Nude pastels

After listening to a lot different trend forcast agencys talking about the next coming trends, it´s easy to see a pattern in what they all predict. One of them is the change in how we see season-colours. They will merge, lighter nude pastels will be important for fall and dark "autumn" colours for spring... So, this post celebrates these nude tones and soft pastels as we come closer to the autumn season.

Via: agent bauer (stylist: lotta agaton), ritzy bee, emmas designblog, am on the present tense, krakvik dorazio & vineet kaur

Room for a boy

My never ending project is my sons room. We have bougt the colour and built the shelfs but then our energy ended and nothing more has been done. So, hopefully I will get started soon again to finish what will be Axels own space (even if he thinks the whole house is his to sprinke toys all over). The base will be white and pale aqua with accents in bold colours. My nex DIY will be to make posters for the walls and hopefully Axel will help me. Or maybe I paint some tires and turn them into a table. To be continued...

Via:ólöf jakobína, finnstyle, pretty in pink, mokkasin & sköna hem

Food obsession

I know this is not a food blog but days like these, I tend to obsess about food. All the berries and vegetables are just outside the door so lets just make something nice! Raspberry sorbet or a double chocolate rasperry pavlova, red beat chips or just some red curants...  Here is the recipte for the pavlova made by Nigella Lawson:

6 x Egg Whites

300g Caster sugar

3 x tablespoons Belgian cocoa powder

1 x tablespoon good balsamic vinegar

50g good quality chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped into small pieces

3 punnets of fresh raspberries

500ml whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with a tablespoon of caster sugar

Preheat oven to 180˚C

1. Place egg whites in the bowl of a mixer (I use a Kitchen Aid, find it excellent for meringues) and whisk until soft peaks form.

2. Using a tablespoon at a time, add sugar into egg white mixture and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff and glossy. Be careful not to over-beat as it can start to separate. The mixture is ready once it forms stiff, glossy peaks and you can hold the bowl upside down without any of it falling out. (I don't normally test the latter as I'm familiar with meringue consistence but if you've never made one before, it's worth giving it a try, once it stays put, you know you're good to go.

3. Sift in the cocoa powder, add the vinegar and chopped up chocolate, using a large spoon slowly and carefully fold these into the egg white and sugar mixture until fully combined. the mixture will resemble a very light brown shade.

4. Line 2 large, flat oven trays with baking parchment - I find it a good tip to dab a little bit of the pavlova mixture underneath each corner of the paper as it helps it stick to the tray and avoids the paper slipping all over the place whilst you are loading on the mixture = very annoying..

5. Place a 9" or 10" dinnerplate on the middle of each tray and draw firmly around the edge with a pencil or pen to form a circle - this will act as a guide and ensure both pavlovas are the same size. Flip the paper over so the ink/pencil lead is touching the tray side as opposed to the pavlova side, you'll still be able to see the line through the paper.

6. Load up each circle with the mixture, smoothing it out to the edge of the line you have just drawn, try to divide the mix equally so both have same volume of mix. I normally smooth out the mixture, but a Pavlova is not supposed to look perfect so feel free to form a few points and peaks if you want, when cooked they'll crisp up and add a bit more interest visually.

7. Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 140˚C. Cook for 1hr to 1hr15mins. Do not open the oven door whilst the pavlova is cooking.

8. You'll know when the pavlova is cooked when it looks crisp at the edges which will have started to crack slightly. The top will be dry but if you press on the underside it'll give a little as the centre should be still a little squishy/soft. Place the pavlova back in the oven and leave the door slightly ajar, leave the pavolva to cool completely inside.

9. When it is cool, I place one disc on a serving platter or cake stand and spoon a big wallop of cream on top, scatter a good handful of fresh raspberries onto the cream and then place the second meringue disc on top. Again pile on a good amount of cream and the remainder of the raspberries. Sprinkle with finely chopped chocolate and serve.

Via: brown dress with white dots, what katie ate & whole living

Feeling girly today

I´m not a pink girly girl...at all, but sometimes it´s like a littel princess demon is haunting me and I get obsessed by pastels, cupcakes, velvet, satin & sequins. Today is such a day...

Via: coco&kelley, the sweetest occasion, the cherry blossom girl, oh how lovely, design love fest & the collection

Orla Kiely

I´m a big admire of Orla Kiely. She is a fantastic graphic designer with amazing prints, but personaly I think she is showing her strength when it comes to colours. Entering her store in London aways brings a smile to my face. So, when I found these great shots of her home, threw the lovely blog French by design, my heart started to beat a little faster. I love the bold accents in glasobjects and furntures mixed with the calm neutrals on the walls. Photos by Chris Tubbs.

Via: french by design

Vintage feel illustrations

Simplicity

You can never go wrong with black & white... However I´m working on some paintings right now, trying to keep them in simply black & white and it is really hard to get them to work without looking flat. I´m working in both ink and acrylic to see what looks the best in only black, I´ll show you when I´ve made a few.

Bold accents

It feels like the whole interior world in talking about colours again. Big, bright, bold colours. I have to admit that it´s refreshing after quite some time with lots of white. Althoug I think it´s easy to overdoze with colours if you´re not careful. To many bright colours togheter can often get busy for the eye. Therefor I love these pictures where they have added lots of colours, but in the details instead of on a big piece of furniture. These shots also represents an etnic impression, imperfection and individualism; key words for this season.

Pictures by: dezeen, decor8, design sponge & kitchenisms

Washed-out pastels

I´m not a very girly, pink person, but I do like some pastels. Especially if they have a hint of grey added to them and come in rough materials. I could easily serve a nice lunch on these plates.
Via: Digna Kosse, RUM, Lerkenfeldt & flickr