Inspired: Vintage portraits

I love homes that are filled with art. There's just so much more to look at. I especially like it if there's a mix of modern and (for lack of a better word) vintage pieces. It just makes it a little more interesting don't you think? These homes all feature an old portrait. I wish there was an heirloom like that floating around in our family. But, I guess a thrift store find can work just as well.

Found on The Design Files

Found on Design Sponge

Found on Marie Claire Maison

Found on The Design Files

Windowshopping: Garden Essentials

1// This frame will not only keep your table cloth in place, it also provides you with a place to hang lanterns or flowerpots. 2// This cute little BBQ will fit even the smallest garden. 3// Put a sheepskin in this chair and you can lounge all night. 4// How cool is this outdoor kitchen? 5// Grey sheepskin (to put in chair number 5?). 6// A rug will make your garden feel more like an extension of your home. 7// Not your traditional oil lamp. 8// Colorful planters is what any garden needs.  9// To quote Chandler from Friends: "IKEA! That's a comfortable chair."

Poppy love

My favorite flower has always been the poppy. Unfortunately they are not very suitable to put in a vase. But, after I saw this picture in VT Wonen Magazine I did some googling and found this shop that sells beautiful silk flowers. This big, fat poppy should arrive in my mailbox soon. And, since they were having a special offer on all summer flowers, I did not stop there. I got myself a whole summer bouquet.

Inspired: Beach house vs Surf shack

We cannot all live in beachfront property, but there's no harm in pretending like we do by giving our interior a little "beach house vibe". As always when it comes to interior decorating I will look at all white, stylish houses admiringly, thinking: "This is the kind of house I want to live in when I grow up". 

Source

Sources: Left // Right

Meanwhile knowing that I will not be able to control myself and end up with something a little more like this..

Source

nith pick

Sometimes you buy a necklace or a dress that's so beautiful, you want to be able to look at it even when you're not wearing it. In that case, Tim Vinke's "Nappie" is just what you need. Just stick it on your mirror or closet door and voilà: a hook to showcase your best piece.

The Nappie is available in two sizes at Nith.

inspired: hidden gardens

I've always preferred courtyards or rooftops to regular gardens. I think they feel more special because they're hidden to passers-by. The two courtyards above are grand and spectacular. They are just to be looked at in awe. The ones below are more attainable for us common people. Or at least they can serve as inspiration to make your own outdoor space more colorful. How cool are those drawers and the guitar as plant holders?

All pictures were found on Pinterest.

window shopping

 

1// Too bad I don't have a garden. This lantern would have made it onto my shopping list for sure. 2// I have a thing for mix & match bikini's. If you start making combinations here you will not be able to stop. 3// Two of these have already made it to my couch. 4// Can't go wrong with stripes.   5// Will boho dresses ever go out of style. I think not. 6// Sweet bangle bracelets.

the art of budgeting

Buying art sounds very expensive, but I'm here to tell you: it's not! It is in fact one of the cheapest ways to accessorize your home. There are lots of places where you can buy affordable artwork. At our shop Nith for instance. Illustrator Sietske van der Meij combines old techniques like Indian ink and charcoal with the modern medium of Photoshop. The result looks like full color remakes of old picture book prints. Very cute to decorate children's rooms with. Printed on quality paper and signed by the artist, so your kid has just started it's very own art collection. Sietske also uses her artwork to make postcards. It would be thoughtful to send them to your friends of course, but don't you think these would look great in a nice frame?

Who wants Pi?

 

Sometimes it's the simplicity of a design that makes it so good. Certainly true in the case of TimVinke's designs. In his work, the focus lies on functionality and the natural beauty of the materials. The little tables are called "Pi-stools" -for obvious reasons- and can be used as a side table, bed stand or as an extra seat. The wooden hook is called a "Nappie", taken from the Dutch word "zuignap"(sucker). Stick it on a mirror to showcase your favorite necklaces or on your kitchen wall to hang your coffee mugs or tea towels.

We are very pleased that Tim's designs are now available through our web shop Nith.    

Go green!

Green inspiration found on Pinterest.

Every now and then I go through these phases where I develop a preference for a certain color. I usually don't realize it at first and then all of a sudden my whole closet is filled with -in this case- green stuff. Now that I've diagnosed myself, I think the best thing for me to do is to fill my house with plants. That will cure me quick enough. But until then, these are some of my best "green finds":

1. I've blogged about this skirt before, when I showed the new American Vintage collection. It is now hanging in my closet just waiting for the sun to come out.
2. Cute bracelet found on Etsy.
3. This is great nail polish. And cheap too! 
4. You can find these beautiful feather earrings made by Still Tree at Nith.
5. I just love Vans!
6. I bought this necklace on Etsy. Flashy isn't it? I think it's going to look great paired with a nice white T-shirt and some jeans. It was the last one -Sorry- but this blue one is nice too.
7. Cool glasses by Lacoste.
8. Love these dye dipped jeans.
9. What a great idea: you can stack your best rings on this plate. 

Furniture love

I don't fall in love easily. My friends will vouch for that. But once I do, all reason goes out the window. And so it happened that yesterday -while roaming the internet in search of a secondhand commode in order to create some extra counter-top space in my tiny kitchen- I saw this beautiful cabinet and knew it had to be mine.

Tiny problem: I need the counter-top space mainly to put my oven somewhere. And there is no way that I am going to put an ugly oven on top of such a nice cabinet. And that's when reason left the building. Who needs extra counter-top space when you have a piece of furniture that looks this good? I'll just put my oven on my kitchen counter-top -and as a result cut my work space into half- and chop my vegetables on top of the cabinet. There. Problem solved. This cabinet is mine. Now where can I put the green locker, the blue commode and the apothecary cabinet?

If you don't have room for new furniture don't look their website, because at 'Hout en Nieuw' you run the serious risk of falling in love.

Cocooning

It happens to me every time. The sun shines for a couple of days and I'm fooled into thinking the worst is over, spring is here! And then..it starts to snow again. I understand the appeal of fírst snow, but that's it. It only takes the city about an hour to turn this beautiful first snow into a greyish, slippery sludge I then have to navigate by bicycle. Best to stay in for a while, watch movies and read books. Spring will start in about a week, right?  

For the full cocooning effect you need a nice throw of course. Here are some that I like:

1. Delve
2. Interior Addict
3. Ferm Living
4. Interior Addict
5. Klippan Yllefabrik
6. House Doctor

A girl can dream small..

Doordat ik al jaren in een piepklein zolderappartementje woon heb ik een zwak voor kleine huizen ontwikkeld. Als dit huisje in Amsterdam stond zou ik meteen naar de hypotheekadviseur zijn gegaan.

Bron: designboom.com

Je kunt natuurlijk ook klein beginnen en uitbouwen zodra je meer te besteden hebt. Deze huizen koop je per blok. Soort lego voor volwassenen. Moet je nog wel op zoek naar zo'n mooi plekje.

Bron: inhabitat.com

Bron: inhabitat.com 

Ook een goede budgetoptie: de containerwoningen. In Nederland worden ze al gebruikt als studentenwoningen. Dit complex in Mexico-Stad ziet er zo gezellig uit dat ik er best zou willen wonen.

Bron: containercity.com