Interior design: Letting the outdoors in

The March 2016 issue of Elle Decoration UK is filled with many interesting features and has made up for the disappointing March issue of The World of Interiors, which is another story (don't get me started on the cover!). One of the house tours in Elle Decoration that I liked was of a beautiful apartment in Lyon that has been circling in the blogosphere (it also appeared in the Australian magazine Vogue Living where you can view all the images). Another tour that appealed to me was of a contemporary townhouse in Cologne with Asian-inspired influences (see Den of Zen on journalist Kristina Radershad's website). No worries, I'm not going to tell you about every feature in the issue but the reason I snapped a photo of that dining area is that we are heading for spring and I'm a fan of letting the outdoors in when it gets warmer ('The Borrowers', a flat in Milan photographed by Fabrizio Cicconi). Apart from its mismatched floor materials, the flat itself is a bit too quirky for my taste. However, this space is also a kitchen and I like the idea of being able to open the doors onto a large balcony and perhaps feel a light breeze while dining or enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning.

image by me | credit: Elle Decoration UK, March 2016, p. 186 · Fabrizio Cicconi

Life … in Scotland

I have been silent for a month and during this time I somehow managed to pack our things and move to Scotland. I will give you a moment to digest that … or perhaps read again. I am now living on the west coast, southwest of Glasgow, within walking distance from the town's centre and the beach. A real beach. On my first day I woke up to the sound of seagulls and immediately felt at home. I love the closeness to the sea; I was brought up with it in Reykjavik, Iceland. Our new home is an old, renovated house with soul: it has French windows, a high ceiling, original wooden doors and stairs, and both old and new floorboards. It speaks to me. I even have a garden with hydrangeas! During our no-Wi-Fi-yet period, I would sit in this corner in the dining room with my coffee and play solitaire, with actual playing cards, when taking a break from the unpacking. Very old school and calming.

These days life mainly consists of unpacking and arranging things, getting the children settled in their new schools and allowing the ear to get used to the Scottish accent. I thought it would be more difficult to understand the Scots but I was wrong. As I have only been living here for a short time, I cannot really make any general statements, but I have to say that I find it astonishing how one line on a map can change people. The Scottish are very different from the English in temperament; nature and climate must have something to do with it.