Day dreaming: A New England beach house

Not that I don’t love Copenhagen right now, especially when it’s so nice and sunny out (okay, except for today). but one of the top travel destinations on my must-go-to-list (which is long and ever-increasing) is the East Coast of the United States, namely New England. Especially in the summer months, I would love to go up there and spend some time in one of the classic New England summer houses, typically decorated with a nautical/ coastal theme, lots of white and blue, and just the right pinch of shabby chic.

I’ve collected below some of my favorite pictures from Pinterest that I like to look through and dream myself away to sunny days spent reading on the front porch, tanning on the beach, sailing on the sea, walking on the pier, discovering New England’s typical seaside villages, and long nights with a nice barbecue and a glass of wine, with the sounds of the ocean in the background…

Lighthouse in Nantucket

Beach cottage

Classic blue and white interior

Classy white living room with blue accents

Love the four-poster bed

Another lovely bedroom with shutters for extra beach feeling

Pillows and linens

Wooden boxes - essential for the beach cottage style

Nautical decor all over!

 

If you don’t have a couple of hundreds bucks to spare for a last-minute plane ticket over there, you can capture some of the East Coast spirit with a classic cocktail, the Cucumber Cape Codder, made with vodka, cranberry juice, lime and cucumber. Here’s the recipe from Martha Stewart. Cheers!

A weekend wishlist

I’ve been out from work this week for medical reasons, and since I was mainly lying around on my couch, that gave me plenty of opportunity to browse the net and find a lot of great things to put on my wishlist…

For example, how great is this lemonade jar from HouseDoctor?

On the website here, find a local dealer here

Just ordered a pair of these Lacoste slippers - can’t wait to wear them around the summer house!

Lacoste “Marice” slippers, via Zalando here

Now that spring is here, I can’t wait to get my hands of some fresh rhubarb! I’ve pinned about a thousand recipes already, but how pretty do these meringue nests look?

Meringue nests with basil scented strawberry rhubarb compote, recipe here

Since I’m currently not allowed to wear heels, I’m always hunting for nice flats and sneakers. How cute are these seersucker keds? I’m obsessed with the nautical style!

Seersucker keds, via Urban Outfitters

For all the nice spring flowers, I want one of these adorable flower pots! They also come with the print “A little flower makes me smile”.

Madam Stoltz flower pot

Finally, I really, really, really want to go back to Croatia…

Croatia in seven stops, travel tips here

 

Interior trend: Spring pastels

Slowly I can begin to feel that spring is in the air - and boy have I been waiting for it! There’s a warmer breeze every now and then, and it bears the promising scent of spring, some shy rays of sunshine break through the clouds and warm the skin, and all in all, the cold just feels less cold with every day that passes.

With spring come some fresh new colors, mainly pastels. Soft blue, mint and rosé tones dominate around our Scandinavian favorites, and doesn’t it sound like a great idea to break the monochromity with some colorful accents?

Bloomingville 

I love that they take the metallic trend (especially copper) to the next season with them, and the combination of copper with the soft pastels is just brilliant. I’m also crazy about the cups with the gradient colors in the third picture.

HAY

Probably most widely know for their colorful pillows, HAY brings out its classic “Mosaic” tray in spring-y pastels, and they too have amazing glassware with color gradients.

Normann Copenhagen

Everybody knows their trademark “Krenit” bowls that are black on the outside and some bright color on the inside, and right for spring, some fresh new colors have been added to the palette. I also love the two sets of bed linens below (“Plus”, “Cube” and “Sprinkle”), they just look so fresh and pretty!

ferm LIVING

Ah, ferm. I just love almost everything they do. I especially adore their unusual, geometric bathroom cabinet, which now comes with a sweet minty pastel color for spring. And let’s not forget their vases and cute colorful “Winebottle” candle holders!

H&M Home

The fashion chain has been bumping up their interior game, and they are not doing too bad! Their new spring collection also has some really nice pastels in it, e.g. pillow cases, romantic vases and candles.

Interior: Cuddly pillows for the weekend

Right in time for the weekend, the weather got a little bit “meh” here in Copenhagen. On the way to work this morning, I was walking through the rain, and it was that stupid amount of rain where you think it’s not quite raining heavy enough to open your umbrella, but you arrive with wet hair anyways. During the afternoon, the sun came out, but on my way home, a slight rain began again (talk about perfect timing!). But now, who cares, it’s the weekend, and I can cuddle up on my couch all day with a hot chocolate watching the last of the Olympics, if I feel like it! And to fit that mood, I’m sharing some really nice and cuddly pillows that I’d love to put on my couch!

 

IKEA pillows

IKEA Stockholm and HAY pillows

Broste Copenhagen

Batik cushions from Bolia

Black and white with a splash of color from FERM Living

“Simple” pillow, OYOY

Another one from FERM Living

Feather pillow, By Nord

 

Classic HAY pillows

These HAY pillows exist in all kinds of colors, and I love how they can add a splash of color to an otherwise relatively monochromatic, black and white room. Below are some ideas for that.

 

Happy weekend!

Love: Prints, prints, prints (and graphic design)

I’ve been looking around for awesome pictures to put on my (to come) picture wall, and I’ve come across some really cool prints and graphic posters that I really loved, from some really cool brands. I’m sharing some of my favorites below, including the brands!

 

YapYap

YapYap is an adorable fantasy creature that is just incredibly cute. He was created by Copenhagen-based graphic designer Kristina Gordon, and there are sets of funny and cute black and white prints and drawings of YapYap and his friends. I especially like the ones that are printed on transparent paper and set on individually painted watercolor backgrounds. If you also fell in love with YapYap at first sight, you can find him on his website (www.yapyap.dk) or on Facebook, and you can buy the prints and other art from Kristina in this store.

This little fellow made it to my collection

This little fellow made it to my collection

YapYap drawings on watercolor background

Another beauty on watercolor background

 

Kortkartellet

The “map cartel” is the latest up-and-commer in Copenhagen and Denmark. What they do is pretty simple: they make stylized, typographic maps of Copenhagen and its neighborhoods (like Vesterbro, Nørrebro etc.) with the names of the neighborhoods printed on them. Their minimalistic design comes in different colors and they have extended their portfolio to include other big Danish cities as well. They even have a special editions for Germany, Berlin and Paris! All their designs can be found in the shop on their website (www.kortkartellet.dk) as well as on Facebook and Pinterest. But they are also all over design and interior stores in Copenhagen, so next time you’re around, keep an eye out for them! I think I’ll go with a simple black-and-white one of Copenhagen for my picture wall!

A selection of prints from Kortkartellet

Colorful versions of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg

 

Simple Copenhagen map, styled with neon light frame

 

Sofie Børsting

Sofie is a Danish illustrator and designer, and she creates wonderfully whimsical and colorful drawings inspired by nature, plants, animals and with a lot of fantasy and imagination. She also makes coloring books for children! All of her art can be found on her own website (www.sofieboerstig.com) and on Facebook and Pinterest, and you can buy them in selected design stores, on Mimi’s Circus, or on Sofie’s Etsy page!

“Blue Peacock” - I love this one!

“Birds in flight”, black and white

 

One must dash

Whenever I hear or read this phrase, I immediately want to answer “indeed!” in my best terrible fake British accent while twirling my imaginary mustache. Behind the brand are two Swedish girls, a graphic designer and a copywriter, who, according to their website, “wish to celebrate the quirky moments of everyday life”. And their awesome, funny and witty prints are just too good not to hang virtually everywhere! Their products also include tote bags and other household items. You can find them on their website (www.onemustdash.com) and on Facebook.

The classic, complete with a mustache

I need this in my apartment, plus in every store, coffee shop etc. ever!

 

A Mile in the Woods

Behind this is Danish designer and artist Louise Haugaard Nielsen. Her drawings and prints are minimalistic, have a great color scheme and often have a patchwork-y touch, as if they were composed of different materials. Some are very geometric in shape, others are more playful and freely designed. They can be found on Louise’s website (www.amileinthewoods.dk) or on Facebook, and some can be bought at Danish furniture store chain Ilva.

Geometric designs by a mile in the woods

“Fest” - a more abstract play with color and shape

A watercolor piece by a mile in the woods