It’s that time of year again! I can’t believe it’s already here, but we are slowly starting to see Christmas decorations appear in the shops. Do you wait a little while longer before the first festive accessories make an appearance in your home or are you one of these people that has everything ready to go as soon as the last Halloween spider web comes down? I’m somewhere in the middle. I slowly start to introduce some small touches in my home, but the real decor comes only in a few weeks.

I do like to get inspired about what subtle touches of Christmas I want to add to my home this year and these inspiring images from H&M home just really put me in a cozy mood. Since I live in a small apartment, I like subtle Christmas settings like paper stars in the window and lots of candles and some green branches spread in my favorite vases. I do get the magic of a Christmas tree though, and if I were to live in a big house and invite lots of people I would definitely like to decorate an entire tree. It really brings back memories from when I was a kid.

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So much character and personality are added to this home by the use of accessories, prints, and textiles, which is a great way to create a space that feels like home. You can pick out the details you like and gather a combination of objects that no one else has. Throw in some handmade or vintage pieces and it looks even more unique.

This Swedish apartment has good basic elements:  a beautiful herringbone floor and lots of natural light coming in through the windows. The grey walls in the living room are brightened up by the white linen curtains*, light beige sofa, the teddy armchair, and the beautiful fabric pendant light hanging above the coffee table. The low, black shelving that extends along the entire wall creates a lovely spot to display books, objects, and a wonderful selection of art prints that add personality to the space.

Going from the living room to the kitchen, you pass the hallway, which doubles as a little home office. By attaching a narrow desk to the wall, the piece is not in the way when you walk by it, but it still creates a surface for working from your laptop or doing paperwork. The kitchen has a beautiful dining area especially, with a wooden dining table and chairs, combined with a delicate rice paper lampshade and a lovely red branch that adds an autumn mood to this area.

The bedroom has been painted in a dark muted green color, from which the white bed and bedding stand out. The stripes on the duvet cover add a playful touch to this room and I love the vintage dresser that stands underneath the window. By painting it white it gets a whole new life and adds character to this bedroom.

Styling by Linnéa H. Manaberi, photography by Henrik Linden for Alvhem

I think the muted color palette in this beautiful apartment is amazing and the pale green kitchen fronts really add something to this light-filled space. The pale green is combined with a warm palette of different curtain colors, which warms up the light coming through those windows.

The round dining table in front of the windows works nicely next to the kitchen island and I love that the wood of the kitchen countertops comes back in the coffee table and the dining table, sort of as a red thread.

The sofa area has been kept quite modest, with the muted green and warm colors of the curtain making a subtle appearance in the pillowcases and the art print above the sofa. Opposed to the sofa, you can find a small workspace which fits so nicely in this corner.

Styled by Grey Deco, photographed by Jonas Berg for Stadshem

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This beautiful, sunlit, turn-of-the-century Swedish apartment has so much character and looks very fresh and inviting at the same time. The old fireplace in the living room has a mint green color, which really stands out against the white walls and soft wooden floors and adds something special to the room. The white sofa combined with the light area rug brightens up the space even more and I love the combination of art prints on the wall with a warm color palette, which comes back in the darker wood of the coffee table and the sideboard next to the door going to the bedroom.

The living room and bedroom are connected by those beautiful old wing doors and I love that this can be closed for privacy, but can also become one big space. The kitchen has a simple grey design with brass finishes in an L-shaped layout and I love that the brass of the handles comes back in the brackets of the wall shelving above the sink.

The bedroom has a very delicate look, with a light grey color on the wall combined with lots of beiges in the textiles on the bed. I think the Ay Illuminate fabric pendant light fits this look so well and there is even a little spot for a standing desk next to the window.

via Alvhem

I love all the different textures in this beautiful styling by Caroline Sandström (photographed by Andrea Papini) for Swedish brand Jotex. I think it shows the importance of working with different textiles and combining color shades, patterns and fabrics together for an interesting look.

I love the mix of textiles in the bedroom of the first picture especially. The combination of the beige striped duvet cover with the light beige fabric headboard and the mix of pillow cases works exceptionally well and it all looks very balanced together.

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Beige has been a huge trend color over the past months (or even years) and while I like the way it can warm up a space, I think sometimes it can look a little bland with a lack of interesting focal points. This apartment has many beige elements in both the living room and bedroom, but by adding a touch of green in the plants and the wall shade of the living room, it also has a fresh and vibrant look and feel.

The living room with beige walls lays in between the bedroom and the kitchen and I love that you can see the different color palettes from the adjacent rooms. The fresh fig tree by the white linen sofa adds a fresh touch to this space and brings out the green shade of the walls in a nice way. The kitchen has been painted in a very light shade of grey, which makes the round white dining table stand out. When looking into the kitchen from the living room, your eye goes immediately towards the combination of the white table and the natural wood tints in the dining chairs.

The bedroom has a warmer shade of greige on the walls, which makes the cute vintage desk stand out in such a lovely way. Vintage pieces tend to add so much character to a room and make it personal. The white bedsheets stand out against this wall color and the art prints break up the empty wall in a nice way. The bedsheets really stand out against this wall color and the art prints break up the empty wall in a nice way.

Styled by Grey Decor, photographed by Fredrik J Karlsson for Alvhem

Danish magazine store New Mags recently opened a flagship store in the old center of Copenhagen, designed by no one less than Norm Architects. For the design, they took inspiration from traditional libraries, featuring the unique and curated coffee table books as the heroes of the space. The books serve as pieces of art, alongside a selection of sculptures and design objects.

The framework of the design consists out of natural materials like oak and golden sandstone, which has a tranquil effect that invites you to immerse yourself in the wide variety of meaningful, beautiful books. The combination of form, materials and function creates a dynamic space that embraces the essence of the brand, while showcasing the books in a warm ambience.

“As inspiration for the project, we looked at the book-lover’s paradise; the library. And with iconic elements like the long study tables and large wooden shelving, filled to the brim with beautiful and large volumes alongside prominent sculptures and ornamental moldings in mind, we set out to design a contemporary and more minimalist version, where all the books are still displayed in this warm, cosy and stimulating atmosphere.” – Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen, Norm Architects

Photography by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen & Sandie Lykke Nolsøe

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I’m a big fan of combining cool and warm color palettes in the same interior. It adds interest and personality to the space and I like the balance it provides. The living room has been painted in a cool grey, which makes the warm color of the old fireplace stand out in such a nice way. The blue velvet sofa adds an interesting pop of color and texture to this look and pairs up perfectly with the artwork and black coffee table on the grey rug.

The round dining table in wood matches the warm tint of the fireplace and the black chairs add some more contrast to this area. From the living room, you can walk straight into the bedroom, which has a dark blue accent wall that contrasts with the white of the wardrobe. I love the way the cabinets have been built around the bed and the door for a space-saving storage solution. If you are looking to implement a similar setup in your bedroom, make sure to take a look at this post which includes a full list of wardrobe ideas above the bed.

The small vintage desk in front of the window is a perfect spot for working from home I think and it has a nice spot in the bedroom. 

From the bedroom, you can walk into the kitchen, which has been decorated with natural tints and beiges. The entire apartment has been decorated with sheer beige curtains* on the windows, which warm up the daylight coming in.

via Historiska Hem

The owners of this beautiful, characterful Swedish apartment are not afraid of color. This shows in the choices of wall colors, which are quite bold, but also in the colored textiles that are paired up with the colors on the wall. The floors in this apartment are white, which could easily become very clinical and impersonal if the walls were kept white as well (unless you work with the furniture and accessories to add interest of course). The opposite is true for this space though where a dusty pink is used in the living room, forest green in the bedroom, and a mustard yellow in the hallway. These colors combined make for a very rich environment, which has been made even more characterful by the use of accessories and textiles.

The dusty pink walls in the living room are paired up with dark blue curtains and a walnut String shelf which holds a lot of books and interesting accessories. The dining area has been turned into an urban jungle area, which adds so much life and interest to this space. The large round mirror reflects all the interesting textures and reflects the light coming in from the big window.

The bedroom has been painted in a dark forest green color which has been paired up with sheer grey curtains* and a beige duvet cover on the bed. The mustard yellow hallway adds a third color to this apartment, which makes it so interesting and different from what you usually see.

via Historiska Hem

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