scandi

Dekko Travels: a nordic homespun B&B in Northern Italy

Whilst on our recent trip to the north of Italy and Croatia, we not only stayed in a really beautiful Croatian villa (you can read about it here); we also ended our holiday with a two night stay in a gorgeous little B&B near the lovely town of Treviso. I wanted to share this place with you, as I immediately fell for its charming interior with its simple nordic touches and beautiful blend of old and new..

B&B ‘Alle Corti’ is a former silk spinning mill dating back to the mid 1700s and has been beautifully and thoughtfully refurbished into a modern, yet very cosy, place to stay. It was bought over a year or so ago by the lovely Kjerstin, who originally hails from Norway, and her Italian husband. Kjerstin has definitely influenced the decor with her nordic roots – the traditionally rustic Italian decor has been subtly modernised with scandinavian touches and simple detail to great success.

I was lucky enough to be shown around the B&B rooms by Kjerstin, so I’m glad you’ve popped by to take a look!

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A Scandi-Inspired Outdoor Overhaul

With May bank holiday fast approaching, there is surely no better time to get outside and spruce up your outdoor space, however with the vast number of garden and patio products to choose from, it can be a mind-blowing task in itself simply deciding what direction to take your outdoor styling in. There are so many gorgeous trends to choose from, yet you want your outdoor area to be an extension of your own home, to have a natural flow between indoors and out.

It was when I was shopping around for my own garden, that I was approached by Wayfair UK to take part in their ‘Outdoor Overhaul’ campaign. As one of their ‘home expert’ team, they asked me to come up with a number of mood board designs for my outdoor space using products from their vast online range….

Say hey to HAY at IKEA with the YPPERLIG collection

Eagerly awaited by Scandi interiors enthusiasts across the country (yours truly included), this month IKEA has launched an exciting collaboration with Danish design duo, HAY.

The YPPERLIG collection boasts a variety of products hallmarked with the HAY signature design combining functionality with aesthetics. In store, you’ll find everything from sofas to coffee tables, even the iconic IKEA blue bag has been given a HAY makeover!

The YPPERLIG collection also includes cushion covers, coffee tables, chairs, hand painted vases, lamps and simple, multifunctional sofas, but which to put in your trolley next time you visit? Here are my favourite pieces which are definitely on my shopping list…

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Take 5… Beautiful All White Interiors

It seems that our interiors are getting darker and darker, with more of us taking the plunge and painting our home interiors in dark, inky hues of indigo and blue-grey, be it our living room walls, kitchen units or in the bedroom. It’s a look that has certainly grown on me, however when recently thinking about our own bedroom decor, I’ve realised that no matter how much I love the concept of a decadently dark and elegant boudoir, I simply can’t bring myself to paint our lovely, light, south-facing bedroom in anything other than WHITE!

It won’t be any old Brilliant White, you understand… I’m pondering and pontificating over paint charts full of grey whites, blue whites, green whites, off whites and almost whites. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that this may actually be the hardest colour of all to pick for a room scheme!

Anyway, it got me thinking that I haven’t posted a ‘Take 5’ article on here for a while, so in an effort to help me settle on a shade of white, here are five all white rooms for you which are so lust-worthy, they’ll make you wonder why EL James didn’t name her book Fifty Shades of White Rooms…

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Some Bedroom Plans + A Moodboard

Hello, hello! Ahhh, it’s so good to be back on here after my July break – we spent almost three weeks camping in France, some of which I tried to share via my Insta feed, however those of you who have had a similar kinda holiday will know how difficult wifi can be to search out!! Maybe that’s a good thing in disguise? It is however nice to be home again, back in our little bubble that’s home.

One thing we decided whilst we were away was that we needed to start thinking about our plans for our bedroom. It’s practically the only room in the house that we haven’t touched, however the bare floorboards (I took it upon myself to pull up the tatty old carpet some months ago – don’t even ask), jumbled together furnishings and partly wallpapered walls simply need to be tackled head-on! It’s reached the stage of no turning back, folks…

Which brings me to writing this post. I have a few ideas scrambling around in my brain about the kind of bedroom I want and three keywords keep popping back up: tranquil, light, scandi. So I figure this is where it’s at! Every successful interior scheme begins with a simple moodboard, often created and grown from something as simple as a few key words or singular item in a room, and I always find them a fascinating insight into the direction an interior project is headed, so I want to share mine with you, along with some interior inspiration gathered up from Pinterest and, of course, a look at a handful of always-so-covetable shopping items from my ever-expanding wish list (it WILL become a short-list, eventually, I promise!). Why not follow the planning process with me and hopefully I’ll be paintbrush firmly in hand come September!

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Hygge your Home

I talked yesterday about the Danish culture of hygge and how you can embrace it as a way of life, both tangibly in your home decor and emotionally by spending more time on yourself and with friends and family. Although the high season of hygge is during the winter months, it can also be a focus throughout the summertime, as we prepare our homes and outdoor living areas to entertain friends and enjoy the longer, brighter evenings.

For now though, we need to get through the remaining weeks of winter, so for the purpose of this post, I’m looking at key interiors pieces you can bring into your home to make it a more ‘hygge’ environment throughout the gloomy winter weather. For the Danes, hygge is purely focused on belonging to the moment, just being grateful for what you have and enjoying the good things in life with good people. It’s that simple and it really is believed to have a positive and uplifting effect on your inner soul. Why else would Denmark supposedly be the happiest nation on earth?

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Time to Get Cosy the Danish Way: Embrace ‘hygge’

It is at this time of year when the cheery Christmas lights have been packed away, yet the days are still likely to be dank, grey and cold for the foreseeable future, and having enjoyed plentiful tasty, comforting food over the festive season, we are now made to feel guilty for craving anything without kale in it when what we really need to get through this cold season is a pile of warm toasted crumpets, dripping with butter, and a large steaming mug of milky coffee. This is the juxtaposition we call January in the UK and in my opinion, there is only one way to survive it – it’s time to embrace the Danish practice of ‘hygge’!

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Christmas 2015 Trend Watch: { Nordic Homespun }

For most of us, now is the time to get cracking with readying our homes for Christmas… or at least starting to think about it! As part of my Christmas 2015 trend watch series of posts, I have already looked at the ‘Winter Wonderland‘ decor theme with its predominance of soft, snowy whites and shimmering metallics. So, if you love an all-white, pure and simple decor scheme with a subtle hint of sparkle, this look is for you. If you haven’t done so already, head on over here for some ideas on creating this look.

Today I want to let you know about another beautifully simple trend that has been inspired over the years by the tranquil Christmas decor schemes of Scandinavia. A personal favourite of mine, the ‘Nordic Homespun’ trend taps into everything Scandi and über cool, yet with a warming, handcrafted, homey feel. This look will work for you if you have a fairly neutral interior already, but like a pop of colour to lift the festive spirits. …

Home Tour Series {July}: A Cool Calm Space in Oslo

Welcome to my “Home Tour” series where I want to share with you homes that really inspire me and hopefully inspire you, too! There are so many talented people out there who have created the most amazing living spaces to suit their needs and in doing so, have come up with some really clever ideas that we can adapt to use in our own homes. And who doesn’t love a nosey into someone else’s house?!

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