Simple Life: My Tea and Coffee Story

I remember when I was a teen, I loved watching the photos of interior magazines – and it always had this one effect on me. After a short while I would look away from the photos and around: and notice beauty everywhere. The everyday beauty of small simple things which would usually escape from my eye. But in these moments everything felt like  magic – like opening some secret ability to see beauty in everything.

I still feel this effect now. This is one of the reasons I keep on buying those magazines. After some minutes I can turn my gaze to my own place and feel inspired. Sometimes I take my camera and start taking photos of those small simple things. Because they are so lovely.

And if our life is often more about simple everyday things, why not make it into a good habit – to notice the niceness of them more often? May it be my practice!

teksting

rise and shine, sister

Home: The Urban Garden

How beautiful can a grey day be! Now, I have never been a fan of grey days. I guess, it is because I got too many of them in Norway. But after so many sunny days in the Mediterranean this winter the cloudy skies feel like a pleasant change. I love Barcelona on a sunny day, on a grey day, and on a rainy day I love it too. Especially on a spring rainy day, when everything starts to smell intensely of young green leaves and fresh earth.

And since green is on my mind today, I wanted to share some photos of my green friends at home. I always dreamt of a pot garden while living in Oslo. The weather conditions there were tough, and the green balcony was only a summer thing. Here it can be done throughout the year, but I am still slow (or lazy). Still happy that I got these plants, and planning to expand my little garden in the middle of the big city.

Enjoy Life

Home: Place for Everything

The good thing about changing a flat is that one can start creating the new space just as one wishes. From the blank page. When I moved in with my husband, his flat was already set, so I had to carve out small spaces for my changes and things. When we moved now to Barcelona, the flat was empty, with very few pieces of furniture (I even had to sleep on the floor the first weeks). So we had to spend some time and money visiting all the interior stores (instead of drinking sangria and eating tapas, like most of my friends thought I was doing :)). The upside of it was that I had more freedom in creating our home this time.

Now, after all stress and mess, I feel content with some results and want to share the corners I like. This one is from my side of the bedroom. It is a sunny room with the big French windows, which are also doors to the balcony. It is so great to wake up and see the sunlight beaming through. And in the evening I like to light a candle and unwind with a book. I close the door and feel like it is my secret garden. Where there is place for my books, my dreams, my jewelry, my inspiration – the place for everything.

Black and White Trend: Home and Fashion

Since I have started to notice the black and white theme around me – on the streets of my city and then at home, this combo seems to be popping everywhere. It is even on trend this season, as I came to conclude after walking through some stores.

And though some may have different opinion on black-and-white vs. colors , and even though I have proclaimed myself a color lover ages ago (actually, my second blog in Russian which I started 10 years ago has the name “My Life in Color and Black and White”), I just cannot resist the elegance and prettiness of this simple combination. Let’s do the window shopping with me and see for yourselves!

Color Combo to Love

There are favorite colors – and then there are favorite color combos. I never thought of it that way. But after sharing the interior trends I love in my previous post, I suddenly realized that I totally love that trendy combination of soft pink and green, especially its dusty eucalyptus shade. Now, you may have any attitude to trends (considering them anything from important to silly) – but I think, that if it gives you a good feeling, why not?

Interior Trends I Love

I seem to become that classical Norwegian girl who doesn’t care much about her appearance, wears a lot of casual style – but spends a lot of time (and money) at her home interior. I got a sparkle of inspiration when I had to do styling of our flat when we were selling it – and since then I became an addict of interior shops, checking them both online and offline.

After visiting several of them, I could analyze and see what are the new trends of this year – and I must admit, I am in love with all of them. In this post I want to share my love – and who knows, maybe it will give some of you a sparkle too. Doesn’t matter if you want to redecorate – or just do any creative act.