MITTENS

Have fallen hopelessly in love with the I Love Mr Mittens jumper!!

PROSECCO

Here is to Amylee and Kirk Whitehead. Thank you for letting us be part of your wonderful day! A boozey boozy wonderful weekend away in Harrogate! And thanks for parking my car Kirk! You are a legend.

HOTEL DU VIN

I love UK trips away. We stayed in the Hotel du Vin in Harrogate for the wedding. The ceremony had an unusual start time of 10:00, which is now my new favourite time of day to get married. It was lush. We all went for a lovely lunch after, then had a few hours to do our own thing/ explore Harrogate etc before reconvening back for dinner. We went to the spa, and then hung out in this glorious bath! You can't really see from the pic, but the side of the bath had a concrete texture. A nice inspiration for project two!!

THE WHITEHEADS

Here they are, the lushest couple ever. Congratulations to Amylee and Kirk on the most wonderful day!! You both looked amazing (although sad Kirk didn't wear pink...)

I met Amylee about 5 years ago, when I was managing an independent lingerie shop in Marylebone, she had just moved from Leeds, and used to work in the Agent Provocateur shop up there. So we were already kindred spirits, as my own career history has a long affair with Agent Provocateur (I worked in most of the London stores for over 5 years) so I didn't really interview her, I just hired her. And the rest is history. She sadly moved back to Leeds, but we still see each other a few times a year. She is a true wonder babe and I love her very much. Kirk is alright too. x.

TBA

Last weekend, was one of my very best friends wedding! We travelled up to Harrogate on the Friday night for an early start on Saturday. I LOVE a winter wedding, mainly because it means I can wear velvet! I wore my green TBA dress, with my new Christmas present from Paul: a pair of wonderful Charlotte Olympias.

JINGLE CAT

OK... So this year, we are not doing a Christmas tree, as we are in the middle of packing everythin gup to move so.... I got the cats a Christmas hat. Alabama was having NONE of it. Clarence however, time of his life... So I know it looks like animal cruelty, but honestly, he loved it, he actually fell asleep in it!

WORK

We subscribe to a service called STACK. They send you a different independent magazine each month. It's great for being introduced to magazines you didn't know existed, or to read about subjects you may not normally go for.

This month it's Works That Work, and the focus was extreme environments. It's really interesting to see conditions some people work in, and how as humans we adapt for extreme heat of cold.

A highly recommended read!

EMI

Hello, and welcome to "Your Hjem." Peeking into the homes of people with inspirational interior style. All different styles, from all over the globe.

 

This week I am joined by Emi. She is 28 and lives with her two cats in Friesland, in the Netherlands. She loves photography and interiorstyling, which is how her Instagram was born, by combining these two things.

Hi Emi! Thank you so much for allowing us into your home! First of all, how would you describe you interior style?
 

I would describe my style as modern and Scandinavian, without frills, but cosy. The main colours are white, grey, black and oak wood. By combining this in a right way, using  minimal decoration, the house looks serene. I think that it's important that the house has a united look. Not really just one style, but the colours have to match at least. I also take note of price and quality ratio. My strategy of combining more expensive items with cheap items works quite well I think.

 

Let's start in the living room, what is your favourite thing in here?
 

My favourite spot in the living room is my couch. It arrived just a few weeks ago. I had to wait a few months before it arrived, but it was worth the wait! The couch is a good size, there is enough space for relaxing with a couple of friends. I selected the cushions very carefully. It's a mix of cheap and more expensive brands. It makes sense to me that all items suit well together.

That is a glorious couch, and an ever more glorious cat! Favourite thing in the kitchen?
 

My kitchen is a bit small, and quite basic. Unfortunately I can not change this, because I rent this apartment. I love baking! I bake simple cookies and more complex cakes. I'm happy with my oven, but my Kenwood kitchen machine is my pride! This machine makes it a lot easier to bake cakes.

Sounds great! How about your bedroom?
 

I love sleeping. That is why I decorated my bedroom quite serene. There is no TV. My bed is wonderful. I'm also happy with my nightstand. It has a lot of storage, so you cannot see stuff you don't want to see. I placed two frames on my nightstand. One of them contains the songtext of my favourite Coldplay song, Fix You. There is a wordbanner on the wall with another songtext, it fits perfect over there!

I am a firm believer in no TV in the bedroom also! Bathroom:
 

My bathroom is almost not worth showing. It is very basic. The only thing that I like in my bathroom is the showercurtain I bought at H&M.

What are you inspired by when you shop for your home?
 

Instagram inspires me a lot. I follow accounts in the same style as my style, Dutch and other European accounts as well. I also visit my favourite shops regularly. I don't follow trends without considering them.

 

Any brands you'd like to claim your undying love for, or any new brands you'd like the share?

My favorite brands are Madam Stoltz, Hema and Ikea. I have a lot of items designed by them! I also buy more often items of Hay, Zuiver and Fest Amsterdam. These last two are Dutch brands whose items blend beautiful with the Scandinavian style.

 

Finally: What's on for wish list?

For now I enjoy living here. I do miss a garden. I have a small balcony, but that is not enough. In the next few years I hope to move to a house with a big garden. I don't really have any other interior wishes. Maybe to paint the walls in a different color, but I haven't made a decision about that yet. I am really satisfied with my home now!

 

Thank you so much for joining us on YOUR HJEM! I will leave you all with a few more pics of Emi's aparment!

YIN

The weekend just gone, saw the half way mark for my yoga teacher training. It was a wonderful weekend of Yin.

I was practically dragged to my first Yin practice. I did not understand the appeal. Laying around staying still? I did that 8 hours a night. At this point in my yogic journey, I was all about high energy, heat and feeling like I had “done something” or “achieved” something in my practice. I had been working at Triyoga for a while, and this Yin, and how wonderful it was, kept creeping about, and my intrigue started to grow! My first class, I just lay there feeling a little bored, and like I should be DOING SOMETHING. The idea of being passive, did not sit well with me, until something just clicked. My Yin teacher is also a Craniosacral therapist, and as she explained the benefits to different ligaments, and different parts of the spine, it all just sunk in, and I sunk with it. I was hooked. The idea of stretching these parts of the body, made me realise I had only been doing half a practice.

So what is this magical Yin?! “It’s a passive yoga for the joints.” “It balances out a high energy practice.” Whilst both statements are true, they are not really explaining it or selling it!

Yin Yoga focuses on the deep connective tissues: ligaments, joints and bone, as opposed to the superficial muscular tissues, which is more commonly exercised, but the “end goal” is the same as most other styles of yoga. In Yin, we hold the postures for long periods of time, up to twenty minutes in some cases, and this can be extremely difficult, and challenging for some people, mainly because it can feel tedious. For some it can get a little uncomfortable, for some (mine) their mind wanders. It is so important to balance out the mind and body. It is important to remember that Yin cannot exist without Yang and vice versa, true harmony and peace is achieved when the two balance perfectly. This is why Yin yoga balances us out nicely after a more high heat practice or indeed, lifestyle.

Yin has been around for thousands of years, and older texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes only sixteen asanas, of which half are seated, very Yin like. Over time, more and more asanas are mentioned in different texts, the “Yin” like postures being booted out in favour for a more Yang style practice.

“This gradual, and then sudden, evolution of asana practice moved the practice away from the original yin style of holding seated poses for a long time as a preparation for the deeper practice of meditation to the more active yang style of building strength and health.”

Bernie goes on to say, one is not right, and one is not wrong. A Yang style practice can help prepare the body for the Yin style.

Anyway, I love Yin, and would love to spread the word a little. So there you go! Go do Yin yoga!

DAVID, DAVID

Last week was a tough one. Alot of stress, but that's boring to moan about. This is one of the favourite corners of our house. Double David, Lynch and Bowie. They can always make me smile :).

SEQUENCE

It's been quite a full on month, so I took a couple of hours the other evening to sit down, block everything out and work on some sequencing for my yoga course. I have felt so overwhelmed recently, with lots of house related (both purchasing and selling) issues, so it's important to take the time out from it all. Although I don't do it as often as I should probably, as it's easier said than done! But I always feel so much better afterwards.

I'm at the stage now where I've started to prepare playlists for my sequences, and working out what fits and what doesn't. It's much like getting a DJ set ready. This really excites me, as I will be honest, music in most yoga classes is quite predictable, so I'm looking forward to getting yoga to Nick Cave and Massive Attack on the go.

CHRISTMAS JUMPERS

Christmas jumpers. Yawn, yawn, yawn... Until I saw this beauty!! I was so enthralled, I bought it straight away. They're handpainted by a lovely lady called Stephanie, via her Instagram "brownpaperbagginit"

They are £24.99, and also available in a delightful grey! It really is the minimalist's dream Christmas Jumper! And not a flashing bauble in sight! So what are you waiting for? Go, go, go before she sells out!

CENTRAL

We ventured to central London recently. And I hate central London shopping at the best of times, (as you can tell by the face) never mind on a weekend in December, the black Friday weekend in December!! But it wasn't as bad as we imagined, and Paul reminds me of one of Fagan's gang sometimes, as he knows every back street and short cut in London. So he took us a much less stressful way around Ox Circus and Covent Garden. He is like a human compass. Very useful. We bought each other's presents and had a good look around Liberty. The Christmas shop is quite disappointing this year...

ANNE

Hello, and welcome to "Your Hjem." Peeking into the homes of people with inspirational interior style. All different styles, from all over the globe.

This week I am joined by the stunning Anne, from Copenhagen. She is a teacher and mother to two, Asta and Wille.  After growing up in the countryside on a farm, she met her husband and moved to the city centre. They now live 10 mintues walk from the main city action, overlooking Copenhagen's ancient fortress, which sounds AMAZING.
 

Welcome to Hjem Anne! I am so excited to have you on the blog with me! Apart from the hair envy- I so wish I could pull off a pixie crop- I love Copenhagen. First of all, how would you describe your interior style?

Our interior style has grown together, with our relationship. When we moved in together after knowing each other for only six months, we didn't quite have the same approach to interior design. Philip hated flea markets, and I couldn't see the beauty in the old leather sofa from the 1960s that he had in his living room. What we discovered, was that we slowly developed a common style, which is a mix of old and new. Classics and IKEA, and indeed it is now Philip that is dragging me and the kids with him to the flea market. Although our style is certainly not the most spectacular, I am proud that it has grown out of us, and how we are together.

I know exactly what you mean, I feel the same with me and Paul. I think it's lovely when you bring two styles together to merge into one, and when it works it's great! Tell us a little about how you selected and acquired your lovely home:

I choose 100% to my taste- if I like what I see (and can afford) I buy it. I get a lot of inspiration from Instagram and magazines, but I choose only objects and furniture if I can imagine them here in our home.

 

Let's start in the living room, what is your favourite thing in here?

 

The living room is very simply furnished. Here is a sofa, a coffee table and an armchair. That's it. But on the back wall hangs 9 bookcases, where we have all our books and records, and it brings a warm atmosphere to the room. The sofa is new, but in a classic look. I really like its wooden legs that lift it up and allows air under the heavy furniture. I also love the big window, and the shelf above the radiator, which is an original feature of the property.

 

 

We also have a large dining room which is used when we are more than we can sit around the table in the kitchen and as an office or just for play. Here we have a large Egon Eierman table with different chairs around, including Series 7 chair by Arne Jacobsen and other Danish designers from the 50s and 60s.

 

I ADORE the natural floorboards!! Favourite thing in the kitchen?

It is in this room we spend most hours. Above the dining table a very dear friend has made ​​a wall tattoo, as I call it . Philip wanted a fishing boat , Asta a superhero and I something round. And then she started just drawing. I look at it every day and it makes me smile .

That is such an original idea, I love that! Your bedroom:

 

The bedroom is the smallest room in the apartment. We have only a bed, a shelf, a mirror and some hooks. It's nice to sleep in here, especially because the bed is surrounded by walls at 3 sides , so no one falls out when the whole family sleeps in here : -)

Baby's bedroom:

Our children are sharing a room. We have tried to divide the room up a bit, so there is common space and individual space for both of them. Right now it works, but in time we'll  have to find another solution, and I imagine something with a half wall with a big old window to distribute the space.

 

 

Bathroom:

 

When the apartment was renovated the plan was to remove the bathtub. But thankfully we stopped them before it was too late. It is when you have small children and in the winters where it is wonderful to sink into a nice hot tub after a long and cold day.

 

What are you inspired by when you shop for your home?

Other homes.

 

Any interiorbrands you'd like to claim your undying love for, or any new brands you'd like to share?

Uhh it's hard , because there are very many. My old Fritz Nagel candlesticks I am very fond of.

 

They are certainly stunning! Finally, what's on your wish list?
 

A Verner Panton Globe lamp to hang over our Egon Eierman table in the dining room.

 

ARGH YES! Glorious! Thank you so much for allowing us to see your amazing home! It's making me want to book a flight and visit Denmark right away! In the mean time, here are a few more photos of this wonderful Copenhagen apartment!!

 



GLAM ROCK KITTY

So I bought these shoes at the weekend as ASOS had 20% off everything! As soon as I opened them Clarence comandeered them! I literally couldn't take them away. Whenever I tried to pick them up, he clung on for dear life! What can I say? He's obviously a glam rock kitty!

EGGS

I LOVE the Clarence Court eggs. The yolk is the best thing I have ever seen, and they're white! Much like the American eggs I always see on TV! We ate them at the weekend with smashed avocado on rye bread with hummus and chilli flakes!

THANKSGIVING

Happy thanksgiving all! Excuse the hideous work uniform. My work is an American Law Firm, so thanksgiving celebrations have been going on all week! On thanksgiving, they laid on alot of free cake! It was quite spectacular!