It’s time for Springtime

When buying new home decor pieces for spring, I wanted to challenge myself to buy versatile pieces that I could use throughout my home in various ways.

When I laid eyes upon this white accent table from Target, I knew I had to have it in my home. Right away my mind was brimming with ideas on how to style it!

My first inclination was to style it as a bar cart. I simply love the idea of a bar cart in a modern home, complete with cocktail glasses and assorted liqueurs. To my arrangement, I’d add striped straws, a bowl of nuts and some fun napkins.

I also saw this accent piece in a bedroom, as a vanity of sorts. It would make such a chic display for perfume bottles, hair spray and whatever other girlish accessories you might want to show off.

I decided to use it to showcase my jewelry.  I love having my necklaces and bracelets displayed where I can see them. It’s so easy to forget what I have when it’s tucked away in a jewelry box.

The second piece of decor I bought for my home this spring was a set of three moroccan mirrors, pictured on the left. I love their unique design and their versatility. Since they come in a set of three, they can be arranged a number of different ways. I love mirrors because they reflect light and add another dimension to any room.

Both items are from Target’s new Threshold line, which is gorgeously modern and classic at the same time. I truly do love all the items featured in the collection! To see more of their new line, you can watch (and shop!) the video below:

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Target via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Target.

I’m liking the H&M Home collection more and more each year. No, it’s still not available to purchase in the US, but I can’t help but feature these pictures from H&M Home Spring 2012 collection. The bold colors are almost directly from Pantone’s 2012 color wheel, and they look like candy, and I just want to eat all of this stuff up.

I have been packing things to be shipped to Sweden today, and filling up even more boxes to be donated at Goodwill. It’s heartbreaking to get rid of half of our things, but as I look at these H&M Home collection pictures and I think of the H&M store in Stockholm, I can’t believe I will be shopping for these products for my new home in the very same store I visited as a tourist a few years ago.

Part of the H&M Home collection has very nostalgic feeling with polka dots, lemonade print tea towels and gingham aprons, but then there is this very modern side of easy storage solutions and Missoni-style chevron. Check out all of the photos below.

photos: H&M

I visited the Hotel California in Todos Santos, Mexico, in August during the trip that was arranged by the Mexican Tourism Board and Ogilvy. It was my first trip to Mexico, and fell in love with the country, and among others this little town, hotel and the vivid colors in Mexican interior design.

Hotel California is in a small town called Todos Santos, which has authentic colonial architecture and cobblestone streets and it is a perfect spot for some Mexican design inspiration. Hotel California, with its famous name from the Eagles song was already founded in 1947, and you could spot many of the design elements already from that era.

Each room is decorated with rich colors and original art work acquired locally and worldwide and has just the right mixture of rustic Mexican look and luxury. The vivid color palette made me feel alive and inspired, and I came home wanting to redo my entire home. Hope these pictures inspire you to think outside the box in your home, and bring some color to your fall home.

I loved the mix of colors at Hotel California. Many of the rooms were decorated in vibrant yellows, lime green and red, but the outdoor areas had great mix of blues, whites and greens, combines in objects that looked rustic, earthy, natural creating a very relaxing atmosphere.

I absolutely love the mixture of bold colors and rustic accents, and how you could easily get this look also at home with flea market finds, and paint. Look at the rustic details from Hotel California – they would look amazing also paired with more natural color palette.

Disclosure: My trip to Mexico was paid, and I was invited to the trip by Ogilvy and the Tourism Board of Mexico, but my opinions are my own.

Jennifer Lopez is launching a collection at KOHL’s debuting in September. The clothing, accessories and home product collections combine old Hollywood style with today’s trends with affordable prices and is launched at the same time as Marc Anthony collection at Kohl’s. While Jennifer Lopez certainly hasn’t started as an interior design icon, and may sound as an odd name to be featuring a luxurious home collection, her name as someone with excellent interior design taste emerged at the latest when the stories of the luxurious nursery came out a few years ago.

Veranda magazine also featured Jennifer Lopez’s home in California, designed by interior designer Michelle Workman. Her home reflects old Hollywood glamor with Art Deco touches, and the color palette is neutrals, but instead of tones of beige, the home is decorated with tones of grey and ash blue. Jennifer Lopez has impeccable taste in interior design, and her home collection at Kohl’s reflects her style.

Jennifer Lopez Home Collection at Kohl’s

The Jennifer Lopez home collection for KOHL’s includes 600 thread count sheets made with 100% egyptian cotton in geometric prints that remind of old Hollywood. The tones of the collection are neutrals, blues, grays and beiges and the look is very sophisticated. The sheet set prices range $149.99-199.99. The clothing collection is even less expensive, you can read more about the Jennifer Lopez fashion collection and the Marc Anthony collection launched at the same time at our lifestyle blog. Here are some photos of the Jennifer Lopez Home Collection, and as you can see – the collection looks great in photos and the 600 thread count cotton sounds so luxurious.

August 19th is Coco Chanel’s birthday and we are all cuckoo over Coco.

If you love the rich look of Coco Chanel’s home from the Coco Chanel’s 31 Rue Cambon Apartment pictures, here are some tips how you can get the same look for your home.

1. Coco Chanel came up with the concept of the little black dress as one of the must-have clothing pieces in your wardrobe, and she also loved to decorate with black, and especially combining it with beige and gold. Her apartment was decorated with beiges, tans, black and white.

2. Coco Chanel used room dividers and fabrics and luxurious wallpaper to decorate her home. Bring in some fabrics in rich bold prints to get the same luxurious look.

3. Bring in flowers! Camellias were Coco Chanel’s favorite flowers, and you can incorporate them in some of the fabric prints.

4. Crystals and glass ball lamp! Coco Chanel’s apartment had several crystals, golden accents and lots of mirrors. Versions of the glass ball table lamp in Chanel’s apartment in the 50’s can still be seen in most decorating stores. Chanel also liked crystal balls – maybe she was able to see into the future.

5. Add mirrors. One of the most famous elements in her apartment is the entire mirrored wall in the hallway, and you just can’t have a Chanel-inspired room without a mirror or two. Or three. One of her favorite mirrors was an eloganated octagon mirror that is in the same perfect shape as the top of every Chanel no. 5 perfume bottle.

6. Add sculptures. Coco Chanel had several statues and sculptures in her apartment, including two large deer sculptures in her living room. Large statues can be very expensive, but look for them in the antique markets – or opt-in for decorative items from less expensive stores like the deer pictured from Potter Barn.

I am in this very simple comfortable decoration mode. White walls, wood floors, a few colorful items that pop. Blankets and pillows. Cozy couch to curl up. Pictures on the walls that have a meaning. Mas and souvenirs from travels as decorative pieces. Crafts and DIY art.

These photos taken by Sanna Lindberg are exactly how I feel right now… simple, comfortable, homey.

Coastal Living is one of my favorite magazines, and I am so excited of the Coastal Living and Stanley Furniture partnership with Coastal Living furniture collection. I lived on the coast and spent my childhood summers on a boat, and there is nothing that I like more than the ocean and the coastal way of living. I will live on the beach, one of these days… If you have ever devoured the homes in the Coastal Living magazine, and wanted to get that look into your own home, you will love the Coastal Living Collection by Stanley Furniture.

COASTAL STYLE COLORS

When it comes to coastal style of home decorating, there are as many “coastal styles” as there are coasts! “My” coastal style is simple, white and blue, with wooden furniture and stripes, with old fashioned nautical elements. The East Coast coastal style combines bold red, white and blue but the beach houses in South Beach are decorated in pastel colors – you get the picture. And this is probably the most admirable part of the Coastal Living Collection – when they designed the collection, they took every coast in consideration and created furniture all of the styles in mind.

COASTAL STYLE ROOMS

The Coastal Living Collection has two separate collections, the Resort and Cottage offering furniture with tropical vibe with woven elements and traditional cottage style pieces in crisp white and bold red. Both collections have furniture and accent pieces to bedroom, dining room, home office and living room.

Here are more pictures from the collection. Enjoy!

Photos: Stanley Furniture

I’m starting my Christmas decorating this week. I know many already have their homes decorated for Christmas, but we normally don’t start early. Part of is probably my Scandinavian upbringing – when I was a child we decorated Christmas tree on Christmas Eve! My daughter’s birthday is on the 16th of December and it has become our tradition to decorate the tree on that day. Did you already put your Christmas tree up this weekend?

This year I have decided to decorate with blue, white and silver, and can’t wait to get a very fresh and clean look for our home. I want some sparkle yet incorporate some birch tree, pine cones and other natural elements in it, I also want to find those white doves in the tree.. So many ides and I feel like I’m already late starting now! I want to incorporate blue in the decorating as well, but got very inspired by these photos of this pretty much entire white home, photos taken by Norwegian photographer Sandra Aslaksen.

Thanks for the tip: Emma’s Blog.

Here are some pictures from GANT fall 2010 home collection. Homey, classy, cozy.

What do you think?

photos: GANT

west elm just launched their Sleep Well Sweepstakes – you could win a bed of your dreams (worth up to $2,500) – with their prices, you would get the bedding and everything!

Enter at their website and while you are there… check out some of their fabulous furniture for your bedroom.

This beauty is on sale too – Low Wood Cutout Headboard starting at $199.00 (headboard only, for twin size, other sizes more expensive). And for a bit of luxury for your bedroom (below) – I think this white leather headboard is just stunning. Leather Gird Tufted Headboard starts at $449.