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| Photographer: Janis Nicolay for House and Home |
Can't get a proper idea just how fab it is from the pics? Well, guess what - there's a video of this home too!
Have a lovely evening!
A white, wood and neon loft space
Back in Scandinavia I thought I'd go all out white and wood today. But with a twist. Neon lighting. YAAAAY! This fab loft space in Canada belongs to fashion blogger and stylist Katharine Horsman and was photographed by Janis Nicolay for House and Home. I'm still drooling over the natural wood kitchen table. And of course the neon lighting over the bed - very very cool.
Can't get a proper idea just how fab it is from the pics? Well, guess what - there's a video of this home too!
Have a lovely evening!
Can't get a proper idea just how fab it is from the pics? Well, guess what - there's a video of this home too!
Have a lovely evening!
Total Whirlwind
We had a CRAZY week last week getting ready to put our house in the market. I don't even remember how many 2-4 hours nights of sleep we got last week. We did pretty much every project we'd ever planned to do "eventually" in the span of 9 days. Our house was full of contractors helping us and I attempted to pack up and keep things running in the office, which became pretty much impossible.
Saturday morning (the day of the first open house) we woke up early to get started on our unfinished projects. At 6, Dave ran to Home Depot to buy a new drill because we'd packed ours up and sent it to live in the Pod for a month... he added the missing hardware on the extra kitchen cabinets we'd done a year or so ago. (Yes, until this point they'd been just sitting there, naked and topped with plywood... On Friday the carpenters came and installed the butcher block and did the trimwork.) I ran around with only one contact in (I tore my left one in the rush) pretty much legally blind in my left eye, squinting to do the paint touch-ups. (It was at this point that I almost lost it... I'd been pretty chill the whole 9 days along but when I realized I couldn't see it was - Dave- "It's almost over." And me- "But I can't see!!! How am I supposed to look at anythig with a critical eye if I can't see?!!!" --- Yes, I really said that. Not my best moment. He knows me pretty well and just didn't say anything. God I love that man. ) I frantically cut hyrangea & spread them around the house in jars, all the while worrying about the funny smell of the paint in our basement because the contractors had just finished with the ceiling. Every time I finished with a room, I'd close the door and the kids' security clearances were revoked.
(By the end they were relegated to the foyer as our realtor helped them put on their shoes and fed them cookies & that's when I knew it was the home stretch.) I jumped in the back or our minivan to feed (wailing) baby Luke as Dave turned the car on and "blasted" the air at my behest while people arrived early for the open house. Dave ran through the yard with the lawn mower (Him- "A mowed lawn is important to men.") as Christian & Justin got extra allowance for picking up sticks. I watched and thought about how I'd wished I'd gotten more weeding done in the gardens as the van (which was blasting air) got hotter and hotter. I opened the door because the hot air outside was better than the inside. The baby's tiny little body stuck to my dress and we were a sweaty mess. When Dave finally showed back up to load the kids in the car it was, "Oh sorry babe, I'd had the heat on."
We drove a few houses down so I could feed the baby before driving to the eye doctor's. We watched as the cars came pouring down our street for the open house. (I know that sounds creepy and I hoped no one would notice us, but with the hungry baby, we really had no choice.) As more time went by and none of the cars had left yet, we felt a little better. Anytime there was a lag in the stream of cars, we worried. We noticed cars leaving, driving around and going back. That was a good sign.
Once the baby had had his fill, it was off to the eye doctors' and then to my mom's house where we showerd and promptly DROPPED. (We had already decided we were not going home Saturday night because there was no way we could keep our house clean for even a night for Sunday's open house.) We waited for news from our realtors and I was in total shock as they called and told us the good news. (I typically worst-case scenario everything at the last minute, and by the end of the day had convinced myself that no one could ever want our house.) Saturday night was great as two of my best friends stopped by to celebrate (One who I haven't seen in over a year just home from Paris!) and we gorged (or maybe it was just me who gorged) on food from the Lebanese Taverna.
We stayed at my mom's all day Sunday and reviewed offers that night. This (below) was the awesome note we came home to:
...We are now officially under contract and are set to move mid-September!!! I'm definitely sad to leave this place (getting teary honestly) but I am so happy that the people buying our house seem to love it as much as we do. I think they'll take great care of this place we've poured so much into & I'm sure they'll make it their own in no time. I'll miss some of our neighbors terribly but know that they're friends for life & moving won't change that.
I'll be back this week to share some long overdue before & afters of our house... sort of a little goodbye string of posts I have planned. I am DEFINITELY making a video tour of my house before I leave so I can "visit" whenever I want. (I know I have issues ;)
Also, thank you so much to all of the readers who came out to see our house!! Hope you enjoyed & thank you so much for the support!!
If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.
Saturday morning (the day of the first open house) we woke up early to get started on our unfinished projects. At 6, Dave ran to Home Depot to buy a new drill because we'd packed ours up and sent it to live in the Pod for a month... he added the missing hardware on the extra kitchen cabinets we'd done a year or so ago. (Yes, until this point they'd been just sitting there, naked and topped with plywood... On Friday the carpenters came and installed the butcher block and did the trimwork.) I ran around with only one contact in (I tore my left one in the rush) pretty much legally blind in my left eye, squinting to do the paint touch-ups. (It was at this point that I almost lost it... I'd been pretty chill the whole 9 days along but when I realized I couldn't see it was - Dave- "It's almost over." And me- "But I can't see!!! How am I supposed to look at anythig with a critical eye if I can't see?!!!" --- Yes, I really said that. Not my best moment. He knows me pretty well and just didn't say anything. God I love that man. ) I frantically cut hyrangea & spread them around the house in jars, all the while worrying about the funny smell of the paint in our basement because the contractors had just finished with the ceiling. Every time I finished with a room, I'd close the door and the kids' security clearances were revoked.
{Yes, that's a muffin squished into his eye.}
(By the end they were relegated to the foyer as our realtor helped them put on their shoes and fed them cookies & that's when I knew it was the home stretch.) I jumped in the back or our minivan to feed (wailing) baby Luke as Dave turned the car on and "blasted" the air at my behest while people arrived early for the open house. Dave ran through the yard with the lawn mower (Him- "A mowed lawn is important to men.") as Christian & Justin got extra allowance for picking up sticks. I watched and thought about how I'd wished I'd gotten more weeding done in the gardens as the van (which was blasting air) got hotter and hotter. I opened the door because the hot air outside was better than the inside. The baby's tiny little body stuck to my dress and we were a sweaty mess. When Dave finally showed back up to load the kids in the car it was, "Oh sorry babe, I'd had the heat on."
We drove a few houses down so I could feed the baby before driving to the eye doctor's. We watched as the cars came pouring down our street for the open house. (I know that sounds creepy and I hoped no one would notice us, but with the hungry baby, we really had no choice.) As more time went by and none of the cars had left yet, we felt a little better. Anytime there was a lag in the stream of cars, we worried. We noticed cars leaving, driving around and going back. That was a good sign.
Once the baby had had his fill, it was off to the eye doctors' and then to my mom's house where we showerd and promptly DROPPED. (We had already decided we were not going home Saturday night because there was no way we could keep our house clean for even a night for Sunday's open house.) We waited for news from our realtors and I was in total shock as they called and told us the good news. (I typically worst-case scenario everything at the last minute, and by the end of the day had convinced myself that no one could ever want our house.) Saturday night was great as two of my best friends stopped by to celebrate (One who I haven't seen in over a year just home from Paris!) and we gorged (or maybe it was just me who gorged) on food from the Lebanese Taverna.
{Habeeb.com}
We stayed at my mom's all day Sunday and reviewed offers that night. This (below) was the awesome note we came home to:
{The "Buy me" note was a last-minute attempt as I dashed out of the house before the open house}
...We are now officially under contract and are set to move mid-September!!! I'm definitely sad to leave this place (getting teary honestly) but I am so happy that the people buying our house seem to love it as much as we do. I think they'll take great care of this place we've poured so much into & I'm sure they'll make it their own in no time. I'll miss some of our neighbors terribly but know that they're friends for life & moving won't change that.
I'll be back this week to share some long overdue before & afters of our house... sort of a little goodbye string of posts I have planned. I am DEFINITELY making a video tour of my house before I leave so I can "visit" whenever I want. (I know I have issues ;)
Also, thank you so much to all of the readers who came out to see our house!! Hope you enjoyed & thank you so much for the support!!
If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.
greige in the simple bath
This is so simple and yet so fun! I love it.. I have found lately that my taste is varied, I am having a hard time putting a finger on my personal style, because I like a little of everything it seems..
Possibly over exposure I think..
image via
Glamping, Cornwall style
Hi campers! I'm back, and what a week! Anyone in England and Sweden will tell you that the weather last month was attrocious - so we packed for rain and more rain. And guess what? The weather was hot, hot, HOT! Perfect for breakfast al fresco and surfing on Cornwall's finest beaches! Here are a few pics from the wonderful Polgreen Glamping complete with beautiful fields, Rosie the sheep, pigs, chicken, a nature trail and a wonderful little honesty shop stocked with produce from the local farms. Thank you Sarah and Simon for a wonderful stay!
I can warmly recommend this wonderful 'glamping' site, especially if you would like to get back to basics but with an added touch of luxury - double bed with a duvet in a tent anyone?
At the weekend I managed to catch the Olympic men's cycling in Richmond Park, London - which was so exciting! Now I'm totally into the Olympics, which is why i'm writing this post so late (I couldn't tear myself away!!).
It feels good to be back in sunny Sweden though and I'll be blogging daily again with lots of interior design inspiration, so pop back tomorrow!
It's always good to be home!
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| All photos: Polgreen Glamping or My Scandinavian Home as specified |
At the weekend I managed to catch the Olympic men's cycling in Richmond Park, London - which was so exciting! Now I'm totally into the Olympics, which is why i'm writing this post so late (I couldn't tear myself away!!).
It feels good to be back in sunny Sweden though and I'll be blogging daily again with lots of interior design inspiration, so pop back tomorrow!
It's always good to be home!
In detail..
Good morning! After a little blogging/technology break yesterday I am feeling so refreshed and ready to get the week going! This image is amazing in so many ways.. well the most obvious is the detail in the doorways.. then the clean simplicity is pretty fantastic.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I have so much to share I am hoping to get to it all this week!
image via pinterest
interior design by Katrin Cargill
Happy weekend..
This is how my brain feels today! Over packed. bursting at the seams. but always ready for another challenge. I have gotten to the point were my mind is going one way and my mouth is going another, I have started saying things out of order... Hello! See how I am rambling now- so bad.
Okay now that you know I have hit max capacity, I am heading off to the LA show today to soak up some more design and order pieces for my current projects!! Yey!
Have a wonderful weekend my friends, and may your mind find a bit of peace...
image via
Open Shelving in the Kitchen- the great debate
Wow. Our house is officially for sale today!!! I'm feeling really great about it. But putting your house on the market makes you take another look at it, from a buyer's point of view and makes you analyze every little thing. I used to do real estate staging & a large part of it is de-personalizing the home vs. making it unique & personal (which is what I do now.) One of the things I think that's more personal & taste-specific in our home is the open shelving in our kitchen. (In our kitchen we have a mix of open shelving and upper cabinets but the main wall is all open shelving.)
{our kitchen}
People seem to have very strong opinions about doing open shelving in the kitchen instead of upper cabinets. They either seem to love it or hate it.
I thought I'd share my experience with them since I've had them for three years now.
I orginally opted for open shelving because I wanted to give my kitchen an open & airier feeling. It's a great way to make a kitchen feel larger. My kitchen felt a bit confined & heavy to me so I wanted to visually lighten it up. The assymetrical angle of my kitchen ceiling looked too awkward with a row of dark upper cabinets calling attention to it.
{my kitchen "before" with the awkward angles}
SO.. I thought I'd give it a go, more for form over function but I ended up loving the "function" side of it too!
{my kitchen "after" with open shelving}
One of my favorite things about open shelving is that I can see everything at a glance. Guests too can grab what they need easily or put things back without searching through every cabinet.
One of the biggest "cons" I've heard brought up about open shelving is that your things "get dusty" and dirty with cooking grime. Dusty & grimey things have never been an issue for us in our kitchen. We use almost everything on our shelving daily or weekly and it comes off of the shelf perfectly clean because it's constantly getting use. I store a few barely-used items on my upper shelf and when I take them down once or twice a year, there is some dust on them and I simply rinse them off before using them. (Just as I have to rinse off the rarely-used items in my dining room sideboard before use.) Friends of mine who have open shelving have said the same thing. I find it's people who've never actually had it (or who don't frequently use the things on their shelves) who seem to worry the most about this "dust" issue.
I also love the look of functional beauty in open shelving. A kitchen is for cooking and eating & so I love seeing my "tools" displayed around me.
I have collected my platters and bowls and pitchers over time and love being able to enjoy them even when they're not in use. I think they're beautiful and I didn't want to hide them in cabinets.
Working in our kitchen is so easy because everything is within reach and I can get to it quickly. (In our house, we move like crazy people. It seems we're almost always rushing -gotta change that- and I can grab things off the shelves like a speed demon.) Putting away the dishes now seems like so much less of a chore than it did when I was putting everything into cabinets.
{Sally Wheat}
Another "con" I've heard about open shelving is that it looks cluttered. I think this is more a matter of personal taste. For me, I think the key to our open shelving looking good is that we've limited what types of items we put on our shelves. (In our kitchen I have white ware, glass ware and stainless steel for the most part and I sometimes mix in other colors/ materials seasonally.) I do have some patterned and colorful dishes on my open shelving but from standing in the kitchen, they are viewed from the side and from below, so they look white. However, there are some open-shelved kitchens look great because the homeowners are less rigid with what they put on their shelves and they come across as charming and homey:
I reserve closed drawers and cabinets for food items and kitchen appliances and my open shelves for the things we use all the time.
As with many things in design, I don't think think there's a general wrong or right in uppers vs shelving, just wrong or right for certain people.
Personally, I won't ever be without my open shelving in the kitchen (and plan to do it again in our new house because it's perfect for our busy, casual lifestyle- once you go open, you never go back ;) ;) but it's all in the eye of the beholder.
If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.
Design Travler: {San Juan Puerto Rico}
Mostly because I am pretty sure that this has been one of the longest weeks of my life and because I know that there is just more to come, I am dreaming of our relaxing days on vacation. I fell for Old San Juan in Puerto Rico when we visited. The buildings were colorful and the sea was beautiful there. We visited the Fort and walked through the old town for a few hours in the steaming heat! I do recommend an afternoon there if you are planning a visit.
I will finish up this "series" of posts on Puerto Rico in the next few weeks with a post about the Island of Vieques and a little more detail on the fabulous design of the hotel we stayed at. (Sorry that most of the pictures are instagram, even though I love it, I left without the battery for my good camera so I had to improvise.)
Wishing you a weekend filled with long beach days and warm evenings!