A serene Swedish apartment

When I look at the home of one of Sweden's most renowned glass designers Ingegerd Råman, I think....'and breathe'. It's so clean, and uncluttered it makes me feel instantly calm and relaxed! If only my own home could look like this! The decor has been kept really simple with white, grey, and black hues while the wooden furniture adds warmth. Oh how I could spend a few days here padding around on my own...

Gabriella Dahlman( with kind permission) for Sköna Hem via Riazzoli

What I love most about this apartment is how they have invested in a few key scandinavian design pieces such as the Thonet B9 and Artek K65 (15% discount with code MYSCAN), BestLite BL3 Floor Lamp, Louis Poulsen AJ Floor Lamp, AJ Desk Lamp and the Butterfly Chair. Beautiful!

Could you see yourself padding around here?

A beautiful Malmö apartment

Hej hej! Finally back in Malmö! I thought it would be apt to show a beautiful apartment which was recently sold here in Malmö (Sweden's third largest, and incredibly talented city!). I know relatively little about the space, save for it was recently for sale (some lucky person is a new owner) and that it is impeccably styled!

Bjurfors via La Maison D'Anna G

I love the earthy colours through out and of course some of the design classics such as the Wishbone chairs currently on sale here) and String shelves, a firm favourite. The linen curtains add a romantic, summery feel don't you think? I've got really into linen since buying my white and pale grey bed linen from H&M home, it's perfect for warm summer nights and looks so pretty :)

What do you think, could you live here?

Lime green and blue in a Swedish apartment

Hi! How was your weekend?! We had our last weekend in London. On Saturday we spent the day in Holland Park where the girls watched the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland children's opera, it was so fantastic! And today, it's back to Southern Sweden and the last day of our holidays sniff sniff! But all is not lost as this lovely Swedish apartment has brightened up my day with it's lovely mid century furniture, vibrant lime greens and bright blues and it's only 53 metres square, how inspiring!

Hemnet via Do you fancy this

What do you make of the lime green / blue colour combination?

PS For Scandinavian mid century furniture try Lauritz auction house. The lovely wallpaper in the kitchen is by Svenskt Tenn. 

A Swedish cottage with a beautiful mix

It's Friday! Woohoo! To celebrate here's a truly inspiring cottage in Höganäs here in Skåne. I would love a home like this - it's got the perfect mix of orginal wood beams, whitewashed brick walls, industrial style lamps and furniture and a touch of shabby chic. The white floors on the upper level are the icing on the cake for me!

Hemnet via 79 ideas

What do you think?

If you're ever in Southern Sweden, Höganäs in well worth a stop thanks to it's fantastic design shops - Lily & Oscar and Magasin 36 (which also does the best brunch ever!).

Have a wonderful weekend!

PS If you understand German and fancy a little read about design bloggers and their homes check out this article.....they've included my portrait picture and a few snaps of my home in the gallery too!!

An artfully styled Stockholm pad

Scandinavian estate agents are setting the trend for estate agents around the world with their fab styling. One of my favourites is Fantastic Frank. Browsing through their website is like flipping through a copy of Elle Decoration! This Stockholm pad has been artfully styled for sale. 

Fantastic Frank

I love the plant in the final picture....trying to think where I could do the same in my own house!

What stands out to you?

Warm lentil salad

Yes, lentils. Those tiny little pearls of goodness that come in so many colours. Sunday I talked about red lentils, today I'm talking about green lentils and maybe next week I'll talk about black lentils…
They are just so good for us, I can't stop telling people! And this salad is one of my favourite (and most versatile) ways of eating them.

So you already know that these bad boys are great for preventing blood sugar levels to rise rapidly after eating food. But did you know that they not only are a source for 6 important minerals, two types of Vitamin B but also protein?! Isn't that great? All for 230 calories a cup. They are also one of those things you can cook in big batches and keep for a couple of days. And cooking couldn't be easier. Put lentils in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Adding a bouquet garnis will add flavour as will adding spices to the water.

The sweet potato. Oh, how I adore you. Since starting my insulin resistant way of eating I have had to take out all carbs, starches and a whole bunch of other deliciously bad things from my diet. One of those ticked-off-my-list-things is the potato. How I miss mash…chips…crisps! However, the sweet potato is a completely different matter. These little orange potatoes can actually regulate our blood sugar! Research has shown that extracts of it can 'significantly increase blood levels of Adiponectin'. This, is a protein hormone produced by our fat cells that is an important modifier of insulin metabolism! Yes, you can eat this potato on your insulin resistance diet…happy days.

In this dish I use both red onion and spring onions. For two reasons; they both have very different tastes but work together beautifully and, spring onions are in season. Even though I talked about onions here, there is always so much to say and maybe one day I will have to treat you with a whole post just about the blessed onion! For now though, let's just say you should be eating onions every day.

In my local farmers market I can buy fresh garlic and I have to hang it up to dry for a couple of weeks before really getting the full flavour of it. I love the colours and smells of garlic. It's another great one for regulating blood sugar levels as well as strengthening the immune system. Ever notice the sticky feeling on your fingers after working with garlic? That's the sulphur containing compounds being released.

At this time of year when the weather is hot, ok, supposed to be hot. There is no better 'cooler' than mint. No-one can quite decide how many species of mint there are but, it's anywhere from 13-18. This green crawling sprawling plant has a number of properties that range from helping with depression to aiding digestion. I use it when I've eaten too much (happens quite often you'll be surprised to know). Add a few fresh leaves to boiled water and drink. Yum. In this dish it works wonderfully to counterbalance the sweet caramelised red onion and what can be the heady deep flavour of sweet potato to make this perfect and light for summer.

RECIPE:

1 med-large sweet potato

6 spring onions

1 large red onion

2 whole garlic bulbs

300g green lentils

big bunch of parsley and mint

aged feta cheese

1lemon

On a parchment lined baking tray place the spring onions, quartered red onion (held together by the root end!), half an inch thick sliced sweet potato and halved garlic bulbs. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put into a preheated 200C oven and leave till cook with an occasional turn. Usually 20mins.

In the meantime, cook the lentils in water and drain. Finely chop the parsley and mint and put into bowl. Mix with the lentils and a drizzle of olive oil. Mound the veggies in the centre of the lentils, crumble feta around and squeeze the lemon all over. Eat warm or cold!
- You can of course make this vegan by leaving out the feta and also making it for meat eaters. Add strips of cooked chicken breast or steak to the mix. Switch it up by sprinkling the veggies with some cayenne/paprika or adding some cumin seeds.

A fresh work space in white and orange

Many of us spend so much time at work it's vital the environment around us is inspiring, creative and, well, keeps us sane! This collaborative work space in Brooklyn is super fresh in an all white pallet save for the flashes of red and orange in the seating and pictures on the wall.

Julia Robbs via Jelanie blog

I could work here could you?!

PS Anyone work in a collaborative workspace? I think they're a so great, I remember working from home once and by the end of the day I was climbing up the walls!

The Finnish treatment

This fantastic Finnish home was styled by the home owners in collaboration with Scandinavian Deko's editor-in-chief Ulla Koskinen for the Housing Fair Finland, set up to improve the quality of housing and living conditions in Finland. The space is defined by it's large open spaces, minimalist style, clean lines and the perfect balance of black, grey, white, wood and concrete. It is all very zen. I love it.

Skandinavian Deko via Emmas Design Blog

What do you think? Are you the minamlist, clean lines type of interior person or do you prefer to mess things up a little?

PS Slightly off topic, but since I'm in London this week......Congratulations to Kate and Wills on the arrival of a little boy! I wonder what his name will be? My money's on Alfred (Alfie), what about you?!