Take care / Marie

Tagged accessories, accessorise, cushions, decor, design, fabrics, home, pillows, textiles

10/04/2013

3 Comments

Homes / Interiors Gallery

Dividing lines

Time flies & I realised that I haven’t posted something, for a few days now. So here I am, thinking of room dividers – somethings that sometimes are necessary in both small & large rooms or surfaces, whether deliberately planned or there by accident. Either way, it is an excellent way to create a room within the room. Perfect in small areas in order to bring in several functions or large surfaces, to create spatiality or reduce the feeling of space. It is somehow as when you were little & built the huts in the kitchen under the table or in the living room. You know, in the room, but still on your own, in your own little world.

There are many clever solutions to room dividers. Whether you build them, get them custom built, or perhaps creating the surface via furniture placement or use of removable wall screens. It all depends on the layout, architecture in the room & preferred style. The difficult thing is to decide what you want & need, what material to use & whether it is temporary or long term. Especially if it is several people in the family who has to agree. Ending up in divided opinions instead of dividing lines, can take its time, you know!

A small hallway created within the room / hus&hem

Expand with large windows by bringing in light & nature closely / myscandinavianhome

Flexible & transparent, yet separate / skonahem.se

Ideal to use a book case for storage & create a wall for extra function behind / designtraveller.tumblr.com

Freestanding wall that is mobile, that creates spatiality, while it being used as a gallery wall / firsthome

A small area with sliding doors (brave colour) / blog.jelanieshop.com

Rustic & simple solution room with textiles / apartmenttherapy.com

A glass partition so as not to diminish the feeling of space in the room / cocokelley.com

Neatly designed cupboard divider / designtime.com

Being able to see but not be disturbed / avotakka.fi

Closes a portion of the transparency & creates an effortless impression / desiretoinspire.com

The wall some distance away, shortens the room / mechantdesign

Rustic sliding door / 101woonideen.nl

Framed surface with glass sections / featherhorse on fb

Nice color combination & good positioning of the seat by the window / Photo by Clayton Hauck for Longman & Eagle

Take care / Marie

Tagged dividers, fabrics, functions, furniture, partitions, room divider, sliding doors, smart solutions, textiles

07/04/2013

4 Comments

Outdoor Gallery

Neatly packed

I happen to like straight, flat-shaped & box-like houses … maybe not buildings but houses. I now live in a house that is quite in contrast to this straight architecture. But equal happy anyway. I like the simple shape that showcases exactly what you see without fuss. Angles & crannies are not my melody even if I do appreciate it because of its intermittency & charm…when it’s old, used & lived in. But, it is like it is with preferences. And still, with a straight shape, it can look so different & express so much, that it’s hard to believe.

Anyway, I thought I’ll do a post about my love for nicely packaged houses & show you some nice finds. Who knows, if you’re not into this type of architecture - you might discover something that may change your mind.

Extremely nice in its simplicity / bungalow5

Compact but airy / byggfabriken

Ultramodern / design-dautore

Delightful / fancy

Old & the new together / convoy

Garage living / ikea

A concrete block that blends in with the environment / lambert blog

Absolutely adorable / reiulframstadarchitechts

Cute / skonahem

Strong impact with small means / paonote-room269

Stands out in the crowd / letmebeinspired

Orangery in black & glass / hus&hem

Exciting roof house / paulmouret via fancy

Tranquil workplace / blessthisstuff.com

Exciting placement of windows / thenewyorktimes

Take care / Marie

Tagged accommodations, architecture, buildings, garage, houses, housing, living, Modernism, orangery

01/04/2013

3 Comments

Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Style Gallery

Less is more

Quiet peaceful environments, thoughts that are given space & time, more space & less stuff, quality before quantity. Heard that before? Now more than ever, we are swamped by volumes, over & mass production. I can not honestly say for what purpose or benefit. I’m not the right person to judge it fairly. But it makes you think of your own actions, at least. Whether we need all this stuff or not – I’ll leave it to others to ponder over. However, it’s nice with well-chosen objects – when they have a personal value – in environments that makes things more visible. Where light & shadow can play their melody by hours of the day.

Lines, curves & shapes come to life. You see new things constantly, in the same room, depending on atmosphere & mood. Windows, doors, pillars, walls & floors, becomes important. The architecture of the room suddenly appears. It is soothing & peaceful. But mind you, not always. It depends on what you feel for in the moment. I like those decorative stuff that creates a home, things that matter & that have been around for a while. It’s important to be enabled to appreciate simple & pure expression from time to time. You know, to be given the opportunity. In a world that normally or usually are busy with lots of things all the time, at the same time. With less things the more opportunities that allows you to think new thoughts…or just breath & relax. So, what do you think, is less more?

Beauty for the eye / museofdesign

The windows with its bends creates a melody in the room / emmasblogg.se

Black beauties / picasawebalbums

Rustic simplicity / vineetkaur

Soothing / thestylefiles.com

Simple / shopolivemanna.com

Simplicity / 79ideas

Focus area / frenchbydesign

Peaceful sleep / thediversionproject

Architectural appearance / archipile via pinterest

Heard that before ? / tumblr.com

Quite & relaxing / sofiliumm.wordpress

Sufficient / fancy.com

Clean, neat & appealing / airows via tumblr

Simple / creativeliving

Ok with me / tumblr.com

Take care / Marie

Tagged environments, items, minimal, minimalistic, peaceful, peaceful environments, relaxing, soothing, stuff

29/03/2013

Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Style Gallery

Easter inspiration

We don’t celebrate easter in any special way, in my family. I’m lucky to have a few days off this easter & with the sun shining & the rest of my little beautiful family around me, friends coming over & nothing that is urgent – I can’t be other than thankful. So today there will be no long-winded post about this or that … only inspirational images with the theme of Easter … as I see it.

Enjoy your celebrations, each moment & your time with family, friends, neighbours wherever you are.

Too cute to eat – leave them on the table as decoration instead / etsy.com

Happy easter, in Swedish / google.com

Right amount of colours for Easter celebrations / fancy.com

Spring feelings / skonahem.com

Adorable – frame it & enjoy / google.com

Fresh green classical armchair, to brighten up your room / planet-deco.fr

Or bright yellow / tumblr.com

Or bright pink / pinterest.com

Look around you & see the beauty, whether it’s your own shoes or … / fashionmytaste.com

Decoration rather then food / facebook.com

Take a seat & relax / skonahem.com

Adorable textiles / orientaltaste.com

Something sweet & tasty for Easter / alanabread.com

or sweet & colourful / weheartit.com

Nothing but happy & well dressed (well behaved) kids, please / google.com

Some simple craft during the break will do you good / google.com

Plus some simple DIY decoration / pinterest.com

Take care / Marie

Tagged celebrations, cooking, Easter, easter celebrations, family, friends, Holiday, home, Spring, traditions

26/03/2013

Style Gallery

Blazer theory

My fashion theory is that it should be easy to combine various garments with each other, but also with other things as well. Such as jeans with a big knitted sweater, to same jeans with a stylish blazer & a t-shirt under. Or to a strict white blouse one day & a more relaxed one another day. Jeans, chinos or shorts or skirts. Nothing pretentious or too much – to avoid feeling dressed-out rather than dressed up. Not too much details either. Simple smooth structures, preferably not too much colour & no jewelry … unless it is simple design & rather anonymous.

Am I not an exciting person? It would suit me perfectly if there was a style that melted together with the surroundings … that does not stand out, but is just there. I realize that the older I get, the simpler I want it to be with clothing. Is it perhaps development in the right direction? I guess it depends on the viewer … or is it perhaps the wearer.

Anyway, I thought I should provide you with my opinion about blazers, which are an excellent garment – to everything!

Feminine & relaxed style / youbroketheinternet

Casual & well-dressed / lindex.se

Striking but simple / thehouseofstyle

Edgy in it’s simplicity / thepursuitaesthetic

Masculine touch / google.com

Nicely cut / zsazsabellagio

Tucked / tumblr.com

Flippant style / thehouseofstyle

Dressed but not overly / whereisthecool

Timeless / awelltravelledwoman

Cool mix where the west does the job / fashionpassion.com

Elegant with romantic touch / agiftwrappedlife.tumblr

Classic style / belgianpearls.blogspot

Beach style / travelwell via google

Formally informal / theyallhateus

Take care / Marie

Tagged blazers, casual, clothing, elegant style, Fashion, garments, jackets, Shopping, style

23/03/2013

Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Style, Travel

Lengthwise & crosswise

Stripes are something that never goes out of style – according to me, that is. It’s the simplicity, I guess … whether it’s garments, home textiles, interiors or outdoors. It’s neat, simply. Stripes helps you to create a lot of various expressions. Navy theme or perhaps more graphically in base colors, or in mix with other patterns for greater effect. Narrow stripes combined with broad stripes looks great together. Also stripes combined with floral pattern … without it becoming too cute. I honestly don’t know how many sweaters, t-shirts, shorts, etc that I have with stripes – nor curtains or fabrics for that matter. I have certainly cleared out a lot since the last move – so it’s not as bad as it was before, but still. I think the chances are promising that there will be some purchases in the future, because everyone knows that the force of habit is great. But what does it matter, I like stripes lengthwise & crosswise.

Simple use of stripes /cushandnooks

Ready to go /convoy

Cute / thekhool

Cool angel /tumblr.com

Close but with distance /whereisthecool via tumblr

Basic colours /matchbookmag

Whatever it takes to protect /notquitesnowwhite

Stylish & casual /thewayyoudo via fancy

Home accessories / livethemma

Simple pleasures / paulraeside

Always nice /technicolourmyworld

Energising multi usage /skonahem

Black & white plus some colour / arcadianhome.com

Patterns & stripes / husohem

I like / tumblr

Take care / Marie

Tagged base colors, classic, colours, fabrics, Fashion, home decor, home design, navy theme, pattern, striped, stripes

20/03/2013

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Tilers

We had a firm here whose working with old english tiles, the other day – what an interesting job they seem to have. Not only the diverse range they offer but all the different jobs they get & the old beautiful heritage houses they work on, both external as internal. Now, this wasn’t a job in our house but our neighbours. They are planning to redo their aisle from the entrance, down to the back…an aisle on the left side of the house. I was on my way to work when I saw the cute little bus parked, with old english tiles printed on the side.

You just can’t miss the opportunity to talk with these craftsmen about their job. AND are they passionate, or what! I wouldn’t mind working in this field. Such a historic richness they are carrying around, when using their skills in the same old way it was done back then. The reasoning behind, tools they are using & the different parts they work through, step by step. It’s about quality in every detail. And a job done for a lifetime. I would not mind starting as an apprentice, in old age. A tiler, yep!

Exciting / frenchbydesign

Beautiful / Pinterest.com

Dramatic / husligheter

Varying shades of white / lookslikewhite

Craftsmanship / frenchbydesign

Old english style / stockholmvitt

Geometric / art&chic

The seventies / hus&hem

Stylish / automatism

Classic standard size / bellemaison

Mixed sizes / 79ideas

Ocean blue, might not be tiles but vinyl – still exciting / remodelista

Patterns / mechantdesign

Nice / homebylinn

White & pink / aprilandmay

Tagged ceramics, craftsmanship, craftsmen, floor tiles, home decor, homes, mosaic, old english tiles, rooms, tiles

17/03/2013

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Style

Mixed taste

Putting together things to make it look nice & appealing…that’s not an easy thing to do. But when it’s done right, it sure is inspiring. It’s rather exciting when things are mixed based on taste rather than expression. Especially if it doesn’t have a common pattern or colour scheme. I often find different styles & combinations interesting, even if ti’s far from my own preferences. It’s exciting to browse through magazines or scroll through blogs. But I have to admit that nothing beats realistic living, where peoples personality really shines through.

All inspiration – despite taste, style, preference or else, are there to satisfy our need for beautiful things & to give us new inputs & ideas. There is beauty in everything. From food creation to simple freshly baked bread. From beautiful beddings to comfortable casual clothes. From glassware to to patterned textiles. It’s all about mixed taste…

Red & green / belleatelier.com

Small & large plaid / ethanallen.com

Brown shades / SONY DSC

Soft grey shades / paonote

Romantic / firsthome via tumblr

Shades of red. purple, orange / keltainen

Black & white / annatruelsen

Different shades of beige / Keltainen

Orange tones in the bedroom / 79ideas

Matching cushions / pinterest.com

Uniformed / lamaisond’annag

Candy colours / 79ideas

/ habitusliving.com

Transparent with colour / @mycasa

Creativity/ callmecupcake

Take care / Marie

Tagged bedrooms, colours, design, Fashion, home decor, living rooms, mixed taste, preferences, style, taste

09/03/2013

3 Comments

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Greenery

Greenery – an endless source of joy. My feeling for green is greater than my ability, unfortunately. I like cut fresh flowers, flowering plants, etc. Not that I regularly fill my home but more as an eye-catcher when it suits. It inspires a sense of luxury, although it’s a simple & straightforward things to enjoy in the everyday life. Now, one need not be limited to flowers at home. Greenery is everywhere around us, whether it’s gardens, parks or forests. Moreover there is a huge range of stylish garden stuff & accessories, that attracts whether you’re interested or not. I mean, if you wish to create a feeling without having to work in the soil such as digging, moving around, cutting & pruning – well then different pots, tools, wooden boxes, a wheelbarrow & other fitting items can do the trick.

It’s good to make use of the nice weather & take the opportunity or time to actually see all the nice things around. If nothing else, it can inspire to a visit to the garden store, which could brighten the day. Me – I’m just inspired by the wonderful weather, my very little green garden on the back & the cup of coffe in the morning, before it gets too hot. Greenery, that’s my thing right now :)

Irresistible / homegarden via Pinterest

Simple wooden boxes for all sorts of storage / google.com

Mini greenhouse – in white / livethemma

A dream place in peace / boligpluss

Nice glass jars in various sizes / 79ideas

Create your own garden feeling with simple means / enmammasdag

Rustic, beautiful & appealing / fleaingfrance.com

Simple – three chairs in a corner / stockholmvitt

Art / vanilla via tumblr

flower shop on display / trendenser

/ plaza

/ sweetpaulmagazine

/ vtwonen.nl

/ mylovelythings.blog

/ dailytonic.com

Tagged backyard, Flower, flowers, garden, Greenery, Home and Garden, home decor, mini greenhouse, outdoor, Plants

07/03/2013

Outdoor, Style, Travel Gallery

Umbrellas

Summer isn’t just about sun, warmth & hot long nights, at least not lately. We have had a fair share of rain in Sydney. In other states, much more unfortunately. That which causes joy for some can cause problems for others. With joy in this case, I can readily admit that I like the kind of rain that we have in Sydney. It’s not cold in any way, but when the rain falls, it falls a lot. Much rain, you could say. Sometimes, it falls for a short while, so that the air feels refreshed. Other times, it seems to be going on for ever. Not that it bothers me. There is no bad weather if you know how to dress, it all depends on the clothing you wear.

I bought a neat umbrella the other day, in suit-plaid-patterns – in different shades of gray. It took a while to find a stylish model with wooden handles & hefty design that can withstand resistance. AND that does not fall apart as soon as it begins to blow a bit. We have a number of countless black umbrellas lying in a basket in the hall for all visiting friends & acquaintances – who often want to take a walk in the pouring rain … when it rains, that is. They are not of the best quality, so we have to replace them every season. The umbrella syndrome, is either that it’s forgotten somewhere or that it breaks somehow. It is what it is … an umbrella!

By the way, it’s beautiful weather today – perfect & around 28 degrees. No umbrellas here today!

Hello there / airows via tumblr

Colourful pedestrians / fancy.com

Beautiful & refreshing / witanddelight

Romance in the rain / photobucket.com

Or in a boat / http://www.donpaulson.com

Design for everyone / photoproblem.tumblr.com

Floating light / sapalicious.tumblr

Black always works / theglamourai

Stylish / Burberry

Black & white in Life 1958 / myvintagevogue.com

Great atmosphere / solamentalist via tumblr

Personal taste / todayyouinspiredme

No matter if it rains a lot of love, some just can’t enjoy the moment / bathwater.tumblr.com

Maybe more a matter of shadow than rain / fancy.com

On a walk, barefoot in the rain / littlepaylady via fancy

Take care / Marie

Tagged design, outdoor, rain, style, umbrella, umbrellas, weather

01/03/2013

Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Style, Travel

Layer upon layer / 250

The other day on the beach … a lady arrived rather heavily dressed, covering herself from the sun. Well, it’s impossible to stay like that in the heat. So she started taking of her BIG scarf, then her blouse & her t-shirt. Then she took off her sun hat following with shoes & her socks. And for every layer she took off, she then smeared on a layer of sun cream. This took a long while for her to do. She was fully occupied, that by the time she was finished, she went on with the parasol to get it attached in the sand.

To do that, she started to put on her clothes, layer by layer until she completed the procedure with her sun hat. Again, just to keep away from the sun. Well, once she got that done, she sat down to finally enjoy the heat. But it only took her a short while to change her mind. So up again, on with each piece, socks, shoes, sun hat, sun glasses & her big scarf & she went off … just to walk, not more then 20 meters to the coffee shop in the corner. I stopped watching by that time so you will unfortunately not know how this story ended. I guess she went back with her – whatever she bought – to start all over again with all her garments. Just to find out that she needed to visit the bathroom. And here we go agin…

It got me thinking anyway. But not so much that I had to blog about people or behaviours but more so about layers.

Chocolate cake in four stories / bakersavenue.tumblr.com

Stylish kitchen utensils / annagillar.se

Urbanity / google.com

Nicely for dinner / sanna&sania

Nature’s gift / google.com

Colourful items for the bathroom / cushandnooks

Golden layers / pinterest.com

A bit of creativity / tantjohanna.se

Newly designed / feelinspired

Nice solution / glowingface.blogspot

Decorate the walls in height / familyliving

Always right / heartbeatoz

Once upon a time / plaisirsdemyope.tumblr

For cold times / crushculdesac.tumblr

Take care / Marie

Tagged beach, clothing, furniture, home decor, kitchen utensils, layer upon layer, layering, layers, pastries, piles, stacks

25/02/2013

Style

People / 249

What is there to say about people, about individuals, of humanity? Are we that interesting really? I sometimes wonder if we do not simply repeat ourselves. We are, however, many who tries to imitate each other – in our attempts to not be the unique individuals we are. In what we actually would & could be the best at! We are not always aware of their individuality or charisma. All those who have persuaded themselves that they are not good enough. Not beautiful enough, not slim enough, not popular or whatever it might be. Isn’t it sad! To not allow yourself to see what others sees, when you’re looking in the mirror. It’s often those who actually have something to be proud of, that are hard on themselves. Sadly, we do not allow ourselves to look beyond self-criticism & realise thus not how tough demands we place on ourselves.

If life & experience has taught me anything, again & again, then it’s precisely this – to have faith in my self & to have faith in people. It certainly has changed others but mostly myself. So, be kind to yourself :)

Follow that advice / tumblr.com

A little hero / confessionsofapropjunkie.com

Charming freckles / fancy.com

Freckles & cool style / dripbook.com

Party fun / fryddesign

Fashion pose / thatkindofwoman via tumblr

Natural / laurabond

Generations / google.com

Simply wonderful / flickr.com

Invisible / lindsaycharlotte.com

One for the oldest models / toast.com.uk

In black & white / youthattackmob

Ready to go / zsazsabellagio

Dramatic / rigby-ruby via pinterest

Photo pose / lapetitemagazine

Tagged age, female, individuals, kids, male, model, people, personal

18/02/2013

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Oriental dreams / 248

I’m dreaming about oriental rugs – Kelim, Persian, Pakistani, Afghan, etc. The hand knotted rugs with specific oriental patterns & colours. It has to be authentic & genuine too. Why on earth would you bother, if not. Those with plastic back & in synthetic material might look good nowadays but it’s the feeling of the pure material, the ancient craftsmanship, the origin & the history. That’s powerful! It’s always interesting & impressive with talent. Something to cherish when you realise that it’s not just any pattern but a solid foundation of culture as well as storytelling, through a craft. Those aesthetically striking colour combinations that appeals & materials that last a lifetime, at least. Not to forget, how easy & smooth these rugs melt into any environment. They do fit almost everywhere. So yep, oriental is my thing right now.

I drove my son the other day to a place where he was to meet someone for a quick catch-up. We went for a walk after, on the main street & just stumbled over a big shop with fantastic handmade rugs, from all over the world. I could have stayed there for hours & just continued to listen to the shop owner’s extreme competence about these beautiful objects. Desirable & precious oriental rugs to dream about :)

Nice combination with the white sofa / studiokarin

Traditional & modern / lineklein

Sweet tea glasses / sanna & sania

Soft & sound absorbing / studiokarin

Well mixed / seventeendoors

Colour & warmth / scandinaviandeko

So many choices / theselby

white, oriental, modern, contemporary / elramlahamla

Colour splash in a white environment / g.virbcdn.com

On the catwalk / Hermes

Holds together the entire room / thebeautifulsoup

Beautiful outdoor event / 2012flowercarpet@brussels

Mix & match / sanctuary

Boudoir feeling / apartmentlove

Completing the look / worldofbaths.co.uk

Take care / Marie

Tagged Afghan rug, carpet, home decor, inspiring rooms, Oriental rug, Pakistan, Persian carpet, rugs

13/02/2013

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Another brick in the wall / 247

To live in a brick house in an old area with other similar houses, gets you thinking of the material that’s been used. Strangely enough, I’m of course aware of these houses that you can find all over the town. And a lot on my street, it’s a typical construction materials. Yet it’s not obvious with things until you get close. We went to visit a brick factory which is located not far from here, where you get to walk around on a sky-bridge that runs around the entire brickyard, press the buttons to hear the stories from the past, look at the production & see how buildings emerged and so on. Doesn’t sound so exciting maybe but it was actually interesting. It made me look at things differently & definitely appreciate these buildings around me in a more valuable way. Wood has otherwise always been the building material that I’m used to.

Well, let’s take a look at bricks of various kinds – mostly from the inside.

Rustic with an interesting mix / cdn3.welke.nl

Nice impact with a black wall / osbakkandchu.blogspot

Worn factory feeling / flickr.com

Dark & interesting / justthedesign

White & wood / lonnymag.com

Nice with black to a lighter wall / mstetson.com

Warm diverse colours / pinterest.com

Coordinated into a whole / 25.media.tumblr

Striking & inviting / satchi via fancy

Rough kitchen feel / stylizimo

Modern feel / planet-deco.fr

With white & wood / letmebeinspired

/ helenaaro

Contemporary / Vanguard – Residential

Neat with rounded wall & matching kitchen cabinets / ethereal-gold via tumblr

Tagged architecture, Brick, brick factory, brick house, brick walls, home decor, homes, Interiors

10/02/2013

Homes / Interiors

Reflections / 246

Can you walk past a mirror without looking – eg. the mirror in the elevator, shop window that reflects, in a department store? I can’t help it, it happens automatically. A bit silly perhaps or even a bit vain. Glancing for a quick check, you know. I sometimes think that my three boys, one of which is my husband, are completely obsessed. They would use their time in front of the mirror all day long if they could decide, believe me. (Isn’t it a common ailment in our society today?) I often find myself sitting & waiting for them to be done, when we’re going somewhere. Once it becomes my turn, the expectation is that I should I be ready in three minutes … patience is a virtue! (Which is another thing we seem to lack a bit in our society). Anyway, appearance comes before everything else. Nothing wrong with that, first impression & so on.

So, moving on, there are lots of stylish mirrors, for those who not only want to look on themselves in the mirror, but also are fond of design too. Lots of different styles, colors, shapes & materials. Mirrors that can occupy an entire wall, or small round with nice details. Or just plain, simple with bevelled edge. You just have to pick & choose among all the varieties. Mirrors are nice, take a look yourself :)

Beautiful design / desiretoinspire

Size matters / domayneonline.com.au

Dining collection / keltainen

reflections / livethemma

Golden frame / jellysundae.tumblr

Bathroom collection / blissblog

Fun detail / nagashima&hyoudou

Adorns the walls / pinterest

Window mirror / 79ideas

On the wish list / eclecticlivinghome

Nice above the bench top / lineklein

Gets n=anyone to look good / restorationhardware

Wood & white / annatruelsen

Round shape that softens / helenaaro

Wooden collection / desdemyventana

Exciting background wall / sanna&sania

Take care / Marie

Tagged antique, bathrooms, decor, glass, home decor, mirror, mirrors, reflection, wooden mirrors

07/02/2013

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Style

Sunny side / 245

Today I’m going to bid on a yellow theme. I am possibly inspired by the bright sun & pleasant warmth. Or, I may have noticed yellow somewhere unconsciously. Anyway, here below, are a variety of images with a bit of yellow here & there, as a common denominator.

Yellow is ugly, an expression that often was used when we were little. This sentence rhymes in swedish, which made it all the more fun, of course. I don’t know where it came from or how it started but it was a common thing to say, for some reason. I remember I got a bright yellow t-shirt with print in black, a horse head actually, which I was fond of. Same colour on the clogs too. I think I had these things, as in, using them, a whole summer. Otherwise, it has probably not been very much of that color in my life. Admittedly a period in my teens, in my own room, that was furnished in that yellow colour, together with wood & white.

Today I don’t think I own anything in that particular colour . Although I believe it’s a nice color that makes you happy plus that it’s energising. But that’s how it is sometimes, that some things fits well to love from a distance…

Neat tiles & striking with the same yellow color at the bottom / lote93 via Pinterest

Match accessories with a yellow dress / classygirlswearpearls

Paint yellow & catch the eye / olympusdigitalcamera

Nice place with a nice view / seventeendoors

Neat on the shelf / cushandnook

Simple thing to do & yet so stylish / pynter.tumblr.com

Common everyday things / larimule

Paint something yellow / riazolli

From head to toe / akris

Favourites in a pile / livethemma

Occasional objects / todayyouinspiredme

Playful & bright / cushandnook

Beautiful pattern / butiksofie

White & yellow / expensivelife

Cool styling / vtwonen

Take care / Marie

Tagged bright colours, clothing, colour, colourful interiors, energising, Fashion, home decor, paint, style, sunshine, yellow

04/02/2013

Homes / Interiors

Crystal clear / 244

Glass has not always been something that I appreciate. I was early introduced to glass art & got some distaste for it for a while. I don’t know why really but I think it was too strong colours & complicated shapes that would not be explained. The design were meant to stimulate the imagination. It didn’t work on me unfortunately. That happened ages ago so that’s history now. Since then, I have discovered the style that suits me. I’m often drawn to a simple & relatively pure style. I prefer a simple & relatively clean design. I don’t like it too fancy or elegant.

The images I’ve collected below is a mixture of glass art, glass objects for everyday life & maybe something in between. Some of them reminds me of the early days when I was introduced to the art glassware – which I can’t find place for, in my heart, still. But that’s how it is sometimes. They have their fans anyway. The craftsmanship behind, regardless of taste, is something to admire anyway.

One of my favourite images, one I always return to / vararum

Art glass in restrained tones / residence

Coloured translucent / hittahem

Transparent with liquid / heartbeatoz

Translucent, transparent & beautiful / residence

Aesthetically pleasing with firm yet soft design / essence

Old carafes, among the nicest thing there is / canvas

Colourful / livethemma

I chose this image just for the delicate & airy impression but also because of the colour / lovenordincdesign

Celestial blue (s) / residence

Everyday objects / potterybarn

Art in glass / dalanihome&living

Glass vases in all shapes / sanna&sania

Warm inviting colours /rolandpersson

Dark & challenging in color & form / residence

Take care / Marie

Tagged Art glass, coloured glass, Crafts, design, glass, glass objects, home decor, recycled glass, stained glass

31/01/2013

Homes / Interiors

Open sesame / 243

Storage – with simplicity, stylish & functional solutions, it’s no easy task to achieve. It’s not always that cheap either. Using cabinets with doors combined with open storage is a good solution. Closed storage for things that you don’t want to be seen & highlight your everyday objects – in good order. They should be easy to reach & easy to use. Whether it’s for the kitchen or for other rooms. It should be easy for you to live your everyday life.

An alternative is to maximize with shelves either on consoles or screwed directly into the wall. It’s super stylish & super easy. Keep it together in one place & not all over the place. Letting things lie visible creates a homely feel depending on how you make it or how well you do it. Or else, the impression might be messy instead of interesting or inspiring. The amount of variations & solutions is endless … use your creativity & adapt after your needs. I am right now cleaning up & storing things way but also storing things visible. Getting there – slowly :)

Cabinets with doors at the bottom & open storage at the top / fantasticfrank

Industrial look with everything visible / sanna&sania

Crafts cabinet for the creative. By the way, if you haven’t looked into the blog mokkasin, so do it. You will not be disappointed / mokkasin

Divided areas on two levels makes it more limited & surfaces easier to use / atelierueverte

One way is to keep material together / sanctuary

Closed cabinet with things stacked in a row on top / google.com

Stacked on one side & simpler on the other but still balanced / pinterest.com

Neatly in rows in simple cabinets with shelves / annagillar

Super neat with white shelves, white tiles& white porcelain / trendhome

Charming style & makes everything visible more homey / boligpluss

Graphic styling with selected materials / lamaisond’annag

Simple & eye catching / micasaessucasa

Adjust & customize to your corner / livethemma

Use the space along the height to get a good overview as well as more space on the floor / make-living

Here, an adult version / lamaisond’annag

Take care / Marie

Tagged craft, creativity, home decor, Shelves, simplicity, smart solutions, storage, storage designs, storage solutions

28/01/2013

4 Comments

Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Style

Pink shades / 242

Occasionally, I get a craving for a certain colour – an influence from somewhere … AND I find my self searching or looking for that colour AND of course, I see it almost everywhere. That comes without saying. … as a letter in the mail ( swedish expression ). A soft, pleasant pink color that’s not too harsh or sharp in tone. That goes well with grey, white or brown, black. Just the right colour without getting too pastel pink, if you get what I mean. Simply soft for the eye, soothing, warming, inviting, promising & up to date.

I pulled together some images with one thing in common – this colour. Or should I say those colours, maybe … they differ slightly in shades. Just when I start to get used to the colour, I bet that something else comes in the way. Whether this is another colour or … only time will tell :)

Grey & light pink – refreshing combination / bestbuy

Soft colours with wood / petrabindel

Almost edible / skandinaviandeko

Appealing impression with simple means / helenaaro

Modern Scandinavian living / bobedre.dk

Colourful choices / desdemyventana

Nice framed photo gallery / atelieruverte

Warming colour / fancy

Homemade peppermint marshmallows / celiacteen.com

Cool / marymadethis

Robust but still soft / laredoute.fr

Romantic / prettyinpearls

Professional styling / lineklein

Simplicity / hannasroom

Nice mix of items / 79ideas

Take care / Marie

Tagged colour, colours, decor, furnishings, furniture, home decor, homes, Pink, pink shades, styling

25/01/2013

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Green feelings / 241

Our small garden is blooming despite the heatwave. It’s green everywhere. It’s no bigger than that I can see the whole garden in one go. It’s very lush with trees & bushes that goes in various green shades – powerful green, or perhaps saturated shades of green. There’s thousands of different green nuances, however a green garden is easy to imagine, anyway. Regardless of the imagination, one becomes very inspired by plants, greenery & incredible lushness. All at once! It’s strange that something can grow in this heat but 96% humidity explains everything.

We have started to take walks in the evenings to shake off a long day at work but also to get to know our neighbourhood. Now, to tell you the truth, we don’t get that far actually because of the attraction to all those small cafes that runs along the street a few hundred yards from us. However, we do have time to see all the greenery, from palm trees to all kinds of trees & blooming bushes. It’s wonderful despite the steaming heat that we are experiencing right now.

So, here’s for the green colours with various pics that demonstrates the beauty around us … us all!

Timeless craftsmanship / tantjohanna.se

Poetic styling / vartnyahem

Wonderful doors / hus&hem

Fabulous forest / google.com

clinical cleanness / sanna&sania

Coloured enamel / google.com

Modern textile collection / api.qbank.se

Stylish simplicity / chezlarsson

Colourful style / sanna&sania

Antique green round dining table / hgtv.ca

Boyish stuff / iverashus

Paler shade of green / lamaisond’annag

Just very lovely / hus&hem

Beautiful facade / mechantdesign

Take care / Marie

Tagged Color, creativity, emerald green, garden, Gardens, home decor, indoor, nature, Pantone

22/01/2013

Homes / Interiors

Stylish solitaires / 240

Here & there you see ladders standing, either casually or deliberately, in different environments … often without one notes them immediately. When you are scrolling through magazines, catalogues or other, you can many times find things that recurs, in one way or another. Either it’s a trendy thing or just props which works in the environment. Blogs work that way many times. Stylish appealing images shown on a popular blog, explodes soon within the blogosphere. You get to see those pictures almost everywhere. To that extent, that they almost become worn out. There is nothing wrong in it of course, that’s how it works when we have great interest in something whether it’s in interior design, fashion, food, photography … or whatever it may be. (you notice how limited my interests are, right?)

Anyway, to get to the point, all of a sudden I found myself seeing ladders everywhere. Used as a furniture to store things on – hang clothes, jewelry, textiles … or to use in the bathroom or just lean against the wall in the living room … or just as a solitaire or statement somewhere…even if it’s just to climb on. It makes a difference in the room, no matter what. Don’t you think so?

Within reach / designinspiration

Storage place / stylizimo

Great statement / desiretoinspire

styling / dezeen.com

Stylish fill to the room / elleinterior

A nice helper / hus&hem

Functional / jordicanosa

Nice to use as hanging device / meandalice.blogspot

Storage space / likainenparketti

Still-life with ladders / mechantdesign

White & grey / thingsilike

Splashes of white paint – right up to the steps / desdemyventana

A nice looking combination – wood & white / fromscandinaviawithlove

A simple solution with step support & bed support / pinterest.com

Pale earthy tones & a ladder ready for any possible need / micasa

Tagged design, furniture, furniture design, home decor, Interior design, ladder, Ladders, living area, living rooms, solitaire

19/01/2013

Style

Casual clothing / 239

The few occasions I attempt to blog about fashion, it’s rarely about the latest within that field. No, others can do it much better than me. I just can’t keep up – neither trends nor interest. Materials, colours, details – that’s rather exciting & fun. Checking out people is really inspiring. The Street is the best place to keep track of what’s in vogue (it’s the more exciting too). I like the mixture of designs, colours AND above all, the diversity of personalities. Clothes make us interesting, at least to begin with. It is not about how trendy you are, or the price range you chose to dress in. Not for my part, anyway.

It’s about how to put together garment, how to combine things, how to dress in colours or patterns, etc. so that it enhances individual’s character. You could dress fairly bland but still bring attention … if you would like to, of course. It’s a talent to be able to dress up without going too far, or vice versa. Anyway, we need all the variations of flavours & styles to become motivated, inspired, curious or challenged. Or maybe just amused, if nothing else. I will not do either of it, with this post. I walk the broad way with that which seems a bit obvious, nothing unexpected nor surprising. What else can you expect from an ordinary woman :)

Everyday shoes, or shoes for all occasions / fancy

Same but different – & perfect to jeans / thepursuiteaesthetic

Red lipstick & matching hair clip can do wonders – with jeans, it becomes less sweet / witanddelight via tumblr

Informally but well-dressed, nonetheless / streetstyle

Classic bun that always works / northernlight

Timeless design / northernlight

Timeless again & stylish / annagillar

Red bag in plaid pattern – sweetens the daily life in a simple way / 464handmade

The perfect red colour / baenk.com

Red lipstick to a pale blue jeans shirt – very appealing / freeworld

Denim – with endless combinations / thesartorialist

Here a bit more preppy / pinkwallpaper.blogspot

Red dots together with Converse / outfits.com

/ prettystuff

Dressy with suit jacket – stripes & dots, nice / atlantic-pacific.blogspot

Tagged casual, clothing, denim, design, Fashion, fashion design, jeans, leisurewear, Shopping

16/01/2013

Homes / Interiors

Bed joy / 238

Few things can make me as happy as a newly made bed with clean & fine bedlinen. It’s certainly true height of luxury. I can’t get enough of stylish quilt covers, with a cabinet filled to the brim . Maybe it’s a small obsession. I have the same love for all kinds of textiles actually. I did give it a go a few times, when we moved, to get rid of some but I just couldn’t. I’m too soft-hearted in respect of those treasures. Well, there are worse things to worry about.
It’s a wonderful feeling to crawl into a freshly made bed. New clean sheets, puffed soft pillows, neat bedspread. Yes, it’s the height of happiness. It’s often the simple things in life that gives one, pure joy, right? So how about some inspiring images for the bedroom. Bed joy maybe :)

Coral blue & orange / 79 ideas

Beautiful blue tones / atelierrueverte

Simple & straightforward / BodieandFou

Burnt brown tones / Esprithome

Blue & white with plaid wallpaper / cush&nooks

Grey & blue / midsummerinterior via tumblr

White with green leaves / H&M

Appealing & unpretentious / mokkasin

Hotel feeling / 79ideas

Layer upon layer in floral pattern / homedesigning

Lovely quilt covers / sanna & sania

Graphic design in black & white / google.com

Cool colours for kids / H&M kids

A colourless & relaxing atmosphere / desiretoinspire

Two options in one bed / homedesigning

Take care / Marie

Tagged bedding, bedlinen, bedrooms, beds, blankets, home decor, Interior design, quilts, textiles

13/01/2013

Homes / Interiors

Shoe lover / 236

Shoes – the one thing that really complete an outfit. Get it wrong & you feel uncomfortable the rest of that day. Not just comfortable as in comfy but also the total look. It’s the same with the hallway. A hallway without shoes aren’t really a hallway. It doesn’t feel as someone lives there. Finding a combined solution for storage where design & function goes hand in hand…that’s not easy. On the other hand, it’s not always necessary to hide the shoes … many times, they are stylish enough to showcase. Shoes are like jewelry nowadays, considering material, color, design & so on. Anyhow, I like open storage with the shoes visible. But that requires some orderliness. The main thing is that it is simple. If I don’t see the shoes, I won’t remember to use them either. I’ve been pleasantly surprised many times when shoes suddenly appears. But maybe it says more about me, unfortunately.

Overall, one can at least say that the shoes are a fun but oh so important detail, which does wonders for the body & soul – with or without storage. I threw a lot of shoes when we started with the move. I should not have done that, of course. But that’s what happens when you want to have order of things, be clever & clean up the mess … to avoid having to deal with it on the new site. In the rush, things can go to fast sometimes. But now it’s too late, it’s done so it is just to enjoy the space. Perhaps it fills up just as quickly again, who knows.

Store & organise / amandaross via Pinterest

Store them visible – still-life /plazainterior

Spacious & bright storage / lindsayclarke via Pinterest

Leave them on / mollygolly.tumblr.com

Boots loves jeans – or is it vice verse / suitupordie

Natural / supreme via Fancy

On display / trendland

Coordinated display / prettysedaynacar

All in black / e-lements.tumblr

Personal style / refinery29.com

Stylish / socialbliss

Mixed with accessories / bellamumma

Food styling / frogs&crown

Things neatly organised / elle.es

Prepared & in order / desiretoinspire

Take care / Marie

Tagged clothing, Fashion, home decor, shoe shelf, shoe storage, shoes, Solutions, style

09/01/2013

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Travel

Beach vacation / 235

It’s that time of year when I would like to go away, get a change of scenery & simply rest. Ideally, I’d like to get off to a desolate place without a lot of activities, people & historical attractions. It’s contrary to what I usually like. I do actually enjoy the rush of big cities & colorful street life with congestion & noise. You can experience & feel the pulse at close range & still remain anonymous – in the middle of the crowd. It’s quite appealing & cozy (If cozy is the right expression of course). But it’s not quite that kind of longing I have. No, it would be very nice to travel somewhere with a distance to all of this. Beaches, sun beds, palm trees, shade, heat & not too many people around. How does that sound?

I guess it’s boring for some & heaven, for others. The fact is that I have all those things around me, within 30 minutes distance. Still, I’d like to go somewhere far away – just for the sake of change. I may sound spoiled, which is not my intention. It’s more about the need of temporary change – new environment, new ideas, start all over or rather rethink things. To do as little as possible, with simple decisions about which book to read or maybe take a nap. You know, relax, eat, sleep! Yep, indeed, that’s what I desire, right now. But now it will not be like that, at least not for the moment. We have relatives who’s here on five weeks visit. There will be no rest at all, the more trips, guided tours & late nights. Certainly nice but …

Happily, we can look forward to a long weekend in Singapore in March. City life instead of the relaxing mood I’m longing for. However, still a change :)

Grand hotel du cap-ferrat in France / inspirationfeed.com

Pool & sea in the same color range / imgoingcoastal.tumblr

Quiet & relaxed environment / Wethehappypeole

Imagine being able to doze off, to a smooth breeze / dogpile.com

Just sand & water / joielala.com

With the sea & the sandy beach, as your neighbour / Viceroy resort villas

A just enough activity / wisuella

Beautiful transparent water / letoutpetit.tumblr.com

The worlds biggest pool – so big that you could sail a boat in it (if you’d like to) / dailymail.co.uk

Comfort in the shadow / restorianhardware

Palm trees, sandy beach & cover from the sun / islands.com

Manilla – proper dos of activity / contemporist
Seychelles – beautiful view blessthisstuff

Rest, eat, sleep / thisisnotnew via tumblr

I’ve used this image before – very inviting / weheartit

What can I say – the perfect spot, under the palm trees in Maldives / villingiliresort

Take care / Marie

Tagged beach, Holiday, Holidays, home decor, outdoors, relaxing, Singapore, travel, tropical, vacation

04/01/2013

Homes / Interiors

Plaid power / 233

So here I am again after a few days rest from the blog. I have been working but also been busy with my in-laws who just arrived from Sweden for five weeks visit. It’s exciting to have them here. There’s so much to catch up with & talk about. But also to just hang around & enjoy the time together. It’s so good for my boys to see them again. I do miss that they don’t get to be with the older generation since there’s so much to learn from them. Having older people around you, makes you humble & understanding. If you live & interact constantly with people of the same age & like-minded people, you risk losing the feeling & respect for the elderly – which means losing a piece of life itself.

I’m very fond of stripes, but have now little appetite whetted for plaid also. It comes in waves. I get tired rather quickly. I don’t know why but stripes always works. But it’s not about stripes today – it’s in plaid instead, both home & garments. To mix fine-check with larger, gives a vivid impression. Same with plaid in different colours – that’s exciting.

Cooking apron & suitable shirt / dreamywhites

Stacked throws for a chilly night / autumncozy via tumblr

Classy style / thegiftsoflife

Perfect relaxing corner / Pinterest.com

Always nice in black & white / countryliving

Styling comfort / daniellawitte

Wonderful combination / thesartorialist

Very nice squared bed linen as well as the colours / sanna&sania

Red & white squares / google.com

Checkered detail / tumblr.com

Contemporary style / coolgirlstyle via tumblr

Everything in white & then the final touch / housetohome

Personal style – cool (except the cigarette) / heartbeatoz

Soft nice touch with the wooden back wall & matching throw / kimtimmerman

Plaid flannel shirt & bandana around the neck / piccsy.com

Take care / Marie

Tagged home decor

07/01/2012

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor, Style

Time machine / 234

Time, the most valuable thing you can ask for, in the time we live & operate. It may always has been this way but it seems as if time is even more valuable today, than ever. Maybe it has to do with age. The older you get the more aware of the time you become, I suppose. We live in a constant presence of the time, always in a hurry, with continuos meetings that must be held or be part of. More & more has to be squeezed into our busy calendars to make us more effective. It doesn’t really matter whether you work professionally or are at home with kids. It is still long lists to tick off, nevertheless. We count time in terms of money & so on.

I guess we can turn the whole thing around & look at it from the positive side.With time as a tool, we are able to measure progress, look back to learn from what has happened, create awareness of our personal development … or anything else that may be of importance for us. We can also be on time for various events, hopefully avoiding to have someone that have to wait for us.

The actual clock in itself, has become a piece of jewelry to be reckoned with, a status gadget, if nothing else. This applies to both women & men’s watches. But also a huge impact in terms of design of clocks to homes & public environments. I’m very fond of clocks & it’s hard to resist not to buy those that pops up now & then in nice styles & colors. Despite the fact that it always ends with something in black, white or metal. But it’s not to my self, it’s for the home of course. However, I can tell you that I got a new watch of my darling for Christmas. Simple & sleek design in black & white. So that is the reason to this post today :)

Styling in the nature / google.com

Styling in white / babyramen.blogspot

Time communication / coolhunting

Simplicity / fancy.com

Graphical / mechantdesign

Accessories / tumblr.com

Still life / husligheter

Match your watch to fit with your style / samuelpilot via Fancy

Informative / mrjoneswatches

Vintage style / potterybarn

Modern style / aratorp

Inset / airows via tumblr

Stylish / weheartit

Universal / Hermes via fancy

Neat / thepreppyyogini via tumblr

Right! / tumblr.com

Take care / Marie

Tagged clock, clocks, Clocks and Watches, home accessories, home decor, Interior design, time, watch, watches

07/08/2011

6 Comments

Homes / Interiors

Knock on wood

I grew up with pine in every room…bedroom, living room, hallway but especially the kitchen. My first kitchen had pine shutters. Timber is very common in Sweden, both houses & furniture as well as toys. It’s a wonderful material & very alive. I often try to sneak a view of houses while strolling around in the neighbourhood. It’s rather different architecture where wooden houses are unusual. Natural material is hard to beat. Don’t you think?

Timber, worn, old, charming, vibrant,

Worn, handsome, probably newly manufactured,

An entire room with wooden floors, tables, chairs … to reflect past & present,

Beautiful, a cabinet with a history of design based on tradition & material, rural,

Makes my heart throb, childhood, grandparents, cottage, vacation,

Maybe not quite as practical with wooden floors in the bathrooms, but beautiful it is,

Curved wood in the chair, wooden floors, including wood patterns in the pillow,

Timber is beautiful as it is, of course, but it is nevertheless great when it is painted in white.

Or why not in black, white wood floors to make the room exciting,

Take care / Marie

Tagged construction, home decor, Pine, practical, timber, traditional, wood

06/08/2011

Homes / Interiors

Graphically

Hej friends,

I’ve spent some time to go through boxes that we haven’t yet had time to unpack. Wow, do I have stacks of books, magazines, frames, pictures – it’s easy to forget what’s inside these brown boxes after a while. I’m very fond of things that are graphically simple & playful. But who isn’t really:) A graphical expression for me, is usually more modern, for some reason. I guess it’s different for different people…todays post is about graphic expressions.

Black & white, simple with strong expression / IKEA

Chalk board, white text, black & white bag – that’s all but yet so nice / Pinterest.com

straight lines, simple layout & plain with a few stripes / Livet hemma

Black, glossy, white, stripes / IKEA

A bit too much of the good maybe but nevertheless graphically / Housetohome

A simple but clear statement with the black staircase in the middle of all white / 47parkavenue

OOops what’s this, how did this picture come here / Google.com

Simple & straightforward style – where the blanket & cushions does the job / Skonahem

The black windows / the meter high panel enables the graphical look in this room / Athome

A good picture of a graphic expression in a room, as I see it / IKEA

White base, plain colours, black single objects - the picture with the dots contributes a lot also / Riazolli

A beautiful staircase that is similar to a black and white piece of jewellery /Petitevanou Take care / Marie

The majority of photos on the blog are not mine. Look for source under each image please,

Tagged black&white, expressions, Graphically, graphics, home decor, interior, styling

05/08/2011