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.

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Song of the Day

Concrete Wall, by Zee Avi

Lighting fixtures don’t always have to be practical and boring. According to these designers, they can be whimsical too. And goodness knows how much I want all of them right now.

Maria S.C. Lamp, by Pani Jurek (source)

Light Spill, by Rebecca Wilson (source)

Balloon Lamps, by Estiluz (source)

Le Nuage, by Wout Wessemius (source)

It’s like what the cousin Bjorn remarked yesterday over breakfast, I’m gonna spend a fortune decorating my future home. Yikes!

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Song of the Day is crazy catchy. Sing along with us! Oh oh oh oh eh eh…

What’ll I Do, by Lisa Hannigan

Growing up, receiving a red packet during the Lunar New Year was nothing short of exciting. I’d happily spread out all the packets on my bed at night and delight in counting my day’s “takings”. But even then, despite having all this extra cash amassed, I always wondered why the designs on these red packets looked so ugly.

Like, seriously ugly.

It’s as though there was some competition to splash as much gold as possible on a bright red envelope.

Then, when that became outdated, a new challenge emerged: to splash the biggest illustration possible, never mind that the whole effect made them lurid.

Yesterday, though, as I was unabashedly collecting these red packets (yes, in spite of my ripe old age) I couldn’t help noticing the shift towards designing red packets that were more… tasteful. Even illustrations had more complementary colours that worked with the customary red.

Well done, whoever designs these contemporary red packets. Next thing I’d really love is to see them adopting a more mid-century modern look. ;)

Aaaand I’m off to collect more of these! Heheh.