Why This Room Caught My Eye

Let's face it: How many of us have drawn serious interior design inspiration from the internet? From the vast numbers of amazing interior design and decor blogs, from Pinterest and Instagram? I guess many! I am one of them! Frankly, I get massively inspired by some leading blogs like for example 'The Design Files'. It is there that I spotted this cosy yet small lounge room in an Australian home. It proves that style does not depend on size - it is the result of your creativity and personality. But what caught my eye in particular here?

• Plywood Ceiling: Lately I've seen lots of plywood inspiration on Pinterest. This simple yet sleek looking material seems to be trending. But I have hardly ever seen it as a solution for ceilings. Here, the plywood ceiling adds warmth to this room and brings everything together as a wooden framing.
• Mix & Match Textures: One of the easiest ways to decorate and restyle a room are various textures. Mix and match textiles like cushions, throws, rugs, lambskin and more to create a cosy and lived-in atmosphere.
• Boucherouite Rug: The ultimate addition for colour and pattern - a Moroccan Boucherouite rug. I have a similar one at home and whenever I feel the need for more colour and pattern, I add it! 

How do you like this lounge room? What catches your eye?

Photography by Eve Wilson, production by Lucy Feagins/The Design Files

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From Place To Space: Blogger In Barcelona

Happy new week, my friends! Some of you have noticed that I spent a few days in Barcelona recently. I actually attended a blogger brunch and a trend seminar by my friend and fellow blogger Gudy in Barcelona and used the opportunity to prolong my stay for a few days and enjoy the Catalan metropolis and its surroundings to the max. Today I want to share just a few glimpses of my trip and the trend seminar - I will share a more detailed recap on Barcelona, the hotel I stayed at, the trend seminar and a lovely interiors shop soon!

Luckily it was not my first visit to Barcelona so I just invested one sunny morning to revisit the obvious attractions of the city: the Sagrada Familia cathedral designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. This time I did not go inside as the queue was mind-blowing (my tip: get online tickets in advance to avoid queuing) so I decided to carry on to the second landmark of Barcelona designed by Gaudí as well: the Park Güell. Located on a hill it is a wonderful spot to enjoy a great view of Barcelona and deep dive into a sort of 'Alice in Wonderland' feeling due to Gaudí's eccentric style. But beware: Since this year the entrance to the monumental part of the park (with the landmark architecture) is charged and admissions are organized in time slots. A bummer in my opinion as this used to be an open and public space to be enjoyed by everyone without paying entrance fees and waiting for admission. Anyways!

I've discovered more corners of this beautiful city but will share those with you over the coming weeks. Let me now turn to the initial reason why I headed to Barcelona - the trend seminar given by Gudy of Eclectic Trends for Meet the Blogger. It was the first Barcelona based workshop and well worth the trip. The group of international bloggers was intimate (25 participants) and we gathered one Sunday morning in the wonderful concept store of Jaime Beriestain. Gudy gave us a great insight into trend forecasts for 2016/17 (will update you on these soon too) and afterwards we created a live trend wall together - pretty interesting to see a lot of images coming together to one trend wall! The subsequent blogger brunch was a great moment to network and exchange thoughts on design and trends with a bunch of creative people.

In a nutshell: Traveling to Barcelona is a great idea in general as the city is so vibrant and offers so much to see. And attending a trend seminar given by Gudy is always a good idea too - you will enjoy her insights into trend forecasts and take your share back home for yourself and your blog!

Happy Monday everyone!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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The Scent Of A Happy And Warm Home: KOTO

Autumn has kicked in with full force. Crisp nights call for that extra blanket. Evenings call for a delicious cup of yellow tea from China. And it calls for lighting a scented candle. But not just any scented candle. The candle that promises that no place is like home. Because no place is like home. It is time to light KOTO.

KOTO is the traditional Finnish word for home and the world's first scented candle created by design bloggers together with Skandinavisk. In fact it was created by the group Design Bloggers United that I am part of so it feels a little bit like 'my candle' too. Our idea was to create a candle for the home in its full complexity. It was a sort of a creative challenge for the candle and perfume experts at Skandinavisk to come up with a scent that captures this homey feeling. We wanted a warm and cosy scent to evoke the cosiness of a home. KOTO is thus the ideal candle for a happy and warm home.

KOTO promises delicate notes of baltic amber, exotic jasmine, mandarin and vanilla. Lighting the candle is like a little ritual during the colder season in my home. Coming home from work I feel the inner need for a moment of solitude and refuge. It is then that I light KOTO and unwind before I tackle other duties at home. That precious moment is enriched with the velvety scent of KOTO and makes coming home happier than ever before.

As you can see KOTO is not a small candle burnt up after a few weeks. It is a large candle with four wicks and burns 75 hours. It is poured into a hand-blown glass container with our minimalistic, Scandinavian inspired design. If you like to share this precious scent with us, you can get the candle HERE. 

Welcome home, welcome to your own KOTO!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Urban Jungle Bloggers: Green Home Office

Welcome back to our monthly blog series 'Urban Jungle Bloggers'! After our short summer break it is time to kick off the new season with September's edition that grasps this month's vibe: the back to school and work issue. Plus we are very proud to launch our brand new Urban Jungle Bloggers website as of today! 

With chillier temperatures outside our agendas fill up quickly with new projects, courses, plans. That is when we return to our desks and home offices and kick in a new work season. To make the return easier and the work more fun, we thought adding some greens will do the trick!

Plants on the workplace are not only a decorative idea. They will enhance your work spirit and clear your head as they purify the air around you and enrich your work environment with fresh oxygen - a crucial factor to properly concentrate and work! Plus for me houseplants have a calming effect too. Looking at them makes me unwind and lower my stress level. Yet another advantage if placed in your home office for example!

Now it's not a secret that my apartment is super tiny. Hence I have no dedicated home office or other kind of workspace. It is my dining table that turns into a mobile home office when needed. Like on the pictures shown here. It was actually right after I had cleaned up my desk after breakfast that I set it up as my little home office. 

In my mobile home office I have placed my Sansevieria Cylindrica or African Spear Plant and my Kalanchoe Thyrsiflora plant also known as Paddle Plant. To make them a happy threesome of green friends I have added a little dotted pot with Sempervivum or Liveforever. I like both of them as they remind me of foreign lands and adventures. I've also added a few Craspedia or Billy Buttons for a little injection of yellow on the desk. Well and my little Kay Bojesen monkey has to go into that space too as he adds the ultimate urban jungle vibe, doesn't he?

Do you have a home office? And does it feature some houseplants? If so, why don't you join us with a post about your green home office? And if you have no plants on your workspace, how about adding some green friends to boost your creativity and efficiency for your upcoming projects? In any case: Happy working and planting!

Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series initiated by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date on our website and Facebook page. Want to join? Use #urbanjunglebloggers on Twitter and Instagram. Or let us know and we'll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let's bring some green into your homes and blogs!

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Happy Interior Blog Recommends: Rude x Urban Outfitters

Today's recommendation comes with a full package of goodies for you my dear readers. Think of a blast of colours and pop art patterns, think of goodies for a giveaway and a great promotion code for your home accessories shopping. To be able to offer you this cool interior loving package I've teamed up with one of my favorite homewares shopping address: Urban Outfitters. 

I've been an Urban Outfitters fan for quite a while. Remember my black and white zigzag rug in my living room (this one)? It's been there for quite some years and I got it at Urban Outfitters. Now the team of Urban Outfitters has launched a new range of homewares designed in collaboration with the graphic designers Rupert and Abi Meats of the design studio Rude. The new 'Rude x Urban Outfitters' collection is very loud - visually speaking. Bright colours, pop art patterns, bold graphics and slogans portray a unique and individual expression. It is probably not everybody's style or taste, but it adds a very vivid dash of funk and a certain London vibe into bright interiors and colour loving homes.

The collection's catch phrase is 'Love Your Stuff' and is based on the idea of 'Home is where your stuff is'. The designers are famous for their funky and bold designs on t-shirts and have now extended their designs on a full range of home textiles, mugs, posters and more. No matter if it meets your taste or not - one must admit it has a funky and fun energy in it!

Join the giveaway & promo code:

Now if you'd like to win a great package of goodies from the new 'Rude x Urban Outfitters' collection just leave a comment under this post until coming Wednesday, midnight CET - we are giving away a 'Hat Cushion', a 'Shoes Cushion', a 'Love Your Stuff' washbag and mug! And if you like other goodies from Urban Outfitters, make sure to use the promo code HAPPYINTERIOR for your online shopping in the 'Home & Gifts' section (applicable to all normal priced articles). The promo code is valid from now until October 3rd.  Oh and by the way, my rug is still available in their online store! It's now or never!

Happy shopping!

Photography by Urban Outfitters

This post has been brought to you together with Urban Outfitters

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Why This Room Caught My Eye

There are two ways of making a visual statement in interiors. Either you create an eclectic interior with lots of visual cues to draw the beholder's attention or you set a focal point by choosing one outstanding piece. In the above shown living room it is the blue sofa that stands out from a rather neutral surrounding. It immediately catches the eye and makes a real highlight performance in this stylish home. But it's not just the sofa that caught my eye. Let's break it down:

• Blue Sofa: The most evident visual highlight is the comfy blue sofa with a touch of mid-century vibe.
• Nature Hues: With the help of the blue sofa, the nature inspired hues come out to the beholder's attention - earthy colours perfectly frame this room and make an excellent stage for the blue sofa.
• Natural Light: Nothing is more beautiful than the abundance of natural light in interiors. The large windows in this home make the entire living room light-flooded and welcoming.

What caught your eye? I bet it's the blue sofa above all, no?

Photography by Colin Price Photography, via The Everygirl 

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New Collection By Pernille Folcarelli

Last year I discovered the beautiful work of Danish artist Pernille Folcarelli and blogged about her. Now I am happy to show you the new 2014 collection of botanical art by Pernille Folcarelli. Her work is beautiful and captivating by immortalizing nature and making it a long lasting piece of art for your home.

Her collection comprises posters, postcards and unique hand prints from her own workshop. The basis of her work is the nordic nature and its beautiful shapes and colours. Mostly you will find prints of leaves, twigs, feathers in her new collection. I like how her posters bring an instant nordic vibe into a room and they do their magic either as solo art pieces or grouped together as a gallery wall.

If you like the nordic style, if you like inspiration drawn from nature, then the new 2014 collection by Pernille Folcarelli will be right up your alley.

P.S. If you follow me on Instagram you might have noticed that I am currently in Barcelona. I will be back on Tuesday and see you here on the blog again. In the meantime, join me in Barcelona via Instagram!

Happy weekend!

Photography by Pernille Folcarelli

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Plant Of The Month: Calathea

Last month I introduced my new bilingual mini series called 'Plant of the Month' in collaboration with Pflanzenfreude.de. After the succulent Echeveria I am presenting the September's plant to you - the wild beauty Calathea. This beautiful, lush plant stems from the Amazonas jungle and comes in a fascinating array of leaves - their remarkable patterns make the Calathea very decorative. But this wonderful house plant is not only a great decorative element for your home: this wild jungle beauty is beneficial for a healthy living environment - it is a natural air purifier and reduces stress levels. These facts make the Calathea the perfect green cohabitant.

I particularly admire the beneficial effects of the Calathea for the home and its dwellers. It is one of the most important facts why I love house plants. Yes, they are very trendy at the moment, yes, most of them look very decorative. But above all plants are healthy for us. They make our home not only beautiful but healthier by purifying the air we breathe, regulating the level of humidity and lowering our stress level. No wonder that on weekend all I want is to relax next to my house plants and read a book - this has a soothing and calming effect on me after a busy week.

The Calathea loves a warm and humid environment in semi-shaded interiors. Keep the soil of your Calathea humid without dammed-up water, clean the leaves regularly from the dust and - if it's too dry - sprinkle the leaves with water from time to time. The Calathea will thank you with big and vibrant leaves with purifying abilities. Another specialty of this plant: during night its leaves are rolling up for rest while at daylight they unfold themselves to their full glorious beauty.

Letzten Monat habe ich eine neue monatliche Mini-Serie in Zusammenarbeit mit Pflanzenfreude.de ins Leben gerufen: 'Pflanze des Monats'. Im August haben wir uns der tollen Echeverie gewidmet und in diesem Monat steht alles im Zeichen der wilden Schönheit der Calathea. Die ursprünglich aus dem Amazonas stammende Pflanze hat auffällig gezeichnete und gemusterte Blätter in verschiedenen Farbtönen. Die Calathea ist aber nicht nur dekorativ als Zimmerpflanze - sie besticht vor allem durch gesundheitsfördernde Faktoren: Sie ist ein aktiver Lufterfrischer und reduziert nachweislich Stress. Somit ist sie der perfekte grüne Mitbewohner für die eignen vier Wände.

Gerade diese Faktoren für ein gesundes Wohnklima begeistern mich bei der Calathea. Ja, Zimmerpflanzen sind gerade wieder absolut im Trend und ja, Zimmerpflanzen sehen sehr dekorativ aus. Aber vor allem sind Zimmerpflanzen gut für unsere Gesundheit und unser Wohnklima. Sie reinigen die Luft, regulieren die Feuchtigkeit and verringern unser Stresslevel. Gerade am Wochenende liebe ich es mich mit einem Buch an der Seite meiner Zimmerpflanzen zu entspannen - das hat eine unglaublich beruhigende Wirkung auf mich, besonders nach einer stressigen Arbeitswoche.

Die Calathea ist eine recht unkomplizierte Zimmerpflanze. Sie liebt es feuchtwarm und halbschattig. Sie mag stets feuchte Erde ohne Staunässe und die großen Blätter sollten immerzu mit einem feuchten Tuch vom Staub befreit werden. Falls es in den eigenen vier Wänden zu trocken ist (gerade im Winter), genügt es die Blätter der Calathea von Zeit zu Zeit mit Wasser zu besprühen. Die schöne Calathea hält aber auch noch eine weitere Überraschung parat: Am Tag erstrahlen die Blätter der Calathea in voller Pracht, während sie sich am Abend knisternd zusammenrollen für die Nachtruhe. 

Photography by Igor Josifovic, image of leaves via Pflanzenfreude.de

This post was supported by Pflanzenfreude.de

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