Celebrating spring with a vase from be&liv

Don't you love spring flowers? They do make me smile. I'm always looking for new ways to arrange them at home and so excited by my latest find: a 24k gold plated One Flower Vase from Scandinavian design brand be&liv. Described as 'a delicate flower vase that compliments the beauty of a single flower,' One Flower Vase also comes in chrome and copper and was designed by Ilkka Suppanen because 'sometimes just one modest flower is more than a big bouquet' (I'm with you Ilkka!). Established in Helsinki in 2012, be&liv make many other items for the home too, including the Halo shelf, Palea candle holder  (also seen on my coffee table), leaf coaster set and Lily cake stand - all beautiful and unique in their own way. So exciting!

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home. 

Oh so lovely - and the perfect vase for one delicate ranunculus, don't you think?!

be&liv pieces are sold through many different retailers - find your nearest one here.

Have a great weekend!


This post was sponsored by be&liv. However, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the wonderful businesses that make My Scandinavian Home blog possible.

The winner of two beautiful vases from Nordal

Thank you so much for entering the give-away to win the lovely RING vase and deco bottle by unique Danish homeware brand Nordal. Sadly I could only pick one winner (I wish I could have sent one to each and every one of you!) - and that's......drum roll.....

Hind in Berlin

Hind, please mail me your details so Nordal can ship your prize to you! Enjoy!

Photography Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home. With assistance from Ebba Hansson.

This competition is now closed.

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Nordal.

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!

A whimsical floral and pastel home in Belgium

It feels strange writing about whimsical florals and pretty pastels while there's snow on the ground, but that's exactly what sets this home apart.  The space belongs to Yvonne Eikkenduijn, her husband Bo and 3 hens in Lommel on the Belgium-Dutch border. Yvonne describes her style as -Scandinavian -English, and I see an element of Dutch too. Yvonne is a photographer, blogger, and author of two books: yvestown in the kitchen and weekend ontbijtboek. She also bakes a mean cake. I could imagine hanging out here with the smell of freshly baked cake hanging in the air, how about you?!

  

 

 

 

Holly Marder. Homes with Heart Decor8.

Is this your kind of style?

A few items I know and love: Smeg fridge, Cath Kidsen wallpaper, Muuto E27 light, Bertoia chair. Paint a cupboard in Farrow & Ball Middleton Pink for a similar effect.

See more pics and read about Yvonne's home here.

Have you been to Belgium? I'm working with a Belgium interior designer Mieke Van Roey this week and she says Ghent is fabulous for interior design shopping. I'm also keen to visit this restaurant in Brussels and perhaps do a little clothes shopping in Antwerp. And of course - a stop at Yvonne's home for a slice of cake would be nice too! Belgium is officially added to my travel board!

Yvonne's home has been beautifully captured by Holly Marder for her Homes with Heart column. Holly came to visit last year and at the same time photographed Tina's fab home. Her bedroom is one of the most popular posts ever featured on My Scandinavian Home! And I've featured lots of homes she has styled / photographed in Holland including this, this and this home. I can't wait to see what she does next!

Have a lovely day!