Åhléns: move over Ikea

Throughout the history of this blog, I have intimated several times that I am a fan of Scandinavian design.  If you share my predilection for the minimalist, simple, look imbued in all things Scandinavia.  This post, my friends, will be particularly exciting- it was for me!

This morning, while skimming the Freshly Pressed posts on WordPress, I decided to click on one post that caught my eye by Another House Blog. There was a segment on Another House related to the blogger’s travel in Trondheim, Norway and, wait for it, a post about Åhléns, the most magical, wonderful, exciting, interior design department store I have ever seen (Heal’s, in London, is a close second, followed by Muji!).  Hailing from Toronto, I have never heard of Åhléns before but now that I have discovered it, it is one more reason why I have to get myself to Sweden + Norway.

The Åhléns low-down is as follows for those of you who to know a bit about the history of this design shopping mecca:  This is a full department store, that got its start in Sweden in 1899 as a mail-order company which eventually evolved to a brick and mortar operation.  They carry everything from fashion and beauty to home furnishings and their stores in Norway are interiors only.  Åhléns states on its website that the company’s goal is “to be a woman’s favourite and first on her shopping list.”  Talk about a clear brand position and identity.  I love this company’s home line.  It has such cute, colourful, simple stuff that would look amazing in any home and what I have shown below is only scratching the surface.  Happy Wednesday.

via nancy and i

via ellmania

via miss-maries

wall decorating

This weekend was dedicated to organization.  We’ve been in our new apartment in Prague for just under one month and we have a list of small tasks that needed to be taken care of to make our house a home.  The biggest and most tedious task is of course, hanging pictures.  Believe it or not, finding a new home for a print is harder than you think.  I think we spent at least an hour walking around carrying pictures from one room to another, lifting things up against a wall while one of us stands back and contemplates the position, the height, the angle etc.

In my apartment in particular, there are also several walls which I prefer to keep blank, due to architectural interest leaving me with fewer options for picture and shelf hanging than I had in Toronto.   Last night, we hung five pieces and still have a long way to go but at least for now, our place looks a bit more homey.

I was reminded of a brand I stumbled upon while in Berlin that I wished I had with me last night to add some colour and interest to our office.  German design firm, Pulpo, makes fantastic and colourful hooks, hangers in addition to furniture and other accessories.  I am particularly fond of their Mosaic line, some of which you can see below.  While I love my Ikea magazine rack and baskets, sometimes you prefer to a piece that is a bit smaller and less bulky on the wall.  We will continue our wall decorating project next month after we get a couple of items re-framed and get our last room set up.

via connox

 

via taschide

 

via shine.yahoo.com

home owner

Today, I became a home owner. 

It is my first time purchasing a home and I think its kind of cool that I own something with someone.

In light of my new, big purchase, I am dedicating the month of September to all things renovation and interior decor on the blog.  I will be posting pictures of the demo, reno and decor of the condo plus cost saving tips and findings in my hunting and gathering of materials.

October will be dedicated to entertaning as I am sure I will be doing a lot of that once the place is in shape to host guests!

In the mean time, I appologize for my spotty postings in August.  Preparing for home ownership is quite the task especially if you are taking on the reno project yourself (with the help of family) instead of contracting out.

Stay tuned.

In the mean time, I liked this image to symbolize my new asset!

via glorious wall stickers

Dizzying Pink Venue

I saw this picture about a year or two ago in Business Week Magazine  and something prompted me today to think about the interior design by Philip Treacy of the G Hotel in Ireland. 

I was thinking about venues that don’t require a lot of decor and that speak for themselves.   I was involved in organizing two wine tasting tours this week in Montreal and Toronto.  Both venues had enough of a backdrop to reduce the need to buy flowers and gussy up the room. 

Somehow my train of thought led me back to the image below from the boutique hotel in Ireland.  Wouldn’t it be fun to hold an event in this room?  All you would have to do is to rent a long  black table for 12, find some white or black table top accessories, maybe a pink flower or two if you can bare to add more pink and you’ve got yourself a memorable backdrop to an event.

The G Hotel in Ireland (via Business Week)

Doorway leading into pink room (via institute of designers Ireland)