Travel post: Sleeping in a Grand Design home

We're just back from a lovely two weeks' holiday in the UK. I guess you could call it a 'stay-cation' since we decided to stay in Britain this summer, but with a long drive of about 1500 miles in total you can hardly speak of 'staying local'!

The good thing was that on our epic journey from the North East of Scotland all the way down to Cornwall we stopped for three nights in the beautiful Lake District. You could pick any of the many B&Bs dotted around this area, but we picked the Dome House, a stunning piece of architecture overlooking lake Windermere and a place that added a real bit of 'designer flair' to our trip.

It comes as no surprise that it featured in the BBC TV programme Grand Designs, and with its domed roof and facade of wood and glass it really stands out from any of the historic homes and cottages in Bowness-on-Windermere. Although very 'grand' on approach, the guest rooms have a lovely, welcoming feel to them, with their open plan living space, vintage furniture and view to die for. Our room, the 'Green Suite' also features a rather unusual and very large wooden bath, which was a real winner - even our 7-month old baby loved scooting around in it. Rather than having to rush to a communal breakfast room, at the Dome House you are provided with a well stocked 'breakfast hamper', which makes your stay even more pleasant and relaxed.

We really enjoyed staying here and would recommend this place any time, whatever the weather. A thunder storm and torrential rain shower never looked more impressive than from the window of this grand design house.


www.domehouselakedistrict.co.uk

View from our room after the storm

The fabulous wooden bath and my fabulous baby boy

Travel post: Italian vintage in wonderful Tuscany

I was lucky enough to spend all of last week on holiday in beautiful Tuscany, Italy. If you've ever been there you will know how the area is steeped in history. Cities like Florence and Siena are like fabulous outdoor museums with churches and 'palazzos' around every corner (as well as gelaterias and equally mouth-watering bag and shoe shops).

I didn't have much time for treasure hunting (too busy eating, drinking and catching up with my mum and sister who joined us on the trip!), but did find a great little shop in sunny Siena I wanted to tell you about: Aloe & Wolf.

Hidden away in one of the charming side streets off Piazza del Campo, this little vintage shop is packed with the most fabulous treasures from the 50s, 60s and 70s - although mostly clothing rather than home decor. I am not a great vintage fashionista (I often find the clothes are sort of just not 'it'), but I tell you, Italian vintage clothing is something else! Glamourous, well fitting and great-looking.

The shop also sells handmade, 'upcycled' designer bags by 2Periodico, a lady in Rome, and guess what: I bought one. Re-using pages out of vintage fashion magazines, covering them with plastic and combining them with recycled pieces of soft Italian leather, these funky bags were just to much of a temptation...

If you need a great place to stay in Tuscany, I can thoroughly recommend Borgo San Benedetto, a country resort, hidden away to ensure rest and relaxation, but well placed between all the big and small tourist spots too. Lovely apartments, bed and breakfast, pool and a fabulous restaurant on site too. And yes, that cute guy on their homepage is real - I've seen him with my own two eyes ;-).

Borgo San Benedetto, apartments

Here are some other impressions of my lovely week.

Duomo, Siena

Piazza del Campo, Siena

Picturesque street in Siena

The yummy 'Panforte' cake

Palazzo del Campo, Siena

Me doing the relaxation part

From Fleamarkets to high end design: on tour in Sweden

I have just returned from a fabulous two weeks holidays in lovely Sweden and am totally rested and inspired (and even a little tanned!). What a totally cool and laidback country....aaahhh...I want to live there. We shopped, sauna'd, sailed, canoed, shopped some more, read books, drank very expensive wine (not by choice - and only a sip for me!) and took heaps of photos. Below I will share some of what inspired me most.
I saw these upcycled cupboards in a shop window in Stockholm's trendy area Sodermalm. It's not an actual shop, but the designers used it as an advertising space. Very clever!

A great lamp shop in Sodermalm, with lamps in antique, retro and contemporary styles.

An atmospheric picture of a street and bicycle in Stockholm's Gamla Stan:

This was our idyllic sauna on the waterfront on the island of Lidingö near Stockholm. Lovely. You could bring your own candles and make it a cosy retreat in the evening. Once all heated up you dive straight into the sea water. Brrrrrr....

Here's me enjoying some sunshine on the ferry in Stockholm.

One place we spent quite some time in was the department store P.U.B. Apart from serving an awsome lunch and home bakes, the store features many great brands and shops. The home interior department was wonderful! I wanted to buy everything wih the result that I didn't buy anything because my brain could not take all the beauty...and I would have to ship it all back by at least three large containers . So I just took lots of photos.

And of course there were plenty high end designer furniture shops with the familiar names of Arne Jacobsen, Eames, Vitra and many others. Always nice to have a wander around these stores although some times I must admit I get a bit bored by them, as they always look a bit 'sterile' to me. Where's the junk?! Gimme me some junk!

Well, junk galore once you're in the countryside, I tell ya. At first I had no clue what the word 'Loppis' meant. I thought perhaps people were selling strawberries or something at their farms, so I paid little attention. But soon we were enlightened by our landlady who told us they were nothing less than mini fleamarkets! Hey-ho! So as you can expect, I soon shouted STOP! LOPPIS! at every Loppis sign at the side of the road, driving my husband bonkers. Some barns were full of total rubbish and didn't have much to offer, but I did find three lovely 'characterful' (i.e. cracked) Swedish blue plates though for the grand sum of 30p.

We also found some more junk: the vintage car cemetary in Båstnäs,Värmland, which has become a bit of a tourist attraction. Hundreds of rusty cars from the 1940s-60s scattered in the field and forest, piled on top of each other with trees growing through the roofs. Bizarre but fascinating! 

Last but not least, we brought back some plastic rugs from Swedish brand Pappelina and one unknown make but equally cool. In Arvika, a provincial town in the province of Värmland, we came across a fabulous rug shop with rugs in every colour and pattern under the sun. 

Shame the holidays are over, but it's a country I definitely want to go back to. Even if it was only for the evening swims in the quiet lakes.

Planning a Summer in Sweden... a lakeside cottage, Scandinavian design and childhood memories

Obsessed with Scandinavia? Who, me? After my recent trip to Copenhagen I suddenly refound my love for the Scandinavian countries (although the one for their design had never gone!). I spent many childhood holidays here - camping in Summer, cross-country skiing in Winter - and they were all wonderful. Fishing until midnight as it never got dark, jumping into the nearby lake straight from our tents, grilling sausages on an open camp fire and going on canoe expeditions on the look out for wild beavers. In Winter we would travel up with other families in a caravan of cars packed full of kids, skis and groceries from Aldi (cause you know what the prices are like in Sweden!) for a week of fun in the snow. My parents were truly Scandinavia-holics. IKEA was a standard stop on the way home and my mum even dressed me as Pippi for a school party. Ahhh...those were the days.     (top image: Dinh Linh on Flickr)

Me in my Pippi outfit, age...8?

Our packed green Lada with matching canoe in Norway early nineties

And now I want to go back! I have been googling like mad on the hunt for the perfect holiday cottage by a lake (Glenn doesn't share my Dutch love of camping) and trying to find the easiest way to get to Sweden from Scotland in July. One week relaxing in one place and another week touring around and visiting various places including Stockholm. Lakes, canoes, camp fires and endless Summer evenings combined with a visit to one of the hippest design cities in Europe. Sounds like a plan. Shame it's still only March.

Image: DianeCA

I love the simple, functional but beautiful 'Scandi style'; pure, natural materials, clean lines, quality products and fresh, happy colours. No unnecessary decoration, but form follows function. Here are some inspirational photos featured on Scandinavian design blogs and designer websites:

A picturesque Swedish cottage and its interior featured on the Designheaven blog

A bright and airy space featured on the blog From Scandinavia with Love

A bathroom featured on the wonderful design blog by Stockholm-based Emma

Colourful products by Darling Clementine, Norwegian design agency inspired by the past and their Scandinavian design heritage.

Plenty of inspiration for your interior on the lovely blog Scandinavian Chic (two images above)

Lots more to drool about on design blog Roomservice

Great looking 'retro' tableware by Swedish brand Sagaform

More great home decor on Tinaminastina's blog

Beautiful, durable woven rugs made out of plastic, designed and made in Sweden by Pappelina

Did I miss any good Scandinavian blogs and sites? Anyone been to Stockholm recently - share some tips with me please! And if anyone knows the perfect Swedish lakeside cottage, please share the details with me - thanks! :-)

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