furniture | anordinarywoman

22/01/2013

Stylish solitaires

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

25/12/2012

Benches

Benches in various forms are invaluable. They fill up in a nice way, are functional & simple to use. I’m pretty fond of the bench as a furniture – both as a seating place as well as to store things on – very practical. We have had benches in different rooms from time to time. Perfect in the hallway, kitchen, bedroom, basement … or outdoor. Nowadays, I use more upholstered stools in smaller sizes. Right now we have two in front of the couch, both for tired legs but also to use as extra space for the tea-tray or anything else that’s needed. A bench that has been around for quite a few years now, has had to move from the hall into the living room & have now ended up in the dining room. That’s what happens when you move a lot. What once functioned in a room work better in another – hopefully, that is.

I’m a bit nostalgic, I can’t throw away things, especially furniture that our children have grown up with & which they see as part of their childhood. With everything new, you get a home that looks like an exhibition. We ended up in that situation when we had our furniture in containers. We lived in a ready furnished place, for a longer period while we were looking for a house. Things around you becomes part of you without real economic value. It’s stuff that has sentimental value, things that can not be measured in money. As for example an old bench 🙂

Feminine with flowers / daisyincupcake

Strict & masculine – maybe / evalindh

Personal expression / paper-planehome.blogspot

In the shade / stylefiles

Treated & untreated furniture / Pinterest.com

Appealing style / hus&hem

Fabric covered bench / hus&hem

Austerely & stylish / remodelista

Different seating surfaces / 79ideas

French style / annatruelsen

Nice mix / 79ideas

Only natural materials / happymundane

A nice little bench with rounded corners / dwell.com

A simple wooden bench for the most necessary / thehousemag.com

Low white bench to use for fancy things / lauraredford via Pinterest

Take care / Marie

Tagged Bench (furniture), benches, dining area, functionality, furniture, home decor, home furnishing, homes, living area, rooms

17/12/2012

WHITE

I thought I might inspire with something in white today – even though I’m fully aware of the fact that not everyone is over the moon when it comes to white. But alas, so it warms my old heart. Everyone has their favourite colours & I guess that some would not even think of white as colour, or black either, for that matter. I for one, think that white fits almost everywhere. White is the colour of pure snow or milk. It’s the color of light that contains all of the wavelengths of the visible spectrum without absorption. In Western culture, white is the color most often associated with innocence, perfection, the good, honesty, neutrality & lightness. It’s interesting how much of importance we associate to a colour.

It’s said that white colour affects us physically, such as aid in mental care. It encourages us to clear clutter or other obstacles. Even that the colour evokes purification of thoughts & actions. The ancient greeks wore white to bed to ensure pleasant dreams. According to Pantone inc., white is the best selling colour for the classic american t-shirt. I find it hard to find stuff in white, such as garment, bedding or furniture, to give a few examples. By that I mean in Australia or rather here in Sydney. Recent months, it has started to appear white pants in the stores, which have been almost impossible to find previously. I had to take the opportunity to shop several pair of white pants at home, when we were on a visit. Things are changing slowly.

Here’s, to those who don’t consider white being a colour:

“The first of all single colors is white … We shall set down white as the representative of light, without which no color can be seen; yellow for the earth; green for water; blue for air; red for fire; and black for total darkness.” — Leonardo Da Vinci

Snow white landscape / witanddelight

Whipped cream / thatkindofwoman vi tumblr

Old & new in white nice combination / kotinvinkki.fi

Simple & welcoming work place / pinterest.com

Tiles, bench top, utensils, milk, flour – in white / cervera.se

Glossy white cabinet doors / expressen.se

Fluffy white chandelier / dainty&floral

A perfect small kitchen with lots of storage / skandinaviandeko

Soft, nice & white / homeandgarden

Tablecloths in white to white porcelain / oldbasics

While appealing, I wonder whether it would work with a bath directly on wooden floor / bathroom-review

A dream bedroom in white / kimtimmerman.com

Stillness & beauty combined / jukkarapo

Stylish in white, all year around / coronado via fancy

White walls & imageless frames / kotivinkki.fi

Enjoy your holiday & take care / Marie

Tagged dining, food, furniture, holiday season, home, home decor, Interiors, light, white, whiteness

19/11/2012

Black & wood / 214

Wood used & worn down until it fades or new timber that has its color & strength left … all kinds of wood are a luxurious feel. A natural materials that live & breathe with the house & the individuals who use it. It is neat with all types of materials & colors … regardless what applies right now. Timeless, simply! I’m very fond of wood & I use materials that I prefer, of course. It may well be pine, birch or oak, in the first place. Ash might be nice at times, but a little too lifeless for my taste. But as usual, it’s vital how to put it all together. The mix of furniture with flooring materials, colors, fabrics & lighting … in combination with the room size. Even the way the light falls from the windows. It may look a bit pale, yellow or rather, without natural freshness.

I’m right now very fond of darker wood combined with black. A feeling of the fifties without that specific style. Well, with that style too actually, since it’s very appealing. I’m more after the contemporary style with soul…not styled or just copied right off but well thought out & detailed. Take a look at the first two images below. That’s the feeling I mean. But by all means, different woods combined with black details – it always works.

Very niiiiice / holmberg via pinterest

All these beautiful vases / bertrandbenoit

A personal look / mechantdesign

Inviting combination / helenaaro

Combination of old & new / solidfrog

Nice commercial area / kulunkadecoblog

Wood & black / keltainen

A classic beauty / keltainen

Yet another commercial area / scandic grand central

A fresh look with white combined / scandic grand central

Soft feeling / automatism

Black & wood details / tumblr

Stylish / Pinterest

Wood with black accessories / annagillar

Take care / Marie

Tagged black, dark, decor, details, furniture, home decor, interior, outdoor, style, timber, wood

09/11/2012

2 Comments

Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

Small space / 211

Small space – relevant in many places but perhaps not in Australia. I believe that AU are amongst the countries, if not the top, when it comes to having the biggest living space in m² in the world. And why not, it’s a big continent, right? If there has to be a reason, that is! It’s rather difficult to furnish large surfaces, however, it requires smart solutions to decorate small spaces. Both functionally & appealing but also spacious, despite the limited space. It’s very much about how you want to live. What you want to be visible vs what you want to store. What you need daily vs what you use infrequently. But also what colors you use, and what combinations. Some colours reduce spaces while others can enhance & create a sense of light & airy areas. The same with textile choices in terms of colours & patterns but also structure & materials.

Now, it was not my intention to go into details … I try to always keep things more general & trust that the images does the work. Let’s hope they do that this time 🙂

Wedged between closets but fully usable surface that feels just right in size / 79ideas