Corner Series: Mia Linnman Home Favourites

June 30, 2015 • nat • Bedroom, Corner Series, Happy House Rules, Inspiring • No Comment

Hello folks! We’ve been talking about sharing favorite corners in the homes of people who inspire us, along with their favorite personal “rule” or habit for having a happy healthy home. So we followed our own advice and started it…and now we’re excited to finally share the first results of little passion project. First up, the gorgeous Mia Linnmann.

Just start…with a corner

Happy House Rules™: simple rules to live by

Introducing: Mia Linnman, graphic + interior designer + blogger

We’ve been following Mia for years now over on her blog. She’s “an interior and renovation (restoration) lover” whose clients include IKEA, where she worked on their catalogues. “I also love to paint, mainly horses in large formats.” (You can see & buy them here.) “At the moment I work as a graphic designer and also trying to keep my blog alive. I like to have small projects around the house and I love aesthetic but also cozy (homey) and unpretentious interiors.”

About Mia’s Favourite Corner

“My fav corner for the moment (yes, it changes) is this one in our bedroom space. it’s a new corner since we just changed some rooms and did some refurnishing. As we moved around, changing room for a lot of things we landed our bed in our former lounge area, a quite open space.”

I like it because it isn’t perfect and planned.

“In the messy part of the refurnishing, all our paperbacks ended up on this bench just for temporary storage. But I realized I liked it, I like it because it isn’t perfect and planned. Interiors can be too correct and matched and personally I think it can be boring.”

Mia’s Happy House Rule

My happy house rule is to add something that quite not correspond (match) with the other things or atmosphere in a room.

For example, if you have classy, old or rough interior add something temporary or ultra modern (if you like that of course) and if you have a new, modern space add something old with a history.

And don’t feel afraid to let you favourite personal stuff take place, it shows who you are and makes your home more unique.

But also, even if you have a lot of stuff, let some free space and air in between.

Thank you Mia!

You can find more of Mia on her blog, pinterest & instagram

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Do you have a favourite corner of your home? Post it on instagram “#favouritecorner” @apartmentdiet and show us. And if not, well, you know what we say “Just start, with a corner”. Off you go…and like Mia says, remember it doesn’t need to be perfect.

Greening The Bedroom: UrbanJungleBloggers Nov

November 27, 2014 • nat • Bedroom, Greenery, Happy House Rules • 5 Comments

“Decorate with plants” is a big happy house rule for us. And workplace rule too actually. As is a happy bedroom.

So it’s a pleasure to join #urbanjunglebloggers this month on the topic ‘greening the bedroom’.

Will you play too?

Your effort doesn’t need to be big. It can be as simple as a twig, a leaf, a single flower or a bunch or a little plant. A green pillow case, blanket or poster. A vase. Don’t get bogged down by what you can’t do or don’t have….add some green that you can, something that makes you smile.

PS Happy thanksgiving for those of you who celebrate and in the spirit of giving thanks – thanks to you ALL for being so supportive of us as we grow this blog into a business!

Images: Nat’s place / Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4 (from left to right, top, bottom)

Are rugs an “absolute necessity”?

September 8, 2014 • tip • Bedroom, Happy House Rules, Interiors • No Comment

“A rug is 100% hands down … an absolute necessity in most rooms”

I saw this quote recently by Lucy Fenton and it triggered a strange response as I wondered if rugs were an “absolute necessity” in most rooms – it seemed like quite a bold statement to make.

Then I started thinking about my own home and quickly realised that I have a rug or mat in every single space except the WCs (’cause that’s just, eeew – I have a 5 yo old boy – say no more!).

So in practice, it’s something I do but hadn’t even realised that I do.

Why I do it is to add some texture, interest, colour or coziness to our wooden floors (particularly in the winter where they also add a layer of insulation). I love the feeling of stepping out of bed onto a rug, so it’s an absolute must in the bedroom for me.

I also suffer from a dust(mite) allergy so I need to have a rug in the bedroom to catch all the dust that is floating around our 100+ year old home.

Most people think rugs or carpet are bad for allergy sufferers but in my experience, so long as you clean regularly, they actually help keep a lot of dust grounded rather than floating about in the air making me sneeze.

I know that rugs are hard – they can be expensive and it’s difficult to find the exact right one … this is why I do have a love-hate relationship with rugs sometimes BUT what I have now shifted to is the idea of layering rugs.

Using a few small ones to add a bit of interest over a larger plain area rug, for example. Abigail Ahern recently wrote about this so I suggest you take a look at her post if you want to get the lowdown on layering rugs. A great example that still comes to mind is Jenna Lyons living room (below). Prrrrr.

Just think of the floor as your fifth wall and spend as much time thinking about it as you might about the wall paint and art.

So, after some consideration, I would agree that rugs are necessity in most rooms. They’re an easy way of transforming a space, especially if you are unable to paint or hang anything on the walls (like in a rental, for example).

I’m curious – do you use rugs and if so, would you say that they’re “absolutely essential”?

Join the conversation and also keep an eye out for a visual feast of rugs later in the week!

Tip

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TGIF: Friday Inspiration, Yummies + Link Pack

August 1, 2014 • nat • Bedroom, Food & Recipes, Happy House Rules, Inspiring, Interiors, Kids, Trends • 2 Comments

TGIF! Don’t you just want to dive into this pineapple boat ?!

Somehow it’s August 1st and this week flew by with Tip coming back from a lovely week away and me taking some rest and distracting myself from the situation here in Tel Aviv with some great client work. We’re re-focusing our business so that we have a business model that works and allows us to do what we love – work with you all to Design & Create Happy Healthy Homes.

We spent the week on our #happyhouserules: The Power of Paint and some DIY paint tips. Folks are playing along with us over on Instagram: Join us & say hi! And of course, here’s some of our favourite links and inspiration from the internet this week.

Favourite Pins

Our Kids Board was on FIRE this week especially these kidrooms: this and this gorgeous girls room above

Also loving this great kids linen by Feliz

Goodies + Links Gummy bear popsicles anyone?

Pineapples & summer fruit are STILL trending – like Jennifer Loiselle’s collection, this t-shirt + Tip’s new hall pineapple-ish chandelier

Live with a cat? Emily’s cat friendly design tips are for you (for pet + cat owners everywhere)

In case you’re don’t want to paint, here are 10 ways to add colour without paint Justina’s thoughts on being called an interior designer resonated with me because like her while we help people to create happy healthy spaces our primary training is more change and process focused: with a lot of other formal and informal education in coaching, design, teaching, business, finance and more. While Tip is doing an interior design course but it’s not our main background. What we do have a lot of experience in is helping people make real changes, finding their own styles, creating spaces that feel great and doing the real work to deal with their stuff and cementing strategies to organise and manage their homes…and working with them to make changes that last. Lots to ponder on but would love to hear your thoughts on this too!

Hem: Accessible beautiful design yes please!

How to make perfect hardboiled eggs: Works everytime

Avocado, spinach & mozarella pizza: I’ll make it this weekend (or next week if I’m too lazy)

TGIF + a happy weekend folks, nat (& tip)

Estelle’s Bedroom Before & After

June 6, 2014 • nat • Bedroom, Before & After, Courses, Interiors • No Comment

As we are focusing on ‘le boudoir’ this week, it felt like a perfect time share before & afters from one of our first ever Apartment Dieters Estelle:

“Our bedroom was the most important space to get right. I needed a place I could snuggle in at the end of the day and feel totally at peace.

The Apartment Diet course made me address my embarrassing corners of mess in our apartment. It gave me the inspiration to conquer them and create a more calm and soothing space that I love being in!”

Like for so many of us, the bedroom had become filled with piles of washing, things that needed to be done, things that needed a new home, pictures that needed framing etc. All very ‘normal’, but it was no longer working…

“We were also expecting our first baby and needed to plan how to fit him into our 1 bedroom layout. Apartment Diet was totally necessary in forcing us to create a clutter-free space for our entire family to share for the next couple of years!”

The result I think you’ll agree is very calm & soothing.

Thanks for allowing us to share your bedroom transformation Estelle!

We hope this inspires you! It certainly inspired us.

Is your Bedroom a place of “rest & romance”?

June 2, 2014 • nat • Bedroom, Before & After, Courses, Happy House Rules, Interiors • 2 Comments

How would your bedroom look if you (re-)designed it for rest & romance?

“Sometimes we forget about the bedroom, we concentrated our effort in our living room, dining, but the bedroom is our sanctuary, the place where you can have a great sleep zzzzzzz” – @1happymess

I’ve spent the last few years making our bedroom calm and empty except for some pretty things to wake up to like art, small bedside tables and a lamp each.

What’s your opinion on technology in the bedroom?

Over a year ago I took it a step further and banned our phones & electronics from the bedroom too arguing they were counter to restful sleep (and distracting, plus they also emit little lights that I’m convinced disturb us).

FYI: while this change was relatively seamless because we both like watching TV etc on our couch, it was not without argument. For the first 2 weeks my Mr would bring his phone in every night and I got mad…until I finally asked him “Why?”. He grumbled that he gets up earlier and didn’t want to stumble 20m out of the bedroom to turn it off. “Oh?” I said and I bought us an old school battery powered, no light emitting, alarm clock. Argument over.

OK, that’s technology but what about those piles that well, pile up, you might ask?

Is your bedroom the household’s storage unit?

From our work with clients (we’ve seen a LOT of bedrooms), we’ve also understood that for many of us the bedroom can become a storage unit.

We get how it happens. Most of us want the public spaces to be neat when people come over, so somehow stuff just lands in our bedroom. We’re here to help you with some solutions. One part of that is to decide to make your bedroom about rest & romance. Sleep and sex/intimacy. That means no ‘not done’ piles that weigh on your head when you sleep.

Don’t be upset if it is. Let’s do something about it, together, with some of our Happy House Rules.

Do you have 5minutes? Take it and start into those piles. Just start small and repeat…over the next week. Then come up with ways to ensure ‘everything in its easy place‘ & letting go.

I decided to stop using the bedroom for stuff that doesn’t have a home.

Right now ours doesn’t have many piles (except for two pieces of art that I want to hang) and it’s deliberate. Where does our ‘extra’ stuff go’? Pretty much everywhere else. I make sure we have a lot of storage. We have a few pieces that are in a storage garage and we use our flat’s public spaces & the top of closets and shelving in the bathroom/laundry area to keep our excess stuff. I have a hamper in the bathroom. It seems to make it easier to get rid of things.

I KNOW the reality is our bedrooms often seem like the only place we can put surplus stuff.

I just want to introduce the idea that they don’t have to be. I bet you’ll sleep a lot better, too.

So: How would your bedrooms look if you (re-)designed it with rest & romance in mind (and sleep & sex). What would you change? Would you allow ‘technology’ or not? And would it make letting stuff go easier?

Let us know in the comments what you think – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

If this inspired you to act please email us before & after pics, we’d love to share them with the world…or join us on instagram and share your bedroom pictures and what changes you are making just use the hashtag #happyhouserules + @apartmentdiet.

Image sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Mini Trend – Raw/Unfinished Wood

October 31, 2013 • tip • Bedroom, DIY, Interiors, Trends, Workspaces • 2 Comments

I’ve been noticing a lot of raw/unfinished or any other kind of wood popping up in the interiorsphere lately so thought I’d do a little roundup of ideas – because we all love a roundup, don’t we?

Some inspiration from the Amsterdam Woonbeurs earlier this month:

You could try your hand at a plywood DIY (a desk or pegboard shelving perhaps):

Do your whole room like this small space storage awesomeness:

Or just bring in a few accessories here and there:

Are you going to jump on this raw wood trend too? If so, let us know how (send us a pic – we’d love to see it!).

Simple Bedroom Desk

September 19, 2013 • tip • Bedroom, Interiors, Workspaces • No Comment

If you must have a desk in the bedroom – keep it simple and make it beautiful. Remember that it’ll be the first and last thing you see everyday. Actually, it’s important to remember that about everything in the bedroom! Now, this setup could almost convince me to add a desk!

Abigail Aherns Bedroom?

September 9, 2013 • tip • Bedroom, Interiors • No Comment

I can’t believe that Abigail Ahern’s bedroom used to look like this but it just goes to show you how our style evolves as we evolve. It’s perfectly normal and actually would be weird if it didn’t. Nothing wrong with this bedroom either though it might make her cringe these days! Interesting, huh?