The modern housewife

I already wrote about the online magazine LE PARFAIT HERE, but going there the other day, I saw that they have published a lot of new recipies and other articles. I can't tell you how much I like this magazine, I know, I already said it, but it is worth repeating! Go and take a look and get inspired by their summer drinks, vanilla inspiration and tips for the perfect girl party!


Screen shot from Le Parfait.

I found this appartment on real estate ALVHEM'S website. Situated in Gothenburg, it is all that I like; big windows, lots of light, white walls, colorful accessories and a very homy feeling.








Images from Alvhem's website.

I love this clock designed by LINUS BERGLUND. It feels very minimalist but with a strong character. It is a design that would work perfectly for our house! The book binded external hard drive is not too bad either! Most hard drives are really ugly so this is a good solution to make your office space look a bit better.
Scandinavian useful design at its best!


Images from Linus Berglund's website.

Check out this appartment of a photographer and a stylist. It is situated in Stocholm. The couple wanted a Scandinavian style with light furniture. It feels just that yet not too cold. Maybe it is the art pieces that make the home feel more personal or the textiles and little details that are all around.
Found at SKÖNA HEM. Sorry I confused things... These images are from no other place than HUS & HEM.










Photos by the owner of the appartment, Jonas Ingerstedt.

PER GUNNARSSON'S interior photos have been moving around on the blogs a lot lately. This made me curious and I had to go and take a look at what he is doing. I was not disapointed and found lots of inspiration! Now I am hesitating to have a black kitchen after having seen the first photo here...
His clients are Ikea, Willa Nordic, Sköna Hem among many.










Photos by Per Gunnarsson.

Oh, how I love the name of this Canadian shop based in Toronto! MJÖLK (milk in English) has Scandinavian but also Japanese design. At first I found it a bit weird, especially since the stores name is Swedish, but it's true that Japanese and Scandinavian design is quite similar with it's clean forms, light colors and useful concepts.


"Lemnos clock" by Riki Watanabe.


"Kaico pasta pot" & "Kaico saucepan" by Makoto Koizumi.


"Warm tea pot and mugs" by Tonfisk & "Kami Mug" by Oji Masanori.


"Teema dinner plate" by Kaj Franck & "Vivianna cutlery" by Vivianna Torun Büllow-Hübe.


"Niko niko bako business card holder" by Makoto Koizumi.


"Cutter box" by Niels Hvass & "Hiroshima three-seater sofa" by Naoto Fukasawa.
Photos from Mjölk's website.

Many people would like a real princess wedding with pastel colors, lots of lace and a castle environment. The cake is very important in a princess wedding since these kind of weddings often look like the American dream wedding. Maybe one of these cakes would be something!?

Soon our appartment will look like this, white and empty because in one week it is moving time! This weekend we are going to take down our closet, pack clothing and move some boxes. And hopefully be out in the sun a bit too...
Have a great weekend everyone!


Photo by Stellan Herner.

Oh, I get so frustrated when I see homes like the one of DOS FAMILY! I am a real Scandinavian that loves white, bright rooms with very little color and sober furniture. Then I see this and I feel such happiness! Maybe a mix of the two would be a perfect solution!










Photos from Dos Family's blog.

I have been bloging a lot about interior design lately (and I will continue:) so I thought it was time to cut of with something a bit different. I love this statement! It is funny and very true! There are so many bad ads out there that you just want to cry! You get lost in the ad jungle and don't remember any of them! That is why it feels so good when there is one that stand out by its originality or beauty or funniness... Funny enough, Swedish ads are really good (at least comparing to what we have to see here in France on an everyday basis). They are good at putting a touch of humor and something unexpected into the context!

I can feel that summer is coming soon in every bone of my body and I naturally look for summery things. Here is yet another summer house, just a bit more colorful this time. It is situated 15 minutes from Copenhagen in Denmark and the over all theme is 1960 and 70's pop style with lots of colors and crazy patterns. It is playful and happy!








Images from HUS & HEM.

KATRIN GREILING has a master in fine arts from KONSTFACK in Stockholm 2005. She is originally from Munich and now has her industrial design company Studio Greiling. You can feel the Scandinavian influence in her design as well as something a bit more oriental. I really like her way of thinking and her original ideas!






Images from Katrin Greiling's website.

Jeans is one of the most practical textiles that you can find but personally I think it's a bit boring. CARL BENGTSSON'S photos for Swedish Elle magazine February 2010 totally change my mind! They have managed to make jeans into something original and almost artistic. I love how they have worked with layers on layers and the make up completely follows the theme!








Photos by Carl Bengtsson.

Living in France, one of my dreams is to have a small summer house in Sweden. I could imagine this one for example. It is fairly small, very nicely decorated, close to the water (2 minutes by foot) and just perfect! The summer feeling is there right away and I could see myself sitting on the terrasse reading a good book while eating fresh strawberries and ice cream.










Images from HUS & HEM by Tia Borgsmidt.

I might have written about STELLAN HERNER already but I just had to show you these photos that I found at his AGENT. They perfectly illustrate the feeling I want in our future house, modern but with a natural and laid back feeling.










Photos by Stellan Herner.

If I lived in Sweden and my life was totally different, I would probably live in Malmö in the south of Sweden. It is fairly close to my family, the city is big enough, Copenhagen is very close and one of the biggest airports in Europe is 15 minutes away. This appartment which is for sale at BOLAGET is something I would be interested in if I was single and working in Malmö. Bolaget have a lot of interesting "objects" like they call them, so I am sure that I will show you some more in the near future.










Images from Bolaget's website.

Short wedding dresses have become very trendy recently! For my wedding I would like a short creation, maybe because it feels less dressed up and you also get to show of your nice shoes (which you don't see if you wear a long dress). The whole concept of a white long dress with plenty of lace is getting a lot of competion from different colors, lenghts and materials.

If you are going to Amsterdam any time soon you might want to live in THIS hotel. Black and white contrasts with original objects is the through out spirit, just like Dutch design is in general. The hotel feels very fresh and airy and you would almost think that you have arrived at a friends house.






Images from Designhotels.com.

I dream of Swedish summers, a cold elderberry drink, a dip in the lake before sunset, simplicity, a good book in the hammock, the Swedish summer dream in other words! The interiors below are typical summer houses where you are taken back in time when everything felt easy and stressless.
This will be my last post before the long weekend that is ahead of us where me and A will catch up on time and work in our little piece of the world. I will be back on monday with plenty of inspiration!
Have a great weekend everyone!






Images from BOLIGMAGASINET and HUS & HEM.

This Danish home is very modern and inspiring. There is a strong contrast which makes it feel very dramatic! The house is filled with art and there are a lot of different seating areas so that anyone can come whenever they want to.






Images from BOLIGMAGASINET.

NUNC is a shop that sells both new and vintage things. I really like vintage but not too much so this is a perfect place for me! It feels very real and authentic with a lot of quality products.










Images from Nunc's website.

It's been a while since I posted any good recipies. It is maybe because I haven't felt like cooking these last weeks do to a lot of stuff happening now and I can't concentrate on standing in the kitchen making food. Anyways, I have made a birthday cake for a very good friend of mine and I really recommend it because it was delicious!
The recipy is from "A piece of cake". The book I talked about HERE yesterday.


Photo by Anna Nasstrom, The Modern Housewife.

250 grams of soft butter
500 grams of marsipan
5 eggs
1 decilitre of flour

Whisk butter and marsipan until creamy.
Add one egg at a time while whisking.
Then add the flour.
Butter a form and put almond flakes.
Add the batter in the form and bake for about 30 minutes, 175 degrees celsius.

Elderberry cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 decilitre of sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons of corn starch
1/2 decilitre of concentrated elderberry sirup
3 decilitres of whippable cream

Whisk egg yolks and sugar until it becomes white and airy.
Mix the corn starch with the elderberry sirup.
Put the cream to a boil and add the sirup mix.
Add the warm liquid to the eggs.
Pour the mix back into the pot and put to a boil while whisking until it thickens.
Let it cool down.

Put the cream over the cake and decorate with fresh berries.

Can it be any more Swedish than this? Graphic patterns, bright happy colors and natural influences. I get very happy seeing this even though it is maybe a bit too busy for me. BRITA SWEDEN has managed to capture a feeling of happiness and pure Swedish nostalgia that is worth a lot!




Images from Brita Sweden's website.

I received a lot of books for my birthday which I am very happy about since I am crazy about books! Here are a couple that I can really recommend! Thank you Mamma, Pappa, Ida and Anne-Lise:)




Amazing cake recipies! I made this cake for a friend's birthday and it tasted delicious.




A book full of romantic dinners for two. I tried one of the menu's and it was a great success!




Now I have no excuse not to learn more about knitting. I am really looking forward to this,
I just have to finish the cardigan I am knitting first.




A book with plenty of inspiration about innovative fashion design. The book design is amazing!

Photos by Anna Nasstrom, The Modern Housewife.

WARREN HEATH is a stills photographer and that is pretty much all I know about him. There is no information about him on his website but after all, the importance should be concentrated on the photos.






Photos by Warren Heath.

It is not often I find good design from Canada. Maybe I haven't looked enough but I have been in Canada a number of times and so far nothing has caught my eye....until now. I found LOYALLOOT through Sweden and fell in love with their tree trunk bowls instantly! I also really like the "collar" hanger!








Images from Loyalloot's website.

These images look so summery and makes me think of light food, happiness, summer sandals and bright summer nights. Can a wedding reception be more magical and perfect than this?

We have now started to work in our garden! It feels so good to say that:) Yesterday we cleaned up two places, it is not done of course but it is well on the way. Since the upcoming weekend is a long weekend, we are planning to advance quite a lot. Today I am going to think and plan what the garden should look like. It is exciting but not very easy. I have never had my own garden before so I think I will take some good advice from my parents who have a beautiful garden!






Photos by Anna Nasstrom, The Modern Housewife.

This weekend it is a trip out to our terrain again of course. This time it is spring cleaning in a corner full of blackberries and lilies that is on the list.
Have a great weekend!

Here is some eye candy for the weekend from the Danish interior design/stylist/photographer company HEYHOME.










Images from Heyhome's website.

I just realised that it became a 100% Dutch day today!
Am I the only one that don't know that the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas is designing shoes and have a brand called UNITED NUDE? They just opened up a boutique in Amsterdam and it is of course Rem Koolhaas that has been in charged of the interior design. I have to say that I love the shoes. They have a strong architectual influence yet they feel very feminin! I want them all!!! Despite their different design, they look very comfortable on top of everything!






Images from United Nude's website.

Hm, I don't know what to think about this hotel designed by WAM ARCHITECTEN. It is situated in Amsterdam-Zaandam and looks like a big doll house in my eyes. I think it would look better if they would have painted it in a more sober color because the form in itself is so complicated. I have to give the credit for new thinking and guts to do something this different though! The inside seems to be calmer which is good so that you can get some sleep and relax!

This is the industrial designer KRISTINA STARK'S summer house. There is a complete black and white harmony but without feeling cold and stiff. I could get used having this as my Swedish summer house!










Photos by Anette Åberg.

MR MUDD & MR GOLD is a new boutique in Stockholm. I love the way they describe their concept by saying :
"We look for our roots when the fad of what's new for news sake wears off. Hand made as opposed to made in a factory churning out thousands and thousands each day. Produced locally as opposed to outsourced. Products to be a part of your life for years to come as opposed to something with a shelf life of a season or two.
Brands with history, that tell a story, brands that complement each other, but work well on their own. In short, brands with a past, a present and most definitely a future."
The interior is designed by DANIEL FRANZEN. Can it be any more Scandinavian than this!?




Images from Daniel Franzen.

Victoria & Albert museum in London is showing an exposition of GRACE KELLY'S wardrobe, featuring dresses from many of her films as well as the gown she wore to accept her Oscar in 1955. I would love to go and see all these amazing dresses but am not sure if I can fit it into my schedule. The expo is on between the 17th of April - 26th of September.
For you who have the chance though, might see one of these.

Once upon a time, ANDREAS JOHANSSON was MIKAEL JANSSON'S assistent. Now he is standing on his own two legs and I think that he is doing quite good! He mostly shoots fashion photos in a very "fashion" way but sometimes he goes out of that bubble and make us dream away somewhere else.






Photos by Andreas Johansson.

Are you looking for an appartment in Stockholm? Maybe this could be something for you...
From LAGERLINGS.








Images from Lagerling's website.

ENKLA TING (simple things) is selling exactly what they are called, simple yet sophisticated interior and exterior design products. Their style is very natural and they use authentic materials such as concrete.
This is what I would like to see in my house and garden!


Images from Enkla Ting's website.

I love this quite big, but light, head piece! It almost looks like a crown! If you where it like the woman on the image, that is all you need. Your dress should be minimalistic with a simple cut. Your hair don't have to be put up in any complicated hair do and your make up should go in the the colors of the flowers!