Hallingdal holiday

Our summer holiday is over, and it was way too short and a little on the chilly side. Having said that, it's been enjoyable. Not least because I could drive, for the very first time, in our own tiny car to the family cabin in the mountains of Hallingdal. The car was filled to the brims with luggage and still we failed to bring the essentials: thick wooly sweaters. Anywhoo. Here's a few cabin life images for you.

A great lakeside view literally on our doorstep.

Kurt studying the herd of sheep passing daily.

A built-in bunkbed with crepe cotton bedlinen is perfect for summer slumbering.

I'm partial to a splash of yellow, as you know.

Nothing says summer in the mountains like cottongrass.

A little colour inspiration for the season coming.

And what would my cabin blog post be without a little fitting vintage pottery...?

Finding these stacked away in in the cabin brought back childhood memories. I don't know the name of the decor, but if I remember correctly, it's by Figgjo flint and probably dating from the 1950s.

Yellow and brown summer thrifts

I saw this cofffe set in a second hand store in early June, but left it behind for some obscure reason. Afterwards I couldn't get it out of my head (of course), and last week when I was back in Valdres, I got them. All six sets :-) They are called Solöga (Sun eye) and are by Rörstrand, Sweden.

Stavangerflint used to have different colours and decors on the same designs - as seen here on their model no. 2557. I don't know the name for the grey cups at the back, but the one in front is called 'Solei' and is designed by Inger Waage.

Lastly, a beautiful teak serving spoon, made in Norway. I thought at first it could be a Skaugum design, but the handle is too pointy compared. Does anyone know?

Vintage from Valdres

I've been to the countryside again. Here are some snaps from the house in Valdres where we stayed overnight. (If you are a follower of this blog, you might have seen some photos from this place before.)

I want this bedlinen.

The wallpaper is going, unfortunately. (Or maybe just as well?)

Freshly painted to the owner's delight. The house was built in the early 1940s.

The office, now serving as a guest room. Turid's grandfather had good taste in (solid) office furniture.

...and was a horse enthusiast.

Better than Best Lights? I wish I'd checked this lamp for a maker's stamp.

There is also a playhouse on the property.

Lots of fun for both kids and grown-ups alike.

The playhouse interior looks the part.

Vintage Barbie interiors

Courtesy of ebay, here are some vintage Barbie interiors that caught my eye today. You'd think only the best would be good enough for Barbie, but it looks like all she had to sit on in the early days was cardboard, before Mattel Inc. advanced to give her some plastic furniture. Regardless, it all looks so much better than today's Barbie stuff.

Like a set design from Mad Men.

Barbie's sitting room in 1962.

Late 1960s? The furniture is not cardboard anymore, but the surroundings look rather two-dimentional.

1973. I got the yellow sofa + matching chair for my son's Barbie :-)

My favorite. From 1977.

Some more 70s chairs for Barbie to rest her little bum on.

Best birds from Figgjo and Porsgrund

Intricate bird decorations is not a new thing. These are from the 60s and 70s. If you've been following my blog you might recall having seen the top two dishes here before (both Figgjo Flint). The other two are new additions: the small blue and white dish is from Porsgrund while my favorite of the lot – the one in the bottom right hand corner is another Figgjo Turi-design item, the name is "Grill".

(Click on the image for a more detailed view.)

Fab London town house

Some interiors sticks in my mind. Like this one found at Apartment Therapy. It is owned by Beth Ewans in Dulwich, South London. Take the full house tour here.

When the dog's away...

...(sunning himself in a messy flowerbed)

...the boy will play. (In the dog's bed.)

Comment trouble

First of all I want to thank my readers for leaving comments. It's a big part of what makes blogging so interesting. Secondly, I owe some of you an apology – it seems that not all of your comments have been published. I realized this today when I had trouble publishing some comments. Blogger is having some technical difficulty, and I keep getting error messages. I hope it will be fixed soon, so that I can publish all your comments again!

My friend Åse's house

These photos are from the latest issue of Nytt Rom (#19). They're taken at my good friend Åse's home in Oslo. It was built in the 1960s and I love the good atmosphere and layout of the place.

The kitchen has recently been redone and it looks stunning.

One end of the L-shaped living room. The long modular shelf is designed by Johan Ørbeck Aase. It consists of shelving boards and vertical dividers only which makes it very flexible - no screws or tools necessary to assemble it.

The TV-lounge which also function as the kid's play room. What kid wouldn't love to have this Eero Aarnio chair?

And talking about kids: Åse and her family throw the best birthday parties. (And no, this particular photo is not in the magazine... )

Retro Bullet planters

In my search for background info to do with my previous post, I stumbled upon these beauties. I'm not sure if you can get them outside the US, but wow... They come in 16 colours and 3 different heights. For the whole story, click here.

Red, yellow and blue the 50's way

Orangy-red, mustard yellow and pale blue is a favorite colour combo for me. Such a classic pallette from the 1950s and still going strong.

Love these planters from Pad outdoor, available here.

Excellent rug designed by Amanda of Red Jet Whistle blog.

A vintage Aldo Londi vase that I love and cherish.

Soft and lovely Orla Kiely towels.

Midsummer night

For the first time in years we had great weather for the celebration of the longest day of the year, St.Hans' as it's known over here. It's a custom to put together a big bonfire, which they also had at our summer solstice destination of choice – Hellviktangen at Nesodden. We had to leave before the bonfire got going, but it was still a very enjoyable evening in great surroundings.

A splash of colour

I found this little gem of an ad via Poppytalk. I thought I'd share it with you.

Flight of fancy

Oh to be able to catch a flight back to the 60s or early 70s. (Minus the on-plane smoking, of course. To think that was allowed not that many years ago...)

Rug love

I love the colour and pattern combos of this rug. Unfortunately I can't tell you anything about it as I have forgotten the source, but maybe you can tell me? (What I can tell you however, is that the pink stool - Dot - is an Arne Jacobsen design. In case you wondered.)

Summer dreams

I saw this floating cabin in Sköna Hem 2 years ago and it's been in my head ever since. Isn't it a great design? It is actually a boat, so the owners can enjoy a different scenery from their cabin whenever they like. I guess it's not too practical if you have small kids (or dogs who are water crazy). But apart from that, I think it must be a fantastic way to spend a summer holiday, preferably in a Scandinavian archipelago. Dream on...

The motors around the back.

If this tickles your fancy and you want to see more photos from the article (and/or read it if you understand Swedish), click here.