Month: December 2014

white cupboards, Bertoia chair, linen bag. More on www.karinecandicekong.com

Our new wardrobe leather door handles

One thing that I found a bit tedious during the renovations of our home in London* was the number of times we had to make a decision on the final look of A) radiators: 12 in total, B) door handles and C) doors. For the loft conversion which was a room built from scratch and therefore more modern than the existing rooms with period features, I wanted a minimalist look meaning no door handle at all on the new fitted cupboards. I searched high and low for a push latch system and was advised to get them from top brand Hafele…Maybe they were not fitted properly but personally, they didn’t work for me so I replaced them all by the system from Ikea which bounces out more than the ones we fitted initially. In our bedroom on the first floor, there was already a fantastic fitted wardrobe running from wall to wall which actually looked quite Parisian. So we just painted it in white and fitted these gorgeous leather handles by Dutch company Nu Interieur. While the push latch thing …

A Scandinavian home with large windows & lots of natural light

A Scandinavian home with large windows & lots of natural light

I have a soft home for homes with large windows and lots of natural light and this Danish home designed by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen and Kasper Rønn doesn’t disappoint. Bjerre-Poulsen and Rønn are also the Founders of Norm. Architects, a design practice I often featured on the blog here. Drawing their inspiration from Danish tradition, craftsmanship, and aesthetics, everything they design, from commercial and residential interiors to furniture and home accessories, is a feast for the eyes. Being mostly drawn to white interiors, I really wanted to share with you the Fredensborg home, a home they recently finished designing and which is located about 30kms north of Copenhagen.  The house is built on five low levels using natural material like stone and wood, which accentuates the feeling that everything flows from one room to another effortlessly… With its large windows in all the room, the house benefits from natural light from various corners. The rubber basket above is made from recycling tires and adds a visual accent to an all-white interior. // Photography: Norm. Architects | All Rights Reserved

5 things I want right now! 12th December 2014

5 things I want right now!

It has been such a long week that I feel I haven’t done a “5 things I want right now” for ages when in fact I did one last Friday. To top it up, I don’t know about your part of the country (in Europe I mean..because I know that in Oz and kiwi land, you are all sporting denim shorts and bikinis right now!) but this week in London has been pretty cold and I just fancy wearing something super comfy and warm.

Dining inspiration, natural

Dining inspiration

I’m hosting our BODIE and FOU Xmas diner at our home this year. We are a small team, Polly is off to Australia early next year and I thought it would be nice and intimate to do this in the lounge by our fireplace rather than in a pub again. We have a new, beautiful table, no chair yet but I have enough stools around the house to figure out something. You can get the same string lights here. I love the simplicity of this set up, which reminds me of these beautiful wreaths. What do you think?  Going forward, I will put all my dining inspirations under Happy gatherings here. //Photography: Sunday Suppers | All Rights Reserved SHOP THE POST

My home featured in the VT Wonen Special Edition

VT WONEN – OCTOBER 2014

Last October, I was very honoured to be featured in the Bloggers Special edition magazine of  VT Wonen, which is one of my favourite international interior magazines. It’s always a visual treat and if you read the online version on Google Chrome, you usually get the content translated into your own language so it’s all good. Looking at the social media figures they published at the time, I can’t believe how the numbers have changed so much on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook (thank you so much!). If you still have the old blog address bookmarked on your blog, please update it to the new one above. You can also follow me on Bloglovin’ which is super practical to keep track of the recent posts from all your favourite blogs. I’ve started working on the 2015 version of the blog to introduce new features and I will pick your brains in the next few days to see what works for you, what you would like to see, etc or what doesn’t rock your boat so that we have things I love …

Party time! Honeycomb paper balls. For more inspiration, go to www.karinecandicekong.com

How to host a fab, stress-free, fun party at home

Isn’t this photo so incredibly uplifting?  The styling is a-ma-zing and just looking at it makes me feel happy. Honeycomb paper balls and pom poms, are such an inexpensive way to create a party with a WOW factor. If you are planning a party, a birthday or an anniversary at home, here is 15 tips to create a stress-free party.

5 things I want right now! For more fashion inspiration, go to www.karinecandicekong.com

5 things I want right now!

I’m being super efficient this year with my Christmas shopping this year. Everything I bought so far was online from either Elias & Grace, Smallable or John Lewis where I finally found this 3-D puzzle with lights Mila really wanted and I’m glad to report that my Christmas gift to myself is also sorted :-) I pondered whether I should go for this watch or this one and in the end, I decided that the timeless design of the latter and the fact that it was Marant would mean that 1) I would wear it for years and 2)  it would still be a nice watch to pass on to Mila when she is older and as it is a Limited Edition, it is not going to be around forever!

How to add warmth to your home with autumnal colours

How to add warmth to your home with autumnal colours

Do you hibernate when Winter comes? I do… I’m a homebody at heart and during the Winter, it gets worse (or better) depending which side of your fence you stand on :-) I almost found myself being relieved when friends cancel drinks in town or when it rains heavily so I don’t have to cross the whole of London to attend a cool event because the bottom line is, there is no place I’d rather be than being at home… yeah I know, I’m too rock’ n’ roll! The thing is when the home is filled with things that make you feel good like curry, mustard, ochre and warm yellow hues that add an incredible sense of warmth, the kind that wraps you up and make you feel good inside…well you stay in ;-). In the lounge, a simple throw or sofa can create a sense of wellbeing. In the bedroom, I can get enough of this soft, stonewashed duvet cover in curry, which I styled on a bed base made out of 4 industrial pallets in our guest room…such a beautiful, …