Happy Interior Blog Recommends...

Yesterday evening I had one of those random decoration attacks out of the blue. Oh, I love the expression 'out of the blue'. First of all I love the colour blue, and secondly it has a connection to my decoration attack: Since my living room is predominately decorated in grey, blue and dashes of yellow, I felt irritated by a couple of books with red covers on my sideboard. It was literally a disturbing fact so I had to get up and take out all the red books and pack them out of sight. Now I feel way happier.

When it comes to a sort of visual consistency, I think of my favorite German interior design studio: Studio Oink. And the best thing is that they recently launched an online shop called 'Studio Oink Selected' selling off some of the goodies they use for their stylings, mostly one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. So here comes my little board of recommendations from their current offer. I hope you will like it as much as I do!

1. Danish design plate
2. Enamel breakfast bowls
3. Glass vases
4. Vintage desk lamp
5. Vintage blankets
6. Vintage Danish vase

Happy hump day!

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Can A Bed Make Us (And Our Interiors) Happy?

Can a bed make us happy? A legitimate question, isn't it, especially for someone who tries to detect the happiness in our homes. Well, the answer could be unsurprisingly easy: Yes! Whenever we are dead tired, any bed will make us happy. When we sleep next to the person we love, any bed will make us happy. But let us go further in the consideration of a bed as a piece of furniture and thus a part of our very own interior design. 

A bed is the heart of a bedroom. And a bedroom is the most private of rooms in our home. Usually, our guests don't have access to our private and intimate haven called bedroom (apart from home tours). And the design and styling of a bedroom is hence a deeply private and intimate task. Everyone must answer a few questions: Do I like my bedroom to be a serene, neutral space where not only my body but also my senses come to rest? Or do I like a themed design because I feel all calm and balanced when I think of the sea and the beach for example? Whatever the decision is, it influences our choice of bedroom furniture, too.

Now I am a pretty happy guy I'd say (please confirm LOL) and I do love a good dash of colour myself. So when I got in touch with the Dutch bed manufacturer Auping (who are now a 'Happy Sponsor' too, see the little banner on the right), I was delighted to be introduced to their brand new bed 'Essential'. I was immediately smitten by the happy yellow bed - it ignited a spontaneous inspiration of creating a happy bedroom that would always make you smile when you go to bed and when you wake up. I imagine the bedroom to be a sunny and happy place no matter what the weather outside is. And after all, this seems like a good idea (at least for me) as I feel that getting up early in the morning is way easier when it's sunny and bright outside, right? And with a yellow bed, I fell like it would always be kind of sunny and bright in the bedroom!

Whether this bed would really make me happy or not, I will tell after I've seen and tested it a little bit. Later this summer I will head north to Hamburg to inspect this happy bed and will report back here to answer the question: Can a bed make us (an our interiors) happy? Stay tuned!

Photography via Auping

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Why This Room Caught My Eye

Sometimes we look with awe at fancy living rooms, swanky bedrooms, gleeful nurseries, colourful kitchens. But what about the hallway? Sometimes this link between rooms gets pretty neglected. It is this 'pass through' area that has to host many practical facilities and notoriously frequented by the owners, guests, kids. However, as much as it is important to link our entire home, it's also important to put some attention to its styling as it is the first impression people get when entering our home. So today's 'room' that caught my eye is actually a hallway. It is the hallway of LA based wardrobe stylist Shirley Kurata. This simple yet super happy hallway has not one but three aces:

• Yellow stairs: Can stairs get any happier? I mean seriously, who wouldn't love stark yellow winding stairs in his home?
• Greenery: Inside a home, plants do not only look decorative but they also act as natural humidifiers and refresh the air. And yes, they do please the eye!
• Patterned rug: To balance the stark colour blocking from the stairs, the owner has placed a patterned colourful rug in front of it. Its pattern and texture serve as the third ace and make this hallway a little masterpiece.

What caught your eye? And would you like such a hallway in your home?

Photography via Nothing Major

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5 Happy Inspirations: Let The Sunshine In!

Spring has sprung, my friends! Mild temperatures, blossoming nature, sunshine - it's time to stow away your thick blankets, warm rugs and winter decoration. Let the sunshine in! Open your window, take a deep breathe and celebrate spring - with these five happy inspirations for example.

1. Add colourful glass bottles in warm hues on a windowsill to play with the sunrays and multiply vernal light in your home.

2. Craspedia in a yellow striped vase? This screams springs!

3. How about a dash of sunlight on your furniture? Like on a sidetable? Westelm has the right cutie.

4. Invest in a few new cushions with warm, springlike colours. I love this one by Ferm Living.

5. What to do after sunset? Create your own artificial sunlight with this sleek pendant. 

Happy hump day!

Photography: Glass bottles by Karin Foberg via Ylva Skarp; Craspedia via Vartnya Hem; Sidetable via Westelm; Pillow via Ferm Living; Pendant Light via Iacoli & McAllister.

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Yellow Fellow!

November days can be really dull and gloomy. Grey and foggy weather, cold air, it's still dark when I get up early in the morning, it's night already when I leave the office. In a nutshell: These days I suffer of a considerable lack of light! I assume most of you living in similar climate zones can relate to this. Thus, I can't help but think of one colour: Yellow! So, I decided to become a 'yellow fellow'. It's amazing how this colour can bring sunlight, warmth and - yes, you guessed right - happiness to every home and place, interior or exterior. Whether it's a yellow painting, a yellow cushion, a few honey-coloured bowls or a yellow feature wall - it's that easy to boost my energy and happiness. While typing this blog post I am looking around in my apartment - currently I have a bunch of yellow flowers, yellow bed linens and a yellow dominated art print by Berlin based illustrator Olaf Hajek. Yes, I definitely am a 'yellow fellow'!

Photography: Melbourne pic via CubaGallery; pencils via thesetingstaketime; heart on wall via Design is Mine; yellow chair via weekdaycarnival; sidetable via sfgirlbybay; yellow deco setting via oh hello friend; yellow heater via Apartment Therapy; vase via Anthropologie; yellow desk and floral painting via Julie Hendriks Schilderijen; yellow painted wall via Desire to Inspire; yellow painting via mydesignchic

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