The fresh light-filled home of an inspiring foodie + give-away winner

Which section of a newspaper do you read first? According to one article this will tell you where your passion lies. And this is what led Anna Jones to quit her office job one grey day and start a chef training programme at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant. Since then Anna's gone from strength to strength having worked at restaurants such as Le Caprice, cooked for rock stars, royalty and the G20 at downing street, as well as shaped the meals at east end schools and people suffering from obesity. Anna now works as a stylist and food writer out of her Victorian town house in Hackney, East London where she created her first book: A modern way to cook, a collection of yummy healthy vegetarian recipes. Her creativity shines through in the way she's decorated her home too: artfully mixing designer, antique and bespoke pieces. The white wood floors and walls give way to vibrant pops of yellow and blue, resulting in a pared-back, fresh and light home. Let's take a peek inside....

Photographer: Idha Lindhag. Stylist Linda Berlin

Such a lovely home, so simple and calm. And such an inspiring career change, don't you think?

Items I know and love: Bluebell sofa, mirror,  blanket,  frosted window film, bespoke plywood kitchen cabinets by Russell Bamber, glass pendant light from here. Circus pendant light (above dining table) - 20% off right now. Eames chair (15% off right now).  French bed frame from Ardingly Antiques Collectors Fair. Am I missing anything?

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Other fabulous foodie homes I've featured include the blue home of a Swedish food blogger (also captured by Idha Lindhag) and the New York home of a cafe owner . And for more London inspiration I'm a big fan of Tamsin Flower's cheerful home and a pretty white and grey Primrose Hill home. Aaaaaw, this post is making me want to go home for a few days! I do love London!

Have a lovely day! - oh and don't forget to pick up today's paper to check where you turn to first. You never know - an inspiring career change might be just around the corner....

PS Thank you to everyone who entered the weekend give-away. The winner and runner-up has now been announced here.... eeeee....holding thumbs as they say in Sweden!

A truly idyllic Swedish 'kolonistuga' (allotment cottage)

With July just around the corner Swedes across the country are gearing up for the summer vacation. Some will go abroad, some to summer cottages. And some wile away the long days at a 'kolonistuga'; a small cottage on an allotment. This pretty, pared-back kolonistuga just outside Gothenburg, belongs to Elin Lannsjö and her boyfriend Viktor who enjoy relaxing summers bare-foot, tending to their garden and entertaining friends.  When it comes to decorating, Elin relies on her gut feeling, selecting items made from natural materials such as wood, stone, cermics (including her own creations) and natural colours. What a truly idyllic space! Could you spend your summer here?

Lovely Life: Styling Johanna Bradford. Photography Kristin Lagerqvist

Oh so lovely, don't you think?

Sadly we can't all have a Swedish 'kolonistuga' but the great thing is we can create a wall of chopping boards, straw hats or anything else that takes our fancy (do you have a collection gallery wall?). I also love the Thonet chairs painted in matt black leaving only the tip of the legs in natural wood - this trick could be used to spruce up flee market finds or items at home you've grown tired of (remember these beds and side table legs painted in neon?!). There's always Pretty Pegs too. I see a potential DIY project for the weekend, do you? And it's only Monday! 

See more images and read about this lovely home here (in swedish).

Other home tours beautifully captured by Kristin and Johanna include the boho home and atelier of a Swedish artist and a relaxed space with floaty linens. Or if you're after more 'kolonistuga' inspiration - how about this one?!

Have a great start to the week!

The winner of the signed print by Maike Kristina Harich is....

Congratulations to Solstice Night, you have won a framed and signed print of your choice in size 20 x 20 cm by German artist Maike Kristina Harich. And also to Anna Papageorge, the winner of a set of three cards with hand drawn daisies. Please send me a mail so we can get your shipping details. Thank you so much to everyone who entered! Maike's lovely prints and cards are for sale here. 

This competition is now closed.

A Dutch guest house with red floors and vintage touches

Iiiiit's Friday - woohoo! I thought I'd celebrate with a flash of colour. Do you remember this striking Dutch home with red floors which we were all pleasantly surprised about? Well the architect and industrial designer owners have since moved and opened up their wonderful home as a guest house. The  'hostel in The Hague' was furnished by Holly Marder (in record time!) and the result is a bright fun space with cool vintage finds and a boho vibe. If I find myself in this Dutch city I know where I'll be staying, how about you?!

Hostel The Hague. Photos / styling: Holly Marder

What do you reckon about those red floors?!

A note on where a few items are from: Dining room: vintage dining chairs / Eye Eye poster /  magazine holder. Bedroom 1: wicker love seat / black and white cushion/ walnut candlestick/ black patterned cushion. Bedroom 2: vintage lamp / wicker stool / granite blanket / patterned cushion / blue and white cushion.

Other fabulous Dutch homes here.

Holly has such a great sense of style, I love her bedroom (one of the most popular posts on here ever) and studio. She's also photographed this fab black and white home and a whimsical family home.

The beauty of jet lag (I arrived back from New York yesterday) is it's meant I've managed to creep downstairs first thing and create this post before my girls are awake. There's something great about these quiet hours with just my coffee, laptop and a chunky knit blanket! Do you ever work/ study at first light?

Oh and I'm sooo excited to introduce you to my new sponsor Yorkelee today. Yorkelee is an online shop selling unique, creative, affordable Scandinavian style prints for the home and for kids (check out Yorkelee on IG). It's almost like these prints are made for My Scandinavian Home, think monochrome and pastels. I've got my eye on the Ampersand, you can and Perfection Home prints. I hope you find something you love too.

Have a great couple of days and see you Monday! 

PS This weekend I'm holding a give-away with a talented German artist, so don't forget to stop by! 

Industrial with warm wood in a Swedish apartment

Hello! I hope you're having a great week? It's back to Sweden for me today (in fact I'm writing this at Amsterdam airport waiting for my connecting flight...more coffee please!). The homes so far this week have been in the USA (here and here in case you missed them), so I decided it's time to head back to Scandinavia and take inspiration from this lovely grey walled Swedish apartment.The industrial look could be very cold without the lovely warm wood table, chairs, stools, shelves and even a clothes rail in the bedroom (potential DIY project for the weekend?!). What a delightful, calm space, don't you think?

Ahre - post inspired by Planete Deco and Coco Lapine with thanks.

What do you reckon? Could you go grey / industrial in your home? I don't think I could go all out dark grey but I do love light grey walls and floors against white.

Right, I'd better catch this flight! Time to see my girls - eeeeee! can't wait!

Have a lovely day and see you tomorrow with another home tour!