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.

Small with Style

Here are some small spaces that I thought were nice...

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!

Keeping it Together

I love when a space is not only organized but stylized too! It does not matter how good it looks if you still can't find the dog's leash! I first, figure out what I need and use and then try to make it look as good as possible. If a object is interesting (to me) then I try to leave it out. If its something I use on a daily basis, it probably sits out too. Its a highly personal thing but always remember the most important rule in small space living, less is more!

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

Entry

No matter how small or how narrow you can still have a entryway to your home. My front door spills right into my front room but I defined it with shelves and hooks for all those things you need on your way out. What do you do as you leave? That will help you decide how to plan it!

....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: :

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!

Display

If you have a small space, don't think you can't have large displays. Large art work or groupings give great visual impact, and can make the space feel grander!

White Light

We all know it, nothing opens up a small space like tons of natural light and white paint. White mixed with just about anything is a good thing. I love color and I love white. What can I say? There is room for both in the small space!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2008! When the holidays are over my mind goes straight to spring! I received the Pottery Barn catalog this week and the bright new colors they are using helped me to keep dreaming ! For all you color lovers, you won't be disappointed! I could totally redo my bedroom around that little blue alarm clock! Check them out at potterybarn.com!