Happy Interior Blog Recommends: Blog Boss

Today's blog recommendation is a very special one. It is not a new product to decorate or furnish your home, but it is something to boost your blog and blogging skills (if you are a blogger of course). It's now almost three years ago that I embarked on the journey of blogging on Happy Interior Blog. It was not without any thoughts and hesitation that I started my blog. I raised many questions to myself: Will I have the time to do it with a full time job? Will I have anything interesting to tell? How will I be able to stand out of the existing blog crowd? How will I create content on an ongoing basis? How will I motivate myself all the time? Many questions, many thoughts!

It was then that I decided to attend an e-course called 'Blogging Your Way' by one of the leading decor bloggers worldwide, Holly Becker of decor8. This online course has really made me realize that a real blogger lies within me, that there are tangible tips and tricks how to answer all those raised questions and how to make your way in the bloggersphere. I was motivated and I felt ready to kick off. The result is this very blog that you are reading right now. A blog that brings joy and happiness to me every day. And I hope that a bit of this happiness shines through to each and every of my readers.

Now if you are a blogger and you want to boost your blogging skills, I want to recommend the new advanced course by Holly Becker called 'Blog Boss'. Lessons on marketing, writing, monetizing or work-life-balance are part of the course's curriculum. The e-course will start on October 10th and lasts for one month. You can read more about it and register HERE.

I really recommend you do this course if you feel like you want to take your blog to the next level. In this sense: Happy hump day and happy blogging!

Photography via decor8

Tweet

Why This Room Caught My Eye

Styling a bedroom can be very fun. Some like it very calm and serene, others like it more eclectic and vibrant. I think I tend to be somewhere in between with an ongoing desire to switch from one end to the other. In my bedroom I decided to paint the pitched roof wall behind my bed in a very dark grey to create a cosy sleeping nook as my apartment tends to be very bright and light-flooded. The above shown bedroom might have the same issue. But no matter what the reason was, I think the dark blue wall behind the bed is just fabulous! But let's break it down into three major eye-catchers:

• Blue Feature Wall: As said, I am in love with this dark blue feature wall. I might opt for such a hue when I get tired of my grey wall in my bedroom.
• House Plants: Decorating with house plants in the bedroom is another visual highlight here. In fact, house plants are beneficial in the bedroom as they purify the air and release more oxygen for a relaxed sleep.
• Vintage Portrait: The vintage portrait above the bed adds some more drama and perfectly works with the dark blue hue. Combined with the vintage books this looks like a wonderful bedroom nook to relax, unwind and sleep in.

What bedroom type are you? Clean and serene or eclectic and colourful?

Photography via Apartment Therapy

Tweet

From Place To Space: Totokaelo In Seattle

As an avid traveler I have lots of things on my itineraries when visiting new countries and cities. One of the must-visits are local design shops with inspiring and unique home accessories and design pieces. During my last trip to Seattle one of those design stores on my itinerary was 'Totokaelo'. This cool store with its peculiar name holds a fantastic range of special and unique homewares and an extended range of fashion. 

Japanese textiles, locally made ceramics, vintage rugs, design books - the range of products is very inspiring and makes it very difficult to leave the store empty-handed. If you like to pair your interior decor shopping with some fashion shopping, you just have to enter the rear part or the basement of the store - various design labels and cool pieces will satisfy your fashion loving heart too.

Even though I was in a bit of a rush while visiting 'Totokaelo' (I was on my way to Mount Rainier), I couldn't help but snap a few pictures for you my dear readers. And if you ever happen to visit the fantastic emerald city of Seattle, don't miss a stop over at 'Totokaelo' - you will not regret it!

Totokaelo, 1523 10th Avenue, Seattle

Photography by Igor Josifovic

Tweet

New Interior Book + Giveaway

My friend and fellow blogger Stefanie Luxat comes with many talents. As a journalist, as an interior stylist, as a wedding expert and businesswoman. Yes, I think she's quite a woman. So it was just a question of time when she'll publish an interior book (after her successful wedding book) and - drumroll - here it is! The German title reads 'Wie eine Wohnung ein Zuhause wird', literally translated as 'How an Apartment turns into a Home'. So let's have a little peek into the book of homes.

What I like about interiors is the story of its owners. I try to 'read' the interiors and imagine the dwellers, their character and lifestyle. Stefanie's book tells this stories by portraying the home owners and introducing us to their abodes. 

In her new book she not only presents inspiring interiors and personalities, she also shares decoration and styling tips for your home, shopping addresses for home accessories and DIY ideas. As a book focusing on the visual aesthetic of interiors, it is dominated by beautiful, full page photographies. Oh and last but not least: I like the book because it is a slice of real life. Admittedly, beautiful and stylish real life, but real. Not overly decorated and styled. Just as beautiful as life gets in our everyday adventures.

If you read/understand German, get a copy of 'Wie eine Wohnung ein Zuhause wird', published by Callwey, HERE. And no matter what language you understand, if you like to win one copy of this interior book just leave a comment under this blogpost and tell me what makes your apartment a real home? Join in - the giveaway is open for a week and the winner will be chosen randomly.

Happy reading & good luck!

Photography by Brita Sönnichsen via Callwey

Tweet

Interior Design Algebra: Pattern + Colour + Plant

Algebra is not as boring as it seems. It just depends on what kind of arithmetic items you choose. In my case I like to add, substract, multiply or divide with interior design and decoration elements. Today's equation is a very simple yet effective one: Add one unit of patterns to a nice unit of colour and add another item from the plant section and the result will be visual splendor. 

As simple as it gets, right? What is your personal interior design and decoration formula?

Photography via The Citizenry

Tweet

Happy Interior Blog Recommends...

As an interior design blogger I am always pondering various options when it comes to interiors - obviously, right? One of those options are wallpapers. Some like them. Some hate them. Some say they are old-fashioned. Others say they are trending and cool. No matter what stance we take, they are out there - and if it anything to go by the current wallpaper designs on the market, I'd rather believe the latter crowd. 

I think wallpaper come in beautiful designs, qualities and textures today. They are a great way to add visual impact in interiors though they have to be carefully selected and considered. And long gone are the days when it was a social duty to plaster every single wall in the home with wallpaper. Today many opt for striking feature walls - a great way to emphasize or visually structure a room.

One of my favorite paint brands, Farrow & Ball, have launched a brand new range of four Japanese inspired wallpaper designs. I assume you will agree with me if I say these designs are not vibrant, not flashy, not dominant. Instead these designs seem to root in history, Japanese craftsmanship to be precise, they seem to be soothing and calming. They sort of go with the current season. They unveil a richness in pattern and structure when viewed close-by, they seem to blur and balance when looked at from afar. 

So if you happen to look for wallpaper designs for any upcoming interior or DIY project, you might want to have a closer look at the latest Farrow & Ball wallpaper selection. 

Photography via Farrow & Ball

Tweet

Why This Room Caught My Eye

Autumn has kicked in with full force here in Germany. The mornings are chilly, the days fresh and the nights crisp. I like the change of season and early autumn is a wonderful season when we slide from warm to fresh - you know, the moment when you take out your warm blanket for the first time after a few months. When you prepare a warm tea and snuggle up with your favorite book. This must have been in my mind when I stumbled over this comfy reading nook.

I was instantly drawn into this reading nook by its sophisticated simplicity. It sort of features the bare musts for a reading nook: a comfy seating, light, some art to inspire your mind and some greens to remind us of the ongoing life. But let me break it down in three main eye-catchers:

• Comfy Chair & Ottoman: This chair and ottoman look super comfy and designy at the same time. Plus the soft cream hue and leather finishing looks extraordinary and lush for a great reading nook.
• Natural Hues: Keeping a reading corner in natural hues sets the calming tone for mental elaboration. Soft beige hues, wooden accents, greens and blues have a balancing and calming effect.
• Green Terrarium: I love to place a plant next to an area where I like to unwind and relax. It brings in the living nature, it grounds myself and it makes me value our life and our planet as a whole. Not to mention that it looks awesomely cool. But that's another story.

Would you sit down and read a book in this reading nook?

Photography by Jeremy Bittermann via Domaine

Tweet