Sophisticated House Tour

This home oozes sophistication...it's even a bit sexy. This is the home of Anna Gillar, a Swedish Interior Designer and Stylist. High and low pieces are cleverly and effortlessly combined, it's hard to tell what is what. You can really sense that the home was designed with pieces that the home owner loved, rather than what is trendy. I've probably said it a hundred times, so I'll say it for the hundredth and one time, designing with things you love rather than what is trendy/price tag always triumphs. You can't help but be drawn to it, because it is that owners truth, and like it or not you can't help but have an emotive reaction to it.

So much to love in this room, from the whitewashed herringbone floors, white walls and the extra tall french doors and windows, and the gold/brass accents. It is stunning - a beautiful mix of glam and rustic!

I want that antique floor mirror! I read that the owner saw it at a French antique market, and she was instantly head over heels and without figuring out how to get home (from France to Sweden) frantically haggled and got the piece. I can so see myself doing the exact same thing.

I have to say I can't remember seeing a bed made this way and I quite like it. I like the restrain in design in the bedroom. This bed and the desk are both from Ikea. I just love seeing well designed spaces that mix low and high end, because it shows that you don't necessarily need a fat wallet to have a stylish space. All you need is creativity and the commitment to follow through!

(Images: Residence)

Happy Monday!

I came across this beautiful house tour on Residence magazine and apart from its obvious beauty, what I really love about it, is the fact that it feels like a real home. It love the open shelves in the kitchen with the not so perfect arrangement. The pops of colors is brilliant - this is the best of form and function coming together. My favorite though has to be that dining room. The art work absolutely commands attention, oh and the that pendant too...I should just say I love it all!

A happy Monday to you all! :)

(Images: Residence)

Sunday Inspiration

"Anything worth doing, is worth doing insanely, obsessively, fanatically well." - Peter Pepper
I came across this quote and it put a smile on my face. I wholeheartedly believe in this.
Have a lovely sunday!

(Image: Fatou Bah)

Photography - Katya de Grunwald

Are you up for a bit of a trip? Lets take one shall we. Looking at these photos of Katya de Grunwald I am transported to a dreamy beautiful place. There is a lightness to these photos, like a floating feather.
It's a very emotive response they illicit that is hard for me to put into words. As a visual and emotional person, I love it when art of any kind gives me an emotional response.

Katya de Grunwald's work has been featured in top publications such as; Elle Decoration, Red, Martha Stewart Living, House and Garden. I have to admit that I recently found out about her work, but I'm so glad I did.

(Images: Katya de Grunwald)

Heather Moore - Skinny LaMinx

I am so excited to share the work of South African illustrator Heather Moore with you today. She's got me totally inspired with her beautiful screen prints. Another thing that struck and drew me into her work is how she shares what inspired the beautiful prints that she comes up with.

I like the playful quality of this tea towel's print. This pattern was also created by Heather from an actual bunch of greens she bought, capturing the different shapes and patterns.

This cutout led to these beautiful prints below....I like seeing how she arrived to her designs. It's like a window into a the creative process.

 

You probably recognize the blue tea towel from here.

Her work is a testament to the saying that inspiration really is everywhere. All we have to do is stay open and be aware.

Have a beautiful Monday!

(Images: Skinny LaMinx)

The South Is Blooming

There are a few things in this world that are guaranteed to instantly make me happy. One of those things is coming across beautiful designs from the motherland itself....Africa. I came across The South Is Blooming and their collections of designs from South African designers, and they got me longingly dreaming, once again for beautiful African prints and more.

She and I need to get acquainted. Looking at their web site it doesn't look like they ship to the US, but I need to find out for sure. I want this so bad!

I adore this plant holder made of old telephone wires using traditional South African weaving techniques. Beautiful and earth friendly! Black and white stripes and yellow are always magical! Don't you agree?

Tea towel textile designed by Heather Moore of Skiny LaMinx. I like the classic combination of blue and white with a subtle African design element.

Okay how adorable are these crocheted "cactus" pots.

This vibrant African basket, a classic African design is also made of old telephone wires.

Another tidbit about me, I love monkeys, and stuffed monkeys even more. I love these cuties.

(Images: The South Is Blooming)

Melancholy

I am in a melancholy state of mind, an emotional state that took me a while to understand. I am naturally a happy person, who loves to laugh at the top of her lungs, do so till my ribs hurt and I can no longer utter a sound. I also cherish my solitude, and I can comfortably be a loner - for a while. In my twenties I didn't understand this, because the moods came and went without necessarily something triggering the change.  I misunderstood and disliked it. I've come to understand that I need that mood swing to keep me balanced - I guess you can call me a typical Cancer. I do a lot of thinking and coming back to my core when feeling this way, and it fuels me! I enjoy being alone, listen to soft melancholy music, and do whatever it is I might want to do. To some this might sound depressing, but for me it isn't at all. Having kids, this obviously doesn't happen as much, I can grab a quiet hour here and there, but I don't have the luxury of just taking hours to myself and reflecting and decompressing. I guess you just find new ways of doing things when motherhood comes. 

I naturally gravitate towards bold bright interiors, but I also respond to gorgeous moody, dark spaces just the same. This juxtaposition of likes is what makes me who I am. I think its no coincidence that I love both Fall and Summer and if asked to pick a favorite I can't. I love different aspects of both seasons, as they both allow me to nuture the different sides of me that I have come to love about myself. A wonderful thing happened when I turned 30, its like a switch automatically came on that shone a  light to help me understand certain things about myself more, and to be absolutely okay with a lot of my eccentricities....I say a lot because I am a working progress like everyone else. :)

What keeps you going? Do you need down time to decompress and comeback stronger? What keeps your creativity going?

(Images: Marie Claire Maison)