A pared-back forest cabin in Holland

I do love a pared-back rural retreat. Every Friday I dream about packing my weekend bag and zooming off to the countryside. There's something wonderful about the back-to-basics, fuss-free life-style, don't you think? This lovely cabin is located in a forest in The Netherlands. The owners (with the help of stylist Kim Timmerman) have brought in hints of the great outdoors - including a bird garland, animal motif cushions and bedding, and a branch used as a clothes rail and kept everything else very simple. Oh, how I could unwind here, how about you?!

Stylist: Kim Timmerman   Photography: Rene Gonkel

Lovely! 

And there's good news too. It's available for rent here (oh yes! I've packed my bags I'm ready to go....).

I'm bsolutely loving all these Scandinavian inspired country cottages / cosy cabins too

My sister has just arrived from London *so great to see her*! We're heading off in a minute for lunch and a day of shopping in Copenhagen - I've been looking forward to this day for so long! 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

PS  If you're planning on doing any shopping, don't forget the 10% discount on all items from Blackthumb with the code MyScandi10 until 31st March. 

PPS Great weekend give-away coming up so stop by tomorrow if you have the time!

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The lovely serene home of a Swedish singer

After a crazy week on shoots, I'm finally enjoying a morning at home, just me, my tea and my computer (oh and an entire production crew shooting my home around me, but I'm still taking it easy! has your week been crazy too? Today I'd like to share a calm, pared-back space to slow things down a bit and get us in the weekend mood!  This apartment belongs to Cardigans singer Nina Persson and is currently for sale here in Malmö (come and join the Malmö massive!). I love the high ceilings, checkered painted floor and the entire bathroom. What a lovely, serene space, don't you think?

Bo-laget

Could you live here? I'd move in tomorrow!

The checkered floor is absolutely lovely and a very classic Swedish country look, it's fab to see it in the city too. One of my friends recently created her own using plenty of measuring sticks, tape and paint (potential DIY project?!).

I also love the sheer curtains in the bedroom -they add a soft, romantic feel. I've got white linen curtains in my bedroom and absolutely love them. I have snuck in some black out blinds though - as let's face it, they don't block out much light when it comes to that all important shut eye!

Is there anything that you love in particular about this space?

More stunning Malmö homes here, here and here.

Oh and the speakers list is now live for The Hive 2015 blog conference in Berlin - there's no turning back now - eeeeeee (scary mary!).  Will you be going? I went for the first time last year and had such a blast, met lots of people and learnt a ton about blogging too. You can read more about it / sign-up here. It would be great to see some friendly faces in the crowd!

Have a lovely day!

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A lovely light-filled Swedish family home

This is the oh so lovely light-filled Swedish family home of photographer, stylist, blogger and owner of the fab shop Little Cute Mokkasin, Sofia Jansson, musician Kristo Jansson and their children. All the floors and walls have been painted a serene white save for pretty floral accent walls and vintage wallpaper which bounce around the light flooding in through the large windows and make the home feel bright even on the darkest of days. The relaxed family home has been furnished using a mix of old and new. I particularly love the industrial spotlights and the vintage black board (great alternative to a painted chalkboard wall) in the kitchen, and the mid-century and incredible glass fronted storage cabinet in other parts of the house (what a great place to store creative items?). Such a lovely, relaxed home.

Photography / stylist: Sofia Jansson (shared with kind permission). Via Design Sponge with thanks. 

So lovely right?

There's something very homely about seeing a piano in a room, don't you think? One of my friends Liz bought a second hand piano recently (she's a bit of a music genius) and it got me thinking about how nice it would be to have a piano in my own home. Do you have any musical instruments in your home?

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Yesterday I worked as a stylist on a shoot at an incredible farmhouse in Skåne. It was so much fun. I thought I'd share some of the lessons learned in case you're interested.

Tips for interior styling (on a shoot):
- Bring tools- blu tac, gaffer tape, scissors, wire, clips
- For props it's worth taking along plants and flowers which match the style of the space. Think of the type of activity you would like to show in the kitchen / dining area to bring it to life  (for example you might want to buy buns or a cake for afternoon tea, bread, jams etc for breakfas. If you've seen the space beforehand or have an idea of the look you're going for, you can strengthen it with the props you bring.
- When styling the room think about what the photo is for - if it's to show how someone lives try not to make the space look too perfect. I would also recommend not taking away too many personal items or you'll lose the character of the space.
- Look closely at the details of the shot in a laptop - is there a rogue bright red car hiding under the bed, an unsightly cable or even dust on the floor / surface? Remove anything that will save time in re-touch.

And now for day two.

Have a lovely day!

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