I was wandering Homegoods with my mom, telling her that I wanted to change my sheets/duvet/pillowcases to give our bed a more Swedish look and highlight my cane bed. I was admiring red and white sheet sets in the store and mooning about design icon Katrin Cargill (who I met in 2005!), Swedish-style in a bedroom and linens. Then she said...I might have something.
Look what she found in her linen closet. She'd given away the duvet long ago, but she had the top sheet, dust ruffle, 2 King cases and 2 European shams in this beautiful black and cream toile. I love it! I think I'll be making myself a monogram pillow this January.
I had the cream matelasse coverlet and I dolled up 2 plain cream pillowcases with by sewing on a band of black and cream calico fabric. Cute, eh?
I have read studies that show that walking into your bedroom and seeing a "made bed" is good for you, literally. It somehow show peace and order in your life and allows you to rest more easily. It doesn't sound very scientific, I know, but it makes sense to me. So, if a made bed it good for you, a beautiful bed must be even better! Sleep tight!
My new wallpaper is up! I chose "Chester Stripe" (metallic on aqua) from Thibaut's Serendipity Collection and I just love it. The leave-life detail is actually created with tiny metallic dots.
The tonal stripe really brings the plate rack (with my grandmother's dishes), sideboard and oval back chairs "together."
It is a little bit like a dollhouse...and it is a gorgeous place to entertain.
Cup of tea, anyone?
I have always referred to my decorating style as "Swedish Beach house" (paying no mind to the fact that we live neither in Sweden nor by the sea). When I started planning the look of our house, I described plate racks, oval back chairs and dreamy blues & creams (Swedish) with pickled shell-colored kitchen cabinets,
off-white duck couches and touches of pink and celery (Beach house). Makes perfect sense to me. But sometimes people ask me, "How do you do Christmas in here?" Thinking that red & green would over-power the tranquil colors.Here is a glimpse into our family room this Christmas. Shell-covered cone trees, Tracey Porter holiday glasses filled with pink candy canes and a pastel village set among my grandmother's china. It is my interpretation of a Swedish Beach house Christmas and I just love it.
I believe that little touches are the secret to making a big impression. An understated couch with one fabulous pillow. A classic watch with a velvet ribbon band. Or in this case, store-bought cookies (Ikea) embellished with Wilton white frosting. Don't they look like they are from a little Swedish bakery? I was inspired by the beautiful baking at the Swedish Christmas fair and this is the result. I am starting off the week with a cup of coffee and a ginger cookie. Join me?
I was so lucky to be able to go to a Swedish Christmas Fair! I happened to notice a sign for it last night and by 10AM today I was drinking glogg and buying a pale wooden tray (featuring a tangle of blueberries & branches) from a woman dressed head-to-toe in traditional Swedish garb.
And these cookies! A mother/daughter team were decorating these beautiful gingerbread heart cookie ornaments. Yes, ornaments. See the hole at the top? You can buy smaller versions of these cookies at IKEA and bedeck your own tree this year.
