All posts tagged: scandinavian design

H&M Home – doing more Home

Published by Karen Knox

Hello!! Yes, I know i’ve been away for a week and left you without so much as a word to read, but we’ve had friends stay with us this week. So i’ve taken some time out, away from the screen to bloody well enjoy myself. And as punishment for said fun, i’ve been struck down with a virus and been like this since Thursday… … just in time for the school holidays. Oh life, you’re a cruel beast! Anyway, less moaning and more writing. Today’s post is about H&M Home. I know most of you will already know about their homeware dept, i’ve written about them before and used their stuff in sooo many projects… .. but there are actually still some peeps that haven’t twigged yet. And for those that don’t pop on there weekly (like I do), then today’s post is just for you. We already know H&M sell cushions, accessories, ceramics and textiles… everything in this pic above (apart from the sofa, books and twig) is from H&M. Standard. But did you know H&M’s …

Heard of Søstrene Grene?

Published by Karen Knox

I’m guessing most people won’t have. Design bloggers, journalists, design nuts and the like will most certainly be in the know, but Søstrene Grene is more than likely a new discovery for a lot of you reading. Which is kinda bonkers as they have stores all across Europe and over in Japan too. But the thing is, they only have two stores in the UK. Nottingham and Chester. Online? Nope. Which kinda sucks. So today’s post is a bit of a “look at what you could have won” situation. (If you have no idea what the image above means – you did not grow up in the 80’s. This is the kind of brilliance you missed out on). Founded by Inger Grene, Ruth Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen in 1973, the first Søstrene Grene store opened in Denmark, and now, 45 years on they have nearly 200 stores across the the world. “Søstrene Grene offers you exciting products from near and far, attractively put out in a labyrinth of colors, shapes and smells. Our shops always have …

The Loft Bedroom – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

We did it! We have our new loft bedroom, all done and ready to rock. Four months after we started our build, i’m finally able to share the final reveal photos with you. I’m going to warn you right now, this post is PIC HEAVY. Initially I took about 70 photos. I know. That’s ridiculous. I’ve managed to whittle it down to about 30. Still far too many, but ya know what, just scroll along if any aren’t floating your boat. Here’s where we were back in September 2016: And here was my plan for the bedroom: Ok. So here we go. Do come in… The view from the landing into the bedroom. Gets me every time. Chooch the cat, can not get enough of this room. Mainly because she’s got a load of new rugs and blankets to paw at and ruin. We had to be clever with space here as we were limited with how much width we had with the two chimney stacks bookending each side of the bed. The Factorylux Maria Banjo wall …

To ply or not to ply – A floor quandary

Published by Karen Knox

We’ve uhmmed and ahhed about what to do with the loft bedroom flooring for ages now. As i’m going all out Scandinavian for the bedroom design, a blonde wood floor seemed the obvious choice. But then, to save some money and get this room finished in time for Christmas, we played around with the idea of simply painting the chipboard subfloor black (to which the builder just sighed and shook his head). After going around in circles for several weeks, mentally noting the pros and cons of both options, we finally decided on floor boards. Done. Having an actual floor laid meant I finally got to work with my fave joiners again, Bare Joinery. Which is always a pleasure, as they’re always up for a challenge and happy(ish) to experiment with materials, the design, the process, and most importantly, they don’t sigh and shake their heads at my less than conventional ideas. Not within view anyway. Our plan to lay floorboards sounds pretty standard, apart from the fact I didn’t want them to be actual floorboards, as …

#Stairporn in da house – The Loft Extension Wk 13/14

Published by Karen Knox

Anyone who knows me or has bumped into me for the past week will know that they have not been allowed to mention the ‘S’ word. Anyone who has dared, has been given this face: I think it’s fair to say, at this point, the builder and I have no secrets about not enjoying working together. I’m not really that bothered by this. I’m not here to make friends, i’m here to get this build done and finished at some point in my lifetime. As you all know, the one piece of the puzzle we’ve been waiting for it the ‘S’ word. Maria Prästgårdsgata 43 – Styling: Thomas Lingsell, Photography: Andy Liffner I wrote a post months ago full of inspiration for our soon to be staircase. We loved the idea of a simple white stringer with blonde timber tread. Specifically birch plywood. If you like a bit of #Stairporn like me, I’d highly recommend a read of the post here. There are some beautiful flights of fancy to ogle. Geddit? Back to our slightly less glamorous interior: What should have taken 2-3 …

The elusive black tap

Published by Karen Knox

As you may have twigged by now, we’re currently in the middle of our loft conversion. The design of the two new spaces are a mix of Scandinavian and industrial design. Simple, raw materials, paired back with mainly a monochrome scheme. It was easy to add black to the bedroom. Sliding timber doors, furniture, window frames, bedsides… but it was more difficult to add it to the bathroom. Bathrooms by their very nature have a lot white in, what with 99% of ceramic sinks, loos, shower trays and baths being white (why is that?). Pair that with the chrome finish of nearly all taps, bottle traps, wastes, showers etc. and you’ve got a pretty restrictive palette to work around. I knew I wanted a black bathroom tap, but man, they’re not an easy find. And the more difficult it was for me to find one, it just made me want one more. I WILL FIND A BLACK TAP (and waste, and bottle trap). Around the same time as I was on Tap Hunt, one of my …

#IKEAatmine

Published by Karen Knox

If you’re not familiar with at{mine} then you really need to get on board. It’s a place for interiors junkies to share images of their home, work spaces, beautiful rooms, vignettes, super cool styling and photography. It’s a real treasure trove of interiors goodness. You could easily lose an hour on there just ogling the most beautiful images. Each month, at{mine} introduce a different “Style Story” curated by a guest brand, designer, writer, photographer, interiors icon… and this month it’s Ikea. I’m sure you’re already aware how big a fan I am of Ikea. If you just search the word Ikea on my blog, there’s over 55 mentions. Not bad going Ikea, for a blog that’s about 18 months old. So what’s #IKEAatmine all about then? Show us how you live with IKEA: It’s the Living Room for October! IKEA UK in collaboration with at{mine} is introducing the brand new community hashtag #IKEAatmine. Every month we’ll invite you to share a different room/theme containing at least one item from IKEA using #IKEAatmine and we’ll feature …

My Ikea picks for A/W 2016

Published by Karen Knox

I’ve been busy perusing my Ikea catalogue since it popped through our letterbox last week. I can’t lie. I’ve earmarked about fives pieces that I simply must have, touch, use in a project. Ikea have released some killer pieces that are totally on trend, in fact a little ahead of the game. Let me show you what made my tummy smile. There were two that caught my eye from the VIKTIGT range: VIKTIGT Chair “The seat is woven of paper cords, which is both sturdy and comfortable to sit on. Each piece of furniture is unique as it is handmade.” Ethnic interiors have shot off like a rocket this year. Since Ikea released the SINNERLIG collection by Ilse Crawford last year, softer and natural materials like, bamboo, rattan and wicker have been everywhere. With this mix of materials and clean Scandinavian lines, Ikea make it a doddle to add these pieces to your existing decor. This is such a stand out piece and for £40 they won’t be in stock for long. I tell thee. VIKTIGT Hanging Planter The #UrbanJungleBlogger’s favourite. Ran out …

An Eclectic Living Room – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

Ages ago, back in April, I introduced you to some of the projects I was working on. I can’t always feature every project on the blog. Not because I don’t want to, but time doesn’t always allow me to. Well, that…. and an angry dog that didn’t really like me being in the room I needed to work in. This is the room, on my first visit: It had a great log burner, original chimney breast and stripped floorboards, big bay window and some lovely pieces of furniture. The homeowner’s love of white, vintage finds and Scandi design (baskets) was more than apparent. But she just wasn’t feeling this space at all and couldn’t quite work out why. It’s a north facing room, so doesn’t get the best light. Flat white and grey weren’t doing this space any favours. Their plan was to keep it minimal. But it kinda just felt a bit cold and unfinished. The two seating areas felt disconnected and the L shaped sofa was awkward in the space. So how did I make …

The Office Refit – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

Remember the office refit I was working on? Here’s a lil recap: “I’m working with Visibilis, an Integrated Digital Marketing Agency. It’s my first dip into working in a commercial premises, but it’s good and am enjoying the experience of scaling up! The team of staff has reached capacity at their current office space prompting the move to a new, larger purpose-built office space in a swanky part of Leeds City Centre.” Before And here it was in March. A huge empty space, ready and waiting for its lovely, new residents. A month later, the layout had been solved, colour scheme decided upon, furniture had been ordered… You can read more about the project brief, colour scheme, layout and shopping list here if you’d like to check out the finer details. But to catch you up quickly i’ll post a few pics to give you the low down. Lots of paint + A load of brushes…. …. + Frogtape… + A design from inside my busy mind = Turned out pretty good. If I do say so myself. **performs frilly bow** At …