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. 

A New Year

Starting a new year organising and decluttering our home. It feels like a detox for the closets!

Day Dreaming

I've been doing some serious day-dreaming lately. I'm always obsessed with Scandinavian design and would love to have some of the classic pieces in my own home. Gubi Grasshopper Lamp and Wegner Wishbone Chair have been on my wishlist for ages, but I do love that pink sofa as well as the gorgeously elegant andTradition dining table! One can always dream, right? 

I would love to hear what are some of your favourite Scandinavian designs!

One Nordic

Have you heard of One Nordic Furniture Company? Their collection includes beautiful and quirky designs that are timeless yet contemporary. I am particularly in love with their Key side table and here's the good news; they deliver around the world!

I am also dreaming of having pendant lights above our dining table and I think this combination of white and copper (with marble in the background!) looks amazing!

All photos by One Nordic

MENU

Don't you just love these bottle grinders from Danish design company Menu? I love the new "Nude" colour and I think they look perfect with grey, light wood and marble. 

Don't forget to check Menu's new catalogue for more beautiful design!

B & W

I thought I'd share a few recent snapshots from our home. I've slowly replaced a lot of the wooden features and decorations with mostly white ones and recently more and more black has crept in as well. I'm in no means making our home completely black and white, but I do love this combination with grey and wood. We still have a big splash of colour on our living room wall, provided by this Marimekko fabric (stretched over a frame) and although I am constantly keeping an eye out for new fabrics, I'm yet to find one to replace it.

           

Sewing a new cushion cover is such an easy way to update the look of the sofa; this time I used black and white fabric with little elephants in it. I think it brings a fun detail to our otherwise rather serious interior.

Once again, these shelves are the first to see the change. I made a quick trip to IKEA last week and bought more storage boxes for books, craft items, papers etc. I'm not a big fan of small decoration items, but I rather complete the look with a few simple vases in the same colour scheme.

Even my afternoon tea looks (unintentionally) matchy with the recent colour addiction! A few pieces of licorice with a cup of black tea, this gorgeous magazine and a black notebook on my desk.

Lundia

I just stumbled across the gorgeous Lundia catalogue while researching storage solution for our home. Lundia is a Finnish family business making wooden furniture; mainly shelving units, but also side boards and beds, even lighting. I love the simplicity and the amazing quality of these products and I'd swap all our side boards to these in a heart beat, if I could.

All product photos by Lundia

5 x Coffee Tables

1. DLM Table by HAY 2. Artek's Trienna Coffee Table 3. Block Table by Normann Copenhagen 4. Tablo Tray Table by Design House Stockholm 5. Tablo by Normann Copenhagen 

There are a few pieces of furniture we still need in our home. Firstly, I haven't been able to find bedside tables I really like (they are often too bulky in my opinion), secondly I would like to get a new dining table and chairs to replace our old ones and thirdly, we desperately need a coffee table. I've found most of the coffee tables way too big for our living room area, so we've been using these IKEA stools as a temporary solution. I really don't want a coffee table that sits in between the sofa and the TV, but rather a small side table that doesn't take too much space.

I really can't pick a favourite amongst the Scandinavian design pieces I've gathered above. They all have pros and cons, but I could easily imagine all of them in our living room. As you can see, I've already decided on the colour, but I'm indecisive of the style. For purely practical reasons, I could go with the Block Table from Normann Copenhagen (the bottom layer would be ideal for magazines, for example) or the Tablo Tray Table from Design House Stockholm (the tray is separate so it doesn't take much space), but the Artek table is quite a design piece on its own and I quite like the two other tables shown above as well. Decisions decision! I promise to show you the outcome once I've made up my mind.

Which one is your favourite? Or is there another coffee table you like?

SS 2014 Favourites from Scandinavia

All photos by the product suppliers

1. Ikono Lamp in Mint is by Normann Copenhagen 2. Gorgeous marble tray by Danish brand HAY 3. I am absolutely obsessed with anything from Kähler at the moment, this pink storage jar is available in March. 4. & 5. Copper candle stick and vase are both from the Danish House Doctor, another one of my favourites! 6. Copper eggs from Madam Stoltz would be stunning for Easter.

For the past few weeks I have been browsing and drooling over the new SS 2014 collections by various Scandinavian design companies. I can't pick my favourites so here are a few ideas of what's coming up in the Northern hemisphere spring and summer. There are still lots of pastels as well as copper/brass accents and of course marble which was a big hit already last year. 

Pastels would look lovely in a spring home in the Northern hemisphere and well, for us heading towards autumn those brass accents wouldn't look out of place at all, especially if combined with something like the Pantone colour of the year. 

I'm still waiting to see what else is coming up so I'll have to make another post in a few weeks time. In the mean while, I'll be adding lots more beauties on my wishlist for the coming season.

Photo by ferm LIVING

Photo by ferm LIVING

Photo by Broste Copenhagen

Photo by Bloomingville

Recent Snapshots

A few recent snapshots from home. Thank you for all your well wishes, I am feeling much better!

Kitchen corner with something modern, something old.

The other corner of our kitchen

Morning coffee

Neutral colours

Our bathroom

Rain drop mobile I made with clay and driftwood

Linen basket with a tiny snowflake button I made for mum.

I made this linen bag for pegs

Marimekko Sydney Opens!

It's been a long time coming, but Marimekko has finally found its way back to Australia! I was so excited and honoured to attend the opening party of Marimekko's Sydney store last night - and what a party! 

Marimekko represents time-honoured design and exquisite quality, is functional and absolutely meant for everyday use. This is a brand that is part of our Finnish identity, a brand we all grew up with surrounded in our everyday lives from fabrics to accessories. 

Marimekko has found the most beautiful space in the middle of Sydney (located on 66 King Street) with high ceilings that enable multidimensional and truly unique shopping experience. Nordic style is well honoured with wooden floors and accents, beautiful light throughout the space and of course the most outstanding Marimekko products that would make any space look magnificent.

Last night saw many Sydneysiders, including fellow Finns and Swedes, showcasing their most colourful Marimekko outfits and wholeheartedly enjoying the launch party of the year. Everything was carefully planned, from the nostalgic Finnish music from the 60's and 70's, to staff outfits and product display.

Here are a few snap-shots from last night, hope you enjoy!

Marimekko Sydney
66 King Street
Sydney, NSW