Italian Café

Last week when I wrote about a beachside café concept, I was requested to make a moodboard for an Italian café - so I hesitate no further, and here it is, an Italian inspired café mood board. 

It might be Italian-inspired, but I actually thought of New York when I created it - the Big Apple has an Italian quarter after all. I imagined a red-brick corner buliding, with huge glass windows letting the light in. With this moodboard I did not aim for a traditional look, so I made it more cosmopolitan and urban where the Italian vibe is slightly felt.
Whenever I think of Italian design, I see red. In a good way, of course. I would place a long, upholstered bench along the wall or the windows, with these red and white checked cushions on it - this pattern is so Italian, but now I decided against using it on a tablecloth. Red wooden chairs provide an exciting accent colour, but the rest of the colour scheme contains neutrals - black, white, grey with a bit of wood. I love the untraditonal black pendant by BoConcept - simple, but with a twist (notice the handle!).
The main theme of this moodboard is, however, chalkboard decor, that I feel goes very well with the Italian look. Chalkboards are widely used in cafés, and I am always amazed to see the variety of it. The funniest items here are the moustache-shaped chalkboards - they look also so Italian, yet they are very modern. Life is good.

I think I could do with a capuccino right now.

Concept Board - Italian Trattoria

I already mentioned how much I love dining out. I enjoy having a delcious meal in nice setting in good company, perfect way of combining food, friends and interiors. In my last post I promised to take you somewhere else, far from Scandinavia. I also mentioned pasta, so here we are, in a nice little trattoria straight from Italy. 

It does not matter if it is a casual or an elegant establishment, Italian restaurants seem to incorporate colour red and rustic dark wood into the interior. Here I did the same, but I chose a laid-back appcroach. The key style elements are mix-match furniture and dinnerware, flatware made of dark wood and steel, colourful tiles and fumed oak floor. My goal was to create an Italian country mood, that could be your inspiration for a new restaurant, but it is also easy to recreate this mood in your home.

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I hope you have a lovely Sunday afternoon. Next week I will be back with a post about another colour combination, and as it is summer, you can expect a summer themed post as well.

Kitchen!

Let's be honest, I am not a great cook. I am simply not natural. But I like to eat, dine out and be spoiled rotten by fantastic meals made by my friends who can actually cook.

However, it does not mean that I do not know what makes a well-organised kitchen. The layout is very important, and I am always amazed how easily it is overlooked by some people. The layout is everything. It determines how fluently you can work. I could easily fill a couple of posts alone with this topic, but not now. Today's post is about styling. 

This is the first kitchen moodboard I made.

The inspiration for this mood board comes from the well-known restaurant-chain, the Vapiano. Imagine a clean-cut spacious kitchen, with light brown wood (lots of wood), metal machines, herbs in pots, some red accessories, and you get the picture. Probably due to the use of red it has some Italian vibe. 

How do you like the trolley? Do you use it in the kitchen? I think it gives a professional touch to any kitchen.