A Design Walk In London

The British Week on Happy Interior Blog continues. Today I'd like to make you feel the 'design pulse' of one of London's super popular neighbourhoods, Notting Hill. During the 'Meet the Blogger' conference in London I was very happy to join the fabulous design walk organised by the impeccable London coinnesseur Tina Bernstein.

Above all I want to thank Tina for the decent starting time - 1 p.m. was just about acceptable for a morning grouch like moi. Just in time we flocked around our style sheppard in the Tom Dixon store at the Docks and followed her along like a little chicken family all the way through Notting Hill and Portobello district.

Our next stop over were the vintage stores Phoenix on Golborne and Les Couilles du Chien - realy treasure troves for vintage loving hearts. We wandered along, passed by the cool and urban Pizza East restaurant with its weathered blue Tolix chairs (snap, snap) and arrived at the fabulous and colourful Pedlars boutique. Free coffee to warm our hands and bodies, a healthy dose of vibrant colours to please our eye and super friendly staff who introduced us to the store's concept and product lines. We loved it!

Warmed up and already loaded with shopping bags, we continued our design tour to yet another highlight, Ceramica Blue. If you love ceramics then this is the place to stop and shop! The shop owner was super friendly and offered an extra 15 % discount so I couldn't help it but add yet another shopping bag to my lugagge.

SCP was our next stop - the big and bright streetside store with lots of design classics was another visual highlight. Fibreglass Eames chairs in retro colours, soft and fluffy sofas in green and blue, Donna Wilson cushions and String wall units made us think about travelling back home with bulky lugagge. Yet another presentation of the store's philosophy, concept and product range gave us valuable insights into SCP. Chapeau!

Last but not least, we visited the headquarters of made.com. Their showroom on the 9th floor revealed stunning sights everywhere - the London skyline all around and fabulous sofas, coffee tables, chairs in the showroom itself. A young and dynamic team welcomed us with bubbles and snacks and a little tour made me almost click on the order button on my iPad - but alas, they do not deliver to Germany. Yet. I'll stay tuned.

With this post I am signing off till next Wednesday my friends. I am off to a little design & holiday trip. You know, I need more content for my upcoming 'From Place To Space' post so stay tuned. If you want to see where I am heading to later today, follow me on Instagram for on-the-go snaps in a new metropolis.

Big hugs to everyone!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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5 Happy Inspirations: Etsy UK Picks

We continue with our 'British Week' on Happy Interior Blog. All eyes on the Brits and their creativity! Ever since I attended last year's London Design Festival I am convinced that the UK is a leading design nation full of creativity. But it's not only professional design that sets the tone. The Brits rock it all the way - from handmade goodies to refined interior design. For today's '5 Happy Inspirations' lets have a closer look at some great picks from the Etsy UK shops. Drum roll, please:

1. Nobody does retro as the Brits do. How about this retro inspired rain print by Eloise Renouf? At least it reminds us that there are no rainy days in a happy home!
2. Speaking of retro - the mid-century day bed sofa by Hopper & Space is a flirty fellow and a 'coup de coeur' for colour lovers.
3. The view of the calm sea is soothing and balancing - and incredibly stylish above a sofa in the living room or above your bed. Seen at Ribbon Squirrel.
4. The handpulled Scandinavian fish screen is in fact - British! Handmade by the fab British artist Jane Foster. 
5. Playful, cute and oh so trendy. The linen tote bag with neon knitted bottom is an eye-catcher for your next home decoration shopping spree. Guaranteed! Seen at Memake.

Which one would you give the Brit Award to?

Photography via Etsy UK

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Why This Room Caught My Eye

Yesterday I took you to London to join in the fun I had while attending the 'Meet the Blogger' conference. Later this week I will take you on our 'design tour' through Portobello and Notting Hill, that was part of the blogger conference, too. Hence, I've decided to make this a UK week on Happy Interior Blog. The 'Happy Brits Awards' if you want so. 

We won't move to far thus - we will stay in London and I want to draw your attention to the highlights that caught my eye in the living room of the British designer Harriet Anstruther. The mid-19th century house in London has lots to offer (more HERE) but the living room really caught my eye. Here is why:

• Fiery, pink velvet sofa: One accent piece of furniture can set the entire tone of a room. In this case, the fiery, pink velvet sofa has a strong visual power and speaks of the creative minds living in this home. Its colour is reflected in the cushion on the other sofa and caught up by the large scale art above it.
• Large scale art: This is the next highlight. A grand room calls for grand art. Here, the colourful painting adds interest and drama to the room and creates a sort of 'colourful cell' with the sofa.
• Bay Window: For someone living in Germany, bay windows are a sheer highlight to me. They are not common at all here and every time I'm in the UK, I like to peek through the bay windows in the happy homes of the Brits.

Happy Tuesday, folks!

Photography via T Magazine

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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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