It's a cover-up

Trend alert: Nordic Blue - with 10% off

Nikkala sofa with a cover in Stockholm Stripe Deep Navy Blue/Sand Beige from Bemz

Blue has been a Top Trend for a while now, and gaining momentum in the run up to summer. Anything can be a catalyst for a great interior but at this time of year, nature and the seaside will provide the kind of breezy elegance our bodies yearn for.

Nils stool cover in Light Denim Blue Belgian Linen Blend from Bemz.

Bed skirt in Loose Fit Urban style, 100% prewashed linen Cobalt Brera Rigato designed by Designers Guild, from the Bemz Designer Collection

It takes just a few cool accents on a restrained palette to create the overall effect of a blue room. Washed out greys, greige, alabaster, putty and pebbles on the beach are the inspiration, while blues are the nucleus.

Nikkala sofa with a Bemz cover in Unbleached Belgian Linen Blend

Depth and character are added by mixing textures from the translucent sheer curtains to the weighty stone floors and rough-hewn woods. Splashes of simple pattern, especially blue on blues, from the azure seas to the lighter, wispy skies, create an ideal summer interior scheme.

Nils stool with a cover from Bemz in Light Denim Blue Belgian Linen Blend

Straight bed skirt from Bemz in Absolute White Panama cotton

Read more about the Nordic Blue trend on the Bemz website - plus get 10% off the ten most popular blue fabrics chez Bemz until May 15, 2012.

Henriksdal chairs with covers from Bemz: left, Medium length skirt in Absolute White Rosendal Pure Washed Linen Loose Fit Urban style; and right, Long skirt in Bolster Stripe Eggshell Blue cotton

Now that that's settled, you can start focusing on more important things like what you are going to eat, drink and listen to on those long, warm, lazy summer evenings. Roll on summer!

House Tour: Scandi country charm in France

This house tour featured on France's Journal des Femmes immediately caught my eye, perhaps because of its lovely simple decor with a definite Scandinavian influence, so I had to share.

From the outside it looks like a French country house but once inside it is all about simple lines, clean spaces and a monochromatic palette. Enjoy!

A couple of simple Klippan sofas paired with an upcycled table in untreated wood and hints of industrial vintage give the room a sense of calm and character.

Modern meets traditional in the kitchen diner.

In the den, the owners stick to the simple colour palette for their Tylosand sofas paired with untreated woods and vintage accents keeping the aura of calm throughout.

Again, the bedroom is kept simple yet inviting with its stone coloured walls and floor reminiscent of the seaside. The wood cladding also brings that coastal feel to mind.

The minimal colour palette and simple look continue into the ensuite... And finally, a pop of colour!

To see more of this house tour or other really inspirational house tours visit Journal des Femmes.

Credit: by Elodie Rothan at Journal des Femmes

Design-It-Yourself: Side table

Having been invited to Pinterest (check us out!) not so long ago, my travels through cyberspace seem to be reaching far farther and wider than ever before. Over said travels, I came across a lovely blog called 508 Restoration and Design. I have pinned as well as shared some of their creations on Facebook and everything has been very well received. It's run by a creative couple out of Virginia and this is one of their creations.

They used up tiny bits of left over paper for the drawer and combined it with a lovely cottage blue paint. The interior shelves were painted cream and finished it off with a wax treatment which, and I quote, "ended up giv­ing it a lot of weird stripes, vari­a­tions and texture…and I like it". So do we!

And of course the knob makes it! 

What a tremendous transformation - and all that with scraps of paper, paste, paint and wax. Throw in some elbow grease and a whole lot of creativity and voila! Although the Design-It-Yourself series is really all about personalising things yourself, sometimes it's easier to just buy them - and this baby is for sale, if that's what you want to do.

Anyone else notice the typically Swedish Dalahäst on the wall and the trasmatta under the table? Some seriously sweet Scandi charm going on over there in Virginia! Like.

Top tips: How to dive into the blue

Blue never completely goes out of fashion. This is because it fits into many styles, is multi-functional, practical and beautiful. And it's back at the top of the popularity charts! 

From the coolest pale, powder blue to the deeply warming and intense sapphire, blue reaches from one end of the colour and emotional spectrum to the other. It is the colour of the sea and sky. It is happy thoughts. It is electric and invigorating. It is escapism. It is holidays. It is coolness. It is sadness. It is calming and relaxation. It is distance. It is abstract. And it is this very myriad of shades and the emotions they evoke, that makes blue so powerful.

Having read that, it may now feel like using blue is not easy - but it is, and here's how:

- Step one: think about the purpose of the space you are decorating. What kind of feel do you want to create? Do you want it relaxed or invigorating? Do you want to glam it up or keep it simple and rustic? To help you with this we have a few styles and idea palette choices listed after step three.

- Step two: pick the right shade of blue to achieve the purpose you defined in step one and introduce tones of that shade. In descending order, it goes colour, shade, tone. To further clarify - a tone is the varying degrees of a colour that make up a shade. So, if sky blue is a shade of the colour blue, then just as the sky is never composed of a single flat colour but rather a myriad of tones, so is the shade of colour you've chosen made up of a myriad of tones. And it is with these tones you want to work. 

- Step three: layer with the appropriate tones using patterns and texture. The key to success with blue is working with a mix of patterns and tones. This will keep it interesting without ever overdoing it.

Are you ready to dive in? 

Ultramarine and turquoise shades are vivid, versatile and trendy. They are the ones we are seeing most on catwalks and are great tones to use if you want to inject a feeling of spring/summer into your home. Layered tones will provide texture and interest.

If you are looking for a calm, coastal feel, pale aquamarines, denims paired with sandy beiges are the way to go. They are restful and soothing - well suited to rooms made for relaxing, like the living room or bedroom.

At the other end of the spectrum, an invigorating cobalt or electric blue paired with brilliant white is another take on the traditional monochromatic look. This is a great combination for a space that requires you to be productive, like a home office or kitchen. 

If you love glam, opt for teals, paired with turquoise and petrol blues for sophisticated bling. 

If pretty is more your thing, sky blues should be your palette of choice. They can have the effect of increasing a sense of spaciousness.

Whether you're an urban angel or a country romantic, love rustic or retro, there's a blue for you. Check out our collection of 35 blues by filtering colour choice in our webshop.

Photos: all from Bemz

Karlanda in Urban Tapestry makes the papers

Not too long ago, there was a feature article in Swedish Newspaper SvD's magazine on Form for Everyday Life, which proffered a tour around designer Daniel Svahn's and interior designer Nicole Morel's home in Stockholm, Sweden. 

Needless to say, design sits at the heart of this home where every piece has been carefully selected or designed by this duo.

Karlanda in Urban Tapestry - Jet Black from Bemz

Well weren't feeling like the cat's meow when we spotted their sofa: a Karlanda with an Urban Tapestry - Jet Black cover from Bemz. 

Here are five decorating tips from this design duo:

• Don't chicken out of crazy decorating ideas! It's your home so do what you want. But try to have a clear plan in place.
• Lighting is important. Ensure you have a variety of light sources in every room to help create ambiance.
• Decorate using personal accessories that mean something to you.
• Don't be afraid to use colour. It provides wonderful contrast and livens up a room.
• Redecorate yourself. Almost everything can be made more personal with some paint and fabric, both old and new. 

Books to Inspire: Make Hey While the Sun Shines

What does the expression make hey while the sun shines mean anyway? Originally its meaning was literal: farmers should cut and gather their hay while conditions were optimal. Nowadays, it is used in a more figurative context: to make the most of the time when the conditions are right. Unwinding on holiday by knocking up a new bicycle saddle cover perhaps? 

Make Hey While the Sun Shines by Pip Lincolne walks you step-by-step through 20 crafty projects with instructions and illustrations to guide you. The crafts start off with making an individual family flag (like!) and then range from painting ceramics to making party bunting to a patchwork pillow and finally a deer quilt. Pip allows for newbies to experienced crafters alike to benefit from her book.

Make Hey While the Sun Shines isn't only about crafting though. Pip also includes some pull-out recipes and even a playlist! That's the kind of individualisation we love.

If you like what you see, check out more from Pip on her blog, Meet me at Mikes.

One room - three looks, thanks to new Karlstad slipcovers

Want to give your room a lift without the headache of full-on renos or cracking open a can of paint? New slipcovers for your Ikea furniture can transform your living room in no time. Our in-house designer and stylist, Katarina Wiklund put together three different spring looks for one room using a Karlstad 3 seater sofa and small armchair.

Have a good look at these rooms - they look very different yet none of the accessories around the room nor the layout have been changed. The only adjustments are new sofa and chair slipcovers, and different cushion covers. I think you'll agree that it's pretty impressive to see what a difference such a simple change can make! 

First up - white with dash of light grey. Classic.
Sofa cover in Absolute White and armchair cover in Gotland Stripe Silver Grey. The cushion covers are in Candy Pink and Absolute White.

Second is the much sought after understated elegance of dark blues paired with shades of grey.
Sofa in Tégner Melange Ink Blue, Tégner Melange Zinc Grey for the armchair, with Tégner Melange Zinc Grey and Tégner Melange Sage Brown cushion covers.

Third and finally a sophisticated mix of bohemian and vintage styles.
Bubble Brown sofa cover with a Fuchsia Tégner Melange armchair cover, paired with cushion covers in Bamboo Green, New Baroque - Chocolate Brown, Vanilla Yellow in linen, Lavender in linen and Burnt Orange Tégner Melange.

World Design Capital of 2012: Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki has been officially designated the honour of World Design Capital for 2012 and we are thrilled. This Finnish capital has long been a mecca for design aficionados, but it's wonderful to see it finally get the credit it deserves!

Light show on Helsinki Cathedral

Back in the 90s, a group of über creatives were drawn to the rough charm and low rents of the west of downtown Helsinki so decided to set up shop and call it their own... The Design District of Helsinki was born.

Minna Parikka in her shop in the Design District in Helsinki

In the heart of the Design District, where cutting edge boutiques and studios abound, you can often find the creative minds behind the wares on hand, ready to provide personalised advice. One example is designer Minna Parikka and her extravagant shoes (pictured above) which are popular with the likes of Lady Gaga and Dita von Teese.

This is not to say that Finnish designers are contemporary new kids on the block. Au contraire! Much of this Nordic country's design success is rooted in a very well established portfolio, one that has held its ground for decades.

The timeless Aalto vase

Not so long ago, I posted about Finnish fave Alvar Aalto and a book about his architectural achievements which show no signs of diminishing in popularity. But like so many of his prolific counterparts, he is equally famous for his vase, pictured above.

Kartio glassware collection by Kaj Franck and the Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio

Other Finnish favourites include Kaj Franck and his seminal glassware (left), Eero Aarnio and his coveted Ball Chair (right) and so many other classics to be found under the famous Iittala and Artek design houses. 

Klippan sofa in Unikko Red by Marimekko from the Bemz Designer Collection

Of course, our favourite would have to be Finnish cult brand Marimekko. Global recognition was cemented back at the start of the 60s for this textile giant, when Jackie Kennedy wore a Marimekko shift dress on the cover of Life magazine. They've never looked back. 

What is the secret of these Finnish masters' success? Three words: beautiful, functional and timeless. Who's your favourite Finnish designer?

Trend alert: Trompe d'oeuil wallpaper

There is a whole range of wallpapers available today that can really define a room, add character or even make it seem more than it is. Wish you had a library? Love the idea of wood paneling or shutter? Trompe d'oeuil wallpapers may be just the solution. Here are some of my favourites.

 

If wallpaper seems like too much try a panel, like these ones below.

Like what you see (sorry, I couldn't help it!). Rockett St George has a great selection.

Photos s/o Rockett St George

Books to Inspire: Design*Sponge at Home

This book comes straight from the creator of fave blog Design*Sponge, Grace Bonney. With a foreword by design genius Jonathan Adler and the main focus on DIY:ing, what's not to love?

Design*Sponge at Home gets to the heart of what we at Bemz, love most: how to transform something everyday into something personal and unique. Grace features 50 DIY projects, 50 before-and-afters and over 65 home tours. What I really like about it, being full of ideas but not so gifted in the creativity department, is that there is some serious hand holding in this book. Grace walks you through the projects and provides some of the really basic skills needed for getting stuck in on the DIY journey. It's a veritable bible of personalisation.

All that, and beautiful photos to boot. What's not to love?

Two years in the making, Design*Sponge at Home was released in September and was followed up by a book tour. But why take my word for it? Check out the book trailer below!

You can also read an interview with Grace and see more beautiful photos chez Inhabitat. Design*Sponge at Home is available to buy here.

Photos c/o Inhabitat and Amazon