I talked about a mood board that I loved made by Dutch design duo Ina & Matt last year but was reminded of them and their work today from the lovely Ink+Wit blog. Ina & Matt are such a creative team, they create beautiful things that cover such a broad range from architecture to ad campaigns — I love some of their barn renovations, especially the kitchen spaces because all I think about lately is the kitchen since I’m currently working on mine. We won’t have a sink or cabinetry until November 10th! Thank goodness we will be in Morocco for 10 days and in Turkey for a week between now and then… These kitchens below are so enticing to me, now more than ever before…
The simplicity and warm, yet minimalistic approach above is soooo captivating, but equally stunning are the colorful arrangements of things below, don’t you think?
And this is when you combine color with a natural palette…
Dots of inspiration… This photo makes me happy, I want to sit on the floor and move these bits around to spell something or create my initials. :) We adults can be so boring, what every happened to playing on the floor anyway? This past week I sat on the floors so often cutting out fabric and measuring things on my mat – and it felt good to “play” like that.
This French kitchen below is great. One thing I want from Morocco is to eat something that was cooked in a tagine (I’ve never had food prepared like this before) and then, secondly, if I liked it — t buy a gorgeous creamy white or shiny black one for my home and cook foods using it in the future. This French kitchen has one sitting on the counter, do you see it? Have you ever eaten foods prepared in a tagine? I hope to learn a lot about Morocco when I am there soon… There is so much Moroccan influence in fashion and interiors, but to experience it all within its natural setting shall be quite an honor for me.
I loved looking at this flower photo above and then looking down to the office photo below… It is a lovely arrangement of things – first from nature, second from made made objects.
If I lived here I would definitely skate around to do my household tasks and to simply go from room to room during the day. Weeeee! I’d be bear hugging those beams a lot though, I love to skate but I fall quite a lot but with beams like that to grab onto I think could manage.
Back to my kitchen, so far I have a big Smeg cooker (90 cm wide — big for EU standards — I love it) but still no cabinetry or counters, not even a sink, so my home life is a bit chaotic now to say the least but in a weird way, it’s sort of fun to be floating around in my expectation bubble — it’s fun to be in anticipation, to be expecting, waiting — and so I’m waiting and having fun along the way because once it’s done, it’s done and so I’m trying to enjoy the process… But still, I do miss a kitchen sink (so much!).
(images: ina & matt)
I’ve really enjoyed our week together, thank you for your visits, comments and general amazingness! This week has been busy for me but I went and got myself a nasty little head cold so I had to lay low today as I’m finally starting to feel better after a week of moaning and whining… so I chilled a bit today because I need to get my energy up — I’m moving next week and so there is no time to be sick!
I found this image in the latest copy of VTWonen, a Dutch mag that I subscribe to, and I just love the idea of taking tears from magazines to form a house-shaped inspiration wall. Fun! It also put me into the “moving into a new house” mood. I went into the new place a few days ago to measure the windows and have a general look around and I left feeling so inspired and happy because I really “feel” this space. I need to pack and get things organized because I am just dying at this point to move in. So, that’s what I’ll be up to this weekend in addition to some fun social stuff that I have going on.
What about you? What will you do? Want to come help me pack? :)
See you on Monday!
(image: vtwonen)
Yesterday was a busy Monday but such a great one. The week started off very well. How about for you? I had to teach the BYW class (we’re having so much fun!) and then needed to sketch lots of floor plans for a project I’m working on.
In addition, I was quite busy organizing work things, then I went out for an hour in the forest to just clear my mind and work out which was a real treat. I’m in the process of redesigning the decor8 template and working with a graphic designer on a new logo (and tagline) plus I’m putting a proposal together for my next book to give to my literary agent in October.
On top of that, I’m going to Morocco in a month for a teaching trip and need to plan out my lessons and handouts — and then in early November I’ll be in Istanbul for a week. I can’t wait to see Turkey! My dear friend will take me to the hidden gems there so that I can share some shopping tips with you upon my return.
I also move in a few weeks — we went into our new place today to measure the kitchen and bathroom, I drew a floor plan for each, and now I have to get started on the design of it. I counted how many lights we need to install, 15! That breaks down to 11 pendants, 2 sconces and 2 bathroom lights. Oh my! Wish me luck on that, I’ve never had to purchase so many lights in my life in one shot.
This busyness is fun though, but sometimes I wonder how I’m not wearing socks that don’t match and how I end up leaving the house with matching earrings on because my brain is all over the place!
I hope you are doing well! In this post I’ve placed some inspiration taken from my Flickr group called Interior Styling. Members are invited to post edited and styled rooms and corners of rooms, it’s a very sweet group and a nice place to take a break during the week to flip through all of the images submitted there. I hope that you’ll bookmark it, or join, and visit regularly.
I see a theme above — lots of greens, blues, yellows… so soothing and cozy.
(images linked to their sources above)
So it’s the weekend. I couldn’t be happier because I’ve worked so hard this week and need to spend tomorrow just “being”… no deadlines, no emails, absolutely positively responsibility-free. And then maybe I’ll press repeat and do the same again on Sunday morning while my husband goes off to play tennis.
On Sunday afternoon however, when he gets home, we shall begin packing. One box at a time, weeding through piles — deciding what should join us for the next adventure and what should be donated or recycled. This process can be very time-consuming but rewarding. The reward comes when you unpack on the other side and open your eyes to a delicious mix of things in each box that you actually need and want vs. boxes of random bits that will end up stuffed away in yet another bottomless drawer. Cleaning the clutter is so rewarding. Out with the old, sweep away the past and move confidently into the future. This is what moving gives you a chance to do, which is why I think so many of us can say we enjoy the idea of going into a new space. It’s a clean slate. Why bring boxes of junk to unload. Thoughtful packing is a process… but it’s worth it once you arrive and find yourself carefully placing objects around that you connect to, that you use, that your family enjoys.
What will you do this weekend? Tomorrow I will go with my family to an Autumn-themed garden festival, Germans do these fests so well and beautifully… and with my camera in hand, I’ll seek out some inspiration which will most likely include candy, baked goods, soups, cheese stacked neatly on tables, fresh breads and many pretty plants, containers, gifts and flowers. I’m feeling inspired already!
It is turning into Autumn now… is this happening where you live too? The crisp weather, cool evenings, a most beautiful and fresh scent in the air (so hard to put into words, but do you know what I mean?), Autumn is my favorite season. Leather coats and knee socks, sign me up! The air is different from Spring fresh air, Fall air has these lovely almost sharp notes of autumn things — fruits and even tart rustic notes. The air is like diving into a huge leaf pile — only sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg and tossed with baked apples — one that you leap into over and over again burying your nose in the crunchy, colorful layers… that smell, it’s intoxicating. Autumn is both bitter and sweet, and I just love it. I could never live without four seasons, even during the hardest days of winter I never long to be a southern girl again. Fall is worth those cold months that follow, it’s so worth it. If you love this season and are also preparing for it, welcoming it with great pleasure, then you have a kindred spirit in me. I have the fever, too.
I wish you a weekend that feels very long, creative, emotionally satisfying and restful. A weekend that recharges your batteries so that you can begin again on Monday morning, going straight into a new week to do some of your best work ever.
Much love to you my blog friends. xo
(image: thorsten becker)
Hello friends! I am away all week but I thought I’d pop in to leave you with a few links to enjoy and to announce that on Friday, September 3rd I will have two special guests visiting who will share 10 tips on how bloggers and crafters online can build community and be helpful to one another. You have to wait until Friday to see who they are… However, you will be invited to get involved in the conversation and leave your tips as well so remember to pop in on Friday to read this helpful post for bloggers and crafters everywhere.
(please click on image for more on the triangle craze!)
Until Friday…
Enter the Olioboard contest, it ends on September 13th but there are only a few entries and some nice prizes to be won so give it a go! I just found out today that I’ll be on the panel of judges to choose from the winning entries. So enter! Enter! Enter!
Do you miss seeing Etsy Take Five Tuesday today? Don’t worry, I wrote about a triangle trend just for you with links to over 20 sellers so you now have 4x the normal take five serving! Here’s the link, I hope that you enjoy my finds!
Four recent Etsy purchases that I made and love!
See you on Friday!
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