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.

It’s time for springtime

With the official arrival of spring, I always get the urge to “redecorate” my house. Incorporating bright colors and fun patterns into your home can be the perfect way to prepare for the upcoming warmer weather. However, it can be difficult to match patterns and colors within your home. Have no fear! You can use pretty patterns and fun prints in your decor without turning the room into one huge kaleidoscope.

4 Tips How to Mix & Match Colors and Patterns at Home

1. Stick with a color scheme: Selecting a common color palette can go a long way in coordinating patterns. Stick with similar hues to draw your eye to the color – not the varying patterns. However, this doesn’t mean all of your colors have to be the same hue. Try out multi-colored fabrics, but use a color that is similar throughout all the patterns for a cohesive look.

2. Save the color for accent pieces: Use various shades of neutral colors, such as off-white, beige or cream, for the bigger pieces of furniture in your house. Couches, love seats, coffee tables and bookshelves make great neutral pieces and are more “permanent” fixtures in your home. To spruce up your space, save the various colors and patterns for accent pieces such as pillows, side chairs and tables. The great thing about accent pieces? They’re interchangeable! The pillows pictured below are fabulous for spring; however, they’re easy to change out when fall rolls around.

Products in the photo:
White Lattice Cottage Mirror
Navy Lattice Toss Pillow
Orange Ikat Pillow
Slipper Chair in Blue Diamonds
Coral Accent Table

3. The rule of threes: Most experts suggest sticking with three (sometimes four) different patterns in a variety of size and scale. If you have too many competing patterns, it confuses the eye and can make your space seem cluttered. Save the large scale pattern for the focal point of the room, such as wallpaper or patterned curtains, such as the ones below.

Jacquard Ikat Window Panels

4. Experiment, experiment, experiment! Don’t be intimated by the idea of mixing patterns and colors into your home. Sometimes the best combinations of colors and patterns aren’t necessarily logical. Focus on color, size, scale and texture and trust your instincts – if you think it looks good, then that’s really all that matters. The most important “rule” in decorating is that you love what you create. After all, it’s your space, so it should make you happy!

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.

Welcome our new writer Caitlin Covington of Southern Curls & Pearls

It’s Time for Springtime

My debut post for Skimbaco couldn’t be more fitting for the beautiful spring weather we’ve been experiencing lately in South Carolina. With the arrival of sunshine and blooming flowers each year, I always start getting excited for Easter. For me, Easter evokes memories of flowery sundresses, colorful plastic eggs and my grandmother’s Sunday brunch. What could be better than time with family and a belly full of sweet potato casserole and deviled eggs? I can think of only one thing: Gramma’s table settings!

Although no table settings could ever match the sentimentality of Gramma’s antiques, they can be equally as beautiful. This spring I had the opportunity to set my own Easter table, courtesy of Target.

When I saw these baby blue scalloped dishes, I knew I wanted them for my Sunday table. (After all, Carolina blue is my favorite color – go Tar Heels!) I ended up pairing these blue dishes with a set of gorgeous floral melamine plates and bowls. The great thing about these dishes is that the possibilities are endless! You can mix and match to your heart’s content. I also love that the floral plates are made out of melamine – they are dishwasher safe and virtually unbreakable. Perfect for those who can be clutzy sometimes, like me!

To incorporate Easter into this table setting, I also picked up some crinkle grass and Cadbury mini eggs from Target to create a “nest.”

And with all the bright tableware in Target right now, I’m not lying when I say that I was really tempted to bring home every single item they had in the store. Luckily I had some self-control and managed not to buy everything. Unfortunately, my willpower isn’t so strong when I’m around these Cadbury chocolate eggs. See the bowl full of chocolate eggs, above? Well, these barely lasted three days in my house. Oops!

Inexpensive Easter table setting inspired by Gramma

To purchase these items, just click the links below. After perusing their dining section for an hour and a half, I’m confident Target has everything you need to set an Easter table. Even Gramma would be proud!

Scalloped Dinnerware Set in Aqua

Roped Vasaio Floral Dinnerware

Paneled Ribbed Goblets

Small Yellow Sandblasted Vase

Add fresh flowers and your Easter table is set!

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.

Think Spring

Oh yes, it’s spring here in Sweden too. The birds are singing, the snow is melting, water dripping, I can already see my driveway on a few places, and the daily temperature highs get over 40 degrees on good days. The best is the longer day light and I am hopefully the real spring and summer will come here this year too. IKEA is already getting ready for spring and I agree – it is a great time to start at least planning your outdoor living space for this spring and summer. The earlier start you get, the more time you will have to enjoy your outdoor living space makeover.

IKEA offers a blend of elegant (and oh so cheap) options for backyards and more colorful options that have more of the beach look. Their collection also has so many smaller furniture, like small foldable cafe-style table that are perfect for balconies. Great options from beach house to balcony and from beach to backyard.

My favorite is this simple look with ÄNGSÖ rectangular table, although I like the last year’s FALSTER tabel much better, we bought it last year, and I even used it indoors as a craft table during winter because I liked it so much.

Photos: IKEA

New from Finland: Kauniste

I’m so excited to share design news from Scandinavia that are not from Sweden, but from Finland. Kauniste is a new multi-designer brand from Finland, and their shop in Helsinki was one of the hottest new gift shopping spots in the city for the Holidays I hear.

Kauniste was created by uniting young Scandinavian graphic designers and craftsmen to combine fresh design and traditional screen printing skills and with emphasis on using eco friendly materials, for example use water based, solvent free inks, and linen mix fabric as the linen makes the fabric durable, and it absorbs well moisture and dries fast. Linen leaves practically no surplus waste in production, and it’s qualities only improve with time. The ecological approach is seen in everything Kauniste does – if there is access fabric from production, they will just create a new product with the access fabrics. This idea has been used by Finnish Marimekko for centuries, one of their stable products, the small coin purses were born from scrap material and the idea of using it all.

You can shop at the Kauniste products in their webshop. My favorites are the pillow cases and the trays.

Design Spotting for Fall Refresh at Home

Last week I wrote a post what is great design and why it matters and featured some of my all time favorite modern design products for home. Today I’m keeping it simple… check out some of the #DysonFallRefresh design spotting I made last week when shopping for home products to do a little fall refresh at home and while touring our neighboring city Norrköping. I snapped the pictures on Instagram (follow me, I’m Skimbaco there).

This picture shows how modern design and very trendy ball lamp mix well even with old architecture that you can see in the reflection of the window. I love trendy… but I love timeless good design even more.

You can’t have a fall refresh for home without candles! This chandelier looks both modern and timeless at the same time.

Here is another elegant candle holder that I spotted and loved.

I like to keep it simple.. with black & white, like these dishes. When you add simple items to your home, it’s easy to add color with changing seasons and with fabrics, linens, even food!

I love trays.. they are such an easy way to bring a little color, or design to your home, and I can’t work without a tray with my coffee and snacks and carrying it around to my office (in the living room).

Even souvenirs CAN be good design, like this tray I found in Norrköping, Sweden.

Fall refresh with Dyson

This post is brought to you by Dyson Hot + Cool fan heater. Dyson Hot + Cool™ fan heaters use Air Multiplier™ technology to provide the fastest even room heating in winter and smooth cool air in summer for year-round use. There are no fast-spinning blades or visible heating elements, so it’s safe and easy to clean. Learn more at www.dyson.com/hot+cool.

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

Here are the top 10 modern design products for home that I like and recommend.
Did you read What is great design and why it matters, where I also took a few pictures of some of my favorite design products and objects in my home? Here is a better look into products mentioned and a few more to present you top 10 great design products I recommend. These products stand the test of time, they are timeless and modern at the same time, and something you can proudly leave for your kids too. The Barcelona chair is really the only product here that is outrageously expensive, and you can find the Barcelena chair, the Eames chair and the Le Klint pendant as reproduction copies for much less. Of course the quality isn’t the same then.

Top 10 Modern Design Products for Home

1. Eames Molded Plastic Dining Chair with Wood Dowel Base by Charles and Ray Eames ($399) was originally designed in metal, and entered as a prototype in MoMA’s 1948 International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design. The chair evolved with the times and today the Eames chairs are made of recyclable polypropylene. The chair is beautiful but you truly understand why it’s great design once you sit on it. This chair is my personal choice also as a desk chair for every day work.

2. Le Klint Pendant 172 ($519.75) was designed by Danish Poul Christiansen in 1969 and it stands the test of time as a timeless design that works in any space.

3. Alvar Aalto vase is probably one of the most iconic Finnish design objects designed by the most famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, and it comes in several colors and sizes, but what reminds the same is the iconic rounded shape. A design classic that can be used in almost any room of your home, great gift item and timeless beautiful design.

4. Juicy Salif Citrus squeezer by Philippe Starck for Alessi ($100) is one of the most iconic products by Italian Alessi, and it was deisgned by Philppe Starck who originally drew it on a napkin on his vacation in Italy in the 1980′s. Like freshly squeezed orange juice on the mornings? Just put your glass under this one and squeeze your oranges directly into your glass. When not in use this makes an impressive design object in your kitchen or dining room.

5. Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ($5,068) was originally designed to serve as seating for the king and queen of Spain already in 1929 and it has become of the design classics. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the Barcelona Chair and Stool to furnish his German Pavilion at the International Exhibition in Barcelona. The Barcelona chair is a great example of modern design that is easy to decorate around with, whether your taste is minimalistic and modern or traditional.

6. Block Lamp by Harri Koskinen designed for Design House Stockholm ($129) is one of the newest products in this line up. Harri Koskinen designed the Block Lamp in 1996 and it’s been a design classic ever since winning several design awards. The lamp that looks like a light bulb inside a chunk of ice is a design object and a functional lamp that doesn’t just light up your room, but also your smile.

7. Unikko print designed by Maija Isola for Marimekko in 1964 is one of the most copied prints of our times. The cheerful poppy print comes in several colors, but the original red and white still reminds the most popular. The print is utilized in hundreds of different products over the years. One of my favorites is the coin purses, which are made from the left over fabric when other products are produced. Another true icon of sustainable design.

8. Lempi glasses by Matti Klenell for Iittala (starting $32 for set of two) is a new product for 2012, and bound to be a design classic used for years to come. It took years of designing to create a beautiful glass that is multifunctional in a way that it can be used in everyday use for milk and water, but also for wine in special occasions, and on the top of that you can stack for easy storage even in smaller kitchens. This is my use-everyday-for-everything glass.

9. Stelton Vacuum Jug by Erik Magnussen ($69.95) is a coffee thermos, yes, but it still stands out in its sleek form, and functional design as one of the modern design must haves. You don’t have to open the top to get coffee out, no dripping on your table cloth when you pour the coffee, just like a coffee thermos should work.

10. Tripp Trapp Highchair by Stokke ($214.17) is the only chair you will have to buy your kid. On the top – it’s one of the most inexpensive things you’ll ever buy your baby considering how many times it will be used. My 12-year old daughter still uses hers daily – now it has just moved from dining room to accompany her school desk. The Tripp Trapp highchair was designed to last from a baby to grandparent and grow as the baby grows, and it’s a family heirloom for sure.

What did I miss? What is your modern design favorite?

What is great design and why it matters

We often tend to look at trends in home decorating and fashion, and often confuse pretty with good design.

To me there is only one type of great design: it’s functional that serves a purpose, it lasts for a long time thus it’s high quality, and it is beautiful to look at.

If any of these elements is missing, it’s not great design to me.

When it comes to price tag of great design, yes, I admit, it sometimes is expensive to purchase, but it actually is often inexpensive in use. With high quality comes long term usability and with timeless design that goes beyond trends and fashion, you can have something that you will use for years to come. Great design matters for ecological reasons – we buy (and consume) less when we buy long lasting design. Great design matters for aesthetic reasons – we feel better when we are surrounded by beauty and what we like to look at.

Let me give you an easy example. The thought of buying over a $200 highchair for a baby is ridiculous to me, but when it’s great design, hey, I’ll take three please! One for each one of my kids. High chair that’s great design will grow with my child, is beautiful to look at and will go from dining table to office table and my kid will take her chair to college when she moves out and her kid will sit on it too. What a bargain!

Surround yourself with beautiful design

I was invited to participate to a fall refresh campaign with Dyson, and do some design spotting this week. I don’t personally own a Dyson Hot + Cool fan heater, but the Dyson Hot + Cool fan heater is a great example of great design. It’s high quality, it heats the room in winter and cools the air in summer for year-round use. Easy to clean and it looks awesome – so it was a no brainer for me to jump on the opportunity to work with Dyson, and do some “design spotting” and share some of my favorite design objects.

I have been out and about and taking some photos of design objects that I like and which would be perfect for refreshing my fall. I’ll feature some of the design items I’ve been spotting next week, but today I’d like to share some of my favorite design objects from my home. The photos are just my Instagram photos because I didn’t want to do any extra styling nor extra photoshopping – unedited from my home, because great design stands out even when I haven’t vacuumed, styled and propped and photoshopped.

When everyday items and things we use are not just functional but beautiful – you don’t need a whole lot of decorative items in your home. Let the great design of the furniture and the everyday items like lamps and light fixtures you have shine.

I admit, as a nomad who moves every 6 months to 3 years (yup, 3 years has been my record of living longest in the same place the past 18 years), I haven’t always decorated my home the way I would like to. We used to at least buy our houses and I would renovate and remodel them and make them how I wanted. Now we just rent. When we moved to a yet another rental house the past spring, I wanted to make this place look great with minimal effort.

We sold everything when we moved from New York, and we are leaving Sweden in a couple of years, and I don’t even know which country we will move to. But it didn’t stop me from bringing great design home, I just did it with minimal effort.

And you know what – sometimes that’s all we need: minimal effort to make our homes look beautiful. Often less IS more, and it is better to buy less of things you really need and want than surrounding yourself with clutter.

Our walls are white, our floor is wooden. It’s all very simple and no frills. Yet when we have surrounded our home with beautiful design objects that are beautiful look at, it has been quite easy to make a beautiful home that I like to spend time in, and I can feel good about. In fact, when picking only a few selected designer items and letting them shine our home can easily to give the illusion of being a well decorated.

We own less and less each move, and many of our furniture even now is rented (oh how I’ll miss you rented piece of a Barcelona chair), and I am very selective what I buy nowadays, and that’s why I much rather buy less but things I really like.

What can I say, even my design dishes just make me happy when I eat my breakfast on the mornings. What does great design mean to you? Are you refreshing your home with some great design this fall?

Fall refresh with Dyson

This post is brought to you by Dyson Hot + Cool fan heater. Dyson Hot + Cool™ fan heaters use Air Multiplier™ technology to provide the fastest even room heating in winter and smooth cool air in summer for year-round use. There are no fast-spinning blades or visible heating elements, so it’s safe and easy to clean. Learn more at www.dyson.com/hot+cool.

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

Ivanka Trump’s Apartment Photos in ELLE Decor

The latest issue of the ELLE Decor has a feature of the real estate mogul’s daughter’s, Ivanka Trump’s, New York City apartment. The 10-room apartment on Park Avenue is only a short walk away from the Trump-tower and Ivanka’s work. Read the entire story at ELLE Decor and what Ivanka said about the long renovation and decorating the apartment and see the interior design details and products. The interior designer Ivanka worked wit is Kelly Behun.

Compared to several other Park Avenue and celebrity homes I think Ivanka’s home looks more like something “normal” people live in. The dining room and the bedroom look very New York, but the den and living room, and the nursery has features that you could see in suburbia as well. The home is done very tastefully, it’s an elegant mix of sophistication and modern minimalism and plays with colors nicely, and it definitely gives inspiration for us normal folks too – in a way that our wallets can actually handle too.

The living room was designed by Kelly Behun, and my favorite is the light fixture is by Downtown – it gives a nice industrial addition to otherwise very elegant room.

In the dining room I love the painting and the bold mix of gold and black contrasting with the Mies van der Rohe white and silver chairs.

The silver tone wall mural is absolutely gorgeous! And again great contrast with the table. This is a great example to try something bold – but yet get a very sophisticated look when staying with a more calming color palette.

This bedroom is simply stunning and I want to copy it! I wish I could also see her view from the window!

The living room looks the easiest to copy and the look is something that you could easily move from New York to any cul-de-sac.

Photos: Eric Piasecki for ELLE Decor

Weekend Project: Adirondack Chair paint job

Paint is probably the easiest – and the cheapest- way to transform a look to completely new, and I love small weekend-sized paint projects, like painting furniture and giving them an entirely new look. I got this idea and the painting instructions from ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape, a product that I don’t do any paint jobs without. They also sent us a few rolls of painter’s tape – and I will be using them for my next paint project. We’ve been buying furniture from flea markets and painting some has been on my to-do list for a while.

Here are some painting tips for your next furniture painting project, especially a two- or more toned one, like this Adirondack set project, and scroll down for instructions how to paint the chair and the table like pictured.

Painting tips

1. Base coat or no base coat? Painting a fresh base coat will revive an older piece of furniture and will also insure your color blocking design adheres well to the surface.

2. When selecting colors, an easy way to ensure colors will work well together is to use the progression of color provided on the same paint deck card. Paint companies work hard to develop them and it will make your life easier when selecting paint combinations

3. “Batch” the work – meaning, paint one color all at the same time.

4. If using a roller – use a foam roller for a nice even application. Foam rollers don’t pick paint back like a regular nap roller.

5. You can use both a roller and a brush at the same time. Fill in the area between the slats with a brush and the evening out the flat areas with the roller. Taking advantage of the paint being wet allows you to create a nice even finish.

6. Let the paint dry well before applying the next coat. It’s always better to build up coats as opposed to applying a thick layer of paint. Paint applied in one thick coat will have a tendency to sag or droop or drip.

7. When working with multiple brushes – dedicate each to different colors of paint to avoid them drying out. While you work with another brush, wrap the others up in a plastic bag – ensuring they are air tight. This way you quickly switch back and forth from brushes without the paint crusting as it sits in the open air.

8. If continuing the job the next day, place the brush in the plastic bag and keep it in the freezer over night. The next day when you are ready to get back to work, pull the brush out at least 15 minutes before you plan to use its good to go. There is no wasting time and water to wash it twice and the brush is in great working condition.

ADIRONDACK CHAIR & TABLE PAINTING INSTRUCTIONS

Use exterior grade Satin Enamel paint for outdoor furniture.
In this project the following paints were used:
Base Coat: Caribbean Coast (Behr: Satin Enamel 550D-4); Blue #2: Ocean Cruise (Behr: Satin Enamel 550D-5); Blue #3: Blue Chaise (Behr: Satin Enamel 550D-6); Blue #4: Southern Evening (Behr: Satin Enamel 550-D-7)

Tools:
1.5″ ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape w/EdgeLock
4’ T-Square
Paint tarps & paint rags
Measuring tape & pencil
1” & 2” angled paint brush, 2” square brush
3M Respiratory Mask, 3M Sanding Block (fine)
6” foam roller, 9” roller, paint tray, can opener
12” or 24” framing square is helpful

Instructions:

1. Create your design. Feel free to use the speed square to play with size. You can also use a computer, or sketch on a paper before committing to a design.

2. Draw out the color blocking sections on the chair and the table. Note: in the example design the progression of size and depth of blue tones are evident. As the size increases the color intensifies. Feel free to add a splash of a bright tone and change size according to what you like.

3. Use the T-Square or a speed square to ensure boxes are truly square (90 degree angles at corners).

4. Tape all the color blocking sections using ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape w/Edge Lock, mask out boxes one paint color at a time along the line. Before painting, lightly sand intended painting areas to create “teeth” and insure adhesion of the paint.

5. Paint color blocked sections with a 2” brush or combination of a foam roller and small brush. Follow the direction of the grain of the wood. When painting, work from top to bottom with each section. This makes for a cleaner process and avoids dripping paint on a section already painted. Use the smaller brush to go between the slats and then brush or roll out onto the slatted area.

6. Repeat the paint process with the progression of blue paint colors. Paint all of the sections for each color at once, and work on the table and the chair at the same time. It will speed up your working time, so you can paint the other one, while the other one dries.

7. Once paint has fully dried, gently pull tape by angling the edge back at 45 degrees to reveal crisp edges and lines and corners.

8. Plan to apply two coats of paint.

9. If your design was painted on raw wood chair – seal the whole piece with an exterior grade wood sealer. Note: Use water based sealer – oil based products with time tend to yellow which will affect your color choice.

Disclosure: I received these painting tips from ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape, and some painter’s tape, but this post was not sponsored. I wanted to share these tips and this DIY project with you because I think upgrading old furniture or making flea market finds your own with paint is an awesome idea. Hope you enjoy it!