Light wood, white walls and a touch of vintage

Hello! Thank you for your lovely comments yesterday on my bedroom. It's always nerve racking to post pics of my own home so I'm really grateful for your positive feedback and helpful tips :) Today's home comes from the Swedish estate agent Alvhem. My favourite features (apart from the beautiful Scandinavian blond wood and white walls of course) is the mix of modern and vintage furniture and the incredible statement wallpaper!

Alvhem

Are you a wallpaper person?

PS I love that they have thrown in a dark green chair into the mix of white chairs around the dining table. perhaps I should do this with my dining room? For the mix I see they've used an Eames DSR chair (15% off with code MYSCAN), the URBAN chair from IKEA and then flea market finds. Quite simple to achieve yet it looks so great no?

Have a lovely day!

Boho - Norwegian style

Hello! How was the weekend?! Our house was hit by the dreaded MAN FLU so it was just me and my little girls. We still managed to have a cosy couple of days with a lovely walk along a beach thrown in. How about you? Last week I spotted a beautiful dining space and I thought WOW (you know how I love sheepskin draped over chairs!), so I did a bit of digging and contacted Line Kay of Norwegian shop Vintagepiken who gave me kind permission to show more of her incredibly inspirational instagram interior shots....

Line Kay of Vintagepiken with kind permission. With thanks also to Stil Inspiration

So beautiful don't you think? I'm going to call it bo-ho-with-a-romantic-Norwegian-touch! If it's your kind of style, you can see more inspirational pics on Line's beautiful blog here. 

Get the look? I found long-haired sheepskin rugs over at La Maison D'Anna G's shop :) hooray! I'll be adding one to my birthday wishlist! I have a similar chinese workman's stool which I bought at Lovely & Company. Get an Eames DSR chair at Design Collectors (15% off with code MYSCAN). Oh so lovely!

PS Get well soon man :) 

Fall Decor // Console Styling

Year after year, as we decorate our homes for the changing seasons, we learn more about our style and perhaps ourselves.  What do we want our homes to say, what feeling do we want to convey?  If you're a funky and colorful type of person, I bet your home reflects that.  Are you more modern or traditional?  I'm sure those elements creep into your home design too.  I keep coming back to inviting and simple decor.  I lean toward uncomplicated spaces with a coziness to them.  I tried to accomplish that with the addition of some Fall decor in our dining room- not that we're seeing anything near Fall temperatures here in Houston.  I started my Fall decorating with the console table that I recently got from World Market.

I knew I wanted natural elements in the decor, so I bought some leafy branches from the grocery store.   Unfortunately, clippings from our yard aren't that pretty.  The faux feathers in a candle holder round out the trio of vases in Fall-like colors.  I like all the different heights and shapes.  I'm always fond of creamy or white pumpkins, and this ceramic one works perfectly with the cream colored lamps. 

On the bottom shelf, I used the same basket that was there before, just switching out the pillows and adding a green ombre throw blanket.  

I like the calming color scheme here and had to remind myself I don't have to do Fall with the typical orangey-reds, although I do like that combo.

A wooden bowl full of corks from wine enjoyed over the years is a personal touch I like.  

Are you pulling out the Fall decor in your house? 

Here is the SOURCE LIST:

CONSOLE TABLE // World Market 

GOLD VASE, GREEN VASE, WOVEN BASKET // HomeGoods

LAMPS, WHITE PUMPKINS // Hobby Lobby

GOLD PILLOW, GOLD VOTIVE HOLDER // Target

GREEN THROW // West Elm

RUG // Pottery Barn (similar)

CHAIRS // Restoration Hardware

GEOMETRIC PILLOWS IN CHAIR // Etsy Festive Home Decor

GEOMETRIC FABRIC FOR PILLOW IN BASKET // High Fashion Home, Dwell Studio Fabric 

WOODEN BOWL // HomeGoods???

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*Linking this post to Centsational Girl and Whipperberry.

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On Honey We're Healthy:  Essential Daily Vitamins for Women

Dining Room Decor Updates // World Market Everett Foyer Table

First things first, wishing my parents a very happy anniversary today!  Thank you for your prayers for my dad, we have had some encouraging news lately and it has felt so good.  This illness has really brought us closer together and for that, I'm thankful.  It has been a very difficult time, but I believe in the power of prayer, and from the bottom of my heart thank you for lifting my dad and family up.

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You might remember my dining room pillow dilemma awhile back when I bought a yellow pair and a brown pair and couldn't decide which I liked better for the room.  Y'all weighed in and helped me opt to use the yellow for summer and the brown come fall.  I'm hanging onto every little last bit of summer here and incorporated those yellow pillows into an updated, cheerful dining room this weekend. 

Having never had a console table that was meant for this room, this World Market one (Everett Foyer Table) couldn't be beat for the price and size.  ($254 on sale with free shipping, 70.9"W x 15.7"D x 31.9"H). Since our dining room is pretty long, I could have went with an even longer table, but I figured I can put the chairs on either side to fill in some space.  I'm also considering pulls for the two draws- an easy way to personalize the table.  

Another thing that made a big impact in the room was lowering the mirror a good 11 inches.  Thanks for the advice Cassie and Grandma.  My Grandma reads my blog daily and when I first hung this mirror, she told me on the phone, "You know, I think you've got that mirror hung too high." :) Y'all were right! It looks so much better lower and it reflects the chandelier now.

I used items from the house collected over time to decorate the table, with the exception of new melamine plates from Big Lots.  Y'all may have seen these bright aqua lamps at Home Goods and they are such a gorgeous color.  I adore the shape too.  

As much as I love and try to use real flowers and greenery often, this faux branch worked perfectly here for some added height and I like how it branches out wildly.  Mercury glass candleholders are used year round, and are so nice at Christmas.  I had yellow candles up at first but it felt like too much yellow- the pillows and tray are enough.  I much prefer these ombre aqua candles- more soothing.  

These melamine plates are so fun for this color palette and they were only about $1 each at Big Lots.

I'm happy this console had a bottom shelf for layering more decor.  Don't neglect those opportunities to add more visual interest to your space. 

These Pellegrino bottles are as pretty as they are tasty-  I moved them from my bar.  You can find paper straws everywhere these days, I got these at Home Goods.

I made these pillows with Dwell Studio fabric.  Even though I chose the yellow pair of pillows, I snuck this brown one in there to tone down the space.  You might recognize this Home Goods basket that previously held our giant collection of bread.  Things get moved around here a lot. 

I've often thought that perhaps the "formal" dining room may soon be a thing of the past as families seem to eat mainly in their more casual spaces, like a breakfast nook or the area just off of the kitchen.  And when I seen dining rooms turned into gorgeous home offices that probably get more use, I think that this square footage is precious real estate that might not be getting much use in many homes.

Since I'm fortunate enough to have this pretty space to enjoy, I remind myself to make the most of it and eat here pretty often.  I cover James' chair with a towel so I'm not worried about the furniture.  I especially like to eat my weekend breakfast here while reading a magazine or just looking out the front window, which has a nice view.  I've considered painting the walls a darker color, but I like the light and bright feeling in the room. 

Below is a recap of where everything is from.  Are we shopping at the same places? 

World Market // Everett Foyer Table

Home Goods // Lamps, Vase, Basket, Paper Straws

Kirklands // Candles

Pottery Barn // Large White Plates (gifted), Faux Branch (gifted)

Hobby Lobby // Mercury Glass Candleholders

Z Gallerie // Mirror

West Elm // Yellow Lacquered Tray

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This World Market table is pretty popular- I love how Kate (Centsational Girl) styled it for her friends' dining room makeover.  Go here to see the full post. 

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If you'd like to enter to win a trip for 4 to Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort, click HERE or the picture below.  You can also win a year's supply of Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water.

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Dining Room Pillows (Yellow or Brown?)

Hi friends! It's good to be back from a little time off last week.  We are taking things one day at a time, and have had a lot of family togetherness, which feels really good.  I did some things around the house that I haven't shown here yet, so I plan to put together more posts this week.  It will be good to clear my head and distract from the heavy-hearted things that I cannot control.  Thank you again so much for the prayers for my Dad- they really mean so much.



We've been eating more meals in the dining room lately and especially after finding these gorgeous, vibrant lamps from HomeGoods, I wanted to start layering and styling the space more.  The "buffet" which I think is meant to be a media stand, is just a stand-in until I find something better and much longer.  It was purchased years ago at Crate & Barrel.  I'd love to put sconces on either side of the mirror too.

As you can see, there's not much going on and the room needs some fabric and pattern to tie into the drapes and bring the room together.  I had our drapes made from Dwell Studio Vintage Plumes Peacock fabric and then "no-sewed" the curtain liners using a flat sheet.  After a couple of years, I still adore the colors and pattern in the fabric.  I must like aqua and yellow together- it's the same as my blog design!

Shopping Etsy, I found Festive Home Decor, who makes pillow covers in lots of different styles and shapes for reasonable prices.  Torn between a yellow and brown pattern, I bought both because I knew I could easily change them out and move them around the house.  

The yellow pair are smaller, but look punchy and cheerful with the aqua lamps. 

I was cleaning out the media room, aka playroom, so James could have more space to play, and needed to move the large woven urns out- so into the dining room they went.  I'm liking the effect- another layer of texture and height.

The brown are nice too.  I really like the groovy geometric pattern and the 20x20 is a good size.

Which pillows do you prefer in this room?  I shared another online source for pillow covers last week in case you missed it. 

Have a great week!

Perfect dining settings alfresco and indoors

It's Friiiiday - woohoo! Whether you're having a casual weekend at home or a get together with friends and family, here are three very different table settings, all lovely in their own way. I'll be taking inspiration from all the pretty scented jasmine and vines and the strings of light bulbs. Beautiful!

Photography: Gine Meola Photography,Wedding Coordination: Belle Destination Weddings & Events, Inc.,Floral Design: Bella Bloom

Ariel Dearie Flowers

IKEA Livet Hemma

Imagine a party under the boughs of that tree by the beach?!

When it comes to the great outdoors and eating I have a very particular taste - as you can see from my alfresco board on Pinterest! However, if you're into the more contemporary style you'll love this outdoor lounge by Studiopepe and for cool roof top living check out this post (loving the apple green table).

If you're looking for outdoor furniture Nest have the most amazing collection of contemporary pieces. Or for garden furniture on a shoe string, the fab Roxö chairs in grey (as shown in the last three pics) from IKEA are a perfect choice.

For some fantastic inspiration on how to bring green indoors check out the home of florist Sarah Nolan. Or for simplicity, how about floating plants in glass, so beautiful!

It's going to be SUNNY here in Southern Sweden all weekend so I'll definitely be working on my (tiny) garden and sipping mint tea a chilled glass of Sancerre while my girls mix mud and water to make cakes :) How about you? 

Have a wonderful weekend!