Hilda Grahnat's Swedish Home

Today I want to share with you some inspiring photographs of Hilda Grahnat's beautiful home in Malmö, Sweden. Hilda, who took these lovely photos herself, is a 24 year-old photographer, blogger, artisan and graphic design student based in Sweden. Her home is a mixture of thrift store finds, vintage pieces and handmade objects. Get ready to be inspired.

Beautiful, don't you think? Hilda has this amazing ability to display objects, she makes ordinary things seem beautiful and interesting. Ornaments, books, and her quirky collection of clocks are all displayed in such an artful, aesthetically pleasing way. I also love how she has used the natural light to enhance her rooms and things in them.

The same bright, colourful style is used continuously throughout her home, from the bold globe in the sitting room, to the brightly coloured bread bins in the kitchen. Very retro, but modern at the same time. Below are some close-ups showcasing her inventive and playful storage ideas. I absolutely LOVE her coat-hanger 'wardrobe' for her glasses. Such a fun idea!

So many beautiful photographs! If you want to see more of Hilda's home, please go to her Flickr page where there are hundreds of lovely photos!
Hilda also makes pretty clocks out of vintage books (you can see one of these displayed on her bookshelf above) which you can buy via her blog. Here is a selection of my favourites:

Very retro. As well as these vintage clocks, Hilda also sells one-off prints and tote bags, have a look at her shop here.


{All Images: Hilda Grahnat}

ON TREND: Fade-Out Furniture

Dip-dye furniture seems to be catching my eye everywhere I look this month. Take a look at Ercol's classic Love Seat which has been updated with a striking blue dip-dye effect. The timeless design is brought back to life in a really modern and beautiful way. I love how the timber, the signature Ercol material, seems to emerge from the blue dye. Very pretty.

As well as Ercol embracing the dip-dye trend, Berlin-based designer Judith Seng has a gorgeous collection of dip-dye furniture from her TRIFT range. These pieces are wooden logs which are lacqured in high gloss paint on only one side, making them look run- down and giving them an almost 'unfinished' feel. The result is an impossibly beautiful piece of furniture.

I love how the paint seeps into the grooves of the wood, creating a beautiful and natural pattern. The cracks and splinters in the wood also add to the 'unfinished' and decayed feel of these. My favourite is the bright yellow, high gloss small stool below.

These are mainly used as stools and tables, but Judith has also created some more abstract pieces which are purely for decorative purposes. Judith exhibits her collections worldwide, but you can also see her collections on her website, Judith Seng. 

{Images: judithseng.de}

9 of the Best... Cushions

Being spurred on from winning three Laura Ashley cushions today (I know, how exciting!), I have put together my picks of the best cushions around at the minute. Those of you who are regular readers of my blog will know that I love a good cushion so it has taken me a very long time to whittle it down to just nine, so I hope you like my selections! If not, I'm sure a cushion or two may feature in future posts!

1. Lemon cushion, Jonathan Adler
2. Sanderson 150th Anniversary Advert cushion, John Lewis
3. Vintage Floral cushion, Marks & Spencer
4. Owl cushion by Donna Wilson for John Lewis
5. Pink Seaweed cushion, Natural History
6. Poivre Noir cushion, H & M
7. Skull and Crossbones, John Lewis
8. Bad Egg cushion by Craig Fellows for Not on the High Street
9. Sunlight Through Leaves cushion, Ella Doran

Wow, that took a LOT of condensing; I could have easily featured about 50 cushions here! Though I must admit I had a lot of fun researching!
I do think cushions are a great tool for updating your space, at such a low cost and low effort too. They can completely alter the feel of a room. They can add humour, add femininity, add warmth or create a certain edgy-ness to your space. For example the skull and crossbones may look a bit severe on its own, but pared with a white sofa and maybe a pale pink throw it adds a much needed darker feel. And vise-versa, a floral cushion will look great in a minimalist room.

For those of you who are interested in which Laura Ashley cushions I won today, click here. I won them through the blog Style Made Simple, which is running another competition soon so keep checking for updates!

I do hope you like my top picks, would love to know if you have any favourites!

Wood and Wool Stool

Damn, I wish I could crochet! After discovering Netherlands-based Ingrid Jansen and her company Wood and Wool Stool, it has completely re-ignited my creative spirit. Ingrid started her company in 2008 after a crochet stool she made for her home became increasingly popular. She began making custom-made stools for other people, and this eventually grew into an international business. The product list has been steadily increasing and now includes pillows, blankets, clothes-hangers, garlands, wooden signs and wooden Christmas trees. All of the wood Ingrid uses is recycled, giving the stools a nice distressed, lived-in feel which contrasts beautifully with the crochet wool on the top, especially on the delicate white ones.

These white ones below are my favourites. The photos are so beautiful too!

If you're more of a colourful type there are so many for you to choose from. There is literally every colour you could hope for!

Don't you just love the fact that the wood is so worn? The peeling paint, holes, and mix-matched coloured planks really give the stool great character.
 
Below is a selection of Wood and Wool Stool's other products.

The wooden Christmas tree is really novel don't you think? Such a great idea if you are short of space in your living room. They come in all sizes too if you prefer a larger one.
Ingrid's website can be found here, and why not check out her blog too for all the latest news and pics!

Right, I'm off to ask my mum to teach me this lovely craft, I will let you know how I'm getting on!

{Images: Wood and Wool Stool}

Cookieboy

Hmm two food-related posts in one day, I think someone is getting hungry! These beautiful handmade cookies are from Tokyo-based artist Cookieboy who designs and creates bespoke biscuits. These pretty little things have been creating a buzz in the blogosphere of late, and I think they're going to be huge! Cool new social bookmarking tool, Fancy, was one of the first places to pick them up. Check out Fancy when you have a minute as it's showcasing some of the coolest stuff around right now. Meanwhile have a look at Cookieboy's, um well, cookies!

Look at the faces on those cat cookies below, so cute, no?

As the cookies are made-to-order they are perfect for special occasions. You could have lots of little easels for a gallery opening, cameras for a photography exhibition, or even just lots of numbers for a birthday. Yummy. Thank you Cookieboy.

{Images: http://cookieboy.jp}

Lego Lunchboxes

How come no one told me about these?

How fantastic! They don't just do pink either, there's more!

They also do mini boxes that fit into these lunchboxes, perfect for nuts, seeds and fruit. A great addition to Lego's original large brick storage boxes me thinks.
 
Some research after my stumbling upon these lunchboxes revealed that Lego now have a vast selection of Lego-based home/kitchen accessories. Take a look at this lot, there's drinks bottles, Lego man storage heads, litter bins and lots of new sizes in their brick boxes.

My favourite are the four-pin boxes which look good as under-bed storage (as in the picture above), neat but so much fun at the same time. Beware of the female storage head though, it's a little bit creepy.

For stockists, try aplaceforeverything.co.uk, firebox.com, and trusty Amazon.

{Images: aplaceforeverything}

Chocolate Creative

Have you heard of Chocolate Creative? I've just discovered this handmade textile and homeware brand and thought I'd give it a shout out. Margarita Lorenzo is the designer behind this London based company. She started out in graphic design and has successfully merged this with her love of textiles. To find out more have a look at her blog, Chocolate Creative. Or take a look at her website where you can buy all these unique products.

The above cushions and prints are from the Decayed Glamour, Messages and Cameos collections, very prettily titled don't you think?

Margarita's silk screen printed designs can be found on cushions, framed prints, mugs, tea towels and tote bags. These prints below are great, and really good value at less than £20.

Something to spruce up your kitchen? Designer tea towel or mug maybe?

Chocolate Creative also do great a great kids collection, though I think it's too good just for kids! These cushions would sit perfectly on my RAR rocker.

What do you think? I think they're lovely, remember to take a look at Margarita's fabulous blog too for some inspirational ideas for your home.

{Images: Chocolate Creative}

A Picture to Brighten Your Day...

Morning!
Just stumbled across a pretty pic while browsing the fantastic Apartment Therapy. Just wanted to share it as I thought it might brighten your Friday morning as much as it has mine!

How very British don't you think? Quirky and original, but at the same time very classy. Spring is in the air!
Enjoy your weekend x

{Image: Apartment Therapy}