furniture | anordinarywoman

17/12/2012

Design, Food, Homes / Interiors, Outdoor

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

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Homes / Interiors

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

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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

Great deal in a small space but perfectly ok for right target / Cubby via Tumblr

Appealing with good order which is important when you have open shelves /Astrid via Pinterest

Cell-like maybe, but it seems that all the functions are there / bungalow5

Small space with the use of height / Seventeendoors

Small but effective separate kitchen / brightbazaar

Stylish design with a lot of storage / livethemma

A clever corner part with doors that can be closed if necessary / planetdeco

Sometimes it’s good to be two to stay warm / dyingofcute via tumblr

Effective workplace / sfgirlbybay

Materials with contrasting color where the white comes after the dark, so it looks bigger / tumblr

Flexible design / frenchbydesign

Good enough for a laptop / Ikea

Take care / Marie

Tagged Australia, furniture, home decor, interior, Interior design, living area, living space, space, square feet

13/08/2012

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Homes / Interiors

Place of work / 182

Hej friends,

I promised to do something more modern way back when I blogged about workplaces. I was reminded recently so I guess I have to keep my promises. And I don’t mind, there’s so many inspiring work spaces, for sure. I have a particular fondness for long desks for, preferably several in a row. I like it when I can see what I’m doing & things sorted in a manner that gives me an overview. Especially when I can move things along the tables & still have it spacious around & beside.

I do favour basic colours as you know … black & white with a few colourful details. Similar to the first image below or the third. The fourth isn’t so bad, nor the fifth either. Well, as I said, there’s loads of great & inspiring solutions. And why chose when you can have it all…at least through images 🙂

Great impression with simple means /Letmebeinspired

Open floor plan, open areas & functional spaces for different needs / Designshimmer

Structured inspiration / LNA via Pinterest

Small space with colourful details / Susanna Vento

Light, bright & beautiful / Letmebeinspired

Desk lamp in bright green that makes you happy / Designmilk

Simple yet appealing / Lineklein

Beautiful furniture with a beautiful view / The Fancy

Working from home works well / Google

Nice combination in wood & metal / kulunkadecoblog

Something exciting for the small people too / IKEA

Neat desk & loads of natural light / Yeloowtrace

Long desk with storage above / Desiretoinspire

White base, with low storage & soft colours / Kotilo

Modern, rustic & colourful at the same time / Ruemagasine

Take care / Marie

Tagged Color, colour, desk, furniture, home decor, Modern, work place, workspace

08/08/2012

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Homes / Interiors

Mattresses / 181

Hej dear friends,

Time for a new post & today it’s about mattresses…what?
Yep, I think I’m longing for a rest or more correct, a looooong holiday. This, even though the sun is shining & the weather is nice. But since I began a new job quite recently, the highly anticipated leave will have to wait. I’ll have to content myself with a little rest once in a while instead & what could fit better than thick, comfortable mattresses, right?

Mattresses, you might be thinking, what now? Yes, you are right perhaps. But I’d like to add that mattresses, which in itself are thin & flat, actually can look infinitely different. I might even claim that they can be exciting … that is, in purely expressive terms & material selection. And just think, where & how they can be used, practically everywhere, really. Childrens room are given, guest room, on the porch or balcony, in the living room … well, just simply choose what suits your need, indeed.

While traditional colours & checkered, yet so nice, right? / Frenchbydesign