Browsing Tag:

winter

Create a Cosy Winter Whites Bedroom

Posted in Dwell by
Winter Whites Bedroom Scheme

January can seem a bit of a let down after the fun and frolics of Christmas and new year. If you are anything like us, it seems a month of hibernating wouldn’t be a bad thing.  Sadly we can’t take a month off to sleep so we have done the next best thing and come up with a cosy winter whites bedroom scheme.  What do you think, a perfect place to curl up and banish those January blues?

Winter Whites Bedroom Scheme

Winter Whites Bedroom | Where to buy

fig.1 Storage Box H&M
fig.2 Lantern John Lewis
fig.3 Cushion Cover Ikea
fig.4 Cushion Cover H&M
fig.5 Oliver Bed Feather & Black
fig.6 Lamp Maison du Monde
fig.7 Check throw Marks & Spencer
fig.8 Rubricks Side Table Swoon Editions
fig.9 Alarm Clock Ikea 
fig.10 Quilt Cover Ikea
fig.11 Bench Swoon Editions 
fig.12 Hot Water Bottle Cover Liberty

fig.13 Eye Mask John Lewis
fig.14 Rug Wayfair.co.uk
fig.15 Metal Baskets The Basket Company
fig.16 Contzen White ColourCourage

fig.17 Cozy Atmosphere ColourCourage
fig.18 Soft Grey ColourCourage

11th January 2017
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Scandi Inspired Winter Woodland Table

Posted in Gather by
Scandinavian Inspired Winter Woodland Table Theme

This week we had a couple of friends over for a pre Christmas dinner.  The fires were lit, we had carols playing and mulled wine to drink, all in all a jolly festive evening. For our table decorations we took more inspiration from our recent trip to Copenhagen and went for a Scandi inspired winter woodland table.

Scandi Inspired Winter Woodland Table

The Inspiration

We found so much inspiration from our recent trip to Copenhagen, so many ideas in so many way.  We were particularly taken by the use of natural materials in their Christmas decoration, The Danes don’t do tinsel. We took this as a jumping off point when choosing our scheme, we chose a simple pallet of colours; white of the candles, green of the foliage, brown of the wood and pine cones and then neutral table linens. By using a limited colour palette it made choosing what to include much easier. We had seen this colours used whilst away, and when browsing through some magazines we brought home with us.  A quick look at pinterest gave us lots more ideas along this theme.

Scandi inspired winter woodland table

Shop Scandi

Whilst pottering about Copenhagen we picked up several of the bits we needed for our table centre.  If you wanted to replicate this theme you could easily do do within the uk, with the likes of Ikea, H&M Home, Clas Ohlson, Flying Tiger of Copenhagen and now Søstrene Grene all having a UK presence, it is easier than ever to add a bit of Scandi cool into your homes.

Scandi Inspired Winter Woodland Table

Natural Material

We wanted to use plenty of natural materials in our woodland table centre.  We found some birch covered candle holders at Søstrene Grene in Copenhagen and the wood tea light holders at a shop called Lagerhaus when we were in Malmö. We put candles in star shape dishes we’d found in H&M Home and in Ikea, surrounding the candles with moss.  We cut some branches of seeded eucalyptus from the garden and arranged these with some spruces branches to bring all the elements together. Lastly we placed some pine cones into the display, we have been collecting these from the common from some time, but these were only quite small, we supplemented them with some larger ones we got at a local garden centre.

Scandi Inspired Winter Woodland Table

Candles Galore

We heard that the Danes burn more candles per person than anywhere else on earth, the evidence we saw from our brief trip suggest this is probably true.  We get our candles from Ikea and from Flying Tiger of Copenhagen, both have great selection. In addition to the wooden candle holders we found some pretty glass ones from H&M Home, and repurposed some glasses from Flying Tiger. As we chose only white candles they all matched and gave a nice theme.

Scandi Inspired Winter Woodland Table

What do you think?

We really enjoyed making our Scandi inspired winter woodland table centre.  It was a lovely cosy table to enjoy a simple meal with friends, we have subsequently  gone on an decorated the room further using the table centre s inspiration. If you have any thoughts or ideas please let us know in the comments section or contact us on social media. Read more…

23rd December 2016
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Cocktail of the Week | Mulled Cider

Mulled Cider

This weekend is the first in Advent, which means only one thing, it is the start of the official countdown to Christmas! We both love Christmas and we usually mark this countdown by getting our advent calendars and making our own first mulled drink, which is our Cocktail of the Week, Mulled Cider.

Mulling drinks over winter is a European tradition. Nearly ever European country has their version of a mulled drink. In the UK it is mulled wine, Germany and Austria it is Glühwein and Nordic Countries it is Gløgg, all of which we have partaken in over the years. The concept of mulling wine and other drinks spread across Europe thanks to the Romans during the 2nd century as they conquered and traded with the countries they passed. The mulled spices we use today vary from country to country. The spices in the English version include cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg. A Medieval version of a mulled wine also included pepper, rosemary and pepper.  There is no one recipe for mulled wine and some of the more unique versions can include sausage and savoury herbs or be fortified with other spirits for good measure.

For this week’s cocktail, you will need;

• Cider
• Mulling syrup or spices.

To make this week’s drink, pour the cider into a saucepan and heat gently. Add the syrup or spices and bring to a boil. If you are using spices add a a little bit of sugar. Once boiled, allow the cider to cool slightly and ladle into a glass or mug. Add some apple, cinnamon or star anise and you have this week cocktail, Mulled Cider.

Any mulled drink is an enjoyable drink to have on a winter’s night with your feet up next to the fire and mulled cider is one of our favourites. That said, we are always happy to have a mulled drink when it is available.

Mulled Cider Mulled Cider

Mulled Cider
25th November 2016
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Book Review | Winter Living by Selina Lake

Posted in Dwell by
Winter Living by Selina Lake

It might not quite be winter yet, but it is close enough! We thought it would be a great opportunity to have a look at Winter Living by Selina Lake a book we bought a few weeks back whilst bed bound with illness (the amazon app is a dangerous thing!).  In the summer we bought our first book by Selina, Botanical Style and we loved it so with thought we’d give this a go.

Winter Living offer inspiration for making you home stylish through winter. It is stuffed full of gorgeous photography and countless ideas showing you how to turn your home into a romantic winter haven. This year there have been published countless books on Hygge, the Danish art of cosiness, this book has a broader scope but it definitely fall is into this category.

The book starts off by looking at winter inspirations before guiding through various winter styles. The first is ‘Homespun Charm’ a colourful style full of craft and vintage finds to create a warm and welcoming look. Next, it is onto ‘Faded Grandeur’ all about turning the tatty into the tasteful using rich textures and tones.  The third style is ‘Rustic Retreat’ an earthy simple and natural look inspired by old barns and log cabins. Lastly is a look at  ‘Winter Whites’ a clean and classic look inspired by snowflakes morning frosts and pale skies.  The book finished up by taking a look at festive celebrations, after all, winter is party season! There is some great inspiration here on different styles to decorate for christmas, along with some great ideas for parties.

Our favourite look is definitely ‘Rustic Retreat’ but there are plenty of other ideas for us to steal once we find our new home. Winter can be a depressing enough time of year but this book reminds us that being inside can be cosy and snug, to create a haven at home to forget about how horrid it is out! It is a great addition to our book collection and we will no doubt be referring back for many winters to come!

You can buy Winter Living by Selina Lake here

Follow Selina’s Blog here

Winter Living by Selina Lake
Winter Living by Selina Lake
Winter Living by Selina Lake
Winter Living by Selina Lake

Winter Living by Selina Lake
16th November 2016
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