A beautiful vintage industrial home and café

What happens when you combine two foodies, South of France style, North American charm and a Michelin-starred chef? The wonderful café Maman, that's what!  Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte had been living and working in various places around the globe including France and Ibiza before taking over a former machinery shop in SoHo, New York. The pair left the tin ceilings, exposed brickwork walls and original 1920s flooring untouched and added vintage and antique furniture to maximise charm. They also installed an industrial window so that guests can watch Michelin-starred chef Armand Arnal in action. Oh how I could drop in there now and wile away a morning?! Their six-floor loft in nearby Tribeca is pretty beautiful too and follows the same industrial vintage style - but with a touch of romance - think florals, sheer curtains and pipes painted in gold. Let's take a peek inside the Sormonte-Marshall household and café Maman....
 

The loft

The café

 

Photos: Nicola Franzén - shared with kind permission. Lonny mag. Post inspired by It's Monday but it's OK

What a world they've created? Just beautiful, don't you think?

A few notes on where items in the home are from in case you're interested: vintage letters, dresser found on Krrb / bar cart, table and chairs found at Brooklyn Flea, plant pot from Anthropologie, hanging plant holders.

Two fab DIY ideas to steal- Marshall and Sormonte collected Pez dispensers, sprayed them gold and framed them - such a nice idea. The sofa  / day bed was made from pallets (see a step by step guide here).

You can read more about the home and café here. 

Oh and there were lots of questions about where the throw was from in this Swedish home on Monday - and now I have the answer, yay! (thanks lovely anonymous commenter!!) You can find more details in the post if you're interested. 

Got to rush off as I have a V.V.V.I.P guest arriving from London tonight - my Mum! There's a bed to be made, a bar to be stocked and some recipes to be whipped up (if only I had the helping hand of Armand Arnal!), go, go, go!

Have a lovely day!

Hello Monday, have I got a Finnish house for you...

So, it's straight off to Finland this morning (only virtually- but it sounds good doesn't it?!) and the lofty Helsinki penthouse of graphic designer Jirka Väätäinen and his partner, Pete Rahikainen who works in the fashion industry. Airy and spacious, the apartment has beautiful high ceilings and an abundance of light. The duo have artfully decorated the space with a fab mix of old and new. The underlying tone is Scandinavian which has then been diluted with vintage furniture, floral patterns, fascinating details and objects collected on trips abroad all coming together in these beautiful shots styled by Laura Seppänen and photographed by Pauliina Salonen. Let's take a tour...


 
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home owner: Jirka Väätäinen. Photographer: Pauliina Salonen. Stylist Laura Seppänen (shared with kind permission).

This wonderful home makes me want to skip work and go on a trawl around the flee markets of Skåne / Copenhagen today, how about you?! If only! I particularly love the vintage sewing machine used as a side table and the small industrial trolley posing as a stand for the record player. But the more I look the more I see and love about the space.

Anything that stand out to you?

Thank you so much to Laura Seppänen, the Helsinki based interior designer and stylist behind this shoot for sending me these images - such a treat! Laura used to work for Deko magazine as a social media / web editor and recently started her own agency. She also works as a freelance on home editorials for various magazines and companies. I'll definitely be keeping up to date with her work on instagram from now on.

You can read more about this lovely home in this months edition of Deko magazine. And there are tonnes more fabulous Finnish homes to be found here (scroll passed the first one as it'll be this home).

Have a wonderful start to the week! 

A cool vintage industrial style Stockholm pad

Oh hello Friday, how lovely to see you! And you brought the sunshine with you - you make my heart sing....! Today's industrial functionalist (or 'funkis' as the Swedes like to call it) apartment belongs to Hannah and Christopher Bastin and daughters Irma and Klara. Located in Vasastan, Stockholm, it's been artfully decorated with a cool industrial bistro style kitchen and a fab dose of mid-century throughout. I'm loving the plants, vintage furniture and pops of hot pink.  What a perfect pad for the weekend, don't you think?!  I've got my eye on those wine glasses....

Photography: Johan Sellén (shared with kind permission). Featured in Elle Decoration.se

Lovely, right?

Most importantly that wine glass storage: to get the look you can find a similar rack here. Or buy stainless steel prongs in a local hardware store and fix them to the wall like the owners have. On it!

Another nice detail (shown in the set of pictures over at Elle Decoration) is how Hannah has made a montage using menus from her favourite restaurant. Wat a great idea on so many levels?!

Many of the other items seen in the home have been found at flee markets all over the world - inspiration to go get hunting?! My favourite places online to find vintage / industrial items are Etsy, Ebay and Lauritz.

I love industrial style bathrooms with this one being one of my all time favourites, and I could soak for hours in this bath, beautiful right? I'm also a huge fan of outdoor baths and showers - part of the plan for my dream summer cottage....one day! What does your dream cottage include?

Have a really fabulous weekend (I hope the sun's shining where you are too!). See you Monday!

PS A Dutch guy is selling his house and has found this entirely unique way of showing people around....genius?!!

Spring is in the air in this lovely Dutch home

I love March, to me it's a sign that the long Scandinavian winter is coming to an end. And what better way to celebrate than with a Dutch home full of the joys of spring?! Photographed by Margriet Hoekstra, this light-filled three-storey apartment in West Amsterdam is the result of a major renovation by Rick and Linsey. After a re-configuration, the pair furnished the space with fab industrial / vintage finds, modern units and plants and flowers in every room. What a perfect place which to kick off the week, don't you think?!

 

VT Wonen. Photography: Margriet Hoekstra (with kind permission) Styling: Barbara Natzijl - BoulevardB.

I love the way Rick and Linsey have used a variety of plants  - from freshly cut spring flowers to year round cactus and big-leafed plants.

For more plant and flower display inspiration I've squirreled away lots of lovely images on my Pinterest board and can recommend this fab book.

Is there anything that stands out to you about this home?

More pics and full article here (in Dutch - google translate, we heart you!).

More Holland based homes full of the joys of spring here, here and here. 

Have a great start to the week! 

PS Don't forget to enter my give-away to win a String Pocket in a colour of your choice. The competition closes tonight (Monday 2nd March 2015) at Midnight GMT! Hurry!

The stunning Bavarian home of a photographer

You know when homes have a friend's name written all over them? This incredible space found over at Vosges Paris  was made for my sister, Cas! She loves vintage pieces (cinema seats, step ladders, tables), art photography and industrial lighting.  But the home of German photographer Petra Reger and her family in Kompton, Bavaria is oh so much more too. Petra's home decorating style is part industrial, part vintage, part designer, part rock 'n' roll. Throw in the beautiful bones of the apartment including the original plaster wall in the kitchen and 100 year old parquet flooring and the result is an incredibly striking and unique home fit for a creative. How cool is this space?

 

Shared with kind permission from Homeowner / Photographer Petra Reger. Inspired by Vosges Paris with thanks.

I'm such a big fan of the graphical monochrome look, it's just so striking.

Is this your kind of style?

A few items I know and love: Designer chairs: Panton, LCW, Knoll Diamond and Series 7 . Choose your own neon light letters here.  Try Etsy for industrial scissor lamps (that's where I found mine), keep an eye on ebay for cinema chairs. An Apple monitor in Petra's workspace. To get the sitting room look try the Zanotta three seater sofa, the Tulip side table is similar and Zettel Z 6 pendant light. Anything I've missed?

Other fab monochrome spaces with a vintage touch here, here and here. Or if you like a touch of colour, did you see yesterday's post?

Time to pack for Dalarna (I'll still be posting!). Before I shoot off, a quick reminder to stop by this weekend to enter the give-away intended to light up your St Valentine's Day. Oooo, intriguing?! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

PS Speaking of my sister, I sent her some uber cosy Swedish fleece tights and they haven't arrived - did Mr Postman accidentally put them through your (London) door?! #mysistersgettingcold!

A relaxed and eclectic Stockholm space

'A pop of colour here and a vintage vibe there' is the best way to describe this very cool and relaxed apartment in Stockholm captured by Fantastic Frank. I like the casual way the books have been stacked on the kitchen floor, the striking yellow Mhy light, the decadent velvet armchair and the picture gallery wall. All in all, this space is just what I need on a Thursday - somewhere eclectic to kick-back and relax in style. Could you pad around here for the day?

Stylist: Mimmi Staaf, photographer: Emily Laye  Fantastic Frank

I note that stylist Mimmi has added two hot trends in interiors right now  - an oil portrait. They're relatively difficult to find but I love the ones sold by Three Potato Four and also the cool animal portraits by Oldi (I have the Lurcher one which has become a family favourite!). And antique chairs in velvet - how decadent to place a grand armchair in the kitchen - love it! (check out LiveAuctioneers or Lauritz for similar).

Seeing the stacked books has made me reflect on my own sitting room. I love books and feel the space looks disturbingly void of reading material, don't you? This Christmas I'll be pouring over my Pinterest storage board for ideas. One possibility is String shelves (I love the latest inspirational images they've released) and think they'll fit perfectly with my mid-century style. What do you think?

Lastly - today is a big day for me, it's the last day at my corporate job after 14 years in the industry! As of 1st Jaunary I'll be focusing full time on this blog - it's grown so much thanks to you all that I feel it's time to give it the attention it so deserves. Scary and exciting in equal measure! Here's to new and exciting adventures! And thank you all for your wonderful, ongoing encouragement and support.

Have a great day!

PS If it was Christmas decorating ideas you were after you can always check out my Christmas archive with a lorry load of decorating tips, DIY ideas and lovely scandinavian festive home tours. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

A home with grey accents and a mix of old and new

It's no secret that grey is huge this Autumn - whether it's how you dress or decorate. I've seen a few fabulous homes already this year that have gone all out (here, here and here). And this home is another fine example. It's extremely clever how the owners have used different features for the grey accent - whether it's a wall, door or breakfast bar. And there are so many textures at play: concrete, wood, leather which all work together to add warmth and  interest. I love the mix of old and new too. Great inspiration for a Tuesday!

Stylist: Tina Hellberg. Photography: Johan Sellen. Via 79 ideas + April & May. 

Love this space! It's totally unique, personal and relaxed. I'm not sure if I could do the grey myself but it totally works here. What do you think?

Have a lovely day!