lilla my lamp

: : I found an adorable lamp in the last issue of .FORM. [a Swedish design magazine] or "fjorm" as they tease me at work. the lamp is by .muuto. a group of scandinavian designers bringing a fresh perspective to the design world. this lamp is inspired by the childbook character .lilla my. from my favorite .mummin trollen. books.

restaurang landet

: : .emma. has her way of finding some of the most amazing spaces. I am loving the interiors of resturang .landet. in Stockholm Sweden. I like the colorful, circus, tivoli feel. But, as we all know, I'm a sucker for anything colorful and happy.

shiny squirrel

: : I got an email from .jessica. who told me about her new online shop the shiny squirrel. I like .auntie's wallpaper. and the wall decals that are about to get eaten by the trout. the shiny squirrel has a good selection of art, home accessories and even some fashion.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

Today is my son's 13th birthday....He's my budding Einstein. Even if his grades don't always reflect his inner genius...it's there...a lover of art, music and scientific, experiments. This room is great for any boy that loves math and science. He can dream formulas, theories and algorithms all night.....Happy Birthday Nii.

Gardens Galore

I like to think that I've made it to mid-winter. I know global warming seems to have kicked in because we've had very minimal snow and January temperatures have been mild for the past few winters. All this mildness takes my mind to gardening. If I can't yet work outside in the garden I can dream....be inspired, plan what I want this spring, and wait.... These gardens are unique, beautiful and not too serious. They're creative and offer a place of escape....

Up on the Roof

California Cottage Garden

Ancient Indian Garden

Sky Garden

Sanctuary Garden

images: House Beautiful, L.A. Times

weekend update

: : it's been a wonderful weekend here in Boston! I've been doing some baking, spending lots of time with my Swedish friends and doing some work from home. and this morning we woke up to a few inches of fresh snow outside!! I love this city in the winter, and we've had so much more snow this year than last.

oh, and I've been meaning to share pics of the ornaments I made before christmas. a hot tip from .lauren and derek. on d*sponge's DIY section. super easy to make and they do so much for the room. we have a set of green and gold ones in another room. and I wanted to share this cute story. after I posted the link to the ornaments, my lovely friend .tina. in Sweden happened to send a link for red.house to her sister, who is a first grade teacher. her sister was looking for a project for her first year class, and ended up making these ornaments! to think that they made it all the way into a first year class room in Gothenburg Sweden. I love that!

Wallpaper Talks !

Walls do talk and ABC's Extreme Home Makeover knows it. This Sunday's program(1/27) will highlight the "Regal" pattern from wallpaper designer Anna French's new "Glamour Collection". I'm not sure which color they will feature but I'm sure it will speak to the room it's in. Ann's designs are bold, dramatic and have the ability to present a fresh and contemporary feel to any room they're in.
Ann's company really took off with wallpaper designs for children's room.

Itsy Bitsy & Fairies in Pink

Set It Up

(images: Red River Interiors)

Since moving from California I still haven't grown accustom to the winters in northern Virginia (although they're getting warmer) so I hibernate most of the winter. I can appreciate winter's first heavy snow fall.... then that's it! A yearning for spring takes over and I look for indoor stimulation until mid March. One thing I like to do is set the table for charming dinners, teas, and even Chinese take out. Collecting cloth table napkins, candles and vases can all be done year round. When winter strikes and we have a DC metro snow day (where nothing moves if we get 2" or more) I'm ready to pull out my favorite color pallets and experiment... it's loads of fun!!

Elegant dining can be done while at a Florida beach house. Bring in natural elements such as shells and banana leaves for the table scape.
The outdoor light fixture sets a casually romantic mood to the space at sunset.....How lovely a dinner party would feel.. here in January.





(images: HGTV)

Richmond Walking Tour

On this particular day in October I had one of those uninspiring mornings and had nothing on my agenda...at least nothing I wanted to do. So, I took myself on a walking tour of Richmond, Virginia. It's a 90 min. drive from where we live. My husband had business in the city that day so I and my camera tagged along. We arrived very early in the morning...once I dropped him at his destination I hit the street...here are a few shots in some neighborhoods I love...

Baby It's Cool.... Outside

In southern California you spend as much time living outside as you do in... So, that calls for a custom built daybed nestled amongst bamboo in the Malibu home of Jerome Dahan. What a cool afternoon spot to lounge. This gives the outdoor space a Zen like feel... I'd love to nap here.... I miss living in California.







Jerome Dahan had a Moroccan father, thus the vintage Moroccan door which leads to courtyard living.
What waits inside is water flowing from a concrete waterfall and the comfort of a sanctuary.

California Cool

The L.A. home of Citizens of Humanity , denim line founder Jerome Dahan and fiance Lela Tilem evoke a contemporary and vintage feel. The clean lines and muted tones of the furniture say stylish and cool. Where else could you find such tres elegance lamps but at an L.A. flea market or estate sale? They're timeless and add the flair to this otherwise quiet room...... for the living room good quality always takes precedent over quantity. This space has an identity to it. It isn't too minimal ... not fussy.

kurbits krumelurer

: : more allmoge/kurbits inspiration for me by Swedish rockstar pattern designer .hanna werning. via emma's blog

there's more coming soon. i'm crafting every night.

more wedding inspiration

: : here is some more inspiration from photographer .gertrude & mabel. beautiful photos!! the image with the couple in front of the red.house, has got to have been taken in Sweden?!
I like the simple flowers in old tin cans.

oh and for some good wedding blogs to browse, if you want more....

.frolic the bride.
.brooklyn bride.

wedding bells

: : hurray! one of my best friends in Sweden is getting married!! so, of course, I can't help myself but scan the whole web for cool wedding ideas. so far my favorite is .lena corwin's. wedding. the simplicity of it, down to the details of mixing colorful patterns throughout....makes it look like the perfect


wedding invites
good on paper

decoration ideas
decorations

inspirational photos
vermont wedding

All Things Mary... McDonald of Course

Yes, I am a member of the Mary McDonald fan club. Don't miss her work in the February issue of House Beautiful. What captivates me are the unique window treatments. She uses fashion fabrics on the windows in this Beverly Hills house. The drapes are gray cashmere with red under curtains of striped silk. The red accents add visual interest to this otherwaise masculine room with a bit of a classic English feel... love it.

The faux zebra rug is a great touch in the den. The yellow curtains pop with all the black and white stripes...I'm seeing a lot of woven shades with side panels lately. It adds an organic quality to this room when paired with the sisal rug.

Photographs by Robert Trachtenberg

....more....

: : thank you. thank you. thank you!! I can't tell you how exciting, inspiring and rewarding it's been to be reading your comments on my last post. this is what I eventually wanted to use the blog for, as a sounding board, to test my own ideas, and get feedback along with sharing my inspiration. you guys all rock for sharing your excitement, your feedback, ideas for changes/new ideas etc. !!! I've been so inspired, I spent the whole weekend in front of my computer.

and this is what I came up with. a little more advanced and detailed this time. following my sisters suggestion of using a darker background which was very common in kurbits/allmoge patterns. this one is coming in a different color combination too.

please feel free to share your thoughts again!

: : click on the image to see a larger picture: :

A Peack of Chic at Romantic Homes

...stopped in the Borders Books Friday night, pulled a few shelter magazines off the racks and plopped into a big comfy chair. I browsed awhile and picked up the February issue of Romantic Homes. I glanced an article about women who inspire. Since I'm always looking for inspiration I couldn't wait to see who these fabulously inspiring women were. Then the article named blogger.... Jennifer from The Peak of Chic. (p53) Wow...what a delight! I'd just posted her a comment a few days before.... Congrats Jen!!....Keep inspiring us....

A Great Way to Recycle & Reuse

I recently discovered the local Habitat for Humanity has a great way to reuse and recycle anything that goes into a house. We all know they have a great organization to assist people in need with home ownership. But they also have Restores where contractors & vendors can donate new and slightly used products for home building. I contacted my local chapter & found out they will be accepting donations from designers & decorators to sell at a special event in the spring....I think I'll donate some beautiful drapery fabric remnants,valances and a few panels. I'm sure these items will sell well and contribute to building a new home for a family in need.....Reuse and recycle offer so many benefits....I'm really on fire in keeping this 2008 goal/resolution....Thanks Habitat for the opportunity to give...

See interview on Fox News at the Restore in Alexandria,VA:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=4748113&version=1&locale=EN-US

finally ready to share

: : so here it is : : my first try at a modern take on traditional Swedish kurbits patterns. I have been wanting to share this with all of you for a long time. these only existed in my head until a few weeks ago, when they actually started to take shape on my computer screen. will you let me know what you think? this is just a start, I hope to grow a lot from here, but these were some of my very first ideas. I have lots more.... but first, I'm curious about your thoughts.

wis design

: : I am the proud new owner of this beautiful silicone table cloth by Swedish design company wis design I have been wanting this ever since I posted it on my blog in Feb of last year, and now finally it's available via direct order from .anna. at wis. e.mail her directly at anna@wisdesign.se

A new addition to their product line is the .decades. chest of drawers., made from used drawers found at flea markets and second hand furniture places around Sweden.

Christmas and New Years in San Francisco was wonderful. I'm back in Boston and have been fairly productive working on my own design work at home, and started a large painting. I will share soon, I promise.

addition : : I was buying the table cloth for myself. turns out my lovely sister and brother had already bought it for me for Christmas and just hadn't put it in the mail yet. how sweet of them. tack söta syster och bror!

Recycle, Reuse, Sustain

I'm making the commitment this year to reuse, recycle and use as many sustainable products as I can in design projects and in my home. It may take a little bit more time to source products, but it can be done! ...take this recycled copper top table that's hand hammered into a beautiful work of art...it's made in a small village in Mexico, find it at : Arhaus.com

Almost everything in this room had a previous life. Most of the furniture was purchased from a model home furniture sale. The red balloon shade window treatment had a former life in a kitchen window. All I had to do was "pull it all together".....


Bamboo is one of our most sustainable resources. It has gained much popularity recently because of its fast growing nature...but, have you ever seen it as wallpaper? It adds texture and a rustic quality to this otherwise very refined bedroom.... (can't remember where I found this photo)
Can't you feel the organic nature of this space ? The sofa is Haitian cotton, the pillows add earth tone accents along with the top portion of the drapes. The plant in the corner helps improve the air quality...... you can create a micro-climate in any space to help clean the air and eliminate toxins naturally.....Wow!!