Want to add a homely, Hygge feel to your space without spending a fortune?
We asked interior stylist Emma Kay to warm up our industrial inspired Brunel apartment, demonstrating her top tips for getting your home ready for Hygge season.
“When fine tuning a table display, less is more. I often find it's about stripping back rather than adding and sometimes I find it easiest to group everything on the surface I am styling then remove objects in hierarchy of importance.”
“Adding cosy furs in neutral tones to the Brunel benches, plus plenty of metallic accents like tall candle holders and carafes to the dining table, keeps the scheme feeling organic and homely – matchy-matchy is simply not on trend!”
“When I was setting the bedroom I let my own take on Hygge take over. Donna Wilson's fun textile animals are the perfect way to add that sense of cosiness and who doesn't like a cuddle with a furry friend and a cup of tea in bed?”
“Filling glass vases with strands of eucalyptus gives you a double hit of instant greenery and that wonderful Christmassy smell, without the fuss of complex flower arrangements.”
“Try to think about colour contrast when styling your space - dark blue walls look stylish and sophisticated with crockery in aqua tones, bold yellow candles and gold or brass accessories.”
“Living rooms should be about comfort and relaxation, not calculated matching blankets and cushions. Use a mix of textures – think furs, wools, linens and velvets – and colours to give the space a feeling of fun and informality. I love blue shades combined with ochre and golds – it feels seasonal but not in the usual colour palettes touted at this time of year.”
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Trends & Lifestyle
Whether its a modern update for a rural retreat or adding some rustic charm to an inner-city space, let our Country Kitchen-Diners inspire your next Modern Dining Room.
With all the technology and modern conveniences that fill our everyday lives, there's something about the back-to-basics feel of a traditional English dining room that remains so alluring. Yet these designs are much more than simply nostalgia pieces, with the shaker influence of functional elegance a staple of the best country inspired spaces. Try these four very different takes on the Country Kitchen-Diner and lose yourself in the rural idyll.
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Cook to Perfection
Functionality is at the heart of the country kitchen-diner as evidenced by the Cooks Dining Table, its large work surface (pictured here in marble but also available in oak or urban concrete top) acting as both a place to prep and eat meals.
This makes it a great piece for both big or small spaces acting as a makeshift island complete with storage drawers and hanging rail. We've paired this classic silhouette with a range of mix-and match chairs from the traditionally bentwood and woven wicker Capra to the sharp timber frame of the Risi.
Update with accents
A touch of colour adds a contemporary twist to traditional British furniture with the mix of painted pieces and natural solid woods providing a bold accent to a country kitchen-diner. Striking the balance between traditional and cutting edge, the modern Atlantic Blue finish of the Pinner range helps the traditional silhouettes stand out especially when placed within a minimal décor.
Contemporary timbers
Think country kitchen-diner and you will undoubtedly call to mind beautiful solid wood worktops and furnishings. Yet placed within a city space, rustic unfinished timbers can provide a modern contrast to the more polished surroundings.
The Tree to Table Dining Table provides a real feature design for the dining room, with each cut from a choice of British grown trees (Ash, Limed Beech or Oak) and paired with traditionally forged and hammered iron legs. The range is crafted in Suffolk by Made by the Forge who are also behind the stunning Farrier's Cage Long pendant shown above.
Mid-century makeover
First designed by company founder Lucian Ercolani in the 1950s, the Ercol Original's range brings together the brands most iconic pieces. Their mid-century take on traditional Windsor furniture means they still look fresh within a modern country kitchen-diner especially in the elegant white and fade finish shown above.
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We show you how to create four fresh Scandi inspired Bedroom designs using our exclusive Nordic Bed.
Placing our Nordic King Size Bed at the centre of each shot, we've mixed and matched pieces from our furniture, lighting and home accessories collections to produce four very different interior ideas. Be inspired by our selection of Bedroom settings and shop online to start designing your own. Shop Bedroom
All angles covered
For those with a taste for timeless design, you can't go wrong with the mid-century style of Kay+Stemmer's Agnes Side Table and Eleanor Pritchard's range of contemporary textiles. The new style of Scandinavian design was all the rage in the 1950s and 60s, so it's no surprise our bed sits comfortably alongside the industrial style of Anglepoise, our new Bristol Floor Lamp and our Zox flatweave modern rug.
Nordic King Size Bed £1595 shown with Agnes Side Table £320, Original 1227 Mini Desk Lamp in Black £150, Zox Flatweave Rug from £78, Bristol Floor Lamp in Matt Black & Concrete £185, Egyptian Cotton Bed Linen from £20 and Eleanor Pritchard Cushions and Throws from £110.
Pretty in pink
Colour is definitely on the cards in this bedroom setting, with our exclusive Merino & Cashmere Throw nestled next to Kristjana S William's wildlife inspired silk cushions. Staying on the theme of nature, we've even managed to sneak in a cute faux cactus from Abigail Ahern (don't worry they aren't real prickles) and a natural hide rug from Danish based Linie Design.
Nordic King Size Bed £1595 shown with Nordic Bed Side Table £395 and Tall Chest £895, Crawford Table Lamp £175, Fade Rug from £635, Egyptian Cotton Bed Linen from £20, Merino & Cashmere Throw in Pink & Red £130 and Kristjana S Williams Cushions from £120.
Fun and fancy
Scandinavian design has always had a playful side, so for this bedroom we've injected some fun by teaming the Rockpool quilt and cushion from Safomasi with opulent furniture and lighting. While the McQueen Bedside Table comes courtesy of Matthew Hilton, Danish design abounds with our range of copper lighting.
Nordic King Size Bed £1595 shown with McQueen Bedside Table £2070, Junction Table Lamp in Copper £135, Bristol Floor Lamp in Copper & Dark Wood £200, Egyptian Cotton Bed Linen from £20 and Rockpool Quilt £165 and Cushion£63. Shop Now Back to top
Deep, dishy and good for you, we celebrate this season's 'Power Bowl' food trend with a feast of luxury tableware
Bowls are back in a big way. Whether it's celebrity chefs such as Nigella Lawson filling them with her comforting style of home cooking or the latest wave of #cleanliving bloggers you can't escape food porn pics of these versatile and delectable dishes. So whether it's to adorn your interior or your Instagram account, we thought we'd share a few of our own on-trend Bowls fit for any self-respecting foodie.
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Flute Dinnerware from £7 shown with Mia Sarosi Tableware from £24, Hammershoi Vases from £32, O Wine Tumblers £25, White Marble Chopping Board £60 and Cheese Board £75.
On this culinary trend, our head of Home Sabina Miller comments: “The increasing popularity of bowls is a trend that is set to last. This trend is a direct result of the popularity of healthy heating and celebrity chefs. Healthy porridge, hearty ramen and nutritious salads (think quinoa avocado) have now become staples on the menus of urban eateries.”
Moroccan Dinnerware from £9 shown with Piet Hein Flat Baskets from £80, Mervyn Gers Dinnerware from £10 and Colourful Tumblers £6.
“Bowls conjure up images of fresh breakfast and brunch as well as refreshing and colourful summer salads. They are perfect when having a quick bite on the go or for sharing dishes when partying with friends.”
Mervyn Gers Dinnerware in Black, White, Grey, Sapphire and Teal from £10.
“With a variety of different shapes, styles and sizes, they are also very veratile. Unlike dinner plates, which are often bought in sets with a more classic, conservative design, bowls allow you to experiment and have fun. Like mugs the typical household will have a more eclectic collection of bowls and they are also great as decorative piece and are a more original gift too.”
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If you can’t get away for much of a holiday this summer or you just think that your room could do with a much needed face lift. We have decided to put together a few ways that you could turn your bedroom into a more luxurious and glamorous room. Maximising comfort for that much needed rest you need.
Bedding
I imagine the first thing most people do when they enter a hotel room is fall straight on the bed, diving into a sea of puffy duvets and pillows. White linen in particular is great for establishing a calm and relaxing environment.
Create a seating area
A great place to get ready for the day ahead or even a night cap or a read of a book before bed. Stylish furniture creates a sense of allure within the bedroom. The room doesn’t become so focused around sleep but rather a place for a chill out.
A luxurious throw?
We reckon that your bedroom could probably do with a little extra attention and care. So one thing simple thing to do to give your bedroom a different feel is to put a throw over the bed or a chair. An extra little bit of luxury won’t go amiss. It adds an aura of calm and comfort to the bedroom. Your bedroom could probably do with a little extra attention and care.
Lavish lighting
Bring your bedroom lighting up to date. Ditch the oversized bed lamps and get some more nifty, flexible lighting so that bedtime reading can be a joy rather than a chore. Hotel Boutique rooms are always very well lit, there’s flexible lighting to satisfy all your needs whether it’s next to an arm chair or on a desk.
Ashfield Mattress
Above all the reason why you often feel so refreshed from a holiday is that you have slept well! The best way to go about that is getting a new mattress for your home and make sleeping enjoyable again.
Design writer Ellen Himelfarb reveals the quiet charm of Swedish design. "The first time I saw an all-white room was in Stockholm. In a perfectly quaint gabled house, past a lane of shops whose windows were meticulously curated, the owners hand painted the walls and wood floors an almost bluish white that faded out into the overcast sky out the windows.
Their furniture – simple leather dining chairs by David Design, a wooden kökssoffa (kitchen sofa) pulled up to the Super-Ellipse table by Bruno Mathsson, the designer bookshelves from ROOM Stockholm – seemed to float enticingly in the space. In the corner of the compact living space was a 19th-century kakel ugn, a cylindrical wood-burning stove nearly three metres tall, with a glazed white surface garlanded with fanciful ceramic and brass detailing. People were actually ripping them out of their homes back then in the 1990s, said my friend, and leaving them on the street for the taking.
Scandinavian design, and Swedish in general, had been influencing UK furniture manufacturers for decades by then. Ercol and later G-Plan had embraced Northern European values of functionality, sustainability and a low-slung look throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Yet it wasn’t until the late ’90s that Nordic functionalism truly took hold and the British began to steer away from heavy farmhouse pine and Italian flash.
Our two nations weren’t all that different, after all. We share a great deal of dreary weather, and the idea that white could reflect what little light we got meant that paint companies were suddenly producing more whites than the Eskimos had words for snow to cover our deep heritage reds and greens. Dwindling resources meant we had to make do with available, sustainable materials – and eco movements put paid to the notion that we could and should look beyond our borders for the finest of everything.
British shelter magazines brought us white and teak interiors from the length of Sweden. The Wallpaper* generation caught up on names like Børge Mogensen – available only through the rare enlightened importer like Twentytwentyone. And they began scheduling holidays to coincide with the Stockholm Furniture Fair, despite the fact that it landed smack in the middle of February. In 1999 Wallpaper* founder Tyler Brûlé bought a weekend home on an island in the Swedish archipelago, near Stockholm, and sang its praises in print. Often. The world began coming around to postwar design – not only furniture but architecture and fashion – partly from being exposed to that Swedish ideal.
Simple, accessible funkis, or functionalism, was born of the tradition of craftsmanship and the necessity of making efficient use of limited materials after the wars. Like the Italian olive oil industry or strawberry farming in Belgium, small family businesses have allowed the Swedes to maintain a consistent quality across its furniture manufacturing, and it shows in the products’ quiet accessibility.
I once asked Anna-Lena Knutsson, executive director of Hyssna-based furniture designer Albin i Hyssna, what it was like to compete in her industry as head of a small, private operation run from her grandfather’s hometown. She replied: “We’re all family-owned businesses here.”
Certainly there’s an echo of that in the UK’s current lust for handicraft and the efforts to restore furniture manufacturing with skilled regional makers. Not long after Acne Studios opened on Dover Street to showcase its outré jeans and graphic casuals, our perception of Swedish design began to broaden. A new generation of designers out of colleges like Beckmans, Konstfack and Umea were breaking out of the established canon and moving beyond what we’d expect from a Swede. Arctic-born Monica Förster, designer for Swedese, Offect and a dozen international manufacturers, comes to mind. As do Stockholm-based architects Claesson, Koivisto and Rune, who design not only striking minimalist homes but also the furnishings that belong there – like the customisable Concord chair and the deceptively simple Kelly chair.
More recently Marcus Huber has brought young designers like Stefan Borselius and the seven-year-old design studio Note to design furniture for Fogia, a Stockholm-based manufacturer with its own factory and a penchant for unexpected curves and colours. Daniela Upmark, who studied in Lund, took advantage of our current obsession with lighting and atmosphere when she hooked up her BXXLight, a made-to-order lightbox that resembles a vintage cinema marquee. Even Acne itself has designed prototype sofas and chairs that defy classic Swedish lines.
The rebels occasionally come from surprising places. Markus Johansson, scion of the Albin i Hyssna family, has developed a much more surreal, organic look, referencing underwater life and often appearing in a historically un-Swedish matt black. Former furniture consultants Chris Martin (an Englishman) and Magnus Elebäck launched the furniture company Massproductions to explore industrial production in a more efficient way than perhaps their previous clients had.
The New Guard of Swedish designers might flout the traditional Swedish ideal yet their pieces sit rather comfortably within a Swedish context. Or any context, really. When was the last time you saw someone reach for a step stool that wasn’t the Step by Karl Malmvall? It retails with everyone from Design House Stockholm to MoMA Store and has come to define a new standard in functional design.
Today more than 50,000 Swedes live in London and the landscape of Swedish businesses in the capital proves the two cultures are not just fair-weather friends. A few years back a Scandinavian friend passed me a box of Läkerol liquorice sea salt pastilles, and despite the fact I spent the rest of the afternoon wrenching them out of my teeth, it was a habit-forming moment.
I discovered Läkerol about the same time the most talked-about bakery in East London was the new, fabulous Fabrique, and twisted kanelbullar rolls were the reason nobody could keep to their anti-carb diets. (Denizens of Soho had long since been hooked since Nordic Bakery pitched up in Golden Square.) By the time &Other Stories opened near its sister COS on Regent Street in 2013, our relationship with contemporary Swedish culture was bonded like so many asymmetric jumpers.
Visit any of those establishments (and their imitators) and you’ll also get an eyeful of Swedish design in all its incarnations, from tall wood Windsor chairs to punchy, patterned ceramics to slick, slimline display rails. It seeps under your skin. That’s quite a legacy for a handful of families plugging a time-honoured craft. But there it is, plain as day, a sign we’ve seen the light. "
Ellen Himelfarb lives in London and is a writer specialising in architecture, design and travel. Ellen writes for Wallpaper* and The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, and is the co-author of the London Design Guide.
Swedish Summer at Heal's is an event at our flagship store from 27th July - 23rd August 2015.
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