Smålands Skinnmanufaktur is a furniture and home accessories design studio that’s based in Sweden. Their style is characteristically Scandinavian. Minimal and environmentally-friendly products have put them on the first page of many blogs lately and they clearly deserve that spot.























Emily Laye

Every product from Smålands Skinnmanufaktur is made by hand with leather from the only environmentally certified tanner, Tärnsjö Garveri–in natural gray and chromium-free. They are lasting and classic, a true statement for everyone's home.

Ah! How beautiful life is, it is truly a gift, isn't it? I'm sure of that because the past 2 years haven't been even slightly on the easy side . . . and all I can feel as my birthday and the end of the year approaches is overwhelming gratitude and hope.

Yes, through these ups and downs, "celebratory" hasn't been a word that describes my mood, especially after my father's passing–but life has been "pretty good"–maybe not superb and maybe not awesome all the time–but yes, when it's mattered.






Bonergent

These months have taught me invaluable lessons–some that I hope stay with me forever: about seizing moments of closeness with my loved ones, of hugging people tighter and of showing up for them as the best version of myself every day. Then there are some lessons that I'm crossing fingers I have learned so that they don’t need to be stuck on replay next year.

Birthdays bring out the best in all of us when we let them; when we truly ponder and when we allow ourselves to be taken care of by others, hugged, celebrated and spoiled by the ones who love us. It took me a handful of years to learn that. To give up being an introvert for a day and allow people to care in whichever way they wanted to. Today, I'll let the people that love me do that, to be here for me and to make my life more fun.

As a celebratory game and because I love to read this kind of threads:

5 peculiar things you might not know about me
1. I laugh a lot, even at my own misfortune.
2. Spicy food is my favorite: I have an unusually high resistance to chilli and I love it like life itself
3. I love music and I once in a while I put on makeup and go dancing
4. I swear... a lot in real life and when it feels like I’m not fully expressing myself
5. To continue to travel is the only thing on my bucket list


Where I want to be this day next year
I want to be in a place of zero regrets. I want to be able to look back on an entire year of my life where I can fully say I lived it to the last bit. I want to have opened up myself and dared more. I want to have been truly my unique self without overthinking things or caring about what others think. I want to have learned a something new, something that makes me excited. I want to give myself a pat on the back for loving myself enough to care for myself every single day and I want to have laughed louder and dreamed bigger along with my beautiful little E-P.

Thank you for sharing my birthday thoughts with me.

Cheers!

OneWorkDesign is an award-winning interior design studio based in China. The studio is co-founded by three friends who are focused on design that interacts with the surrounding environment by creating new and unique interior statements that embrace raw, natural materials with technology.







Their residential project "Between the shadows" showcases everything they believe in: A small interior integrating raw materials while creating a flow that allows the connection between one room to the other and creating harmony and comfort in this environment. Not only is the flow of the apartment unique but it also focuses on allowing the family closeness and functionality. That’s why the beautiful kitchen is the protagonist . . . while the rest of the rooms surrounds it.

















hey!cheese

The materials used for this project range from cement, plated solid wood, black iron, steel and marble to luscious cottons, linen and even natural stone leather–each of them chosen to create a subdued, elegant and (in my opinion) almost theatrical experience–also allowing the make-believe that this home is bigger than it actually is.

From the floor plan and interior decoration statements to the play of light inside this home, I think we can all agree that this apartment shows the mastery and the boldness of OneWorkDesign.

Who knew we’d be admiring paneled walls at the turn of 2018.

Erik Lefvander

If you are a Scandinavian style enthusiast, you have probably already heard of Swedish Interior Design pioneer, Louise Liljencrantz. With a good eye for elegance and style, Louise is able to combine the subdued essence of minimalism with rich materials, full colors and character-filled objects.

So, it’s to no one’s surprise that her private home would be aesthetically pleasing–bordering a piece of art. Remaining true to her style, Louise managed to create a statement with her classic-meets-modern approach: Light grey walls, high ceilings, moldings, beautiful timber floors and an impressive collection of artwork, ranging from paintings to statement pieces of furniture.

Each element in this home seems to play a key role in the play with light and the effortless representation of true decadence and elegance.

I’m particularly in love with her stunning dining room.

Below are some images of Louise’s work... because I simply needed to share.

What do you think of her project?

Barr is the collaboration between acclaimed chefs Thorsten Schmidt and Rene Redzepi. Located in the beautiful Nordatlantens Brygge (North Atlantic House) in Denmark, Barr is a casual restaurant focused not only on the Nordics, but also on the the traditions found in the regions along the Northern Sea; Scandinavia, Germany, Benelux and the British Isles. The restaurant reflects the chefs’ fascination with the region’s food and culture; serving classic dishes and craft beer.







Snøhetta partnered with the chefs to create the brand and design the interiors for the restaurant, which sits in the former home of the famous Noma restaurant. They decided to maintain the stunning original stone walls and raw beam, creating a juxtaposition of old and new. The bar stretches across the room and the materials picked for the project–wood, leather and wool–evoke the restaurant's Northern influence.

All the materials were sourced locally; oak was harvested from trees grown less than fifty kilometers from Barr’s doorstep. The restaurant’s furniture was created by Malte Gormsen and the counters are CNC-milled oak.











It’s clear that Barr is a wonderful and relaxed experience.

If you are in Denmark, please visit them so we can live vicariously through you:
Strandgade 93,
1401 Copenhagen

Hav det godt!

I don’t know about you... but I’ve been having the hardest time getting into the Holiday mood this time 'round. You can probably tell by the following tweet:

Random lady: "Ah! it smells like Christmas". . . Me: Smiles while thinking, "Really? 'Cause to me it smells a lot like hot, dirty sewage water." #notinthemood

Don’t judge me, it’s stifling down here in my neck of the woods.

The good part is the the internet provides us with an abundance of daily inspiratio –so instead of wallowing in my weather issues or my drops of sweat, I’ve decided to give the spirit a chance and try all (or at least one) of the following things, so me and my little one can move towards some sort of Christmas enjoyment.

If you, like me, are in need of a little... try these:



Maiju Saw

1. No tree, no problem
Instead of racing out the door to get a Christmas tree just so you can get some excitement, try new and more creative avenues. Scavenge some nice branches and make your own tree.





Elisabeth Heier

2. Christmas gifts wrapping theme
Wrapping presents is usually on our list of obligations and there’s very little enjoyment drawn from a chore. Can we agree on that? I personally always pick a theme for my present-wrapping. The fun in this is that there are no rules and you can go the extra mile by personalizing everyone’s present–from wrapping to gift.





Kim Grimshaw & Aimee Twigger

3. Shake things up in the kitchen department
If you’re a regular here, you might have heard about the disaster that I managed to concoct last Christmas while trying to be an overachiever. Clearly, I wasn’t about to repeat my luck this year... so instead, I’ve planned on doing 2-3 things well. By that I mean if I’m going to embark on making, say, Christmas cookies and side dishes, they better knock everyone’s socks off.

Pictured above: Caramelized Shallots with A Chestnut Crumb and Mushroom Shaped Ginger Cookies that will make part of my repertoire. Wild, I know.




4. Make a one-of-a-kind wreath
This is something I have never tried - but earlier this year I got a brass ring and some materials to make my own… and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than with a simple and inexpensive project you can do at home with a ring and some eucalyptus?





Maiju Saw

5. The smell of Christmas in garland shape
A lot of my childhood memories are triggered by smell. Orange and cinnamon are right up there along with pine and mint for my Christmas memories – so yes, it only makes sense to make a garland out of them and hang it right above my bed. I won’t have any excuse to wake up Grinch-ey anymore, will I?

The best part about these projects are not that they will keep you busy or that they will bring you some “holiday feelings”... but that we can do them with our little ones. Extra family time is the goal, because in the end that’s what the Holidays are about.

Do you and your family have any recurrent DIYs for this season? Do share.