A beautifully renovated parsonage in the Swedish countryside

This parsonage from the 1700's and featured in Lantliv had been uninhabited for fifty years. And then Gustaf Willers took it over and gave it a whole new lease of life. I absolutely love that he has stayed faithful to the style and the location but added a modern touch. I dream daily about buying a beautiful old Swedish house and renovating it. Perhaps one day i'll be posting about that? but for now, here's someone else's beauty!






Pictures: Lantliv via Planete Deco Photography: Anna Kern
If you understand Swedish it's worth taking a read of the article. There are so many lovely touches to the renovation, such as Gustaf's mother colouring in the 800 hand-printed flower baskets on the bedroom wallpaper by hand. Now that's dedication!  Makes me think. What can changes can I make in my home just by taking the time to use good old fashioned handiwork?

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Kitchens on the Brain...

I'm working on a few kitchen projects at the moment and for the past couple of months, I've been collecting images.  One of the easiest places (besides a physical binder) to collect images is pinterest.com.  One of the kitchens we're working on is for our clients who absolutely love to cook and they're drawn to simple, functional beauty that feels timeless & as if it's always been there with a tad of a European edge. 


{House Beautiful,,,  I looooove these leather chairs!!!}}

And not that we're doing garden mazes in the kitchen, but although a bit more formal than what we're going for, I want to bring a little bit of that traditional garden- conservatory-vibe into the house...  But in a more relaxed way...

{image via rkw.blogspot.com}

We're looking at going with a beautiful French range by LaCanche:

{Kitchen by Mary Evelyn McKee via elementsofstyle.com}

...Except in stainless steel w/ brass accents:

They needs lots of space in the sink for washing large pots & pans & so we're considering a deep, wide farmhouse sink.  I love this laundry style sink:

{via moderncountrystyle.blogspot.com via Brooke Giannetti}

I haven't come across any 1 image that perfectly embodies the feeling we're after but Ina Garten's home is definitely in the mix:


{One of my favorite houses EVER, featured in House Beautiful}

...We just want it to be a teensy bit less "fresh" and a little more aged.  The house is also not a rustic one & so we really don't feel that the beams would be appropriate, although we love them.   

We're using a mix of finishes in the kitchen, many of them unlaquered brass and if you haven't already read this post last week by Brooke Giannetti about mixing metals in the kitchen, then you need to hop over to Velvet & Linen to read it.  Along with Ina & a few others, the Giannetti's aesthetic has also played a  big part in this particular kitchen design.  When I first met with my client & she showed me inspiration images, so many of them reminded me of Brooke & Steve's Patina Style and when I mentioned them, my client said she was an admirer.



{countryliving.com via Brooke on pinterest}

We're striving for the perfect mix of old & new, beauty & practicality.

{An old wooden tabletop...  I can't remember the source, but how amazing is this timeworn finish?!!}

I also love the baker's racks that Darryl Carter uses in many of his projects.  They're so gorgeous & functional:

We're planning on incorporating a pair flanking the range hood.

We're looking at doing plaster one similar to this (below) but with more of a curve to the front and back:

{HGTV.com by Jane Ellison}

Anyway, as we make more progress, I'll be sure to share updates. 
Because it takes a lot of this....


{image from investorspot.com}

and this...

{kitcheninteriordesign.net}

before you get to this...


{image from wonderingfair.com}


xoxo, Lauren

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Arched entry...




These doors are gorgeous and the green garden is not too bad either.
What a whimsical beautiful entryway.

image via pinterest
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A Swedish black and white home with a lovely mix

Susann from Purple Area blog once told me if you would like to find a beautiful home, always look at the home of interior design bloggers (Suzann's home looks wonderful by the way, you can see pics here). The latest Plaza magazine also proves this with the home of the blogger behind the great blog 'Hannas Room'.......






The home has such a lovely mix of furniture, with modern items from IKEA such as the MINNEN extendable children's bed (I've got it for my little girl in white and love it) and beautiful mid-century vintage pieces like the dining room chairs. The bulb fairy lights are likely from Swedish shop Granit as are the white storage boxes shown above. And look.....it's shoes on display again... wonderful!

Lilacs..




Wishing you a wonderful Monday morning!  With another busy week ahead we have to start out optimistic!!!

image via pinterest
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The pretty London home of Parma Lilic owner

This London home of Janie Jackson, owner of shop Parma Lilac is just so beautiful *sigh*. So simple, so light, so me! And I love the photographic style.







Pictures: Via Saint Honore
I remember reading an article about how to produce this type of effect with a camera, and one way is to cover the lens with a pair of thin denier tights, yes, I know! Worth a try anyway?! Unless you know of a slightly more modern app?

Happy Monday by the way. I hope you had a lovely weekend?!

grey and pink...




I am completely in love with this... perfect for that extra lingering on a Sunday Morning after a busy week and a busy Saturday.  
It reminds me of this...


Which I also love..

I found this on Pinterest but see more beautiful bedrooms here
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Juxtaposition




I love love this image.  First of all the daybed is the best ever.... second I love the combination of styles and textures.  this just makes me happy!
Wishing you a wonderful Saturday!

image via pinterest from here
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Bits of Blue

Happy Friday!!  Maybe it's the unusually warm weather or that it's one of my favorite colors, but I've been drawn to touches of blue lately.  We just presented a plan to a client with a blue painted buffet in a dining room & here are a couple images that I looked at.

I love what the shot of blue does in this neutral dining room: 

{I think the homeowners are the founders of Wisteria}

I've had this image for a while (and have posted it more than once) but I looooove this Gustavian piece:

{The mix of the blue with the old door is perfection.  I can't remember the source for the image- sorry!!}

And finally (yeah, it's Friday, this is a short one ;) this past summer I found this cool old blue trunk at an atntique store and put it in my dad's almost-finished lake house dining room:

{It's great for last-minute mess stashing..  Curtains are in my Live Paisley in Antique Beige and Boys are by Lauren & David Liess ;}

Anyway, I'm off for the day but have a great weekend!!  It's SO beautiful & warm here today that I can't believe it's January!!!


xoxo, Lauren

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Lost in Arles...








A few weeks back I was feeling a little out of sorts.. a little lost at the beginning of the year, it always seems like a time when you should be overly motivated, ready to run out of the gates and get some things really taken care of, make changes and plan for the year ahead.  Well, I was in a total funk and kinda bummed out.  On a Sunday morning I had a chance to take a little time to myself and was wandering around in the land of the blogs, I came across Lost in Arles a blog written by Heather,  I spent well over an hour reading her posts and looking through her beautiful photos.   I finally felt like myself, I felt inspired and awake for the first time in what seemed like a month (the holidays really took a lot out of me this year).  I am ready to go, ready to be inspired, ready to travel and ready to take on the challenges of the year ahead.   Maybe I will visit France in the Fall this year, I know I will be working on stream lining my time and energy into projects that I really want and need to do, and maybe just maybe I will be taking a few more leaps of faith this year.

I wanted to thank Heather and thank all of the bloggers that take their time posting so many fantastic images and inspiration!




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