In the mood for Autumn

My blog posts are usually about interiors, but these days I got into the mood for colder days, and I thought maybe I share the tips that help me welcome autumn. There is no doubt that the fall is here, and it’s time to take out the blankets, candles, good books, and hot chocolate, and get ready for the long nights. I know that all the lifestyle websites and blogs are about this kind of tips; social media is full of fancy hygge pictures, with nice choco cups, holiday socks, crackling fireplaces, etc. But my list with the autumn tips is a more simple one, I would say even a minimalistic one, no hard time to get any of these things for a warmer mood. So let’s take a closer look at what helps me to be ready for the cold season.

#1 Using the harvest as decoration

My parents and parents-in-law’s garden is full of goodies, pumpkins in all shapes and colors, autumn flowers, dried flowers, fruits, corn, you name it. All these placed in the right corner and the right spot can create a magical mood for the fall. If you do not have a garden, just look around you, in the park, at the locale market, in the supermarkets you can find everywhere things that might be perfect for your home decoration.

#2 Filling up my tea supplies

Before you think I’m a tea person, let’s just be clear on the fact that I love my morning coffee. I drink one coffee, usually a latte macchiato, every morning, and I could not imagine the mornings without coffee. On the other hand, I prefer tea in the late afternoon or the evenings, I can go with almost any herbs, tastes, except instant tea, no offense, but I prefer boiling water and brewing dry leaves/flowers for my tea. My favorite tea is mint combined with green tea, but I always buy many other flavors too for having the luxury of choosing based on my mood.

#3 Preparing my favorite reading spot

Having a nice, hygge spot where a little bit of sunshine still can snick in during the winter is essential. Choose a sofa, an armchair, a day bed, anything that can work as a relaxation spot. If you follow my social media, you already know that I have this reading corner with a comfortable armchair and a reading lamp, so this is the place where I curl up during the long nights.

# 4 Buying all kind of candles

This is not a habit only for the cold season, I always buy candles, all shapes, and almost all scents, to turn our nights into a simply magic night. It doesn’t cost you a fortune to get candles and light them up at night. It creates such a calm vibe, it smells good and it even gives a tiny bit of warmth. Actually, my husband loves it too, and believe if you check the dictionary for the definition of rationalism, his name will be next to it. The bee wax candles and the vintage candle holder (the small cup was a gift from them, thank you girl!) are from Philocaly.ro. Remember, you should not let any candle unattended while it’s lighted up!

#5 Getting a warm blanket

Last, but not least, a warm blanket never hurts while you are drinking your hot tea and absorbing the calmness of a candle. This one is from Zara Home, as the botanical pillow too. The Little Book of Hygge is a “nice to have” to make sure you know how to turn your home into a hygge interior, the book was purchased from the Book Express, a local business that I like a lot, keep doing what you are doing guys, you are great!

And before I leave, feel free to check out my Pinterest board called Country life, it’s a feast for the eyes, and it’s full of inspiration for simple living and getting into the mood of autumn. Stay tuned for the next blog post, as this weekend I’m going to share a nice Danish interior with a touch of colors.

 

Photo credits: 1. Cob Cottage Craft, 2. More Fun with Juan, 3., 4. & 5. focalpoint.ro; cover photo by John Price on Unsplash

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A Parisian home tour at art gallery owner Fanny Saulay

My obsession with beautiful homes is not limited to Scandinavian interiors. When I see an English classic or a romantic French interior, I’ll fall in love just as fast as with a hygge Nordic nest. This week’s video home tour is about a beautiful Parisian apartment full of art, vintage furniture, and iconic design pieces. No wonder how the owner managed to have this magical combination of arts in her home, as Fanny Saulay is the owner, together with Olivia de Fayet, of the New Generation Art Gallery Wilo & Grove from Paris. These two ladies managed to take the concept of an art gallery up to another level, having the beautiful Wiloft showroom looking like a welcoming homey interior.

Fanny lives in this apartment located on the Ile de la Cité in the city center, together with her husband, Thomas, and their golden-retriever, Latte. Their eclectic home is full of iconic chairs, wall arts, vintage findings from flea markets, and a lot of custom-made, unique furniture. The Herringbone pattern of the parquet is an ultimate touch to the real Parisian vibe of the interior. I’ve never seen an apartment with so many famous chairs. Just as a heads up you will see the Orange slice chair by Pierre Paulin and the iconic Eames Lounge chair & ottoman by Charles & Ray Eames in the living room, the Plywood Group DCW chair by the same famous designer couple in the hallway and in the bedroom. In the same room you can spot a Coconut chair by George Nelson from 1955, and the dining table is surrounded by different Eames chairs by Vitra.

 

If you would like to see/buy some beauties from the art gallery owned by Fanny, feel free to check the Wilo & Grove online store, and in case you would like to read more about her home, here you have another great article by The Socialite Family.

 

Video credits: ParisianVibes YT channel
Cover photo credits: ParisianVibes

 

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Fairytale Villa in Maramureș

It has been some time since I posted a local treasure on my blog. This week’s interior is from one of the most beautiful regions of Romania, Maramureș…, especially in the autumn. If you ever visit my country, make sure you visit Maramureș.

So the story of how I found this Fairytale Villa is simple. For Christmas in 2019, we gifted, my parents and my parents in law, a trip to this nice region having the accommodation arrangements in this villa. The plan was to go there in March 2020, but then the Coronavirus did its magical entrance and the rest you know, it’s history.

I was happy when the owners, Ana and Edina, the twin sisters, confirmed that I can share the photos on my blog, as I’m in love with the interior, no wonder why I’ve chosen this place for the family trip. The girls are renting out this place since 2016. The living room with its stove it’s simply magical in all seasons, the typical Romanian traditional style is combined with subtle Scandi elements and this gives such a nice vibe to the villa. Imagine having a glass of wine next to the crackling fire on a long winter night, or on a hot summer night. The traditional rug, the sitting area, and the ceramics, here and there, are exactly enough to create a hygge interior. The big windows allow natural light to flow in, but at the same time, you have a full view of the woodsy surroundings.

 

The kitchen is nest to the open space living room, having a dining area too. It’s fully equipped, so cooking a good meal has no boundaries here.

My favorite sport in the villa is the relaxation corner from the top floor. The rug is beyond beautiful. The traditional pillows and the duvet make you remember that you are in the Maramureș region.

Lake Friza is close to the place, it’s only 300-meter distance, so in a few mins walk you can have this gorgeous view or a good swim.

What a pity that we could not have that trip. Anyhow this place is bookmarked on my Airbnb maybe one day we’ll actually get there. If you like this place, do not hesitate to book a trip on Airbnb and send my greetings to the girls if you’ll meet them.

 

Photo credits: @Fairytale Villa – shared with kind permission

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Another week in Hamburg, another home tour from Germany

TGIF! Finally! My favorite day of the week because the weekend is here, and a new home tour gets up on my blog. While digging deeper on Instagram, by coincidence, I found another beautiful apartment in Hamburg. So 2 weeks in a row, we stay in Germany for interior inspirations…of course with Scandi vibes. I am grateful to Steffi for letting us inside their old house built in 1910, taking a tour, and admiring their home full of refurbished and new pieces. On top of the many mixing ideas, we also get some DIY inspo for personalized candles, more on this here, it’s a cool idea of getting unique pieces on your coffee table.

Steffi lives in this house with her husband and their 3 children, no wonder why their home looks so joyful, happy, and homey. I like those interiors that show you also the “natural face” of things, instead of looking so neat from every corner of it. The children’s room was a “must-show” item when I was deciding on pictures. But let’s take the tour and admire the details.

The hallway looks amazing with its original floor and the vintage drawer. Check out those door jambs, must be from the previous century for sure. In the living room, there is a lot of natural light which is an instant winner. I sport an Arum wall lamp in the corner by Ferm Living.

The DIY candles I’ve mentioned earlier. These were made by Steffi’s children, no wonder why they look so funky. Some real unique pieces.

The dining area is between the kitchen and the living room, full of natural light as well. The real focal point is the Wishbone chairs, of course. As I mentioned many times, my favorite chairs. This family managed to purchase these, one by one, and they were super happy when things started to get together. After all, these chairs are not cheap, so we’re talking about some investments here.

Reading corner next to the kitchen and dining room, or more a “stop by” spot of the place for a good coffee or a book…what a great way to hide the radiator and boost it up with a gallery wall.

Open shelving in the kitchen with a lot of great coffee cups. Below is the children’s room in its natural way of being. I see an Apple Papple poster on the wall by Fine Little Day, this is a popular piece of art in Scandinavian homes.

The stairs were sanded and refurbished till they get their original look back. I say these look marvelous, with the white wall and handrail. The bedroom has a great few, especially in the spring. I spot here a vintage drawer and a Sinnerlig Ikea pendant.

The bathroom is fantastic, with the old drawer below the sink, with its grey&white tiles and the minimalistic white cabinet that gives some modern vibes to the place. What a great way to mix different styles.

If you liked this tour, do not hesitate to check out Steffi’s IG feed as she has a nice backyard too, and many other beautiful spots in her home.

That’s it from me this week, my friends, see you next week with another home tour, this time with a local treasure, a cabin from Maramureș 😉

 

Photo credits: @heyheyhaus – shared with her friendly permission

 

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A 170qm German interior with Scandi vibes

This week, my friends, we are traveling away from the Scandinavian region. I found a beautiful interior in Hamburg with some Scandi vibes that turned into a “must-see” home to me. This 170 sqm home belongs to Anne Dirfard, an interior blogger and digital creator of the 170qm Instagram feed and 170QM blog.

I love the dark colors on some of the walls that add more depth to the rooms. The tiles in the kitchen are one of my favorites. These were very trendy in my region in the ’70-’80, especially that you could not find other models ;). Their vintage vibes are undeniable, and to be honest, I’m not sure why these are no longer popular here (I might have a hint, but that would be too rude to tell about on the blog). The dining areas in the kitchen and next to the living room (what a luxury, having two dining areas) are charming due to the mix of chairs, such a cool thing to use to add extra charm. In the living room, the sage green wall adds accent to the Tv area, and we all know how hard it is to design the proper Tv area. I’m not sure what is the focal point of the reading corner, the sage green armchair, or the Formakami pendant, up to you to decide on this.

Is there anything that captured your attention? There are so many in my opinion, that it’s hard to choose one, for example, the dark blue wall in the hallway, the powder pink sofa in the living room, the vintage closet, or the storage above the door in the kids’ room, or the minimalistic bedroom. The kids’ room is a winner to me. I love those children’s rooms that show creativity by adding original pieces, like this one having that nice vintage closet. Did you observe by any chance the glass cabinetry full of treasures? We have one too (I know I take shitty photos, my next project is to attend an interior photography course) in our kitchen, and this is where I keep all my loveable ceramics. So happy to have it 🙂

Hope you like the tour, I definitely do!

 

Photo credits: Anne Dirfard IG @170qm – shared with her friendly permission

 

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A bright apartment with a cute bathroom

When searching for inspiration for my blog, sometimes it happens that I find interiors where I love everything. This is the case with this 48 sqm Stockholm-based apartment too, I love every corner of it. The white Scandinavian Shaker Kitchen with its doors made of solid pine and painted with linseed oil is a timeless design that will “resist” as a strong focal point in the world of interior design. Those tiny golden buttons totally convinced me to love this bright kitchen. The open shelves go hand in hand with the pine floors and add a natural tone to the place. It might be funny, but what I love the most is the radiator, what a great vintage piece. I hate nowadays radiators, we have the same in our house, but they are ugly as hell.

What a nice idea of combining a small desk with the bedroom, turning the home office into a cozy corner. The white drawer is an Ikea piece, with golden handles/buttons that make the whole furniture much nicer than the original one. We have it too in our bedroom, but we kept it with the black buttons, now I wonder, maybe it would be a good idea to change those. The beige office chair is from Ikea too, totally fitting into the natural tone of the room. The walls are painted into transparent pink from Jotun‘s Lady Collection.

This is the sweetest, the tiny little bathroom I’ve recently seen on the world wide web. If this house would be empty, having only the bathroom, I would be totally into it to buy it. The kitchen is a great extra, a real beauty too, but when I saw the bathroom I knew, I must share this on my blog. Nothing kitschy, with its simplicity combined with a touch of pink (I bet you didn’t observe the top line of pink tiles 😉 ), this bathroom with its bathtub is everything you need. It’s the definition of coziness.

As usual, there is an outdoor space too, a small terrace to get some fresh air and let the natural light flowing into the apartment. Tiny spaces never scare away Swedish people, they can turn these into some hygge corners. This small terrace is a nice spot to have a glass of wine at night staring at the stars or having a cup of coffee in the morning sunbath. Either way would work for me.
This apartment was for sale for a few days, but till I managed to get some time to write my blog post, boom, it got solved. Anyhow, admire it as it’s a great source of inspiration.

 

Photo: Johansson
Styling: Lindholm

Photo credits: Historika Hem, shared with kind permission.

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