Tamsin Flower's cheerful London home

There's one thing I'm low on at home; rugs. I find them the hardest thing - not only are they a big investment but they can also make a huge impact on a room (i.e. I simply can't make up my mind!). That's why I felt so inspired when I came across Tamsin Flower's lovely, colourful London home. Tamsin is the UK arm of Beldi rugs (with business partner Emma Wilson on the ground in Morocco), an online shop selling beautiful unique, hand-crafted vintage Moroccan rugs. Tamsin's home is packed with mid-century, retro and flee market finds which she's collected over the years. She also has plenty of statement Moroccan rugs too (obviously!), which add a cheerful pop of colour around every corner! Perfect inspiration for the weekend, don't you think?!

Photographer: Birgitta Wolfgang, Stylist: Nathalie Veil /Sisters Agency shared with kind permission

It's amazing what a difference these beautiful rugs make to a room, don't you think?!

I also spy: Lucky Boy Sunday cushions. Mid-century furniture similar to Tamsin's here! And, of course, there's those rugs from Beldi Rugs.

I love the black board on the back of the kitchen island - such a smart idea and perfect for keeping a little one occupied while trying to whip up lunch?!

Tamsin's business partner Emma lives in Essaouira, Morrocco and rents out stunning award winning properties such as Dar Beida, two hours from Marrakech - imagine kicking back here for a week?! Just. So. Fab. I think a holiday is in order....

Thank you so much to interiors and lifestyle photography - Sisters Agency for the kind permission to share these images.  I am such a big fan of their images - do you remember this rustic Norwegian cabin - a far cry from this London home but stunning in an entirely different way.

Are you up to anything fun this weekend? I'm heading to the Malmö flower show with my girls and we're also digging up our entire back yard to create a little outdoor haven - I hope I can share it with you once it's finished. In the meantime I'm taking my inspiration from this board.

Have a wonderful couple of days!

PS Don't forget that you can get 20% off any item over at Lo+Behold this weekend (yay!).

5 Ways to add interest to a dining room

When someone says dining room, what picture appears in your mind?  Try  it.  List the elements.

For many of us these words conjure up a dining room set with everything matching, a chandelier and some sort of hutch or maybe buffet.  Probably a picture of some sort will be included.  I bet matching is the most obvious characteristic.

It doesn't have to be that way unless that's what you like.

 Here are 5 ways you can  make your dining space stand out a little.

Mix and match your chairs and table

The days of dining sets have moved behind us.  In many magazines you will see all sorts of mixing of styles, materials and colours. I love the look of upholstered chairs with a wood table. They soften the hard edges and provide some relief in the "wood" department. Some adventurous types will go for two different styles of chairs.

 Adore magazine

 Another option if you aren't too adventurous is to upholster each of your wooden chairs with a different, but co-ordinated fabric.  Note how this room sports more traditional chairs with a very simple table.

In the case of my own dining space, I painted my matching chairs charcoal  and upholstered them with a much lighter fabric to make them the centre of interest in  my sea of golden tones. I am trying to get up enough nerve to paint the solid ash buffets the same colour.   I'm not there yet.  It's difficult when your furniture is all hand made with love.

Look for a harmonious  buffet 

Forget about having a matching buffet (I wish I could!).  Look for one with the same undertone as your table  or chairs and similar lines if you like, or go for something painted or a different style entirely.  Some element of it should relate it to the room as a whole: wood tone, style, or colour of other objects in room.

Here are two I would choose for my space to work with my chairs.

They certainly harmonize with the darkness of the chairs, the style is mid centuryish like the table and I like the fact they are both raised off the floor.  This openness will give the illusion of space, always an added plus in a small room. 

Have at least one hand made/original item

 We live in a mass produced economy where the answer  to everything is in a big box store.  Not so.  Save your pennies, visit an antique shop, a fine craft store or gallery.  Look for something you love, made by the hand of an artist, and place it with pride knowing it's unique.  It doesn't have to be large.

This month I have a lovely pot on my buffet created by an artist friend, Anita Singh.  I love her work 

because it always relates to the natural world.  Barnacle is always a conversation piece.  It is also the perfect example of my next point.

Use a variety of textures

Textures make the most interesting addition to spaces, and it is the element that I see under-utilized  in homes. In my space I have silk drapes, lots of wood grain, a highly textured plant container made from ceramic, a white wavy vase, metal candlesticks with mother of pearl, and two plants.  I love texture!

Choose one unexpected element

Right now the pot my ferns are in is my an unexpected item.  It is so rough and worn looking and I have it paired with silk drapes. Other options could be your light fixture, a painting, something on your tabletop or a small piece of furniture in a corner.  Some would say it should have bling, but I'll leave that up to you.

What's your "interesting " score?

 This is a very arbitrary checklist, based on what is "current"  in my  decor reading and viewing.   Hardly scientific!

No my dining room isn't perfect but hopefully it is interesting.
Just because I write about design doesn't mean my space is perfect (whatever that means) or that it even lives up to what I know about the elements and principles of design.  There's the small matter of competing priorities including: budget, interest and energy, connections to objects and furniture, beliefs about your role consuming and junking, and the desire for good old predictability in your environment etc.

Singing the blues in a Danish apartment

Yesterday it was all about the reds (would you dare?!) and today this Danish space is singing the blues. Located in  Østerbro, an area in the heart of Copenhagen, the 100 metre square apartment belongs to Sorella and her family. They have kept the look fairly minimalist but with some wonderful features - for example, the over-sized industrial pendant lamp in the dining area makes a statement in an otherwise pared-back space (try Etsy), Hay cushions have been used to create a reading corner in the sitting room and a set of three Tom Dixon Etch pendants make a feature of the corner of the room. I would love to hangout in this calm space today, how about you?

Stylist: Sidsel Zachariassen. Photographs: Frederikke Heiberg shared with kind permission. Post inspired by House of C.

Such a lovely, calm space. And just how beautiful are the original word floors?

Other items I know and love: Muuto Around coffee tables, Rosendahl monkey, Tom Dixon beat light tall (in hallway) and Simone Star elephant cushion.

Are you a fan of blue? If you'd like to take a peek into other homes with a hint you might like these two blue kitchens (do you prefer the lighter or darker?), the combination of blue and cognac in this space and this pretty white, blue and wood themed Swedish apartment.

Have a wonderful day!

Small space - big monochrome heart

Today I'm taking my inspiration from this small space in Gothenburg, Sweden. Black, white and plenty of plants. Such a simple combination and yet so striking. I particularly love the dining area which is awash with natural sunlight and fresh flowers. I could wile away a day here, how about you?

Stadshem. Styling - Emma Fisher via Inspired by a post on Coco Lapine with thanks.

Lovely! I do love my black and white homes, how about you? 

A few items I know and love - the Vitra wire chair is similar, HAY Bella table, THE POSTER CLUB sells many of these prints. The golden bell light is similar to the brass one in the dining space. 

Have a wonderful day!

PS  If you're up for a little shopping today Lo + Behold are offering all My Scandinavian Home readers a whacking great 20% off all items until the end of May with code MSH20. If you've had your eye on something from the likes of House of Rym, OYOY or Ferm Living (to name but a few) now's your chance!

A 100 year old Southern Sweden house / give-away winner

Hello Monday, you've come around quickly?  I thought I'd kick off the week with a lovely house in Österlen, an area of rolling hills, fresh pastures and beautiful beaches East of Malmö. It's home to many artists thanks to the lovely light and so worth a visit if you're ever in Southern Sweden. This red brick home in the heart of Österlen is 100 years old this year and has been beautifully refurbished with careful attention to the detail and character of the original 'Doctor's House'. What a delight?!

Fantastic Frank

Oh, and did I mention it's for sale?! Could you live here?

I'm loving the raised den in the children's room - what a great touch?! The selection of different shaped vases on the dining table look so pretty and yet such a simple idea to recreate, and the Moroccan tiles (try made in mano for similar) used as wall decoration in the bedroom - what a fab idea?!

Is there anything that stands out to you?

A few items I know and love: Kitchen - House Doctor rug / series 7 chairs. Dining room: Normann Copenhagen Bell lights / try Farrow & Ball Railings for a similar grey and H&M Home for a selection of vases. Sitting room: Eames RAR rocking chair / Stockholm rug / Hay cushion. Bedroom: linen bedding, Moroccan tiles on wall. Children's bedroom: Hay cushions. 

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the weekend give-away - the winner has now been announced....here!!

Have a great start to the week. 

WINNER of the beautiful limited edition Danish print

Thank you to everyone who entered the THE POSTER CLUB (a wonderful international online Danish print store) give-away this weekend to win the Leaf me or Cove limited edition print by Copenhagen artist Silke Bonde , size 50cm x 70cm (unframed).  The winner is.....

ENDLESS NIGHTS (Yennifer).

Congratulations!

Photographs Enok Holsegård (www.enokholsegaard.com) and styling by Sofie Brünner (sofiebrunner.com)

This competition is now closed but you can purchase these beautiful limited edition prints at THE POSTER CLUB.

Have a great weekend!

A lovely creative family home in Varberg, Sweden

I'm so excited about today's home tour. I think it's actually the biggest tour I've ever shown (24 pics!! I just couldn't narrow it down, I love every inch of it). The house belongs to one of my favourite Swedish bloggers / photographers -  Kristin Lagerkvist, her husband and three children in Varberg, Sweden. They've just taken the difficult decision to put the house on the market  - woah?! But I'm told they're moving into their dream home (I see another home tour coming up...). Kristin sees her space as her playground and loves to decorate, re-arrange and add flee market finds. She takes inspiration from social media, children, friends and nature and is also inspired by artists' homes. Let's take a look (you might need a pot of tea for this one....). 

Photography: Kristin Lagerkvist For sale through Fastighetsbyrå

Relaxed, unique, imaginative. Simply lovely.That's what I think, how about you?

A little note on items in the home: The bedroom is painted in Lady Pure Color S7010 – B30. They were after a light Scandinavian look in the kitchen but didn't want to go white so they chose beech as an alternative. The Moroccan tiles are Jazz in yellow, green and blue tones. The coffee table in the sitting room is Noguchi, with a bumling light in brass. Try etsy, ebay, Bukowski and Lauritz for vintage items.

More lovely homes owned by creatives (in case you're in the mood!) include a danish apartment of an artist, a colourful melbourne home, and a striking black and white Danish space. Love this converted artist studio in Copenhagen too.

This weekend I'm holding a really exciting give-away, open to everyone....make sure you stop by to check it out!

Time for the weekend - yaaaay! have a wonderful couple of days!