Dreamy winter home in Sweden

I was flipping through my old decor magazines as I stumbled into this dreamy Swedish home in Divaani. I had bookmarked it before and could immediately remember why. It's so stunning. It was photographed by Petra Bindel, who I guess is the interior photographer on everyone's lips at the moment. At least I seem to be bumping into her photos constantly, and no wonder. They are stunning. From her portfolio I could see the same home in Elle Interiör.



I love how this home is both soft and romantic - and rough at the same time. Nothing looks too polished. There's little quirky details all over. Like is that a Wunderbaum I see hanging there?



I think I might die out of sheer happiness if we had a kakluuni oven like that.







This home is just too cool for words. I mean look at the pink guitar with that scary doll. And could I have that shoe collection, por favor??

There's a LOT more stunning interiors in Petra Bindel's website, so pop on over for a healthy morning dose of beauty.

In my dreams: Bathroom storage

via Design*Sponge

Thank you all for your sweet comments on the last post, they mean the world to me! We'll have to wait until next week to know more what is going on with Muru, but I'm feeling a bit more optimistic today.

Then back some more regular blog stuff. I haven't showed you many photos of our bathroom, but it's tiny. There used to be a sauna in the same space with the shower. The kind of spa thingy we wanted, with sauna, a separate shower, clawfoot bathtub (ok, that was MY dream) and a dressing room would have been way over our budget. So we settled with separating the sauna from the shower with a smoke gray glass wall. Now there is enough space for both of them.

via Cosas

The only problem is, I find it difficult to find nice (and small) storage for the soaps and shampoos and stuff. They are still on the floor, which is not nice at all. So I've been bookmarking some beautiful bathroom storage solutions for inspiration and thought I'd share them with you too.

via Real Simple

via Design*Sponge

This cupboard would be too big for the bathroom, but I'd love to have something like this in the downstairs WC. It would fit perfectly under the sink. We actually found something similar at an antique fair, but it was from the late 19th century. We couldn't bring ourselves to butcher something so old and well-preserved. Maybe if we found something a bit newer, or Panu could build it himself.

Do you have any good storage tips for small bathrooms?

The Ramsign giveaway is open until next Monday.

Soy Este wallpapers

If you have been reading my blog for a very very long time, you might remember that I dreamt of decorating our downstairs wc (or bathroom, or half bath as I've learned from some tv shows :)) with Rainbow Poop wall decals. Unfortunately Rainbow Poop got discontinued and they don't sell it anymore. It's a shame, I could totally see the back wall covered with it.

But now I've found a pretty good match to it. Soy Este produces these extraordinary wallpapers inspired by every day objects. I love it. It's such a great idea. Here are just a few, there's much more on their website.



But it's quite difficult to choose a favorite. The lime green chewing gum speaks to me, of course because of its color. But the white toilet paper would be quite appropriate to hang on the wall behind the toilet, don't you think?



Which one do you like best??

Vitamin pill: Stellan Herner photography for Elle Interiör

I saw a most wonderful home in the September issue of Elle Interiör, photographed by Stellan Herner. It's so bright and colorful, the couple living there must smile every time they come home. (And it's probably not hard to guess they are both graphic designers.) Look at all the details, it's so creative.

I love the mix of old and new, it all blends so fluently together. One of my favorite features is the outdoors lamp in the livingroom. It used to belong to a tivoli (fun fair in English).









This is probably the coolest art wall I have seen. I love the black backgroung giving it form and structure. The frames and items are just similar enough - and different enough - to make it interesting while still keeping it together. Perfection...

If you want to see more photo gorgeousness, I recommend you go see Stellan Herner's portfolio over at Skarp Agency. It's full of stunning interiors, some of which you might already have seen on blogs.

(Images: Stellan Herner)

Morning mountains by Doug Matthews + some Photoshop magic

I'm in awe of the new Morning mountains print by Doug Matthews over at L'Affiche Moderne. It's stunning, PLUS I feel it would fit perfectly above the chest of drawers I fixed. To be sure - and to convince the husbando - I did some quick Photoshop magic. Here it is, virtually in the livingroom, surrounded with the prints we already have.



What do you think - yay or nay?

We Heart It needs your help

I didn't know this, but the wonderful image bookmarking site We Heart It is run by two guys from Brazil, working on the site on their free time. And what a great work they have done. I've been using We Heart It for over two years, and I love it. The only problem has been that sometimes the site is quite slow. Today I found out the reason for that too. It has over 4 million pageviews every day! So as you can imagine, it is getting very costly for the guys to run.



Now they are asking for their users to help them. So if you are like me and love the site, click on over to the site to read more. I think we are so used to getting things for free over the internet, sometimes it's good to remember, that somebody always pays for it somewhere. And sometimes it's good to give support and help those whose work we like to keep it going.



These screenshots are some of the inspiring images I have hearted recently. For image credits, please see my hearts.

In my dreams: Quilts

Lonny Magazine

Hei, I haven't forgotten you my friends! I've been just so busy I haven't had time to blog. I'm working on a couple of projects, that I hope you will like. But I can't reveal them yet! Must...stay...patient. You know it's difficult for me, definitely not one of my strong sides. But later this fall, I promise you will be the first to know.

Lately I've had my eye on quilts. I didn't know there are so many stunning quilts aroung. I spotted the top image on Lonny Magazine. It's gorgeous, no?

Finnish Design Shop

I love these antique quilts by Hay on Finnish Design Shop. They are made of vintage saris that are hand tacked together.

Neëst

The quilted blankets designed by Rie Elise Larsen are also hand sewn. My heart is singing swooooon when I look at them. Haha, I don't even know what the word means, I've just seen it on so many blogs :D But I'm sure this is the right occasion to say it, so: swoon!

In my dreams: Handpainted tiles

Rakennusapteekki

Our kitchen renovation got postponed for many reasons. At the moment it's ok though, because I can't decide on the tiles! I would LOVE to have some handpainted blue and white tiles, such as these by Rakennusapteekki in Finland. I could easily see the sink, faucet and counter tops in our kitchen too. Except that Panu has said a definite NO to that kind of old style faucet. He says it's not practical. (And I say practical-schmactical... No just kidding, he has won this battle.)

Petra Bindel via decor8

One thing I would really, really like is mismatched tiles. They look more edgy, don't they?

Fine Little Day

But when I look at these beautiful photos I get worried that maybe they are not the right match for our house. They are so pretty and romantic, whereas our little house is quite modest. Inspired by the home of Marianne Hallberg on Fine Little Day, my mind has been working on a crazy little idea: maybe to paint the tiles myself! But that rises a whole new bunch of questions. What to draw on them? What if I end up continuously critiquing my work when in the kitchen? Will I get tired of them soon? Will anybody want to buy the house if we decide to sell??

What do you think?

How to wallpaper with wheat flour and water / Vehnäjauholiisterin valmistaminen

I've received a few emails asking how we make paste from wheat flour and water, so I thought I'd share it with you as well. The site where I originally found the instructions doesn't exist anymore, but I will tell you how we make it. Wheat flour paste is the only adhesive we've used to hang wallpapers, newspapers, or most recently, the maculature paper.

Minulle on tullut sähköpostiin joitain kyselyjä, kuinka teemme vehnäjauhoista liisteriä itse, joten ajattelin laittaa ohjeet tännekin. Sitä sivustoa josta itse löysin ohjeet alunperin ei enää löydy, mutta kerron kuinka meillä tehdään. Vehnäjauholiisteri on ainoaa, mitä olemme täällä liisteröintiin käyttäneet. Olemme kiinnittäneet sillä seiniin sanomalehdet, tapetit ja makulatuuripaperit. Pinkopahvituksessa olemme käyttäneet sitä liiman kanssa liimaliisteriseoksessa.



I like the wheat flour paste because it's eco-friendly. There is no extra stuff added. Because it's a traditional method it's fits to an old wooden house like ours. Plus it's virtually free and it only takes less than half an hour to make. However, before using it to a whole room, I'd suggest making a test to see how it works for your walls and materials. We have had the oldest for two years without any problems. Still we usually make a test batch to any new room we start.

Itse tykkään vehnäjauholiisteristä, koska se on luonnonmukaista. Siinä ei ole mukana mitään ylimääräistä ja se sopii perinteisenä menetelmänä vanhaan taloon. Lisäksi se on melkein ilmaista eikä keittämiseen mene kuin puolisen tuntia. Kannattaa silti testata ensin sopivuus omiin seiniin ja materiaaleihin. Meillä on kohta kaksi vuotta on nyt vanhimmat olleet, eikä ole ollut ongelmia. Teemme kuitenkin yleensä aina uudessa paikassa testivuodat varmuuden vuoksi.

Instructions

And here's how you do it... You only need wheat flour and water, 1 part flour and 9 parts water (cubic measures / measures of volume). Bring the water to the boil and let it cool for a moment. Mix the flour with a small amount of water first and when the water has cooled a bit, poor it into the kettle while stirring it. Cook for about 10 minutes on a lower heat. I stir it constantly while cooking, but I might just be overly cautious.

Ohjeet

Liisteriin tarvitaan siis vain vehnäjauhoja ja vettä, 1 osa jauhoja ja 9 osaa vettä (tilavuusmittoina). Esimerkiksi 1 dl jauhoja ja 9 dl vettä - tai kuinka paljon liisteriä tarvitkaan. Vesi keitetään kiehuvaksi ja annetaan sitten jäähtyä hetki. Jauhot lisätään vähän jäähtyneeseen veteen sekoittaen samalla ja keitetään matalammalla lämmöllä noin 10 minuuttia. Pilasin yhden ensimmäisistä eristä, kun en malttanut odottaa vaan lisäsin jauhot kiehuvaan veteen. Jauhot kannattaa muuten ensin sekoittaa pieneen määrään vettä ja lisätä vasta sitten kattilaan. Itse sekoittelen jatkuvasti keittämisvaiheessa, ettei pala pohjaan, mutta en tiedä onko se aivan välttämätöntä.





In addition to wheat flour you can use other flours too. I believe they used barley in the old days, because wheat was more expensive. I remember reading that the coarseness/fineness of the flour makes a difference to how durable the paste becomes. More coarse makes more durable. (Or was it vice versa??) If anyone knows more, I'd love to hear it! Anyway, we just use what ever we have in the cupboard, which is plain ordinary, normal wheat flour. The same stuff we use for cooking and baking.

Vehnäjauhojen lisäksi voi käyttää muitakin jauhoja. Jos en aivan väärin muista, ainakin ohrajauhoja on käytetty ennen, koska vehnäjauhot olivat kalliimpia. Muistan lukeneeni, että mitä karkeampi jauho, sitä parempi pitävyys (vai muistankohan nyt aivan väärin?) Me olemme aina käyttäneet mitä kaapista sattuu löytymään, normivehnäjauhoja. Jos joku tietää paremmin, olisi mukava kuulla lisää.



All the images are wallpapers from the Pihlgren ja Ritola collection. I already had my mind set on Daalia (top image) for the minikitchen. But I guess it wouldn't be me, if I didn't second guess my decisions. For some crazy reason I went back to look around the site and now I'm undecided... again! Kirsikkapuu (cherrytree in finnish) is an all-time favorite, but I really really really like Perhonen (butterfly) too... And Daalia still goes together with the colors of the adjacent bedroom. Hmmmmmm! Which one do you like best?

Kaikki kuvat ovat Tapettitehdas Pihlgren ja Ritolan mallistoa. Olin jo päättänyt, että minikeittiöön tulee Daalia, joka on kuvissa ylimpänä. Mutta tottakai minut tuntien pitää alkaa jahkaamaan. Jostain hullusta syystä aloin selailla mallistoa uudestaan, enkä taaskaan osaa päättää. Kirsikkapuu on tietenkin ikiaikainen suosikki, mutta tuo Perhonenkin on todella kaunis. Toisaalta Daalia passaa edelleen viereisen makuuhuoneen väreihin. Jahkisjahkis jaa... Mikä teistä on paras?

Klaus Haapaniemi on Glorian koti

When I saw that Klaus Haapaniemi was featured on the August issue of Glorian koti, I just had to get it. Ok, I buy Glorian koti quite often anyway. But because I have several evergrowing piles of decor magazines, I've tried to become more picky and not carry home every single issue of every single magazine. This one - I just had to get it. When it comes to illustrators, Klaus haapaniemi is one of my biggest idols, and Glorian koti featured his beautiful London home.



Klaus Haapaniemi and Mia Wallenius live in an victorian house near London's Victoria Park. Mia used to be art director at Gucci Group, but now they work together for the Klaus Haapaniemi brand and are launching a textile collection this autumn. As you can imagine, their home is amazing. I could take all of those lights for example. Like that Alvar Aalto pendant in the photo above, come to mama!



But I have one complaint. Klaus and Mia have on their wall the painting by Jaakko Mattila that I have dreamt of! I'm so jealous. I wanted that painting. It would be perfect in our livingroom, above our sofa! Oh well, can't have everything in life... I guess if I can't have the painting, I'm glad it has found a good home with Klaus and Mia... *sigh*

Inspired by: What I love

My husband is in desperate need of a haircut.

Mukavaa viikonloppua!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Pihahaaveita / Backyard dreams

kuvat / images: Knoll, Finnish Design Shop

Arvatkaa kauanko olen tuskaillut, että mistä löytyy sopiva pihakalusto. Bertoian Wiren haluaisin, mutta Heehen meillä voisi olla varaa. Minusta Hayn Hee on oikeasti tosi ihana, ihastuin siihen leveämpään lounge-malliin jo viime kesänä, mutta Panun mielestä se on liian moderni. Tuo dining voisi olla tarpeeksi siro, että passaa meidän talon tyyliin. Bertoian Wire on tietenkin aivan älyttömän kaunis ja 50-luvun kasvattina sopisi meidän taloon kuin voinappi puuroon. Mutta voih, se hinta... Tuohon Heehen voisin saada Panun jopa suostumaan.

I've tried to find the perfect chairs and table for our backyard since we moved here. What I'd LOVE is the Bertoia Wire side chairs. What we could possibly afford is the Hay Hee dining chairs. Actually I fell for the Hee lounge chair last summer but Panu thought it looks too modern for our house. But the dining chair could fit the style. Being born in the 50's the Bertoia wire chairs would of course be a perfect match for our house, but the price... With the Hee chairs there is a remote chance I might be able to talk Panu into it.

kuvat / images: Finnish Design Shop, Ikea

Ja sitten pöytä. Hayn DLM (Don't Leave Me - hihi) olisi minusta aika just passeli. Mutta jos saan Panun suostumaan tuoleihin, ei varmaan mitään jakoa enää pöydän suhteen... Ikean Blankö on kans aika näpsäkkä, katselin tarjotinmallia jo viime kesänä. Oikeastaan voisin ottaa vaikka molemmat.

Oikeastaan, jos joku on menossa lähiaikoina Oulun suunnalta Ikeaan, niin voisiko tuoda mukanaan Blankö-pöydän? Tietysti maksaisimme siitä. Ikean toimituskulut on niin suolaiset, ettei kehtaa pikku pöydän takia maksaa.

And then the table. I'm in love with the Hay DLM (Don't Leave Me - hehe). But if I get Panu to accept the chairs, there's probably no chance with the table... I think Ikea Blankö is nice too, I wouldn't mind having both the DLM and Blankö.

Inspired by: Our dogs

Kukaan ei varmaan ylläty, jos kerron että koirat ovat yksi suuri inspiraationlähde minulle. Murun mukaan on koko blogikin nimetty. Kaivelin vanhoja koirakuvia ja ajattelin laittaa pienen kollaasin Mansikin eka vuodesta. Oikeastaan pitäisi teettää näistä paperikuvia tai kirja. Ei mitään järkeä että ne lojuvat vain tietokoneen kovalevyllä, missä kukaan ei edes näe niitä.

It probably don't come as a surprise when I tell you one of my big inspirations is our dogs Muru and Mansikki. Muru even gave her name to my blog! In case you are wondering, Muru means crumb, but also sweetie or love.

I thought I'd show you some pictures of Mansikki's first year. What I really ought to do, is make an photo album of all of Mansikki's puppy pictures, now they're just inside my computer hard disk where nobody ever gets to see them.











Eikö Mansikki näytä ihan oikealta vahtikoiralta?

Doesn't she look like a proper watchdog?









Kaksi viimeistä kuvia on tosi hauskoja. Otin ne ihan peräkkäin. Koirat olivat vastakkaisilla puolilla pihaa ja tuijottivat toisiaan herkeämättä. Samantien Murun kuvan ottamisen jälkeen ne syöksyivät toistensa "kimppuun" ja alkoivat jahdata toisiaan. On ne niin lutusia :)

The two last photos are so funny. They were shot virtually at the same time, the dogs at the opposite sides of the backyard staring at each other. Immediately after I got the shot of Muru she dashed away and they started chasing each other. They are so cute, no?