An idyllic Finnish cottage with an outdoor summer kitchen

As January comes to a close and the short, snowy days continue,  I find myself dreaming of the summer sun more and more. And when it arrives - I'm going to be outdoors along with the rest of Scandinavia. That's why I thought I'd share the latest developments of one of my favourite summer cottages - an oh so idyllic family retreat on an island in the Finnish archipelego. The ongoing renovation project is driven by owner Minna Jones of Time of The Aquarius and her partner and has been well documented here on My Scandinavian Home (here and here plus her year round home here). To me, the residence epitomises the essence of the Scandinavian summer - life at a cabin with a beautiful, yet basic interior and maximised to ensure time outside enjoying the long awaited summer days. Last season the owners added an outdoor kitchen to the mix. And the good news? It's easily replicated.  Here are a few new snaps of Minna's home and her fab new outdoor kitchen.

Minna Jones, Time of the Aquarius

To get a similar outdoor kitchen: try painting an IKEA trestle table,  the water can with tap and lights are from Granit, buy a camping stove here. Finnish birch basket. Rattan furniture is set to be big this spring / summer - I'm a big fan of the uber comfy BYHOLMA chair.

Other items I know and love: Bertoia chairs, Butterfly chair and String shelves. IKEA PS 2012 chest of drawers and FÖRHÖJA kitchen trolley.

To get a full picture of the summer cottage and for more images of the plan, interior, grounds, surrounding nature and family life at the cottage you can wile away a few hours on Minna's dreamy blog.

I also absolutely love this Finnish log cabin with a sauna.

Summer in Finland anyone?!

And because it's still January (just): I loved how Scandinavisk summarises the 'Sense of Scandinavia' in Thursday's piece. And this beautiful video by Volvo featuring Amanda Begman's song 'Vintersaga' (winter tale) perfectly sums up the coldest season in Sweden- I was particularly excited to see it even features the beach by my house here in the South! Thank you AMM blog for the tip!

Have a lovely day!

PS Thank you so much to Ana of Blog Milk Shop for all your amazing technical help with my blog lately! Ana is not only my tech saviour but she also creates the most stunning blog templates available to buy here.  

Could you spend your summer in this log cabin?

As the snow falls outside I can't help but dream of cosy cabins. And then I found this one, deep in the heart of the Drents-Friese Wold National Park in Appelscha, The Netherlands (thank you Style Files!). Accessed by a long track, this lovely family owned log cabin is one of those magical places where you could be happy in any season, rain or shine, indoors or out. Imagine reading a book or playing games with family and friends by the wood burning stove? Or exploring the forests on cross-country skis (winter) or by bicycle (summer). There's even a lake for swimming within 500 metres. And the best news? It's available to rent. I know!!

Credits: Boshuisnijhildenberg. Post inspired by the Style Files. 

Could you holiday here?

I love the family's Pinterest boards which are built up of snapshots of everyday life at the cottage (which sleeps 8)...so lovely!

See you at the hand-over?!

I'm thinking why not go all out Dutch today with more inspiration from this lovely cabin and a lorry load of beautiful homes from The Netherlands here, I particularly love this fabulous rental home near Amsterdam.

Have a lovely day!

PS This post is not sponsored by The Netherlands tourist board - although I'd forgive you for thinking it! I'm simply feeling a whole load of love for this wonderful nearby country today! 

A new build home that dreams are made of

Have you ever dreamt of buying a plot of land and building the home of your dreams? Anne, a midwife, single-mum and co-founder of Birkaboo, a Swedish company providing quality homes at an affordable price, has done exactly that. Villa Birkeland in Saltsjö-Boo was built and decorated in just four months and pays homage to the company's promise: build your own place where you can live, gather strength and meet tomorrow.  I think I could do just that in Anne's wonderful home, don't you? Now, where's that plot of land...

Home: Birkaboo Photography Patric Johansson. Styling Myrica Bergqvist. Post inspired by Planete-Deco. 

Could you live here?

Do you dream about building your own home one day? Or perhaps you have already, in which case we'd love to see some pictures!

If you like the cabin feel, I'll never tire of this sustainable Finnish cabin, or scrolling though this archive of wood cabins. One day….

Before I head off….I'm so excited to welcome new sponsor Occa-Home - a fab online interior design store selling items from some of my absolute favorite scandinavian brands such as &Tradition, By Nord, and Design House Stockholm among others.  Thank you for supporting the wonderful businesses who make this blog possible. 

Have a lovely day! 

A cosy Danish cabin ready for Christmas

Hello! I hope you had a fabulous weekend?! I thought I'd kick off the week with another extremely cosy log cabin, this time in Klampingborg, Denmark (did you miss the previous one?).  This oh so lovely retreat belongs to Jeanette Hyleborg of webshop Best of Nordic and blog Voksenlivsstil and her director husband Sten.  I love the irregular tree which has been decorated with mirrored hearts, stars and snowflakes and I'll be taking inspiration from their Christmas table - the fir cones and roses in moss make for a beautiful mix, don't you think? I could spend my Christmas holidays relaxing here, how about you?!

Femina. Peter Kam

Femina. Peter Kam

Femina. Peter Kam

Femina. Peter Kam

Femina. Peter Kam

Femina. Peter Kam

Who would guess I'm pining for a winter escape this Christmas?! But seriously, this cabin is just so cosy. What a perfect escape?

See more images here.

A quick guide to where items are from. EKTORP armchair and sofa from IKEA. Cognac coloured butterfly chair.  Two Foscarini Caboche Suspension Lights over the dining table. Royal Copenhagen blue fluted dinner plates. Hunter wellies. Many items can also be found in Jeanette's shop. Have I missed anything?

If you're after some last minute table decorating inspiration, I like this laid back dining style for a boxing day lunch. And there's plenty more Christmas inspiration to be found here and also on my Pinterest Christmas board. If you have any inspiration tips do leave them in the comment section below!

Tomorrow will be my last blog post before the holidays before I return with some fun new year inspiration including an introduction of the hot new interior colours for 2015. If you're planning an even bigger New Year's Eve than usual this year....Bario Neal has launched three absolutely stunning engagement rings just in time for midnight....how romantic?!

Have a lovely day and see you tomorrow!

The rustic Norwegian log cabin hide-away

How much would you love to head off to this rustic Norwegian log cabin for the holidays? If I could spend just five days at this retreat, belonging to founders and owners of Bolina,  I'd camp out by the  roaring log fire with a cup of tea, my book by Swedish novelist Jonas Jonasson- the one hundred year old man who climbed out of a window and disappeared (which I've been meaning to read all year), play board games with my family, take long walks in the snow, and generally feel relaxed and very merry. How about you?!

Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer, Sisters Agency with kind permission.

Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer, Sisters Agency with kind permission.

Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer, Sisters Agency with kind permission.

Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer, Sisters Agency with kind permission.

Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer, Sisters Agency with kind permission. 

I have to say the owners have been ingenious in their decorating. At first glance it looks like a classic log cabin, but look closely and you'll notice a modern blend of textures  (concrete, wood, sheepskin, velvet, rattan) and styles (industrial, rustic, contemporary). Combine this with unique fittings such as the kitchen units crafted using reclaimed wood from a derelict barn and the result is an incredibly warm, cosy, personal retreat.

Oh how I dream to own a place like this. What about you?

More dreamy log cabin's I could pad around in this holiday include a Norwegian one by the sea (the sauna!), a black and white Finnish retreat, or a cottage in the snow that looks like this (toasty)!

If a rural retreat feels a million miles away right now and you have a christmas shopping list as long as your arm (it is the weekend before Christmas after all) you might want to take inspiration from these two fab gift guides: for children, for just about everyone. And my fail safe last minute man gift. Good luck!

Wishing you a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

A striking Danish log cabin

Hello Friday! To celebrate the weekend I always try to find an all singing all dancing, awe-inspiring home. I spent several hours rifling through Pinterest and other sources for the perfect home today. And then I found it! It's hard not to instantly love this Danish cabin by the Haderslev Fjord with it's almost entirely exposed wood interior, high ceilings and contemporary furniture. The basic way it's been furnished allows the incredible vista to do the talking and yet there's also something incredibly cosy about it too. I could definitely spend my weekend here, how about you?!

By LivingGap.com / Photos by Karsten Damstedt. Architect Kim Holst.

By LivingGap.com / Photos by Karsten Damstedt. Architect Kim Holst.

By LivingGap.com / Photos by Karsten Damstedt. Architect Kim Holst.

By LivingGap.com / Photos by Karsten Damstedt. Architect Kim Holst.

By LivingGap.com / Photos by Karsten Damstedt. Architect Kim Holst.

By LivingGap.com / Photos by Karsten Damstedt. Architect Kim Holst.

By LivingGap.com / Photos by Karsten Damstedt. Architect Kim Holst.

Such a fantastic space, don't you think?!

I have a real penchant for Scandinavian holiday homes as you'll know from these archives: rural retreats, summer cottages and log cabins. Pure escapism for the weekend (just scroll past the home above as it will likely come up first).

I hope you have a fabulous couple of days and see you Monday!