Have a wonderful weekend!

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I'm signing off for the weekend and won't be able to post for a few days. But I'm leaving you with plenty to enjoy. Check out the interview I posted earlier today with the lovely Tiina of the LiviaConcept blog and some other inspiring posts. Have a wonderful and happy weekend! XOXO

A chat with Tiina from LiviaConcept

Hi there! I'm introducing a new segment on Mocca & Me: A chat with... where I'll be interviewing people I think are interesting, creative and inspiring. In this very first edition I'm having a chat with the lovely Tiina from the fabulous blog LiviaConcept. I LOVE this blog and I'm absolutely obsessed with it! It's diverse, fresh, creative and inspiring. Please check it out!

Tiina is a fabulous 30 year old single girl that lives in the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. Tiina has been living an adventurous and fun life there for three years but is originally from Finland. Her parents, brother, his fiancée and their kids still live in Finland. Tiina has also lived in Uppsala (Sweden) and Shanghai due to her engineering studies. She works in IT and does enterprise resourse system planning and development. Right now she is just about to start at a new job as a Project Manager in IT and Tourism industry.

What made you start blogging?
I've been reading blogs and online interior resources and magazines for years, and I wanted to start collecting all the ideas and pictures in one place. I am also planning my own interior business, and blogging is the best way to connect with creative people.

What do you love the most about blogging?
I love all the people who day after day encourage each other to do their 'thing' and share their creative mindflows.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from all beautiful interiors I see both in everyday life and in my favorite blogs. I am very fond of colors, patterns and vintage furniture. Travelling to old cities is a big inspiration source for me!

Give us one tip you think everybody should know about.
Trust your opinions and gut feeling. If you think you are good at something, then you are that! Create your own safety net of people, but be independent and live your life as you want to live it. Cherish your family and friends, and show them that they are prioritised. Try always learn new things and develop in areas that you are interested in. Laugh a lot, cry when you need to, and be kind and helpful to each other!

Name one blog you’re jealous of and why?
Jealous, not really, but I admire Decor8 and Oh, Hello Friend for their creativity and Absolutely Beautiful Things for her home (yeah, I am jealous of Anna's home!)!

Who’s your favorite designer/interior decorator?
This is difficult since there's so many... I recently featured some extremely creative stylists/interior designers as Carolyn Quartermaine, Lucyina Moodie, Paul Joseph Hopper, and Pippa Jameson to name a few.

Tell us what your personal style is.
I love old furniture that I can remake. All my furniture is white and I love adding colorful cushions, paintings, candle holders, piles of magazines, lovely boxes and mirrors. I love gold, champagne color (and champagne too!!), pearl white, glas, pink, peonies and tulips, old wooden floors, and raw silk... Glamour! The most beautiful item ever is Bourgie by Kartell. My outfits are feminine and sometimes businessy, I love high heels, good quality clothing, Mulberry, Coccinelle and Furla handbags ( I would buy a lot if I could afford it!), and red and black nail polish. I am girly, I know! Even if I like jeans I very seldom wear them. I think my 'signature look' is black opaque tights, high heels, well cut dress, leather jacket, different scarfs and pearl earrings. And Chloé perfume!

Who’s house would you like to take a peak into?
Tricia Guild's. Please, let me come in for a cup of tea, I promise to bring cinnamon rolls and fresh flowers! Thank you.

How do you spend your free-time when not blogging?
I go to gym and meet my friends for coffee and dinner. I travel a lot too, mostly in Europe and Asia, quite often to London and Helsinki.

What is the absolute favorite , most precious thing you own and why?
I would say my home. It's the first flat I've ever bought, and it was a complete disaster. Now it's pretty lovely, small but cozy! Also my vintage coffee table that my friend gave to me. And my cat Pablo!

What is at the top of your wish list and why?
Launch my own little business project. Also a bigger apartment.

Any last words?
Thank you so much for honouring me with this interview! I'm so happy you came by my blog and wrote all the lovely comments. I'm quite new to blogging and really enjoy all the sweet comments and creative people I get to meet. I'm looking forward to read many more of your interviews and posts. Have a fantastic day my friend, and lots of creative thoughts and ideas for you and your readers. And warm welcome to Stockholm!

- Thank you so much Tiina for having a little chat with me! Keep up the wonderful work on your blog and I hope to visit Stockholm soon -

UPDATE: Tiina has moved her blog! LiviaConcept is now ELCE Stockholm.

Fab find: wonderful flower paintings

I found the most fabulous and cute paintings! Aren't they just beautiful? They are from Thailand and they all painted by hand on hardwood tablets that come from old houses and boats. That's what makes the paintings so unique! The paintings are imported by two Dutch graphic designers who travel the world and collect fabulous items which they sell on their website. For more information and other lovely products visit their website http://www.wereldspul.nl/ (in dutch) or send them an e-mail for inquiries.

Source photographs: www.wereldspul.nl

In the spotlight: Interior Desiger Schuyler Samperton

I want to put interior designer Schuyler Samperton in the spotlight and share some of her work with you. Schuyler is an american interior designer based in Los Angeles. What I love about her work is that it's warm and personal and wonderful mix of classic and bohemian style. Here's a look at some of her work.



Source photographs: google and www.samperton.com

Blog alert! Alkemie

Here's an interior design blog you have to know about! Alkemie. I love it! Love it! Love it! The blog is founded by Karen Olivia from San Francisco and features the most stunning and inspiring interiors. Every post is a true feast for the eyes and I drool over every photo. Check out Alkemie and get inspired!

Colour inspiration: a touch of lemon and lime

Here is a bit of colour inspiration for you. This time a touch of lemon and lime. Just because it's summer and I'm thinking of mexican beers with lime, fresh fish with a touch of lemon and lemon flavored sorbets.

Source photographs unknown

Let's visit... Amanda Peet

This week were are visiting actress Amanda Peet. She's known for her role in the t.v. series Jack and Jill and the movies The whole nine yards and A lot like love. Her home is an interesting mix of styles and was first featured in Domino magazine. I love her bohemian style. Let have a look...

Source photographs: via google - originally from Domino.

Inspiration: summer and outdoor living

Source photographs: most from LivingEtc.

Take a look at these colourful cristal glasses

It's summer so I'm in the mood for colour. How about these lovely colourful cristal glasses? They are made by the german crystal glass manufacturer Theresienthal. The art of making Theresienthal crystal glass has been handed down from one generation to the next and every item is handcrafted. Besides beautiful and elegant traditional white cristal glassware Thesesienthal also has a wonderful collection of colourful pieces. Just imagine these glasses at a summer garden party...

Source photographs: www.theresienthal.de

Photographer Paul Barera

I could look at this next photographers photo's all day. They are just beautiful. Paul Barera is an Australian photographer with a degree in fine arts. He's an established interior and fashion photographer and he has lived all over the world, including Amsterdam. Nowadays he's back in Australia where he continues his advertising and editorial work. Here are a few photo's from his portofolio.

Source photographs: www.paulbarera.com

Asian pottery

Don't you just love asian pottery? I especially love japanse raku. How lovely are the items pictured here!

Source photographs unknown

Inspiration: earth tones

Source photographs unknown

Let's visit... Giorgio Armani

Aren't you wondering how all those famous creative people are living? What their houses look like? What their style is? I do, so I'm always looking for famous houses and interiors to drool over. So I came up with a new category Let's visit... where we'll be having a look at the home of a known personality. This week we're visiting Giorgio Armani in his holiday home in Italy.

Source photographs: Marie Claire. Photographer: Gianni Basso.

Thank you Desire to inspire!

OMG! I'm so excited! One of my favorite blogs Desire to inspire has featured Mocca & Me on it's reading list. It is such an honour. Thank you so much Kim and Jo for mentioning my blog!

Inspiration: a splash of colour

Source photographs: I've collected these from all over and don't know where I got them from. Sorry :-(

Take a look at these: fabulous lights

Aren't these lights absolutely fabulous? Each one would make any room in a house special. Take a look!

Icarus - The unique light featured next is by Dutch designer Tord Boontje for Artecnica. This feathered lamp with wings is named after Icarus in the Greek mythology.

Source photograph: www.tordboontje.com

Caboche - I am in love with this next lamp! It is from the Caboche series designed by the wonderful Patricia Urquiolo (see previous blogpost) and Eliana Gerotto for Foscarini. The Coboche series includes tablelamps, floorlamps, suspension lights and ceiling lamps.


Source photograph: www.foscarini.com

Fiela feather light - I seem to have a thing for feathers ;-) This lamp is simply stunning! It's designed by South African designer Haldane Martin and made out of white ostrich feathers. The lamp is named afer a book (Fiela se Kind) which is set in an ostrich farming district in South Africa. The same area Martin sources his feathers from.

Source photograph: www.haldanemartin.co.za

Dandelion -The following light is called Dandelion and is from the Dutch design label Moooi. The lamp is by Richard Hutton and has been been around for a while. I like the clean and airy look of it.

Source photograph: www.moooi.com

Fil de Fer - This is the Fil de Fer lamp of the Catellani & Smith label. The lamp is made out of a ball of aluminum wire, which is charged with halogen bulbs. I've seen this light before in magazine's and I have always loved it.

Source photograph: www.catellanismith.com