Going modern

Let me start by apologizing for this dreadfully lit picture. After a few days of sunny and warm weather, Brussels is back to its natural gloomy self and any interior photos might as well have been taken in November. Sigh.

Last month I blogged about craving more minimalism. Ok, this isn't it. Yet. Rather this is a first attempt to mix things up in the living room - material and style wise. To be honest, I'm a bit tired of the "all wood, all retro" look.

So bye bye Tomado shelves, hello Ikea sideboard ! It's sturdy, it holds a ton of stuff (so far mostly stuff I have to sell on ebay), it's beautiful, it's fairly cheap and it's amazingly easy to put together. And most importantly, it's made out of metal, it's white and it's a first step towards a brighter more minimal future...

My most faithful readers might remember that last summer I aquired an awesome fiber art piece for this corner. However in the long run it turned out to be just too brown for the living room. With all the wooden furniture, brown seemed to be the dominant colour in here... Anyway the fiber weawing thing has now moved to a happier spot in the bedroom. And here we are: room for new art !

Gosh, do you remember this fabulous sneak peek from Sweden back in 2009 ? I certainly do ! Please don't get me started on that fabulous bedroom or the awesome hall... Want, need, greed, drove me a bit crazy and I totally forked over an insane amount of money to this etsy seller to finally get my hands on an Olle Eksell eyes poster. Ok, it's not an original from the 1999 exhibition, but it's huge and it fits into a standard Ikea Ribba frame. Still the best kind of art, if you ask me.

Next step ? Find a new dining table. I'm dreaming of a sexy 70s smoked glass table. Or maybe a classic retro formica table ?

Decisions decisions...

Ch-Ch-Changes

I don't know about you guys, but over here spring is definitely on the way. 

How can I tell ? I mean, besides the obvious sunshine, tempeatures in the low twenties and flowers everywhere ? Easy. When I get that tingly feeling and start moving stuff around, that's when I know for sure spring is here !

This season I'm especially craving a more minimalist decor. The first step will be to keep stuff on and around the sideboard to a minimum. So the red West German pottery collection has moved and made way for a more 70s style colour range. 
Of course, it's all still very much a work in progress. The Tomado shelf feels wrong and so does the rest of the art. And there needs to be a better transition between the earthy coloured objects and the bolder armchair and red vases. But it's a start.

I love how my mid-century tapestry looks over the sideboard. The cats however are unfazed by aesthetics and simply view it as a giant cat scratcher. Assholes ! I've doused it in cat repellent, but I suspect they're still having a go at it... So I might have to find a safer spot for it.

Speaking of cats. Hello Sammy !

New home for my red WGP vases. I'm thinking this corner can take a more maximalist approach. Also I'm seriously thinking about repainting that black wall... It needs a new coat of paint anyway. I don't know how, but the kitties have managed to leave paw marks all over it and the touch-ups are really showing.

I'm in love with Farrow & Ball's Stiffkey Blue. I tried it out already in the bathroom back in November, but it didn't really work out there. In the living room however... Uh oh. The teak bookcabinets would look soooooooo good against it. And those red vases as accent... I'm itiching to give it a go.

Should I ? Have you used it yet ? Any recommendations ?

Also. I kind of went wild on etsy this week... And spend an insane amout of money on the famous Olle Eksell eyes poster. Ehem. I guess if I need to take down the tapestery, it would look amazing over the sideboard...

My Home on Etsy Blog

Imagine my surprise on coming back from a lovely holiday in France to find an email announcing that my home has been featured on Sunday's "Get the Look Decor" post on the Etsy blog. I haven't read through all the comments yet - wow, a 130 people took the time to say something - but a lot of them seem to be very enthusiastic. I'm very flattered !

An Oscars-style thank you speech is probably in order. But let me just say this much : I'm very, very happy to have been selected ! Especially since - as one commenter rightfullly pointed out - I'm not that much of an Etsy girl...

So, if you're curious to read a short interview, find out my birth name (Pants ! I forgot to ask them not to publish my lastname) and check out various MCM furniture and accessories options inspired by the Fat Cat style and available on Etsy, head over here.

Oh and btw, now that I've gained a couple new readers (welcome guys !) and scored record pageview stats, posting around here might come to a stillstand again, as sadly my beloved Panasonic Lumix idiotensichere camera died a sudden and tragic death during said holiday. Too much red wine probably. 

It's a pity really since I of course managed to score some interesting finds which are begging to be documented.