How to...decorate your summer beach house

Lighting is key and this lantern makes a big statement. Center it in the room and dim to a nice comfortable setting.

How great are these?? I love the irregular shape and the greeny beige color. Would look great flanking the sofa...

This fun octopus candlestick gave me the inspiration for the direction of the room, for textiles and overall feel... I love the white porcelain sea urchin and the metal legs and thought the room would be focused around the ocean... appropriate don´t you think?

Lulu DK makes some amazing and fun prints and I especially love the print on the left.. this also comes in a beautiful navy blue colorway but I couldn´t find a picture of it. But the print is fabulous as is... and can be matched with any of her geometrics and colorful stripes.

I think I´ll make some curtains in this print.

This black cabinet is from IKEA so this is the only piece that can´t be purchased in my shop... but I thought this was a really good looking cabinet. Fill it up with your favorite things.. some beautiful books, picture frames with photos of friends and family and maybe throw in some John Derian plates on acrylic stands for decoration. Corals and shells can be beautiful decoration as well...

You can´t ever go wrong with a classic Howard Sofa... especially in crisp white linen set against the black turned legs. I love!

Place the sofa opposite a pair of wicker chairs with white cushions ...

Keep it natural and install a large seagrass rug. As opposed to sisal, sea grass has a much softer feel under foot which can be appreciated when running around barefoot all summer. It also has a bit of a waxy finish to it which fights off dirt and stains making it easy to maintain.

Nesting tables are easily placed anywhere in the room and these are really good looking with the metal base and smoky mirrored tops. Scatter in different places or group together.. whatever works for you and the space

These little trees are a pain to keep alive but it´s worth a try... plants of any kind will help bring some life to the room. These myrtle trees have to be moist at all times.. don´t let them dry out and they should survive the summer...

Keep with the natural textures and materials and hang a stunning mirror on the wall made of coconut shells. Comes in both white and black. I like the black if you have bare white walls... it makes for a nice contrast.

Finally, add some pillows in geometric patterns to offset the whimsy of the coral print... and add a cozy mohair throw to keep you warm during chilly nights.

Last but not least.... this shell sconce below is sure to make a good conversation starter... it´s fairly big and has a soft light inside to add a light glow to the room.

I love the city life, but in the summer I wish I had a beach house to stay at during the weekends. I crave being near the water and luckily I´m surrounded by it, living in a city like Stockholm. But nothing compares to the ocean and the fresh breeze and salty air.

Here´s a few ideas how to decorate your own beach house...

* All fabrics/furniture and products used in this look are available through K & Co. Please contact me for more details.

Oh baby!

I have never seen so many strollers and babies as I do in Stockholm. It´s so wonderful seeing all these little smiling (and sometimes tearing) faces and happy mothers and fathers taking time off from work to spend quality time with their families. One of my oldest and dearest friends just had a little baby boy (boy # 2) on Monday and I can´t wait to see him. My friend is doing great and is looking forward to a long summer (and year) of maternity leave with her newest addition.

To Charlotte and all the new parents out there... here are some beautiful linens by Lulu DK that can turn any little nursery into a haven for your newborns!

For information about ordering any of these... please call me at the shop or send an email to inf0@kandco.se

all photos from Matouk/Lulu DK

Annie Liebovitz in Stockholm

Last Friday was the big opening of "Fotografiska", a museum exhibiting the very best of international photographical art in Stockholm. Current exhibits include such famous photographers as Annie Liebovitz, Vee Speers and Lennart Nilsson.

I have been a huge fan of Liebowitz for as long as I can remember, so naturally I was thrilled to read that she would be exhibiting her life work in Stockholm. One of my clients had received an invitation to the big opening event where Ms. Liebowitz herself would be present... oh. how I wish I had gotten that invite!

I went on Sunday and the show was amazing. I also really enjoyed the gorgeous brick building it was held in which used to be an old warehouse. It´s situated right by the water with incredible views over the city. One of my favorite pictures has always been the photo of a very pregnant Demi Moore, which graced the cover of Vanity Fair back in the early nineties. This photo along with so many others were even more breathtaking up-close and I could happily walk out with any of them under my arm....

I wonder how much one would cost... if they were ever for sale that is....

Dreaming of a large kitchen

I went to a friends apartment for the first time last weekend and he had such a nice big kitchen, in his otherwise fairly small one bedroom apartment. Since then I have been dreaming of having a bigger kitchen myself. One day I´d like it to look like one of these...

Photo : 1 -5 Elle Decor

Photo : 6 - Decorpad.com

Photo : 7-10 House beautiful

Love is all around!

Glass dome paperweight from John Derian only at K & Co.

Elegant in black and white

A more relaxed royal couple on vacation

Beautiful view of Stockholm´s Old Town and Riddarlholmen

View of posh Strandvägen with the sailboats and outdoor cafes along the canal

With the upcoming wedding of Sweden´s Crown Princess Viktoria and her fiance Daniel Westling, Stockholm is all about love lately. Swedes have been waiting for this day since the beautiful couple met 9 years ago and Stockholm is taking every opportunity to capitalize on the event, but mostly to celebrate the happy occasion. It seems every business has added at least one product specially designed for the royal wedding. Chocolatiers are making the "wedding chocolate or Bröllops chokladen" as we´d say in Swedish, ice cream makers have a special Ice cream and every shop in town have created something that has to do with Love and our Queen-to-be´s special day. You don´t have to be invited to the wedding to want to buy my cute and very appropriate "LOVE" paperweight from John Derian, it´s a nice way to express the sentiment to your own sweetheart. The countdown is on and during two weeks leading up to the June 19 nuptuals, Stockholm is participating in a citywide festival to celebrate the young couple. For anyone who hasn´t been to our beautiful city, this is a great time to plan a trip. The weather is gorgeous, the trees and flowers are in full bloom and all of us who thought the winter and cold weather would never end, are spending every possible minute at outdoor cafes and parks, happily enjoying the warmer temperatures. For someone who does a lot of complaining during the brutally cold winter months, I must say I am a much happier person come spring time. Gone are the long dreary dark days and here are blue skies and endless daylight. I´m in love with Stockholm this time of year. There´s no better place to be.... at least for the next 3 months.

If you are curious to read more, you can go to www.lovestockholm2010.se

Image 1 & 2 of Viktoria and Daniel from Posh24.com

Images of the city - unknown

Inspiration for redecorating the shop

Mecox Gardens in Chicago

Mecox Gardens in Dallas

All photos from My Notting Hill blog

I can´t believe it´s been almost a year since I opened up the doors to K & Co. in Stockholm. I am excited and so thrilled to have my own shop and am amazed that the time has gone by so fast. I am planning an event in the shop during the first week of June so I have to get crackin´on sending out some evites.... I tend to do things a bit last minute...

I have been thinking about ways to re-decorate the shop and rearrange the furniture and rooms a bit and came across these images from one of my favorite shops in the U.S.

Mecox Gardens has a fabulous little shop on Lexington Avenue in New York and an even more beautiful place out in the Hamptons and now I discovered they have shops in both Dallas and Chicago. Next time I´m visiting my brother in the windy city I´ll be sure to stop in there.

Here´s some pictures that gave me a bit of inspiration and some ideas...

Answer to the question...

Since moving to Sweden, people often ask me what I miss about living in the States and what I don´t like about being here. After reading Habitually Chic this morning and seeing that the June issue of ED has come out, I have to say one of the things I miss out on here is first hand access to my favorite magazine! I used to run to the newsstand right when the newest issue got out and now I have to wait (what seems like an eternity) for my copy to arrive in the mail.

Here´s a look at the cover and a sneak peak at what´s inside... I can´t wait!! (I´ll try not to peak at the website beforehand although I am VERY tempted).

Design Spotlight - Bill Sullivan

One of my many favorite collaborations while working with Brian McCarthy in New York was with Bill Sullivan, magnificent sculptor and artist, who did some amazing work for us through the years. For our project in Los Angeles, Bill sculpted four incredible console tables which were gilded and fitted with marble tops and decorated the walls of the oval dining room at our client´s Bel Air residence. He also made a pair of beautiful white plaster consoles in the shape and feel of drape tables which were placed in the immense gallery below art by the likes of Avery and DeKooning. It was an incredible experience for me to see the creative and inspirational ideas by Brian being translated into real pieces by Bill. We worked together through the process from Brian´s idea to Bill´s drawing and finally from miniature sample to life size piece of furniture put in place at our clients home. One of my favorite pieces that Bill makes is his "Cape Linden" mirror with its stunning white scalloped frame. It fits perfectly in any interior, whether it´s a formal, traditional Park Avenue apartment or a Malibu beach house. Above is a photo of the mirror seen in a couple of different interiors.

Besides being the very best at what he does, Bill is the most genuine and kind person to work with, and was one of many wonderful people who made this project so special.