Interior Inspiration: Mad for Marble

A beautiful material that has been used since ancient times, marble is in my opinion the most elegant of stones – smooth and cool to the touch, it simply oozes luxury when incorporated into an interior design scheme. My other half has rejected my suggestion of a marble countertop for our kitchen on the grounds that it is too showy, expensive and impractical and I probably have to agree on the last point. Because of its tendency to stain and scratch, marble countertops in kitchens and bathrooms is not always the most practical choice. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t indulge in a few choice marble accessories around the house.

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{A classic tulip dining table or a marble top coffee table like these ones by House Doctor and Asplund would be lovely but, failing that, any of these accessories would fit nicely into our home as well. Marble trays by Hay, chopping board by House Doctor, kitchen utensil holder from Crate & Barrel and marble candlestick by Menu at Royal Design}.

Interior Inspiration: A Walk-in-Closet on a Budget

A walk-in-closet is high up on my wishlist when we finally get around to doing our house extension. I’m not a massive hoarder but I’ve still got more clothes and shoes than I can comfortably fit into our existing wardrobe (and I’m already taking up almost half of my husband’s side…) As soon as I saw these pictures on the fabulous Stylizimo blog I was smitten. It is definitely the kind of space that I would like, and the best thing of all is that most of it comes from Ikea so it wouldn’t cost the earth to replicate.

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Currently Coveting #17: The Many Shoes of Carrie Bradshaw’s Closet

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As soon as I saw this poster on the fabulous Stalking Beauty blog, I knew I HAD to have it. As any Sex and the City obsessive will know, Carrie Bradshaw’s amazing shoe collection played almost as big a role in the series as the star herself. To me, nothing has replaced Carrie and her gang for pure fashion indulgence (Gossip Girl came close, but still not a patch on the weekly sartorial feast that was SATC) and I still regularly watch my favourite episodes on the box set.

In an ideal world, this poster would hang in my own spacious walk-in closet complete with shelves heaving with Manolos and Jimmy Choos. Sadly, that is but a dream (for the moment at least!) so I will have to find another place for it when it arrives. Wherever it goes I am sure it will provide me with daily inspiration…

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Some of you may already be aware of my obsession with white interiors – in theory at least, the reality is probably not so practical with small children and their sticky fingers! I love this stylish apartment with its bright and airy feel and little touches of pink – another of my favourite colours. The Liv lamp by Jonas Bohlin which hangs in the bedroom is a piece that I’ve been coveting for ages but at £500 I don’t think it will be moving in here anytime soon! Not to mention the Eames chairs, Smeg fridge and Asplund sideboard – a girl can but dream…

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All pictures from Hemnet.se

Interior Inspiration: House Doctor Spring 2014

The house is looking quite bare now that the Christmas decorations have been taken down and packed away for another 11 months. So what better time to give your home a little facelift as we move (slowly but surely) into spring? The new catalogue from Danish brand House Doctor, aptly named Everyday, features a beautiful collection of furniture, lighting and decorative objects. Some new lampshades and cushion covers along with a bit of greenery in the form of potted plants and fresh flowers would spruce up my home no end.

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Add a Scandinavian Touch to your Home

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As some of you may have gathered by now, I am a big fan of Scandinavian design, both for the wardrobe and the home. So you can imagine my excitement this week when I discovered a new interior website stocking beautiful vintage pieces as well as some of my favourite Scandi brands, including House Doctor, Tine K and Ferm Living. Design Vintage has a store in Brighton as well as an online shop selling all manner of wonderful things to spruce up your abode.

Here are some of my favourites:

1. Industrial desk lamp by House Doctor DK, £150

2. Pink Bambi bedding for a cot or cot bed from Scandinavian designers By Nord, £44

3. Set of three large storage boxes by Tine K Home, £35

4. Zinc wire mailbox by House Doctor, £14.95

5. Dragonfly porcelain votives from Bloomingville, in three different designs, £8.95 each

6. Dark grey and white tie-dye cushion by House Doctor, £35

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas…

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{Winter Fairylight Tree, £65; Silver Spray Wreath, was £70 now £56; Candles of various sizes in The White Company’s gorgeous Winter scent, from £10; Set of 2 Spruce Stars, was £12, now £9.60}

I love The White Company any time of year but especially at Christmas. I was flicking through their catalogue at a friend’s house this afternoon and found so many lovely decorations that I would love to have in my house this festive season. My favourite is the Winter Fairylight Tree in the top left picture which would look perfect by the window in our dining area. At the moment, many items in The White Company Christmas range are 20% off, but I know from past experience that they tend to sell out fast, so hurry if you want to grab a bargain!

The first of our decorations will go up at the end of this week, in time for the First of Advent on Sunday. When do you start to deck the halls for Christmas?

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{Christmas wrapping, from £3.50; Knitted Father Christmas decoration, was £10 now £8; Set of 3 Pine Cone Decorative Ties, was £6 now £4.80; Knitted Christmas Stockings, from £30}

Let the Christmas Countdown Begin

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Only five weeks to go until Christmas and I for one Can. Not. Wait. There are so many things to look forward to – putting the decorations up, buying and wrapping the presents, the school Christmas concerts, our village Christmas fair, all the yummy food… I could go on and on, and no doubt I will be doing just that, right here on this blog, over the coming weeks!

The boys have been busy writing their letters to Santa this week. Casper has rather optimistically asked for a Play Station, an X Box and an iPod so I had to explain that it is unlikely he will receive everything on the list. For the first time Cameron has been expressing doubts about the existence of Father Christmas (he is ten so I guess it is to be expected..) but he is under strict instructions not to voice these in front of his younger siblings unless he wants to find an empty stocking on Christmas morning! He didn’t want to take any chances so his letter is also winging its way to the North Pole as we speak…

Nothing beats the magic of Christmas morning even if it does tend to start at the ungodly hour of 5am in our house. This year we’re actually away on Christmas Day (it’s my dad’s 70th birthday on the 25th so we’re going to stay in a country hotel for three nights) but that won’t stop me from decking out the house in its festive finery. I love these inspirational pictures from Danish brand House Doctor, especially the big paper stars and the illuminated snow sign.

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Currently Coveting #13: The Perfect Advent Candle Holder

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With just over two weeks to go until the first Sunday of Advent, the search is on for the perfect Advent candlestick to take pride of place on our dining table. It needs to hold four candles as each Sunday until Christmas a candle will be lit until, on December 22, all four are alight. Last year I bought four chunky white candles from Ikea with the numbers 1-4 stamped on them in red. I tied a piece of red and white gingham ribbon around the base of each candle  and placed them on a silver tray in the centre of the table. It was a cheap and very pretty arrangement but with no trip to Ikea on the cards in the next couple of weeks, I need to find another solution fast.

I’m drawn to the understated elegance and simplicity of this wrought iron Advent candle holder by Finnish brand Iittala. At the moment Royal Design are offering £5 off the original price so it would be a good time to invest in a candlestick that we could carry on using for many, many years. It also comes in a bigger version that can hold six candles, which I would be very tempted by if my requirements weren’t so specific. I like the idea of using different coloured candles to jazz it up a bit – Christmassy red or sparkly silver would look stunning.

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50 Shades of White

Maybe it’s because I’m Swedish, but I have a real soft spot for the Scandinavian design aesthetic when it comes to interiors. Pale wooden floorboards, white walls and furniture mixed with grey and other neutrals and perhaps a few accents of stronger colours such as red or blue. Mixing old and modern pieces also makes for a unique home and I love the contrast it creates.

Here are some inspirational images from my Pinterest board ‘My Dream Abode’:

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{I love the positioning of the sofas in this room. Having them facing each other adds a cosy vibe which is offset by the grandeur of the stunning chandelier.}

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{White doesn’t have to mean stark. Layering different shades of whites and other neutrals creates a warm, inviting space.}

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{I love the tiles in this kitchen and the open shelves.}

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{This bedroom looks so calm and inviting.}

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{Using books as bedside tables is a great feature that doubles up as storage if you don’t have enough space for another bookcase. I also love the picture shelf above the bed.}

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{A practical and beautiful centerpiece filled with lovely cashmere. This picture makes me want to paint our floorboards white.}

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{The tiles, the lights, the bathtub – I love it all.}

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{If my boys shared a bedroom, this is the bunkbed I would get.}

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{This room is all about the details: the bunting, the Maileg bunnies with their own little matching bed, the practical blackboard…}

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{I wish our ceilings were high enough to carry off a chandelier on this scale. Oh and that my husband wasn’t allergic to cats!}

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{This room really makes the most of the natural light and I love the white letters on the wall.}

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{Another view of room number 9 which shows how effective a pop of colour can be in an otherwise all-white space. Mixing new and old furniture, such as this cupboard, in the same colour creates an original but cohesive look.}