Happy Interior Blog Recommends...

The search for the perfect sofa can take you all around the globe. The hunt for the perfect armchair can make you browse the web for days. A new graphic print for the wall? Hours of Pinterest surfing are the result! Yes, I am not different than most of you. Luckily I have my regular blog series 'Happy Interior Blog recommends...' so here are this week's finds of my ongoing surfing endeavor in the world wide web:

1. Wilfred sofa by Jardan: For this fantastic sofa I'd travel all the way to Melbourne, where it comes from. Such a hot Aussie!

2. Crystal illustration by German design studio Garden01 via Newniq: This cool urban illustration is now exclusively on sale on Newniq, a Berlin based online platform for one-of-a-kind design pieces sold in limited numbers for a limited time span. So if you like this illustration, go and grab it at Newniq. 

3. 1960s vintage armchair by Hook & Eye: The vintage armchair is called 'Silent Paula' and is sold reupholstered by the Germany based design studio Hook & Eye, specialized in upholstery of vintage cocktail chairs from the 1960s.

4. Vintage vase from La Mesa: This beautiful vintage vase is sold by my friend Sabine in her wonderful online store La Mesa. 

5. Last Look Mirror via Moorea Seal: Such a beautiful, vintage looking mirror to adorn your hallway or bathroom - found at Moorea Seal.

Happy shopping & happy hump day!

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Happy Interior Blog Recommends...

I'll tell you a little TV Story today. Now as someone who likes interior design and styling and someone who also shoots his apartment, I always find it terribly difficult to photograph the corner  with my TV. Maybe I just don't have a fancy TV. Or maybe I just don't know how to properly style and photograph that corner. Anyways. Recently I was talking with one of my friend who works for a home entertainment brand about the fact that many people don't have TVs at home but rather watch their favorite movies and series on their laptops. Sounds good but still - I really appreciate my TV for a good movie night at home.

You cuddle up with your cushions (like the fun new ones by Berlin based label 'Bermuda') on your sofa (like the North sofa by Bolia), you prepare a few snacks and drinks (on happy tableware by Skandinavisk) and you switch on your TV - better yet, you activate your entertainment center like the brand new BeoVision Avant by Bang & Olufsen. I mean this is really like a little home cinema - super flat screen, sleek design, unfolding sound panel and more. Admittedly, the price tag is cinematic too - I think my entire furnishing at home won't come up to this TV's price but sometimes you just have to treat your cinemaniac soul, right? 

Are you a fan of movie nights at home?

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Happy Interior Blog Recommends...

Have you set your new year resolution? Does any of them refers to your home? Any plans for changes in your home in 2014? Maybe you want to declutter? To restyle a certain room? To add colour? To reduce colour? Well, no matter what your home resolution is, you can always count on Happy Interior Blog for a wide range of product recommendations - whether it's furniture, home accessories or home textiles, I just need to share some of my favorites with you! 

Today's selection is influenced by my recent visit to Berlin and a touch of alpine inspiration - I hope you will feel a bit inspired! Here's what I found:

1./2./3. Cooper sofa, Furnitive 'Colour' cushion and votives all by 'Fashion for Home'
4. 'Alpina' wooden chair by milanari.com
5. Skewed octagon table runner by Leif Shop

Happy hump day everyone!

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Before & After: Home Styling Part One

There is a wonderful French proverb saying: 'Il vaut mieux un petit chez soi, qu'un grand chez les autres.' It means basically: There's no place like (our own small) home. Particularly true in my case when I think of my shoebox sized apartment. But creating a personal, warm and comfy home is not a matter of size - with a few tricks and tweaks every home can have that personal touch. 

As I mentioned yesterday, I am currently enrolled in an interior styling online class taught by the impeccable Queen of the Jungalow, Justina Blakeney. Styling the own place (or any other home) can sometimes be really tricky. So I've decided to take the course and learn something from the experienced pro. And it proved to be very helpful. After a short theoretical introduction embracing the '8 principles of styling' we were quickly asked to embark on our very own interior styling adventure. The first task was to take before pics of five key areas of our homes. And then we kicked off. First stop: coffee table and sofa styling.

Since my place is tiny and I have no extra storage room I tend to keep it rather sorted and uncluttered at home. Moreover, I've decided to work with what I've got at home. So no extra expenses. Rather some reshuffling and rearranging of accessories. So no too drastic changes.

My living room has a rather muted colour scheme, grey, black, white with some pops of colours. My vintage kilim cushions set the tone and so I've interpreted the coffee table in a similar manner: I added a bunch of fresh white ranunculus in a textured, handmade stone vase, a small pile of similarly coloured books balanced the table setting topped by a bit of 'bling' - an old Moroccan silver box. The Marimekko plate ties the mixed 'ethnic meets Scandi' style together and reflects the rug's rich pattern. Plus it comes in handy to drop little things and keep them in one spot.

The sofa was slightly restyled. I swapped the grey cushion with a white one plus I added my vintage Handira cushion from Morocco which added a hint of bling. All this was finalized by adding a touch of liveliness - an open book on the sofa and a pair of Converse. Voilà!

I must say I was rather happy with the outcome of my first round of restyling. I would really love to hear your opinion so make sure to share your view points in the comments. 

Next week I will continue with the second part - the styling of my console and bookshelf. 

Happy Thursday!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Why This Room Caught My Eye

Do we share the same weird experience? I refer to that feeling when we enter a home or a single room for the first time and we get hooked by a few salient interior design details and can't help but admire them repeatedly (and sometimes ask the host or owner about the origins, the inspiration, the source etc.). Well, this happens quite often to me. Sometimes it is something very general like a special wall paint or flooring, other times it is a tiny little detail, like a decorative element or an art piece. This was actually the idea behind my Tuesday series 'Why This Room Caught My Eye'. So here is another web finding that caught my eye and these are the three reasons why I got hooked by this room:

• Open fireplace: I have never lived in an apartment with a fireplace so I get instantly exciting when I spot a fireplace. Especially such a stylish open one like here.
• Soft colour palette: I really like the soft colour palette in this room. Dusky pink, bright beige, grey and brown hues create a harmonious entity in this romantic room.
• Tactile surfaces: The use of various fabrics and tactile surfaces makes the interior styling perfect. The soft rug, the furry pouf, the velvety cushions and sofa - who wouldn't love to cuddle up in this room?

Is this room catching your eye too?

Photography by Anne de Leeuw, styling by Marianne Luning, via vtwonen

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