It's a cover-up

House tour: Pink, orange and blue in Texas

The talented designers from Martha O´Hara interiors are the team behind the stunning décor in this beautiful house located in Texas, USA. They managed to create a glamorous, classic, modern and personal look all at the same time, as they have mixed textiles in modern patterns and bold colours with classic and antique furniture. 

The colour palette consist of pink, blue and  orange and create playful colour splashes and contrasts with natural hues like white, grey, black and beige.

Anyone else besides us that feel like moving in? 

You can easily create a similar look using cushion covers, curtains, chair covers or even sofa covers from Bemz. To remake you antique chairs, choose your favourite fabric per meter from Bemz.

If you want to create a colour theme for a room, like the room in the below picture, you can either use the same pattern and colour tone on all fabrics, or mix different patterns and shades.

Beautiful living room with a pink theme mixed with grey, black and white..

Blue and orange theme mixed with grey, white and black.

Create the look with Bemz wide range of fabrics and slip covers. In the below picture are just a few examples of our pink, orange and blue fabrics. Choose you favourites to create the home of your dreams, and don´t forget that you can order free fabric samples from us!

Pink fabrics from the top left: Rose Tegnér Melange Textured Cotton, Candy Pink, both by Bemz, and Dusty Rose Gustavian Flowers by Katarina Wiklund for Bemz.

Blue fabrics from the left: Duck Egg Brera Lino by Designers Guild for Bemz, Light Denim Blue True Rose by Katarina Wiklund for Bemz and Cobolt Espanola Way Printed Cotton by Designers Guild for Bemz.

Orange fabrics from the left: Mandarin Orange/Soft White Gotland Stripe by Katarina Wiklund for Bemz, Mandarine Orange and Dijon Yellow Belgian Linen Blend, both by Bemz.

Photos of house interior via Martha O'Hara Interiors

Bemz loves DIY: Créations & Savoir-Faire in Paris

Bemz recently participated in the annual Créations & Savoir-Faire trade show in Paris - a must for DIY addicts - which took place in mid-November this year. And our textile products were selected to be part of a central animation called The Loft, where we collaborated with the French company Lilibricole hosting popular DIY workshops for fair goers.

Stylish bedding from Bemz

In case you couldn’t make it, here are a few photos from our exhibit (can you spot the cat?), demonstrating how easy it is to personalise your home and create a space is a reflection of you using designer slipcovers from Bemz.

The themes this year were: Trends, Sewing and customising; Paper, scrapbooking and Colours; Creative Home and Tasty ideas: Needles and tradition.

As in past, the 2013 show was both a trendsetter and showcase for exceptional crafting.

Over 60,000 passionate DIYers got together to discover the latest crafting innovations and find everything they need to hone their creative skills.

Visit us next week for a DIY special based on The Loft workshops held at Créations & Savoir-Faire, including how to make a designer headboard in 45 minutes!

Credits: Photos: Créations & savoir faire, Slipcovers:Bemz, Sofa Legs: Prettypegs

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Übercool Klippan sofas in Switzerland

Books to inspire: The Natural Home

Love understated elegance and a casual lived-in feeling to your home - one filled vintage finds, old juxtaposed with new and nature as a decorative element? Then The Natural Home by art director and stylist Hans Blomquist is the perfect book for you. With sublime photography by Debi Treloar, this book is an ideal rainy day read, an invitation to sit down and unwind. Truly captivating.

Blomquist starts off by exploring the essence of his evocative, painterly and quirky yet comfortable style.

In Texture, he revels in the textures and patinas of natural materials. Still Life reveals his passion for creating displays that showcase treasured pieces, while Plants and Flowers celebrates the beauty of nature and the cycles of the natural world. Colour presents his favourite earthy, natural colour palette, which provides the perfect backdrop for hits of brighter natural hues.

In the second part of the book, Blomquist brings us into real homes that showcase the natural look—including a converted button factory!

As Blomquist himself puts it: "The book celebrates a home where style, through furniture and materials used, is very natural, celebrating vintage objects with patina that aged with time and use [...] The homes shown are furnished in a very spontaneous way... unplanned or un-staged, where the style and setting have evolved with time, where furniture and objects found their place, almost by accident. [...]"

The Natural Home is the perfect read to curl up with a pot of tea. Look forward to an afternoon of dreaming!

Photo and text credits: French by Design, Amazon, Ryland, Peters & Small and Decor8

Home styled by Bemz designer in Marie Claire Maison

On Fridays, we generally share one of the many, many photos sent in from our satisfied, or should we say proud, Bemz customers, who open the doors to their homes and inspire others.

This week's post is slightly different as we're sharing a house tour of an apartment styled by Bemz in-house designer Katarina Wiklund. Recently featured online, chez the fab French Marie Claire Maison, it showcases how layering fabrics, textures and colours can transform a house or apartment into a truly welcoming home.

Entitled 'A patchwork apartment in Stockholm', the article provides a lovely introduction to Katarina and describes how she transformed this Gustavian era flat into a haven of tranquility and character using a charming mix of vintage and new.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katarina's secret weapon is textiles: a blend of bold colours and patterns used in measured amounts.

Unexpected combinations and colour contrasts reinvent the space and create a unique and highly personalised home that is warm and inviting.

We hope you enjoyed the tour and found lots of inspiration along the way. Un grand merci à Marie Claire Maison!

All you Francophones and multi-linguals out there can read the original article here.

House tour: Harry chair & nautical flair in Canada

A Bemz cover was recently featured in a house tour on Samantha Pynn's popular Summer Home show on our fave Canadian TV channel HGTV. Needless to say we were thrilled! The amazing transformation of the lower level of this cottage, done by Samantha and her team, featured a Harry chair in a nautical-inspired Deep Navy Blue Stockholm Stripe cover from Bemz - an ideal fabric for summer.

Looking at the before and after pictures it's hard to believe this is the same space!

The owners spent time and money creating their dream space on the main floor and long dreamed of doing the same to the lower level "catch all."

Sam and her team transformed this raw basement wasteland into a shipshape haven that underpins the spectacular ‘walkout’ view to the lake. This nautical-inspired space feels fresh and summery in a classic palette of red, white and blue, with maritime touches such as striped fabrics, signal artwork and boating memorabilia. The vintage wooden water skis are a lovely touch. So is the Harry chair in a crisp new 100% cotton cover from Bemz, which shouts out seaside and summer loud and clear.

 

If you enjoyed this house tour, then why not take a tour of another summer cottage revamp from HGTV by Sam that we shared recently here on It's a cover up or check out Bemz founder and CEO Lesley's home featured in France’s Journal Des Femmes.

Credit and photos: Samantha Pynn, Summer Homes, HGTV Canada

House Tour: Summer in Canada for Ektorp and Bemz

Who doesn't love taking a peek inside other people’s homes? It's not just about curiosity - it's a great way to get ideas and inspiration, especially if it's a home done up by a professional. You can imagine how thrilled we were to find out that Canada's design star, Samantha Pynn decided to include a Bemz cover in not one, but two episodes of this season's Summer Homes on HGTV Canada.

In this episode, entitled Room to Grow, Samantha tackles a small charming cottage and turns it into a family-friendly summer home full of character. A cover in Eggshell Blue from Bemz for the Ektorp sofa plays a central role in giving the room that coastal feel.

The clean lines of the main living area are cool to the eye but warm to the touch thanks to Samantha's use of a variety of textures: solid wood and rattan, fabrics and other natural elements. The wonderful high ceilings and the sea-inspired palette bring the outside in and create a fresh, relaxing and airy oasis. By grouping furniture into functional areas in the open plan, Samantha ensures definition and order without sacrificing on cosiness or functionality - perfect for family dinners, entertaining and playing games.

Adding a covered porch is a great way to extend your living space and provides a graceful transition to the outside. Get more ideas on how you can achieve this look from the Bemz Simple Life Lifestyle, as well as previous posts highlighting how to use on-trend blues for spring and summer 2012. You can see the rest of the photos on the episode gallery or watch the episode.

If you enjoyed this house tour, then why not take a tour of Bemz founder and CEO Lesley's home or the Scandi country charm in France house tour both recently featured in France’s Journal Des Femmes. And stay tuned to find out what Samantha Pynn chose from Bemz next!

Credit and photos: Samantha Pynn, Summer Homes, HGTV Canada

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

House tour: Bemz founder, Lesley's home

As you can imagine, we at Bemz often need to 'borrow' people's homes to do our photoshoots and it'll come to you as no surprise that a few Bemzies' places have been used. The most recent photoshoot and the house tour featured here, is Bemz founder and CEO, Lesley's house. You'll also find it in French Journal des Femmes, where an in-depth interview along with a competition are featured. One lucky winner* (*residents of France only!) will win a new cover, from Bemz bien sur, as well as a personal consultation from an interior decorator. If you live in France, enter to win today!

Enjoy the tour... You may notice a few few Bemz products along the way.

The living room is an eclectic collection of colours, patterns and textures mixed and matched as covers, cushions and throws - true Bohemian Chic.

The open plan space has clearly defined areas thanks to the positioning of the furniture. The dining room mixes iconic designer chairs with a traditional Scandinavian side table and utilitarian dining table - perfect for family dinners, entertaining and doing homework.

The kitchen, which sits just off the dining area, echos the wood seen in the rest of the room and is kept simple. Splashes of colour and personal detailing give it character.

Would you like to see more? The bedrooms are tranquil havens of calm without sacrificing on personality, while the office is practical and personal. And what design aficionado's home would be complete without an über iconic piece sitting pretty there like a piece of art framed by the window? If you want to see these last photos and the rest of the tour, visit Journal des Femmes.

If you enjoyed Lesley's house tour, then why not take a tour of our product and production manager, Lisbeth's home.

Books to Inspire: Alvar Aalto Houses

Finnish Alvar Aalto is perhaps best known for creating stunning glassware, furniture and textiles, which are still sought-after pieces today. From his iconic vase to his cantilevered birch wood chairs, we see his creations everywhere. But did you know he was an architect?

Alvar Aalto Houses by Jari and Sirkkaliisa Jetsonen, presents 26 innovative single family homes built according to his designs between the 20s and the 60s. These were built in Finland, Estonia and France and are still considered architectural gems today.

With a hugely successful career that spanned half a century, Alvar Aalto was one of the 20th century's most important architects. He designed almost 100 houses taking a new and unique approach that cleverly combined modernist principles with traditional Finnish architecture to create a  individual style that is both exclusive and desirable.

What was so unique about Alvar Aalto's approach in architecture was that he and his wife Aino Aalto, also an architect, saw it as a complete body of art. Their designs progressed beyond the shell of the building to demand special treatments to interior surfaces as well, including furniture, lamps, furnishings and glassware. It is this holistic approach to his works that made him so successful and his works so instantly recognisable.

"There is an ulterior motive, too, in architecture, which is always peeping out from around the corner, the idea of creating paradise. It is only purpose of our buildings. If we do not carry this idea with us the whole time all our buildings would be simpler, more trivial and life would become - well, would life amount to anything at all? Every building, every work of architecture, is a symbol which has the aspiration to show that we want to build a paradise on earth for ordinary mortals." - Alvar Aalto

Even the Alvar Aalto museum showcasing his works was designed by the man himself. Truly holistic.

Child friendly and styling in Stockholm

Here is a home that was featured on Swedish Hemnet. Not only is it a beautiful home, full of ideas to steal and beautiful things to look at, but it is also child-friendly (in part thanks to a Bemz slipcover). Read on and be inspired!

That's a Karlanda in Dusty Rose from Bemz. It's subtle yet still setting the tone for the room. The cushions in a variety of vintage and retro Scandinavian designs give it character and personality.

The attention to detail is evident throughout the house. White is the base for a clean, happy palette.

It is a home that is at once stylish yet lived in, modern yet colourful, design conscious yet humorous.

The children's rooms are like a dream come true! Look at that Pez collection. So sweet.

The owner's grandmother's old dressing table has been painted white. 

The boy's room is colourful and vibrant but designed to stand the test of time and is easy to adapt to the changing demands of a growing boy. 

The adult bedroom is an oasis of calm with flashes of colour and flair.

That is a great way to make the most of a landing. 

Inspiring!

Credit: Erika Norberg; Photographer: Patrik Söderman