Bedroom Decor Wish List

We are in the thick of planning our renovations and even though it might seem more like a "5 year plan", I am really keen to get something started. I've been told that these things tend to escalate and so they have: from new floorboards, to perhaps painting the walls, to adding a whole new room and not just a room, but a mezzanine level (or a loft, as you may prefer to call it). No wonder we are not getting anywhere; we keep adding more and more to our already extensive plans.

To take a little break from choosing the right floors and wall colour, I thought it would be fun to plan a little wish list for our bedroom. A wish list for the bedroom decor, that is. Here are a few things I have earmarked for when we are ready to redecorate.

Let's start with a new mattress - I am feeling really optimistic about this one: Hugo Sleep is Australian made (always a bonus!) and looks extremely comfortable. Guaranteed to provide 8 hours of solid sleep, amirite? Better yet, the mattress is delivered (free of charge!) in a box (whaaat??). I am excited to try this just for that reason.

Nothing better than new bed linen. Stone is a new colour by Australian company In Bed. With lighter floors and perhaps slightly darker walls, I think Stone would be a perfect match!

Optional, but highly lustworthy, are these gorgeous bedheads by Finnish company Matri (try rolling the "r"). Anything wicker/rattan, whatever one chooses to call it, is on trend and I want some! Let's add the bedside tables and that beautiful end-of-the-bed bench while we are at it, please.

Last, but not least, I would add this coat stand by BEdesign. I have seen many stand alone coat stands over the years, but there's something about the shape, along with the accessories, that I really like about this one.

All images by suppliers. This post contains sponsored links.

Outdoor update

We have a spacious balcony (for an apartment) that doesn't always get the attention it deserves. I love having pot plants there, even though we have a very green scenery to look at as well. When we had family over at Christmas I bought a new sofa (this one from IKEA) and added an outdoor rug (also from IKEA) to give the space a bit more "sophisticated" look.

I am pretty happy with the outcome and we are spending a lot more time here enjoying the last days of summer. Hope you are having a great start to the new week!

Weekend Mood

Nothing like a stack of books and a cup of tea to ring in the weekend. This beautiful tilted tea cup from Magisso Finland* is a new favourite of mine. It is a generous size and has an in-built filter for loose leaf tea. I love it! 

Have a lovely weekend!

* Magisso tea cup was sent to me as a gift with no strings attached. All opinions are my own.

Kid-friendly interior decorating

It can be hard adjusting your decor (as well as literally everything else) for kids, but it doesn't mean your whole house will have to turn into a playground. Our daughter is turning four in a couple of weeks and even though we might be over the worst "exploring" stages, there are still certain things I will have to be mindful of when decorating. 

Here are a few things I did and didn't do to adjust our interiors when she was born. I never got rid of rugs, even the one under our dining table. We sit down to eat with our daughter and clean up any mess she might make immediately. Our sofa has removable and washable covers, which has been helpful, but we also don't let her eat while sitting on the sofa (not just for the mess, but for general manners). We keep her toys in the cupboard or in baskets and clean them up together after play time. Limiting the amount of toys in the first place will help keep the mess to a minimum! She also has her own little craft table for "messy play", like painting. 

The only sharp corners we ever had to protect were those around the kitchen island, and even then she quickly learned to avoid running around that area. We didn't need baby gates, as there are no stairs in our home. I learned that investing in high quality pieces (such as sturdy chairs and furniture that might fall over) has actually been helpful. Often I hear other parents mention that they don't want to buy anything too expensive while the kids are young, but our daughter uses the Eames wire table everyday and it doesn't have a single dent on it. We have Artek bar stools in the kitchen and she can climb on them without me having to worry they aren't stable enough to support her.

I never used to put anything away, like glass or porcelain pieces, even when our daughter was starting to walk around and grab things. Obviously I can't speak for all the kids (especially when I only have one), but teaching them from a young age to differentiate between what is and isn't a toy can help. 

The things I am still mindful of, however, are the obvious things like leaving burning candles around (again, teaching them very early on can be helpful!), but those are the things I'd be mindful of even if I didn't have a child. All in all I don't feel like I've had to sacrifice anything in our home because of our daughter and at the same time we haven't had to limit her play or development in any way. 

Hope this helps and I'd love to hear how you've adjusted your home for kids! 

Life in Style

I am filled with inspiration after spending the day at Life in Style here in Sydney. So many great vendors with beautiful new products! I especially loved seeing so much Scandinavian design available, even some Finnish products! 

These cool Arch:You concrete houses were one of my absolute favourites today. There was definitely a lot of marble, concrete and copper everywhere, and to my delight quite a bit of dusty pink and leather details as well. Those two will have to make an appearance in my home in not too distant future. 

Graphic By D

I am absolutely in love with this Light Stones IV print from Graphic By D. It brings the much needed change in to our living area and fits the space perfectly. Go check out the other prints on Dorothee's website, there are heaps of different styles and colours available. I am planning a few more small changes here and there, so stay tuned!

I am off to Life in Style this weekend. Looking forward to seeing some new-to-me vendors and products, but most of all getting tons of inspiration on the way. Have a great weekend everyone!

Wild for Wallpaper

Here's an idea I've become a little bit obsessed with of late: wallpaper in our hallway. This room is (obviously) the point of entrance in to our apartment and one I'd like to make a bit more interesting. It's a smallish space with beigy-grey walls (this colour, to be exact) and off-white/cream build-in cupboards and a desk. I am not sure why choosing the perfect wallpaper to cover just one wall in this space feels like such a major commitment. Also, if you've ever searched for wallpapers you know what a colossal task it is; there are literally thousands to choose from with a huge variety of prints, textures, finishes and colours available. I feel dizzy just thinking about it.

When I was little, my parents let me choose a wallpaper for my room. I remember how I loved browsing the big folder with wallpaper samples and how fascinated I was with all the pretty patterns. I ended up choosing a light pink paper with white clouds on it, not such a bad decision even if I think back to it now! For our hallway, however, I think I have to go with something a bit more mature than that; elegant and timeless even.

I don't want anything too colourful or bold, that's just not our style. I also don't want the print to be too small because I'm afraid that in such a small space it might end up looking too busy and clustered. I am drawn towards grey and metallic prints, like this ones from Florence Broadhurst. 

Floral 100 FBW-BO90

I have been absolutely obsessed with Erin Gates' new book 'Elements of Style' (more of that later) and amongst a ton of inspiration I saw this beautiful Katie Ridder 'Leaf" wallpaper covering one wall of a powder room Erin designed. 

Another grey, but very classic design is this one by Sandberg. I think this is going to go on to my Top 5 as it is definitely timeless and one I can't see myself getting bored with anytime soon. Porters Paints here in Sydney also has a good selection of classic designs, along with Eurowalls (their Nordic Home collection is especially pretty and not just because of the name!)

Hygge & West have a great collection of wallpaper, including prints by Rifle Paper Co. Very on-trend, yet classic, like this grey 'Diamante' by Laundry. This print to me is borderline busy, so it might not be a real option, but something to put in the 'someday' files.

And then there is Vallila. They have some really pretty floral prints, but how cools is this one! I know, it's not exactly timeless (or is it?), but there's something so whimsical about it that I love.

The search continues! I will give you an update when I've made a decision, but it might take a while! In the mean time, please let me know of any other great sources of wallpaper and I'll add them on to my (long) list of bookmarks - thanks!