The dreamy home of a Danish writer

Goddag! I often think about people who 'split their time' between two places - more often than not both are fabulous and evoke serious life envy (in me at least). One such person is the Danish best-selling author Annika Von Holdt. If you follow her on Instagram you'll know that she spends her Winters on Harbour island in the Bahamas (can you imagine?!), has a beautiful apartment in Copenhagen, lives with her son and the cheekiest cat and is very, very funny. I thought it was about time we revisited her lovely home - where the essence of owning a few carefully selected pieces and keeping to a soothing colour scheme allows light and space to dictate the feeling. 

Photography: Annika Von Holdt, shared with kind permission. Thanks to Vosges Paris for inspiring this post!

So dreamy, don't you think? The muted colours, the light wood floors, the large windows and high ceilings - the de-cluttered neature of the space. Everything?!

Plus there are at least ten pieces that I'd absolutely love in my own home including: the Gervasoni Ghost sofa,  Platner coffee table, Bertoia diamond chairs, Flos floor lamp, Gatto table lamp (a new favourite), Panton chair, Mad et Len scented candles (I've had my eye on these for a while!), Z1 pendant (cheating a bit with this one as I already have it in my bedroom!), pure linen bedding, and a white sheepskin throw.

Think I might just nip out and buy a lottery ticket.... back shortly!

Is there anything you'd like to recreate in your home?

See more pics of Annika's lovely Danish home here.

Have a lovely day!

PS If you could - where would you split your time between? I'm thinking Sweden, London, The Alps, Kerala and the Bahamas. Actually, would I be allowed to swap in new places each year?

The beautiful (and inspiring) kitchen of an interior designer

You can guess that someone who works in the world of interiors is likely to have a pretty great home. And my friend interior stylist Genevieve Jorn's is a fine example of this! You probably recognise the name as we often work together on projects and I love visiting her apartment in Malmö (as you can imagine!). A few months ago I featured her work space, and this week I thought I'd share a tour of her fab kitchen. Despite being a rental space and a fairly narrow kitchen with some awkward angles, she's been able to do so much with a few small updates, great items and lots of imagination. For example, a large window at the end of the room floods the space with light and bounces of a wall which Gen has painted in mat black and used as a gallery wall. And I love the little bistro table with just enough space for an afternoon fika (that stool!), the way the hanging plant catches the light, the row of hooks used for tea towels, and an iron trolley for extra storage - so inspiring! Let's take a peek...

Photography: Me, Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home). Home-owner / styling: Genevieve Jorn

Such a lovely space don't you think?! The plants, wood and textiles bring just the right amount of warmth. And trust me, it's such a great place to sit and enjoy Gen's freshly baked pumpkin bread with her and her little girl, Olivia.

Get the look from Gen's kitchen: 

1. Wall rack and hooks 2. linen table cloth 3.  Iron shelf on wheels 4. Tea towels 5. AURA wall lamp 6. Cast iron pot 7. Cast iron pan 8. Olive kitchen brush, spoon and whisk  9. cast iron tea pot 10. Black wood stool. Although not featured in the montage - I also love this round chopping board and sign.

More kitchen inspiration for the weekend: two Swedish kitchens, a French kitchen with a modern twist (this space had you divided), and a Scandinavian inspired Bulgarian kitchen (great light fixture!).

I'm so excited that Halloween is just around the corner - did you spot the green pumpkin in Gen's kitchen? First one to find it and comment gets a surprise from Nordal in the post (don't forget to leave a way for us to contact you)! If you're thinking of making something pumpkin-based this weekend you might want to take inspiration from these pumpkin pancakes - and that setting?! - beeeeautiful! I like the look of this pumpkin cheesecake too yuuuum!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend -  the clocks going back here mean we get a whole extra hours lie-in - LOVE that! If I'm lucky I might even get this (here's hoping....)!

See you Monday!

PS Since I'm in London for the kids half term there'll be a few less posts next week but I will be dipping in and out so definitely stop by!

This post was created in collaboration with the fab Danish online store Nordal, selling unique furniture and decor. All words are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and know you will too! Thank you for supporting the brands that enable me to create fresh content for you to enjoy.

Small space inspiration in monochrome

It's the weekend (almost!) and boy do I need it (more later). But first, today's home tour. Following on from what has been a bit of a black and white week, I'm taking inspiration from this monochrome space. Despite being a one room apartment the owners / designers have achieved a spacious, light and airy feel thanks to the two toned colour scheme throughout. If there's one thing I love though, it's the cactus! My grandparents had a similar one and it grew so tall they had to cut a whole through the ceiling (which became a skylight) - no joke! I've been a big fan of these prickly plants ever since, plus you rarely need to water them - what's not to love?!

Stadshem

Is there anything that stands out to you?

A few items I know and love: Thonet chairs, linen bedding, DLM side table, L:A Bruket soaps etc.

I'm so excited to introduce a sponsor today- brand new online shop Blackthumb. Founded by Nicola Fanstone after an inspiring trip to Helsinki, Blackthumb sells a smögåsbord of fab contemporary Scandinavian home and garden items including items from three of my favourite brands Sne Design (I'm in love with this felt storage basket), Ferm Living and Normann Copenhagen (dropit hook anyone?). And the good news? Blackthumb are offering readers 10% discount on any item in the shop with the code MyScandi10 until March 31st.

As mentioned above this week's been crazy. Yesterday I had a visit from TV channel Arte, and I've recently started working on a book (more info to follow at a later date) and to top it all I've also started shooting homes in Southern Sweden. It's all so exciting and what I've always dreamed of doing YAY! I just need a few days rest.... !

I hope you have some fab plans for the weekend lined up?

Have a lovely couple of days!

It all started on an unexpected trip to Helsinki, Finland. While wandering the streets on a cold spring afternoon, admiring all the beautiful and simple designs that Scandinavia is so well known for, Blackthumb was born. - See more at: http://blackthumbdecor.com/about/#sthash.wZ4hCdCE.dpuf

It all started on an unexpected trip to Helsinki, Finland. While wandering the streets on a cold spring afternoon, admiring all the beautiful and simple designs that Scandinavia is so well known for, Blackthumb was born. - See more at: http://blackthumbdecor.com/about/#sthash.wZ4hCdCE.dp

The lovely, relaxed home of a Danish student

I love this relaxed home of communications masters student Julie Wittrup Pladsbjerg which she shares with her boyfriend in Aalborg, Denmark. Julie is a keen writer and interior decorator and recently did an internship at one of my favourite Danish interiors magazines BoligLiv. She loves to mix old with new and has a big thing for plants, which can be seen dotted around the apartment. There are so many details I love about this space - the black and white wall in the bedroom with the low shelf as a side table, the DIY shoe rack in the hall, the open dressing room. Did your home look as cool as this when you were a student (I'd love to say mine did)?!

All photos Julie Wittrup Pladsbjerg

A few items I know and love: Kubus 4 candleholder, string lights, Eames DSW chair, Tom Dixon copper shade pendant, string pocket shelves, Hay clamp light.

Is there anything you love in particular about this space?

Thank you Julie for sending me the wonderful pictures (you can see more pictures of this fab home on Instagram).

If you're a fan of black and white and after a little more inspiration there are tons of beautiful monochrome spaces in my archive here, many of which also have a lovely mid-century touch.

Now, I'd better get back to my 'white floor make-over' - almost there, exciting!

Have a lovely day!

A Swedish city pad in monochrome and copper

On Friday I was dreaming about spending the weekend in this rustic Norwegian cabin, weren't you?! And now, it's back to the city just in time for the start of a new week. This one bedroom monochrome and copper themed space in Gothenburg is a feast for the eyes, there's just so much to look at! I love the variety of light fixtures, the kakelugn (tiled oven) and touch of spring in the hallway.  Thank you 55 Kvadrat, you've brightened up the start of my week.

55 Kvadrat

55 Kvadrat

55 Kvadrat

55 Kvadrat

55 Kvadrat

55 Kvadrat

55 Kvadrat

55 Kvadrat

55 Kvadrat

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

I love the white floor. I must have shown over 200 homes on here with white floors and never had one of my own. So I thought it was about time! I'm in the process of painting my top floor (and bedroom) white (you can see the work in progress here). I promise to create a post once it's finished. I must say, it's been such a tiring couple of the days - who needs the gym when you have a floor to sand, wash and paint?! Have you got a white floor in your home?

See more pictures and a plan of this lovely black and white apartment over at Kvadrat55.

More wonderful black and white homes here, here and here.

Have a great day!

A truly incredible Swedish country home in monochrome

I fell in love with this home when I showed it decked out for Christmas in 2013. And now it's been beautifully captured by Kristofer Johnsson for Residence magazine. Ladies and gentlemen, it's the stunning home of Swedish calligrapher Ylva Skarp. Her home reflects her love for monochrome and is teeming with unique vintage finds and quirky touches. If you look closely you can also see hints of her artwork. What a truly incredible home, don't you think? 

Homeowner: Ylva Skarp, Photography: Kristofer Johnsson, Stylist: Residence.

Besides Ylva's fab artwork, what I really love about this space is the incredible mixture of textures (wood, concrete, paper, metals) which gives the home a part cabin, part country, part warehouse vibe.

And did you notice the industrial warehouse cart used as a day bed - what an ingenious idea?!

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Other incredible black and white country homes incude this and this one, and don't miss this fab apartment in Malmö.

Have a great day! 

A fabulous swedish apartment for the weekend

Looking at these pictures you'd think they were fresh out of the pages of a glossy magazine. In fact, it's one of the latest homes for sale through Stadshem. Taking estate agent photography and styling to a whole new level, this stunning space in Gothenburg is decorated in white, light wood, greys and black through out and a mix of designer classics, mid-century and industrial finds. The result is an incredibly calm, modern scandinavian space which I could move into tomorrow. Could you live here?

Stadshem. Photographer: Jonas Berg.

Is there anything that stands out to you?

For me, it's the light wood and grey tones in the hallway. I always think it's important to create a 'wow' entrance as it's the first thing people see when they come through the door and sets the scene for the rest of the home. I'm not there yet with my own home, but I'm working on it (hallway inspiration here)!

I spy the Flos 265 wall light - one of my favorite pieces. 

See more of the space here. 

Other utterly fabulous black and white apartments here, here and here. 

It's the weekend - woo hoo! Up to anything fun? We'll be celebrating my husbands birthday (the girls have been busy cutting, pasting, painting, sticking…all week!). I hope we'll make it for a walk and bbq out in the forest too. 

Have a fab couple of days and see you Monday!