5 Happy Inspirations For your sweet home

Now, every Wednesday I pretend to be inspired by five goodies. Truth be told: During a week I get inspired by dozens and dozens of beautiful goodies for your home, interior design ideas, product designs, food and more. Yes, Pinterest is one of the main to be blamed! However, I don't want to overwhelm you with inspiring tidbits. For the ongoing inspiration boards see my Pinterest account. And for a happy Wednesday, here are this week's happy picks.

One: I've always wanted a fig tree for my home. Fig trees are my favorite trees when I am in the south. However, my apartment is too small and I am too scared I'll kill the beauty. Oh, this one as seen on Riazzoli just reignited my desire for a little fig tree!

Two: Do you love the ombre trend? If so, then you'll love these cute baskets in various, happy shades as seen on Varpunen. So practical to store all the little thingies at home.

Three: After yesterday's book review I am craving for a kilim rug. This Anthropologie beauty is right up my alley.

Four: My new facial goodies from Belmondo Skin Care finally arrived. They had a long trip all the way from Vancouver, Canada to Munich, Germany. I love that they are fully organic, hand made, fair trade and the packaging design is a highlight in my bathroom.

Five: This week I have browsed hundreds of iPhone cases for my own phone. I so loved this design on Etsy.

Any favorite pick for you here? Happy hump day, friends!

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5 Happy Inspirations: Good Mood Treats

Every Wednesday I am compiling a little round-up of goodies that inspired me this week. These five treats really boosted my good mood. Sometimes I am so simple as to be happy with a little cushion, a lovely illustration or a happy plant pot. But being simple is not equal to being dumb, right?

1. The 'City Sunday' magazine rack by Finnish Design Shop is the right potion for my Scandinavian design loving, urban heart. Ok, I admit, I bought it!

2. This apple cushion is such a fruity refreshment for any sofa. Certainly for mine! Found via Etsy.

3. Last Saturday I spent my afternoon in my local Ikea. I wandered around, shopped, and got hooked by this beautiful woolen bed throw in ecru with delicate, colourful threads. 

4. I also stocked up on new succulents. And this Anthro plant pot would be such a happy pal for my succulents.

5. I loved 'Pushing Daisies' back then. Do you know that series at all? If you do, you will understand my passion for this illustration - The Piemaker. Seen on Etsy.

Happy hump day, friends!

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Happily Ever After: Etsy Love

TGIF. With capital letters. And this Friday I am sharing some capital love from Etsy with you. Sometimes I can simply forget about the time when browsing through Etsy. I am amazed by the plethora of beautiful, predominately handmade pieces in one of the largest online marketplaces. How about adding some colour with this mountain print or setting a statement with a quirky bulb oil lamp? Or are you all chimes & bells with this happy string?

I also loved this hand-painted vase, the granite side table with its stunning combination of natural and industrial style, as well as this little succulent cutie - all available through Etsy!

The wooden puzzle sculpture reminds me of Olle Eksell's iconic eye prints whereas the bowl charmed me with its soft pastel mint hue and organic shape. 

The cushion? Simply: j'adore! And the multicoloured basket is so happy it had to go straight on the blog. 

And to round things up I picked this catchy red fishing boat pendant with enamel finishing and the cute wooden table with hairpin legs - oh I love hairpin legs so much!! Happy Friday, friends!

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Happily Ever After: Illustrator Blanca Gomez

Let me tell you how I decide on what to feature on my blog. I either see something in a magazine, I get inspired on-the-go or - yes - I browse the internet for inspiration. Then the progression goes something like this: I open a website and then it happens - the first sight puts a big smile on my face. Yes, beautiful and inspiring content makes me happy. And then it is more than clear. That has to go up onto Happy Interior Blog. Now that exactly happened when I opened the site of Blanca Gomez, 'Cosas Minimas', a talented Spanish illustrator and designer from Madrid. 

Her playful illustrations inherit a healthy dose of happiness and cheer. Bright colours, fine lines and a pinch of wit makes her illustrations the right choice for a happy home. Don't you agree. And the best: Her designs are all available through her Etsy shop. Well, sometimes happiness is just a click away. 

Photography via Cosas Minimas

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Ideas For A Happy Weekend

It is weekend, finally! After a busy week at work, I couldn't help but share this amazing quote with you, folks. I think by doing this I am reminding myself of it, too: Be kind to yourself! Maybe we really need to be kind to ourselves first to spread kindness and happiness to others as well. How often do we catch ourselves being our own slave driver, questioning our decisions, rushing ourselves from task to task, cutting us short of quality time to relax and do what we love to do. Is this all about modern life? I don't think so. I don't accept! So let's take this weekend to step on the break and be truly kind to ourselves. Find your way to slow down, to calm your senses, to focus on your body and soul. Ok, I am getting now too esoteric - but you get the point. I will obey to this quote and stay in bed. As long as I want to. And remember: no feelings of guilt. Be kind to yourself! 

Photography: Art print via Etsy; Bedroom via French By Design

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From Place To Space: Dublin

Traditionally, I am inviting you on Mondays to a little virtual trip entitled 'From Place To Space'. Today I am taking you to the Irish capital Dublin. When I visited Dublin, I didn't know what exactly to expect. A wanna-be city? A less spectacular version of London? Pub town? And then I unpacked in the hotel and took off for a city tour - and loved every bit of it. I was surprised by the energy in the city, the vibrant atmosphere, great sights, lots of culture and a good'n'healthy shopping spree.

I visited the venerable Trinity College and its breath-taking library, I spotted great museums and galleries during the Dublin Culture Night, had a few pints of Guiness, and paid tribute to one of my all time favorite writers, Oscar Wilde. And when it comes to interior design, I can't help but feast on traditional interiors - I am thinking of the opulent drawing rooms where Mr. Wilde met his friends and attended parties. Ah, luckily there is a good deal of hotels in Dublin bursting with traditional interior design - residing there takes you on the fast lane to the 19th century and its opulence, decadence and extravaganza. Moreover, I spied (online) into the home of Sharon Greene, the brain behind the eclectic Dublin Flea Market and had a look at Klickity, a Dublin based design studio renowned for its contemporary product design, and found a cool Etsy shop selling typography posters inspired by the Dublin subway. Have you been to Dublin?

Photography: I in Dublin, The Temple Bar, Oscar Wilde, Drinking Guiness all by Igor Josifovic; Detail of Sharon Greene's home via House & Home Ireland; Typography posters via Etsy; Buskers via Enthralled by Beauty; Pendant lampshades via Klickity; Tailored Tradition via Ireland's Home Interiors & Living; Hotel pictures via The Shelbourne Dublin.

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We Have A Happy Winner!

The lovely give-away from last Tuesday with the Etsy shop TexturedINK has come to an end and I am happy to announce a winner chosen by Random.org: It's comment no. 16 posted by oaxacaborn! Congrats!  What next? Easy peasy - drop me an email and I will get you in touch with Ankita from TexturedINK and you are free to choose any paper good in her Etsy shop you'd like! Have fun!!!

Photography via Style me Pretty

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New Etsy Shop & Give-Away: TexturedINK

Last week I was approached by a talented graphic designer named Ankita Kejariwal who recently opened a new Etsy shop called TexturedINK (click on the name to visit the shop). She saw my blog featured as 'blog of the week' on decor8 (thanks so much, Holly) and asked me if I'd be interested in featuring her work on Happy Interior Blog. I jumped over to Etsy to see her work and loved her illustrations instantaneously. She offers beautiful prints, many of them personalized and ideal for events such as weddings, birthdays, and other festivities. Plus I thought that a newbie Etsy shop and a newbie blog are a great match to support each other - and here we are!

But looking at her work was not enough for me, so I asked Ankita about her background and work. She's lived in India, the UK, and the US - a fact that can be seen in her art. The rich colours and vibrant contrasts (influenced by her Eastern upbringing in South Asia) are tamed and held within crisp and simple lines - a clear impact of the Western design aesthetics. Ankita is attracted to simple, clean art and draws inspiration from the many cultures she's embraced while traveling. Her love for typography, colours and layouts is clearly visible in her work. Moreover, her Etsy shop is a culmination of her different creative careers - she's been a copywriter, an interior designer and a graphic designer - great professions to combine and boost creativity, don't you think?

Ankita's work convinced me, but she's upped the ante by offering one of her paper goods (no wood panels or canvas) as a give-away to one of you! All you have to do is put a little comment in the comment section and tell me what you think of Ankita's work. All comments until  Thursday midnight CET will be taken into account and a winner will be chosen randomly with random.org on Friday. Be the happy winner!

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Crazy Days

I know I've been a bit out of touch. My computer has a terrible virus, so I don't have my computer at the moment {I'm loosing my mind without it}. If you don't have a recent anti-virus software on your PC - I would recommend downloading one NOW! ;)

On a positive note, I thought I'd share this pretty photograph I recently purchased for a client. It's going to be a large scale image! I love the color and graphic quality of Dahlias. For more wonderful floral images visit Flanders Field here via Etsy. The photographer has been a delight to work with...

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I couldn't agree more....

I love a number of the prints {and messages on this Etsy site} The Love Shop

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Add to your art collection

E. Soule in this month's issue of Sunset Magazine

Artist Elizabeth Soule is featured in this month's issue of Sunset magazine. I came across Elizabeth's unique work, last Fall, shortly after the arrival of my little guy. I love the graphic quality and unique perspective she creates with her photos. She often uses a polaroid camera to capture her array of subjects. Her newest collection is of horses. The pieces are very reasonable and can be found here.

I may start a mini-collection for my son's room. We started with an elephant. (see below)

Elephant on yellow, in my son's room

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