Ready For Summer With West Elm

My favorite season of the year is right now, it's spring. One of the many reasons is also the pleasant anticipation of summer with its promise of warm summer nights, barbecues with friends, poolside fun and beach time. It also means making the home ready for summer - everything is airy and breezy, the colours are brighter and happier, there is a wonderful lightness in the air. West Elm is getting ready for summer too - with a bright and cheerful collection for the warm season of the year.

West Elm launches a great selection of outdoor furniture for your balcony, garden or veranda including some very beautiful mosaic bistro and coffee tables - I love the absolute summer vibe of the mosaic bistro tables, they remind me of summer fun on the Greek islands, don't you agree? But not only your outdoors will be beautifully equipped for summer, West Elm also offers a great range of furniture, home accessories and home textiles for your indoors. I love the Steven Alan striped collection of home textiles in particular - look at the gorgeous rug! And do I spot some Happy Interior Blog colours on the rug's diamond pattern?

Moreover West Elm features currently a great range of terrariums, planters (look at the fantastic mid-century turned leg planters) and small cacti and succulents. I need not mention how much I love that as an Urban Jungle Blogger, right?

I also had the great opportunity to attend a terrarium workshop at West Elm in London during our Bloggers Tour thanks to at{mine}, who invited us to create our own terrarium with West Elm. And yes, I was very proud of my little terrarium (as you can see) and I brought it back to Munich where it resides happily on my windowsill - awaiting summer just like me!

Photography by West Elm, last pic by Susanna Vento

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Urban Jungle Bloggers: Dress Up Your Plants!

It's time to green it up again, friends! Yes, the June edition of Urban Jungle Bloggers is upon us. On our topic this month is: Dress up your plants! Or simply put: Creative plant pot ideas to make your plants and your home happy. While I was searching for a good start to this blog post, I thought I could count my potted plants at home. Now here comes the short reminder that I live on 32 square meters and now guess the number! Ok, I have 26 potted plants at home. And all of them are dressed up in fun plant pots.

Given the limited space at home, I have prepared only three ideas for creative plant pot ideas to inspire your own urban jungle at home. So let's roll, shall we?

Idea 01: Leftover Mugs & Cups
I have a little issue with mugs. Whenever I discover a cool mug, I feel the uncontrollable urge to buy one. The result is a too big collection for my tiny kitchen. So last time I went through my kitchen I found one fun little mug that I bought at the Niagara Falls in Canada and used to store little sugar packages. And there was my first idea born: I thought it would look nice as a little planter. And I think it does. So go through your kitchen and get out those surplus mugs and cups and plant something nice in them!

Idea 02: Chalkboard Paint Pots
During my last London trip I shopped at the West Elm store and found fabulous planters covered with chalkboard paint in different colours. I had to buy a set of three pots and plant some greens in them. I love that you're able to write or draw something on each of them and thus make them even more individual. And no worries if you have no West Elm store around the corner - this is a pretty simple DIY idea, don't you think? Oh and if you wonder where that cute mouse/hedgehog planter is from - it's from West Elm, too!

Idea 03: Handmade Ceramic Bowls
This is the only project that I have not finished yet but I bought recently three very cute handmade ceramic bowls by the Icelandic ceramicist Bjarni Sigurdsson. They are so beautiful, especially since they're irregular in shape and glazing. I can see some miniature cacti or succulents in those but I haven't had the time to find new little plants to add them to these unique planters. Do you have any handmade ceramic pieces at home that are empty and unused? Add a plant to them!

I hope you feel a bit inspired after today's Urban Jungle Bloggers post - make sure you check out my friend Judith's post too for additional inspiration! Oh and all the other participating bloggers will be shared on our Facebook page and Pinterest board! Now it's your turn - dress up your plants!

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 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!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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New Outdoor Collection By Rowen & Wren

With improving weather conditions and my soft spot for urban gardens, I was more than smitten by the new outdoor collection of one of my favorite UK based homewares brand and online shop, Rowen & Wren. As part of the spring/summer 2014 collection, the new outdoor goodies will be soon available in their webshop.

Rowen & Wren managed to magically capture the outdoor collection through beautiful photography. Every image carries the promise of happiness in your own garden - be it an outdoor garden, a little balcony garden or even a small, urban indoor garden (which would be my case for example). The collection reflects all aspects of modern living and highlight the importance of living with the nature in our dwellings as part of a healthy and happy lifestyle.

As an Urban Jungle Blogger I feel inspired to add more greens this spring. And I think I might need one or two plant pots from Rowen & Wren's great outdoor collection. I particularly love the weathered looking plant pots and the glass domes.

Are you planning on adding greens to your home this spring? And what do you think of the collection? Let me know!

Happy weekend, friends!

Photography by Rowen & Wren

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