Exclusive Interview: Trine Andersen, Founder Of ferm LIVING

Last summer, during my visit to the DesignTrade show in Copenhagen, I was happy to be invited by ferm LIVING to a blogger breakfast at their fair booth. In the early morning hour, before the door opened, we had the exclusive opportunity to have a proper look at the new MORE collection and chit chat with the founder and creative mind of ferm Living, Trine Andersen. I used the momentum for a little, personal interview with Trine, a charming and super successful lady, who started out with an idea and made ferm LIVING a worldwide known, iconic Danish homewares brand. Enjoy the following interview with Trine Andersen. 

Trine, tell us a bit about your background and how you got the idea to found a design label?
Trine: I worked as an art director in both advertising and fashion before starting ferm LIVING. But it was always my dream to have my own business, so in 2005 I started out as a freelance art director working with different clients. The idea of starting my own brand came after we were looking for some wallpaper for our new house. We couldn't really find the right design for us, so I thought there's probably also other people with the same issue as us. So I started out making 10 different wallpaper designs and presented them on the Formland fair in Herning in spring 2006.

How did you come up with the name and the logo? What does ferm mean and what's the meaning of the little bird in your logo?
Trine: The name 'ferm' was actually inspired by my grandmother. When she said that someone was 'ferm på fingrene' - i.e. skilled with their hands, literally 'good with their fingers' - it was high praise indeed. The bird is on the logo because before I started ferm, I decided to visit a clairvoyant mostly for fun, who saw a little bird sitting confused on a branch, not knowing which way to fly. I saw that as an indicator to start ferm LIVING. And the little bird would sit perfectly on top of the company logo.

How were the early days of ferm LIVING? With what products did you start?
Trine: As you already know, I started out with 10 different wallpaper designs. After one year more products came to life, wallstickers, cushions, tea towels etc. Now there are a bit more than 600 different products in the collection.

It is amazing to hear tha you started with a few wallpaper designs and are nowadays worldwide known as an iconic Scandinavian design brand. Tell us a bit more about your new collection named MORE.
Trine: The idea behind the MORE concept is to show that we are fully devoted to our products, suppliers and customers. We work hard to give the products that extra MORE. We put MORE edge, MORE effort, MORE delicate materials, MORE sophisticated structures, MORE creativity in everything we do.

Which is your favorite piece of the MORE collection?
Trine: Hmm, there are lot of good items this time. But I am especially glad with the Wall Wonder products (lamps, clocks and mirrors) we made this season.

We've seen that ferm LIVING evolved from a few wallpaper designs into a design label with all kind of goods for happy homes. Do you have plans to extend your portfolio in the near future?
Trine: Yes, we continue to move forward into other categories of design products but it's too early to say what... :-)

Thank you Trine for this interview and some personal insights into the history of ferm LIVING. As someone with marketing and PR background I know how important it is to stick to correct brand names and spellings, but this one time I would say I could rename this adorable Danish design brand into ferm LOVING. 

Happy Friday, friends!

P.S. We had lots of fun during our blogger breakfast as you can see on the pic that I snapped of my friends Gerard, Nina and Allan. 

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Happy Interior Blog Recommends...

If I sailed the world, I would bring home memorabilia from all the places I visited. I would pack nautical bed linens from the stormy English coast, a macrame wall hanging from Latin America, an iron armillary sphere from Arabia, a ceramic vase from India, an oil painting from North America, and little Nordic bowls from Scandinavia. 

I would wrap up everything firmly and safely, and sail back to my safe haven, my happy home. I would unpack all far traveled souvenirs with the utmost care and euphoric joy and place them in my humble abode. I will look at them and remember the adventures, the pleasures, dangers, and discoveries I made all around the world. And I will be happy.

Now, since I have no budget money or time wise, I set off to sail the world wide web and collect precious treasures for our happy homes. And this is my far clicked loot:

1. Whitby bed linen by Mini Moderns
2. Wall hanging 'Joshua' by Kate Bieschke via Isosceles
3. Iron Armillary Sphere via Isosceles
4. Ceramic vase via Isosceles
5. 'All Together' art print by Kiki & Polly via Etsy
6. Nordic bowls by Broste Copenhagen via Tujuh.de

What would you bring from your adventure around the world? Happy hump day!

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New Community For Design Aficionados - Woont

Once I heard that the essence of blogging is sharing. Ideas, inspiration, emotions, pictures, words - we create a community by blogging what really interests and fascinates us. But in the world wide web we get to know the true promise of online communities for every interest or taste. Now since we talk about interior design, interior styling and home decoration here, it is more than normal that I will use this introduction to lead you to today's news - a new international online community for interior design fans, bloggers and professionals: woont.com.

Woont.com is Munich based, created and headed by design passionate Dirk Wermuth and brand new - the community opened its doors this October and has set high goals: to satisfy the design aficionado out there in front of the screens. But before you judge and say 'one more community, well...' let's give the idea a chance and find out what the benefits of woont.com are.

The community's claim is 'Love Your Home' and I am absolutely with them on that. I actually registered (it's free of course) in order to get a real impression of the community. You can set up a profile quickly and then upload your own pictures of your home or public places (like restaurants, hotel rooms etc.). You can describe each room and tag furniture pieces and décor objects. You can state the designer's or brand's name, the product name, add a short description and add a link to an online shop. A great way to help users browsing the pictures to know the products shown and find a quick online shopping opportunity. That is actually my favorite point of woont.com - it so often happens that I spot a nice interior shot and wonder where the lamp, the rug, the sofa, the chair is from. Who's the designer? Where can I buy it? The online community has laid claim to answer these questions.

Moreover, the community not only features a user generated area but also an editorial part. The editorial team scouts inspiring rooms, tags brands, designer names, sets up designer profiles, adds public spaces and runs a blog - currently the team is working day and night on extending the already existing data base of more than 22.000 designers, brands, producers, furniture pieces. And everything is offered in three languages currently, more languages are to be launched soon. 

So whether you are just a design lover looking for inspiration, a design blogger who wants to share his home and ideas, or a professional seeking brands, designers and names for upcoming design projects, woont.com is a new community to consider. Give it a try!

P.S. German readers listen up: Woont.com currently runs a competition with Connox and you can win up to 1.000 Euros worth design shopping vouchers. Join in HERE until November 31st!

Photography via woont.com

This post is kindly sponsored by woont.com

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5 Happy Inspirations: Nordic Vibe For Your Home

With the hot July days and nights here in Munich, I have started to dream of cool breezes, chilly eves, the shimmering blue hues of the North. I know, summer is perfect and wonderful, it would just be perfect-er if I were on the shores of the sea or somewhere else. But not working in the city. In a hot rooftop apartment. That's why I am daydreaming of a nordic vibe for my home.

I am thinking of a refreshing palette of dusky blues, soft greys, whites and natural materials. Well, it's easier to depict my ideas than to describe it with words so I've curated five inspirations for a nordic vibe in your home. I couldn't pick one single thing, as greedy as I am, I'd take all of them! Do you have a favorite?

Oh, and happy hump day!

1. Bloomingville String light via Tujuh; 2. Bloomingville bench via Car Möbel; 3. Vases by Broste Copenhagen; 4. Blue cushion by Broste Copenhagen; 5. Ish blanket via Tomorrow Licious.

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Joining The #2Flowergirls - With Garden Roses

There will be two groups of readers today - the ones who know about the #2Flowergirls and the others who don't know anything about this fun monthly blog series. Actually, the two flowergirls are my friends and floral bloggers Elodie and Inga and they joined forces a few months ago and created a monthly series called #2Flowergirls with a changing floral topic. Each month is dedicated to a certain flower and bloggers are invited to join the fun with their interpretation. July is the month of the fragrant garden rose. And it is the first time I am properly joining this series as a 'flowerboy' with a happy interpretation of garden roses.

As usual I am juggling too many projects simultaneously, so when I decided to join in the flower fun I just had to think of ways to raise my efficiency. It was two days ago that I had an invitation to a blogger event here in Munich (I will blog about that soon) and I was asked to bring along some props for shelf styling. Since I was working all day in the office, the only thing I brought along from home was my favorite vase from Paris. On the rush from the office to the event location I stopped at the florist's and spotted the very last bunch of delicate garden roses. It was then when the efficiency thought clicked - bunch bought, styled up with some borrowed props at the blogger event and afterwards I snapped some more pictures for today's post. Voilà - this is not only a floral post, but also an efficiency post:-)

I hope you like my flower interpretation with a French vibe here. Let me know your thoughts! More roses on the #2Flowergirls Pinterest board HERE.

Happy Thursday!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Cheer Up Your Walls With Pixers

I am (still) living in an apartment with all white walls. Still. I have intentions to change that soon. One option to spice up a happy home is - for example - a feature wall. This could be achieved either by painting only one wall or by wallpapering it. Even though 'wallpapering' tends to sound a bit scary like 'lots of work, permanent, prone to quality mistakes, etc.', in times with wall murals, decals and other solutions these issues have been overcome. 

A young and thriving company called Pixers has made it their mission to fight sad and ugly walls mutilated by miserable copies of famous paintings and alike. So they founded Pixers and today they offer thousands of wall murals, decals, posters and stickers to cheer up any wall.

Currently, two new trend collections have been launched: PastelLOVE, inspired by the geometric shapes of modern design from the 70s. The patterns have been subsequently mixed with trendy pastel tints creating a vibrant effect. The second collection is called Neon Glow and encompasses wall murals and decals in vivid and flashy colours to create an atmosphere of crazy summer holidays (since there is no summer outside - at least here - this sounds pretty inviting to me).

What do you think of those crazily funky designs? Would you be brave enough to cheer up a wall?

Photography via Pixers

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5 Happy Inspirations: Bodie And Fou

Hello friends! After a few days without blogging I am back and full with new inspirations and ideas for more happiness at home. Some of you might know that I spent the last weekend in London attending the 'Meet The Blogger' conference. I had the great honour to finally meet one of my favorite stylists and shop owners in person, Karine Candice Kong of the sublime 'Bodie and Fou' online store. We laughed along, chatted along and I can say - we really clicked! 

For quite a while I was actually flirting with the exquisite linen beddings from 'Bodie and Fou'. The new colour range finally made me give in - I've order the blue linen bedding for more morning happiness in my bed! So I thought it might be a cool idea to share my five favorite finds from the new spring/summer 2013 range of 'Bodie and Fou'. So here they are. Oh, and don't forget to tell me what is your favorite?

1. Natural Basket; 2. Blue linen bedding; 3. Wooden chopping boards; 4. Orange wire pendant light; 5. Turquoise industrial stool 'Have a Seat'.

Happy hump day!

Photography via Bodie and Fou

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5 Happy Inspirations: Etsy Five

Two weeks ago I scouted five goodies from the cute webshop 'Der Kleine Bazar' followed by five finds from the fab 'Human Empire Shop' last weekend. Today, I'm sharing five happy finds from the inexhaustibly inspiring realm of Etsy. 

I guess most of you can relate to this behaviour: Usually I receive a newsletter from Etsy, I click, click again...and I am lost. Lost in inspiration (not necessarily translation). I love how I every click leads me to a new discovery and new Etsy shop. This way I've discovered many creative shops from all around the world. Well, for today I've selected five happy finds - all of which I'd order in a minute. If I had more money. And more space. Help me out here with my excuses. Otherwise...I will just click. Again!

1. Colourful cushions by Butterscotch & Beesting; 2. Vintage southwestern wall hanging by Vintage Marmalade; 3. Mint green ceramic elephant by Claylicious; 4. Purple feature chair by Chair Revival; 5. Colourful patterned plates by Butterscotch & Beesting.

Photography via Etsy

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Why This Room Caught My Eye

As some of you know, yesterday and today I am updating myself on furniture design and interior design trends at the international furniture fair imm in Cologne. I will update you very soon with my new discoveries and blogger meet-ups. In the meantime you can follow me along on Twitter and Instagram. 

To keep up with the Tuesday tradition of inspiring rooms, I am sharing another room with you that caught my eye. And here are three immediate reasons why I was drawn to this interior design:

• Personal collection: Personal collections grouped into galleries are one of the best ways to add interest to a home and reveal a bit of the owner's character and passions.
• Multiple home textiles: Play with home textiles! Multi-layer various colours, patterns and fabrics to structure and create haptic highlights.
• Green plants: Greenery is excellent to breathe life and nature into a room. Choose the plant size adequately to your room's size and think of the right place considering natural light.

What caught your eye in this room?

Photography by Sean Fennessy for The Design Files

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A 40 Square Meters Bachelor Pad

It's not always size that matters. Do I hear giggles? Well of course I am talking about interior design. A cosy and comfy home can be realized even on a limited space. Now, with growing numbers of single households and small (and expensive) urban apartments, the challenge for smart yet stylish interior design is omnipresent. I am the living proof! I am dwelling on 32 square meters above the roofs of Munich's Old Town and I am very challenged with combining usability of space and a cosy home feeling. While surfing the web for inspiring small apartment designs, I've stumbled over this super cool and urban bachelor pad in Brazil. 40 square meters are excellently laid out in this São Paulo home. A living room, a work space, a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom - all fitted into 40 square meters without creating a feeling of clutter or messiness. The use of white on walls and wall mountings as well as a smart use of the wall and ceiling space has even created a parking nook for the owner's bike. How dandy is that? 

Photography by Luis Gomes via Casa.com.br

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All About Nesting: My Guest Picks

What would you do if a design retailer told you to browse their shop and pick your favorite 25 goodies to style up your home? You would't say no, would you? Well, truth be told, I wasn't actually running through a store and picking 25 design items for my home (uhm, you remember my apartment's size, I couldn't even fit in 25 design items). But when the British interiors store Nest asked me to present my guest picks on their site, I wasn't hesitating a minute! After all, I love everything nice and beautiful for a personalized interior design. I love the great assortment of designs offered at Nest - whether it's the big names of furniture design or unconventional, young creatives: Nest offers a wide array of products for a happy home, from large furniture pieces to little cute home accessories.

So if you wonder what I've picked as my 25 highlights and if you wanna read the full interview, just click here. Hope you gonna like it as much as I do. Oh, and by the way: Do you have a particular favorite out of my picks?

Photography via Nest

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Home Tour: Welcome To My Home!

I've promised it for quite a while: a little home tour of my tiny rooftop apartment. Well, welcome to my home, friends! I am sharing a few snaps of my abode here and hope you gonna like it.

My flat is really small - I call 32 square meters my home so you can imagine that I am always challenged when it comes to new buys or rearranging my stuff. My living room and bedroom are adjacent and connected by a round arch. These are the main areas of my daily life whereas the more practical spaces like kitchen and bathroom are very tiny and rather utilitarian in the back of my flat. I have no particular style in my home, it is more like myself: a bit of this, a bit of that!

Sometimes I feel like I would love to live in a bigger apartment. On the other hand, I like the cosiness and intimacy of my small home. Moreover, it is great to be challenged when it comes to interior design and home decoration: I avoid too much clutter and try to find creative ways to reinterpret the small space. 

So, what do you think of it? Anything you like or dislike in particular? Anything you would change? Let me know!

Styling & photography by Will Taylor and Igor Josifovic

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