Over the Holidays, our routines are punctuated by what we expect to be a time of recharging, rest and peace–but all the rush and the additional to-dos are anything but soothing and relaxing. Yes, even the calmest holidays can bring the biggest storms.




Emily Laye

Over the Holidays, our routines are punctuated by what we expect to be a time of recharging, rest and peace–but all the rush and the additional to-dos are anything but soothing and relaxing. Yes, even the calmest holidays can bring the biggest storms.

Self-care is the key to keeping everything else in some sort of balance. Don't forget to be present and mindful this holiday time. Take time out for yourself to be alone... maybe take a mindful walk or spend a few minutes in meditation. Stop what you’re doing when something is making you stress out and simply breathe.

This season is a time to enjoy and to be with the ones we love–but do not feel obligated to anything that makes you feel anxious or uncomfortable. Make no commitments you cannot handle and above everything, take some time to truly rest, to take naps and to do things slowly, truly enjoying the moment.

Happy Christmas to all!

P.S. There's a sale up on the shop. You get a 50% off your order this Holiday weekend. Code: HOLIDAY. x

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.