Swedish Style Interior - White & Bright

Sharing a white, bright, stylish apartment in Sweden.  White walls and vaulted ceilings always create an immense feeling of space and are fabulous for showing off artwork. Unlike some white interiors appearing rather clinical, the designer has added personality and warmth by adding the Persian rug with its rich colours and pattern.. The accent cushions, aged leather pouffe (footstool), and other leather furnishings balance the overall look.  Who would have thought, stacked magazines and a medley of pictures could end up a stylish corner (image 3). This lovely interior has personality and order, and for me is a winner!

Image source:  Alvhem Makleri & Interior

Hope you all had a lovely week, praying our windy NZ weather will go away and Spring sunshine abound.

Interior Design by Grant Larkin

Recently I was excited to discover the work of Grant Larkin Interior design, a partnership of Elaine Grant and Matthew Larkin, I fell in love their very distinct sense of style. As an artist myself I was drawn to the fascinating artworks found in their interiors and I wanted to share a few of their designs that spoke to me.

 I love the central artwork, the boy on the galloping horse. The colour of the stripes in the seating perfectly co-ordinates with this work. The addition of the bold carpet reflects colours used in the adjacent painting to the right and some of the artifacts on display.

A simple fireplace made stunning by the addition of wide horizontal stripes. The light in this room is perfect, the painting above the fireplace almost reflects the flames.

 What a wonderful mix of pattern and style in this living area opening to the kitchen. A mix of furniture styles and colours that create for me an "Americana" look. Grant Larkin have managed to create a comfortable area with an eclectic retro look.  I am fascinated by this room.

The fabulous kitchen with its bold statement extractor housing.

Sometimes "Less is more". No artwork required in this dining area with a stunning window framing the exterior view. This interior is my personal favourite.

I love this collection of furniture, beautiful woods that compliment the statement painting above the sofa.

I have to say I just love the architectural design of this room, the beautiful windows with their unusual window panes. The eagle sculpture perfectly reflects the curves of the window frame.

I particularly appreciate how Grant Larkin create a wonderful balance without restrictions, they go "out of the box", and it's clearly important their clients possessions, whether a large piece of furniture, artwork or a small ceramic, each item has its importance in the overall design. Grant Larkin's designs are not just about an eye for detail, this company is truly sympathetic to their clients complete environment, both architectural, and aesthetic, right down to the finest details.

More of Grant Larkin's work can be seen at their website or at their Dering Hall site.

Note: Images above reproduced with permission from Grant Larkin, please do not re-use these images.

Lee

&

Poppy oxo

Asian Style Interiors

Throughout my years of living in Asia and the UAE, I experienced many exuberant interiors. Gold leaf, over ornate cornices, exotic patterns, rich colours, clashing colours and gold, gold and more gold!...sometimes" ornateness" to the extreme.  I've actually been lucky enough to visit the Sultan of Brunei's Palace several times and experienced the most lavish interior first hand. I remember some amazing chairs in his gymnasium with gold plated shuttle cocks for feet and gold plated taps in the bathrooms. These interiors always fascinated me but I must admit I was not a fan of them and was always looking for that Asian interior that I might go, Wow! I actually like this.

Today I found that room...This gorgeous Asian room has simple panache and although a mix of patterns and colours it is much subtler than the interiors I experienced living overseas. I love this look and could quite happily spend and afternoon reading a book in this light filled corner.

 

           Image source 

A touch of Morocco in this interior...

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Source Architectural Digest via 

          

What do you think of these styles? I love to read your comments.

                                                         

Renovated English Townhouse

Fellow blogger Kifus at Inspiring Interiors posted this gorgeous renovated English townhouse. I'm only giving you a taster of a couple of images, Inspiring Interiors has more images of this home plus hundreds of other images of homes around the world. I suggest you have that cup of coffee with you as your bound to get lost in all the wonderful interiors to be found on Kifus Blog (see link at end of post).

 Gosh! I wish I had those Peonies in my house right now...they're are shouting out to be painted. I'm

so annoyed with myself for not having taken lots of Peony photos last year for my paintings.

Don't you just love the aged patina of those rustic floorboards.

click "here" to visit Inspiring Interiors and see more images of this home.

Images via Inspiring Interiors...original images from Period Living

My tummy is still recovering from too much chocolate over Easter

Lee oxo 

&

Poppy