Charming Seabird Cottage, on Lamb Island, Australia

For anyone who needs to hear this today: Anna Swain is selling beautiful 'Seabird' on Lamb Island just off Brisbane, Queensland Australia. 

Not familiar with Anna Swain? A glance at her instagram and you'll quickly establish that everything she touches turns to gold, in a beautiful, rustic and relaxed kind of way. And Seabird is no different. 

With panoramic views of Moreton Bay, Anna and her husband Andrew moved the property to the island by barge, before turning their hand to the decor. 

The house is filled with an eclectic mix of treasures including 120 year-old Egyptian bathroom tiles, solid timber fans and claw-foot tubs as well one-off vintage and antique pieces - all of which come with the house! Everything has been carefully handpicked to ensure life is all about kicking back and soaking up the golden light while watching boats drift by. 

While it may sound like an ideal holiday home, good transport links (it's 25 minutes by ferry to Brisbain and an inter-island ferry can whisk you to neighbouring Russell island with its shops and primary school) mean you could also turn it into your year-round dwelling! What a dream for anyone looking for a change of pace!

 Ready to take the tour? 

Be still, beating heart! So beautiful! 

Could you imagine kicking back here? If so, any potential buyers can reach out directly to Anna via her instagram (where you can also see plenty more pictures!) - just saying! 

Would you like to view more dreamy island homes today? After all, what are Monday's for, if they're not for dreaming? Take a look at: 

Riika's idyllic cabin in the Eastern Gulf of Finland

Stonecutter's farm on the Swedish island of Öland (available as a holiday let!)

Elsa's charming cottage on the island of Gotland

Here's to a relaxing start to the week! 

Kram! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of @annaswain, with thanks 

READ MORE...

5

Leanne Ford's Beautiful White Guest House Cottage

Trends come and go - and to be honest it can be hard to keep up. The good news is that the talk in the industry right now is very much about filling your home with things you love and that make you happy, no matter how eclectic. 

Personally, I find it hard to settle on just one looks - and I'm often pulled in different directions based on what I've seen and feel inspired by. As a result, I always admire people who have a distinct signature style. American interior designer and TV personality extraordinaire Leanne Ford has a penchant for milky tones - and even when the interior fashion pack are starting to sprinkle their home with colour, Leanne has stuck hard and fast to the look she loves. And she does it so well!  

Read on to take a tour of Leanne's guest house cottage in Pittsburgh (captured by Erin Kelly, styled by Hilary Robertson) and discover how she makes a white-base home sing! 

Patina: Leanne is passionate about vintage and antique pieces which show the markings of a past life. The rich patina is perfect for bringing texture and interest to a space. 

Imperfection: White can quickly become sterile if it is too rigid. Leanne's cottage is filled with second hand items, touches of nature and handmade pieces. Look closely and you'll notice the finish on the walls, beams etc are fairly rough too. The imperfection helps to add a relaxed, warm and inviting feel. 

Collections: while the overall look of the cottage is fairly pared back, you'll find collages of items that have been grouped together in a wonderful way. 

Tone on tone: the overall look might be 'white' but it's actually an array of tones ranging from white and cream to dark brown and even a hint of black. The subtle contrast helps to add interest and harmony to the space. 

Unusual pieces: take a close look at the dining area and sitting room and you'll find fascinating furniture with entirely unique forms. It takes time to find pieces like this - often requiring hours of scouring flea markets and second hand stores, but when you find those treasures, you're truly rewarded! 

Drawing nature indoors: Leanne's cottage is filled with natural materials including wood, paper and jute adding to the calm feel. It can be tricky to have real plants in a guest house since they require too much maintenance. Leanne has got round this with plenty of dried plants and flowers. 

Oversize: while the colour scheme might be neutral, the size scheme is not! A series of oversize linen pendant lamps (from Imprint House), combined with miniature pieces (like those chairs we saw hanging from a hook) help to add impact to a space. 

Play with texture and light: the light naturally accentuates the texture on the rough stone walls, 3D art and wood beams on the ceiling to add interest to every room in a subtle way. 

ooooh, so beautiful! 

This makes me want to go out and scour flea markets all weekend - how about you? 

If you're curious about the project and many of the fittings and items you see, there's a full write up about it in Domino magazine here. 

While Leanne was the mastermind of the look for this guest cottage, for the shoot, Erin Kelly worked with stylist Hilary Robertson who's books I absolutely love! Check them out here. 

If you've got time to pour another coffee and sit a while longer today, head on over to Leanne's website to see more of her projects. And don't miss: 

Leanne's echo park cottage 

A beautiful white farmhouse

A dated home becomes a fresh farmhouse

Ha det fint! 

Niki

Photography: Erin Kelly
Styling: Hilary Robertson 
Shared with kind permission

READ MORE...

3

A Cosy Stockholm Flat in Tones of Pink, Ochre and Green

I love it when I stumble across an entirely unique home - full of interesting colours, furniture and details. And this is one of those. Looking at the decor, there are certain clues that tell us the owners love scouring antique and second-hand stores, books and nature. They're also not afraid to break the rules, follow their heart and add playful, personal touches. And that's what I love about this living space. 

Third of white and grey? You're going to love this tour! 

In Stockholm space is of a premium and you can spend a fortune on even the minuscule of apartments. Swedes therefore get creative with the space they have. In this sitting room, a dummy wall has been put up in order to add more storage. I love the playful arch and also the tone-on-tone shades of pink. 

A pair of antique Swedish armchairs and a stool offer a seat in the window for fika! 

Old buildings are often blessed with thick stone walls which in turn mean extra wide windowsills. And with the windows opening outwards, they make the perfect place to display plants and other items! 

A home office space occupies the corner of the room. Personally, I love the bright red lamp and how it pops against the earthy pink wall! 

An antique chest-of-drawers has been fitted with a worktop so that it can double up as a kitchen island.  

The dining room is made up of a traditional antique sofa and chairs. 

A rail has been fitted to the children's bunkbed in order to create space for clothes. My daughter Allie, who actually turns 13 tomorrow, would love this as she flat lays her clothes every evening! 

An earthy green tone, plants and pictures of birds draws nature indoors - long after the leaves have fallen from the trees and the birds have migrated south for winter. 

How lovely! Really unique and interesting. Just what I needed to see this Wednesday, how about you?

Are there any details that you loved in particular? 

Take a peek inside other Scandinavian homes which have used plenty of colour: 

A fabulous Danish home in a plethora of colours

Lessons to learn from a colourful yet calm Norwegian home

The incredible Swedish home of Sofie Izard Høyer

12 playful colour ideas in Sussie's Danish house

I have had the pleasure of meeting two out of four of the above home-owners in person: Sofie and Sussie, and they were truly inspiring! 

Happy Wednesday friends. I'll be back on Friday with some really beautiful Autumn inspiration, hopefully see you then! 

Niki

Photography: Lina Östling. Styling: Rydman. For Historiska Hem. Found via Nordroom with thanks. 

READ MORE...

8

A Swede's Lovely Vintage-Inspired Home in the South of France

On Monday we took a peek inside the home of a Norwegian living in Portugal, today I thought I'd continue the 'scandi abroad' theme! 

Kristin Lagerqvist and her family divide their time between Varberg and Languedoc-Roussillon, South of France. You might recognise this already as I recently featured Kristin's French home. However, they have now moved to an even more beautiful home (if that was possible!). 

The story goes that Kristin was tasked with finding an Airbnb for one of her clients and stumbled across this townhouse. She instantly fell in love with it - telling her husband "if it ever comes on the market, we need to buy it". Sure enough, some time later, the property became available - and true to her word, they exchanged one week later. 

Remnants of the houses former life as a vineyard farmhouse are still evident from the barrels in the basement and the decorative floor tiles remain intact. Kristin and her husband have been careful to preserve the integrity of the house while making their own personal mark using vintage finds from nearby markets. Ready to take the tour? 

Bienvenue chez Lagerqvist! 

Kristin used what she could from the existing kitchen while giving it a lift with an IKEA worktop and units. 

The pair built this magnificent wall-mounted plate rack by hand before painting it in Kristin's signature blue. Get the know-how here. 

Perhaps my favourite room in the house - the sitting room is flooded with light from two directions and filled with lovely local finds. 

An accent wall with bare plaster adds a relaxed touch to the space. 

The house came with an orangery just off the kitchen - which will serve both as a sunroom and also a garden for herbs etc. 

Be still my beating heart! What a find! I can see why Kristin snapped it up, can you? 

Many swedes dream of having a winter home somewhere warmer and lighter in the winter - personally, I'd be happy to escape the cold and dark months of January, February and March and often mulling of where I'd rather be! Perhaps Mallorca? Or after seeing this, South of France could also be on the cards. Do you have a time of year in your country you'd be happy to escape from? 

You can see more pictures of Kristin's homes in Varberg (once featured on My Scandinavian Home here) and France over at @kricklin. 

Kristin also runs an online shop as well as workshops and is a real dab hand at gardening (I bought a copy of her book Livskraft Från Trädgård och Hav last Autumn and it's full of lovely ideas). 

Right folks, I'd better get going - I'm meeting my Australian friend to go and watch England V Australia in the women's world cup football (they're showing it on outdoor screens here in Malmö!). I've loved watching this world cup - have you been following too? 

Niki

Photographs: Kristin Lagerqvist, shared with kind permission.

READ MORE...

3