Classy Halloween

It is Halloween time again. This year I thought about an elegant home decor again, with shiny surfaces, classy-looking wreath, mat black pumkins decorated with silver pearls, with a bit of white and LED-lights thrown into the mixture. If you use much black, it is still scary!

Reasons Why Moodboards Are Not Enough

Let's see how the last moodboard could be turned into a 3D illusion. 

It is different, isn't it? I had to add a coffee table, a pouf, a rug, some cushions and a floor lamp, and had to create a wall and floor. The original idea is carried out in a certain style here, but should you change the floor or the wall (darker grey for instance?) you may get a more masculine expression. 

As you see, the original moodboard is a good starting point, it may lead to several design solutions, and still this set could look different from home to home. 

Some people have the ability to translate a concept into their space, others do not - but that is why interior decorators exist. My aim is to inspire you and give you ideas that you can use in your home. 

It is not worth living a life without style. 

Reasons Why Moodboards Are Enough

As I had said in my introduction - it feels like a lifetime ago - I love moodboards: I feel it gives a little extra compared to an average 3D rendering, as it presents you materials and a different point of view of the interior project. 

Strictly speaking not everything I make here is a moodboard - some of them can be considered as an illusion of a 3D drawing or a concept board or design board - whatever nametag you wish to put on it. 

Moodboards do not necessarily give you the exact picture of the design. It shows you materials, colours and pieces of furniture, but it does not allow you to feel the space, only the mood of it. 

Let's take the example below. 

You can see some of the furniture used - sofa, armchair, shelves, a decorative poster, a lamp and a side table, with some accessories thrown into the mix. 

You can see the colours - grey, brown, pop of red - and materials - glass, metal, walnut wood, leather -and even pattern (grid pattern dominating). 

I think it gives you the idea of a modern, urban apartment with pops of colour, but you can not see the space, the placement of furniture, the walls, the floor, how all these elements of the interior interact with each other. 

It means that based on this moodboard you will not be able to furnish your apartment, it only serves as an idea board that must be tailored to your space. Moodboard is an excellent tool to help you to decide what style and colour scheme you want to use, so keep it on your mind when you are brainstorming.

A very personal note

I know, I have been very quiet lately. This year so far has not been easy for me. After a short, but very painful battle with cancer my father died in January. I am not going to give up this blog, so I will be back soon. Thank you for follwing me.

Easter Decor

Happy Easter everyone! Spring is in full blossom, but who said that Easter decor can only be pastel coloured? I chose a bit of a Scandinavian approach to this year's decor with all the white flowers, black and white graphic patterns, blackboard and natural wood. It is a very subtle but sophisticated look for this time of the year. Enjoy!

Styling Greenery - 3

My last take on greenery. As I mentioned, you can bring colour into your home in three ways. The easiest - and arguably the most budget friendly - way to refresh your home is getting new accessories. (Painting your wall could be another - although more expensive - option, if you don't mind the fuss.) You can replace paintings, small tables, cushions and decorative objects any time with new ones, thus creating new atmosphere from time to time. 

Green looks lovely with pink and purple, but again I found that greenery simply needs some black to stand out, to really show its vibe. I found this beautiful rug with worn effect, and immediately employed it because the white pattern makes it so much lighter and more playful. Should it be plain without pattern, I would have considered too much in this colour. 

The overall effect is light, eclectic, slightly bohemian and utterly cheerful. 

Styling Greenery - 2

I promised another styling for greenery, Pantone trend colour of 2017. This time the styling is made for a man, who owns a lofty, industrial-style apartment. 

Compared to my previous moodboard, now greenery appears on a smaller surface, namely the armchair bean bag, backed by some cushions and a lamp. 

Apart from these colour spots we only see black, distressed wood, metal and brick, all signature elements of loft style. As green is the only colour used, the overall effect is more sophisticated, but still fresh. Wall marquees and a tripod lamp complete the industrial look. 

I would like you to notice the sofa. Michel Ducaroy designed it for Ligne Roset in 1973. It is very 70s, but this time I resisted the temptation to style it in a retro way, and rather enchanced its comfy feel. 

The next and last look for greenery - no surprise here - is going to be designed for a lady. Stay tuned, it is coming on Friday!

Styling Greenery - 1

Whenever you use colour in interiors, you have to decide how much you want to see of it. The brightness of the colour can be an important deciding factor - a bright colour attracts the eye and over time you may grow tired of it. However, it should not deter you from using them, if it is what you want. As I said in my previous post I have been inspired by Douglas Elliman Florida to share my thoughts on the best way to utilize the colour of the year. And as this year's trend colour is greenery, we got some really vibrant hue to style an interior with!

In interiors you can use colour on three surfaces:

1 - walls, rugs, carpets - they are huge surfaces with big impact

2 - furniture (beware, a big kitchen unit might have similar effect to a sizeable wall)

3 - accessories (including small furniture)

For this moodboard, I chose a sofa in bright green. Once you have a green sofa, especially a bright one, it is already vibrant enough for the room, but I brought it back in the pattern of the wallpaper. I strongly advise using a wallpaper like this on one wall or on a smaller part of the wall only, and preferably not fully behind the sofa.

A colour can be paired with other colours (just one or two), or can be the only one to stand out from neutrals. If you have one bright colour, you may want it to stand against a toned down shade; if you have a light colour, it may look good against a dark one. Greenery is bright and relatively light. For this moodboard I paired it with dark blue, together they create a youthful but a bit serious atmosphere. 

I found these colours and the hexagonal patterns might be too strict for a home, but could look very good in an office environment, in the waiting area, teamed with greys, white and black. 

In my next post I will show you a possible styling for a masculine interior. 

Pantone Colour 2017 - Greenery

I am almost late with a post on Pantone's choice of colour for 2017. In fact, I have been inspired by a noted real estate company, Douglas Elliman Florida in connection with their greenery project.
Good companies always take care of their clients; great companies always offer more than you would expect. Any good real estate company knows what they offer is much more than an apartment or a house - they are here to find your new home. And a home is never complete without the owner's personality and style. And style is always influenced by trends.
I am happy to introduce you this year's trend colour called greenery, a refreshing and bright shade of yellow-green. As Pantone says, greenery is symbolic of new beginnings. As spring is a new beginning, too, this post is just on time. 

It is also said that greenery is nature's neutral. In interior design, however, it is just the opposite. It is a very bright colour. and although we do love spending time outdoors, enjoying lush greens around us, having only greens in our home can be overwhelming. With the help of real plants you can easily bring green into your home, but if you think you it is just not enough, in my next three posts I will show you several possible ways to style the colour of 2017. 

Concrete Styling

This is the last winter-themed moodboard for a while, so let's send off the cold season in style! 

Conrete look is still trendy, however, some percieve it as cold and find it difficult to warm up to (ha!). This is not how it should be, though. Concrete surfaces or materials are just parts of the interior, and it is up to you how you use it. It is all about the styling. 

In the upper left corner what you see is a nordic style interior with concrete walls and a concrete look coffee table. It is a calming setting with grey tones. It is all well and cool, but what if you say that it is too much conrete? Well, I say let's change a couple of things then. Should you replace the coffee table with a black one, you already have some contrast. I would add other accessories in black (like this lamp) so that the table will not be the only item in black. I chose a soft grey shaggy rug for comfort and for texture, in sharp contrast with the bare concrete walls. To spice up things a bit I picked gold cushions, golden yellow throw and shiny chocolate brown pouf. Concrete vases bring back the look of the wall and glass provides the sparkle. 

Concrete looks the best when the pure beauty of this material is visible; but if you look it as a grey surface only, there are endless ways to style it. 

Spring Moodboard

Now, this is such an obvious spring theme - flowers. This time I chose a muted colour palette with creme, purple, green and hints of brass/gold. The style is light, yet very mature and sophisticated. The flower theme is not overwhelming, because the colours are pale on the biggest surface they are used on - the wallpaper. Notice the change of scale between the lamp and the wallpaper - it is a good way to enhance the lamp. 

To me, it looks like a drawing room in some elegant mansion or town house. Enjoy!

Lofty Spring Bedroom

It is spring again in the Northern Hemisphere, so  I decided to start this season with a spring coloured bedroom. 

My source of inspiration for this moodboard came from two different worlds. The first has its source in the movie Frances Ha (check it out here) that is the story of a young girl starting her adult life. At one point she co-habits a New York apartment with two guys (including Kylo Ren, haha), naturally she has a (messy) room on her own (check the photo here and here for a better look at the windows). As you see, it is quite simple, but has a lovely whitewashed brick wall. The film itself is only a few years old, yet it is black and white, so the colours are somewhat up to you to decide. And I decided that a spring colour palette would suit Frances. 

It also means my other source of inspiration came from a lovely sunny spring field with flowers, red poppies, bright green grass, and also cows chewing on the grass... so I imported all of it to this bedroom. 

Including the cows. 

Poppy reds and lively greens are in sharp contrast with the cowhide rug and cushion. Not a usual combination, but it works well in a hip and urban environment. Cowhide also provides texture as opposed to the smooth surfaces of the bed and the shelves. 

The square shape of the bed is taken up to the wall, these Muuto cubes can be arranged in many ways, adding a playful twist yet sensible storage space to any interior. As for storage - the slats of the bed can be lifted up, revealing ample space beneath - it comes handy in any bedroom. 

I want to talk about the fun floor lamps on the left. They are way too pricey, really, but also very tricky. They twist and turn at the joints without conflicting the wiring. Very clever. Originally designed in the 1950s, they look fantastic in industrial interiors. Find them here. 

This is the kind of room I could imagine for Frances Ha - should she ever have the money for decent furniture. 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is here. Let's get stylish and combine dark tones with copper and grey. It's a perfect look for your sophisticated dining room.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Christmas Baking Time

I hope that even in the midst of December rush you can find an afternoon off to spend with someone you love - your children, your lover, your friends. Let's do some cooking together - it is not only useful and necessary at this time of the year, but it can be fun, too. Try out a new recepie - or you can stick to the old and loved ones, and who said Christmas cookies can not be eaten BEFORE Christmas?

Cozy Knits

Winter is coming and I am a GoT fan. So when winter comes, what could be better than wrapping yourself in a gorgeous knit blanket, with nice hot tea in your hands and running a Game of Thrones marathon? 

I collected some lovely knit designs for a lovely Sunday afternoon spent in. Even lampshades and mugs are available to complete the look, so let's get cozy then!

Orange & Purple

Orange and purple? In your home? What? 

There are colour combinations that are easy to work with. The orange and purple combo is not one of them. 

So I thought this unusual combination (a combination not exactly easy on the eye) deserves an extravagant setting. I made sure that purple is the main colour, its slightly toned down shade forming striking contrast with the vibrant orange on accent furniture. I also added black - shiny black on a slim chair. I felt that furhter contrast is needed, so to counterbalance the glam, a cowhide rug and a wooden table found its way to the moodboard. 

I agree that it is not everyone's cup of tea, but I just can not think of a better styling for such a dominant colour combination. 

Sweet November

I am not referring to that bittersweet movie, I just want to add a bit of sparkle to this freezing month. If you want to dress your home for the festive season, do not forget your bedroom! Should you have a colour scheme based on cool hues, you can always try playing with shiny materials and gold. It works well with walnut furniture seen in this moodboard. 

Why Autumn is Good

Winter is coming. (If you are a GoT-fan, now you are smiling. If you do not even what GoT is for, then Google it. And start watching.) November is that month before Christmas that used to be cold, grey and boring. Now these days when Christmas season begins at the end of October (it should not, if you ask me), November is just another Christmas month. (Even writing it down seems so ridicoulous and wrong.) Why can not we enjoy November for what it is? The last month of Autumn, with cold rain and humidity, against which we can stay in, watch GoT, eat chocolate while watching GoT, make hot chocolate and cookie baking evening with your friends, all the while having that snug feeling that you are safe and cozy. Christmas rush is just around the corner, we need these calm moments. So let's enjoy it!

It's a Boy!

I proudly announce, that it's a boy. 

So here it is, a nursery moodboard for a little boy, with light grey and baby blue accessories counterbalanced with warmer beige hues. A hint of black gives more definition to the room and also makes it a bit Scandinavian. 

The cute little animal figurines with big heads are by H&M and I just bought for the baby. I could not resist their cuteness. 

It's a Girl!

Now that one of my best friends is expecting a baby, it is time to think about decorating a nursery. 

What basic furniture do you need?

- crib with mattress (and think about mattress protection!)

- blinds

- night light (for everyone's sake)

- super-comfy armchair, probably recliner or a rocking chair

- side table 

- changing table with storage, and also probably shelves

- trash bin

Make sure these are easy to clean!

The children's room is the fastest changing room in the household, so it is okay not to spend too much on it. Second-hand furniture (if not broken but clean and well kept) will do. Of course you want the best for the newcomer, but spend your money wisely. In two years time you will redecorate the whole room. Sometimes all you need is some decor and a new coat of paint to give old furniture new look. 

In my friend's home the walls are taupe and the floor is dark. To make it lighter and brighter, I used light greys with beige and white tones here. With soft features it is ready to welcome a little princess.

Next week we will know if the newcomer is a girl or a boy. Can't wait.