Skona hem

Yes, I am a big fan of Scandinavian design. I have a tiny but growing list of Scandinavian sites that I look at on a fairly regular basis. I navigate most of these sites somewhat blindly though, cos everything’s in a foreign language, but I’ve also come to learn that “hem” means “home” in Swedish, and no one does them more beautifully than the Swedes.

Skona hem is a Swedish interior design magazine that is regularly updated with breathtaking pictures of homes from all around the world (not just in Sweden). The gallery is beautifully curated and nothing short of inspirational.

Needless to say, Google Translate has become my new best friend.

. . . . .

Song of the Day

Concrete Wall, by Zee Avi

Saturday Selections

Watch
Presented by Manikako, a Filipino organisation that teaches disadvantaged children how to make their own dolls from old clothes and recycled materials, this video is sweet, touching and might even induce a tear or two?

Listen
I spotted this over at Flavorwire (new favourite time-wasting site!) a few days ago and was hooked as soon as I heard the first couple of beats. Tennis (a husband and wife duo from Denver) has this cool retro-pop sound that is both refreshing and comforting. Needless to say, it’s now firmly on repeat.

Buy
Isn’t this adorable?

You’ll want to keep inviting your friends over for tea just so you can show this off to them. It’ll draw plenty of awws, for sure. ;) Available at ModCloth, this conversation starter comes complete with a silver tray. You may also want to get a clear glass tea cup after this.

My Friday Night Playlist #3

I admit, I get a real kick out of creating playlists. In fact, I’ve been doing this since mix tapes were still actual (cassette) tapes. Of course, back then, they were incredibly difficult to create. There’d always be a blank tape in the player, all ready for me to hit the “record” button as soon as the radio plays the song. Then the dubbing process comes next and that would take forever because I’d have to rewrite the cassette several times over until all the songs flow seamlessly. You can imagine how glad I was when digital music and CD-Rs came along.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about building this musical journey from scratch, imagining it to be the perfect soundtrack for a movie that I’ve dreamed up in my head. Often, I don’t quite pay attention to the lyrics of the song and just try to fit them all together based on the music. To me, it’s all about evoking emotions and creating the right mood.

Hope you’ll enjoy this. :)

Inside These Lines, by Trent Dabbs
Windows Are Rolled Down, by Amos Lee
How Come You Never Go There, by Feist
Feeding Line, by Boy & Bear
Be Yourself, by Graham Nash
Maybe, by Ingrid Michaelson
Bloom, by The Paper Kites
Love Love Love, by Avalanche City
Travelling, by Paper Lions
You Already Know, by Bombay Bicycle Club

(My other Friday Night playlists can be found here and here.)