Do you own a house?

Something that I daydream about often is being a homeowner when we move back to the States. We really love apartment living in the city, but we also know that someday we are going to be so ready to for a house with a garden and a big front porch and lots of space for our family and entertaining. A couple of years ago, when we were just arriving in Switzerland, getting settled and feeling good about staying, I saw the cutest house for sale near my mom's. 

As crazy as it sounds, I kind of wish we had bought it and rented it in the meantime! It's right across the street from a cute coffee shop and in the exact neighborhood I want to live in when we move back. I actually saved the photos from the listing (don't judge!) and I like to look at them every once in a while, daydreaming of pies cooling on windowsills, backyard grill parties with my mom and sisters and Coco's cousins, and walking the kids to school through crunchy fall leaves. Doesn't it just sound like heaven? 

I always become ridiculously attached to my apartments, but living in a house will be even more wonderful because it's long term. It's exciting to be saving every month for this big, adult step we will take in the next five years! If you're a homeowner, I'd love to hear your tips on house hunting, home buying and settling in. What worked well in the process? What would you do differently?   

Scandinavian Design

Today I had the chance to visit the home of a lovely and very stylish Swedish woman I know here in Zurich. Naturally, I was completely blown away by her modern, inviting, minimalist, cozy decor. It seems contradictory, but it really was all of those things at once! After spending a few hours in her home, it had me convinced that when we buy a house, we will have a Scandinavian interior. Here are a few gorgeous pieces I'd love to have in my home.

I love the bold curves and overall subtlety of Scandinavian design. A shop in our neighborhood sells that teapot (which I have had my eye on for months) and the Nordic Light candlestick is even more striking in person. Do you find Scandinavian design attractive and pared down or sparse and cold? 

(Photos from Finnish Design Shop. 1). Muuto Bulky Tea Pot 2). Restore Storage Basket 3). Kivi Votive  4). Muuto Around Table 5). Rest Sofa 6). Pedrera Floor Lamp 7). Nordic Light Candlestick)

Pink Dishes

It's a well known fact that I love pink. And perhaps it's going a bit over the top, but we now have pink dishes! :) Most of them are actually white, but I couldn't pass up these sweet pink bowls or the pink dessert plates, either. I love the delicate, flower like appearance of the bowls. They're dainty and have a sweet vintage feel to them. I nearly passed them up, but I'm so glad I got them in the end. I was standing there at IKEA, all ready to pick out some boring, utilitarian white dishes when I said, "Hey, wait a minute! We're not going to live here and eat off of these dishes forever, why not have something fun?" And that was that. I do think pink dishes will be very fun. 

IKEA has a lot of romantic, whimsical stuff right now, with floral patterns and scalloped edges all over the place! I used to prefer everything to be modern with clean lines. Now I find I like a touch of frill. What's your decorating style? Would you ever have pink dishes? ;)

Anthropologie Knobs

My dearies, do you love your closet? I do. It might seem like a strange thing to love, but it's true. Our closet is from the PAX line at IKEA and it's gorgeous. Putting it together was a seriously daunting task, but now that it's finished and functioning, we love it so! The closet corner of my bedroom is delicious because all in the same place I have my pink Keep Calm and Carry On poster, my lovely curvy bedside table lamp and my beautiful closet that has a built-in dresser with a glass see-through top that houses all my jewelry and sweet-enough-to-eat Anthropologie knobs on the drawers. Yum!

Apparently the sleek doors really did think the Anthropologie knobs were good enough to eat because this morning I woke up and noticed that one of my darling knobs had broken off and was and looking oh so pretty lying on the floor. Sad! And thank goodness Coco isn't crawling just yet!

My first thought was, "Oh no!" And then I thought to myself, "Hmmm...maybe I can fix it." Nope. Then I thought, "Maybe I can replace it." Out of stock. And then (finally!) I realized that the silver lining to this dreadful mess is that I get to order new Anthropologie knobs for my built-in dresser! That's not such a bad thing, is it? 

I'll be smarter this time and get knobs with a more conservative projection so this doesn't happen again. Here are a few I'm thinking about. 

It is a shame that my lovely knob was decapitated by the closet door, especially because the color was so pretty - not quite blue, not quite green, but rather just right. 

What do you think of the knobs above? Would you stick with a blue hue or go with pink or silver? 

{bottom photos from Anthropologie}

Sweet Slumber

This morning I put Coco in her bassinet so I could assemble her darling mobile and what did she do? She nodded off all by herself. I know that while my little sweet pea is sleeping it's my golden opportunity to do things I can't do while she's awake, like eat or go to the bathroom or throw in a load of laundry or (gasp!) make the bed, but sometimes I can't pull myself away. I love watching her sleep. Her little nose is so cute and she looks so peaceful. It's overwhelming this mother's love.

Tiny Bathroom

I've been thinking very seriously about shower curtains since reading this post a couple weeks ago. The bathroom in our new apartment is super tiny. This means I need to think fast because I've got the grand opportunity to get a stylish shower curtain (without breaking the bank) while I'm home visiting over the next few weeks. 

Here are my current picks, which I find like, but which may or may not coordinate well with our Pink Dogwood and White Lacoste towels.

Simple and clean from west elm, but I do worry that the white would be too bright and draw attention to the contrasting flooring.

This Marimekko stand out from Crate&Barrel would definitely add some pop and excitement, but the colors might mean hiding the pink towels or buying more white ones?

If J and I were little children, I'd definitely choose this one from Dwell Studio, but we are grown adults so it is much too juvenile. Ultra cute for a modern kids' bath though, don't you think? Speaking of being children, J and I love to think about what fun we would have had together as little kids. We're pretty sure we would have gotten along really well even then.

I'm also fond of this embroidered curtain in the light blue from Pottery Barn. They used to (as in this morning) have an embroidered shower curtain with dots instead of the parallel lines. I preferred that one, but perhaps it sold out today. Either one is clean and crisp, which I love.

As you can see in the picture below, the bathroom truly is miniature. The toilet is to the right of the tub and immediately to the right of that is the wall. Mini, indeed! I want to make sure I choose a shower curtain that will draw attention away from the not-so-attractive tile floor but will still coordinate, lest I should accidentally draw more attention to the floor through accidental clashing. Yikes!

This photo was taken just as the previous tenants had finished clearing out.
It's looking a little grungy, yes, but it's bound to be sparkly clean for us when we move in tomorrow! 

So far I haven't found a shower curtain that I absolutely love and am ready to buy. And I'm thinking that the curve around the tub may mean we need two. This was the case in our last apartment in Portland, but in the end I opted for two overlapping clear liners and just one shower curtain. No matter what, it's very exciting to be moving into and creating a home we will live in for the next three years. Tomorrow I get the mailbox plate engraved! 

Faithful reader, what do you think? How can I add a little drama and intrigue to this boring bathroom? Am I crazy to wish to make it inviting and to look a little bigger? 

{shower curtain photos from here, here, here and here}

Fan Dreams

This sticky humid weather we've been having has me dreaming of fans. Forget air conditioning! Almost nowhere (and I really mean that) is air conditioned in Zurich. At the grocery store, there is a little bit of air conditioning, but when the temperature gauge hits 87 with 96% humidity, it's pretty much miserable and steamy everywhere you go: work, school, shops, train, tram. Not so fun. 

Even still, air conditioning is terribly overused. What the world needs now is fans. Lots of fans! Here are a few of my favorites.

Industrial and sleek from Restoration Hardware. I'd love to have this whirring overhead while I go to sleep at night. 

Don't discount the power of a paper fan. These little cuties are compact folded up in your handbag and incredibly effective at getting the air moving. You can choose solid colors, or one that's airbrushed with a Mt. Fuji-esque motif or this really cracked me up. 

As for the desk, I could just die over this gorgeous vintage Emerson fan from Vintage Fans. My goodness, talk about combining form and function. I'm definitely swooning over this one!

What's your weather been like these days? How do you beat the heat? 

{photos from here and here and here}

{Swoon} California Bungalow

I cannot stop dreaming of white and pink and mahogany decor in a light-drenched, airy home after reading this post. Doesn't designer Chris Barrett's California bungalow just make you swoon?!

Oooh la la. I'm as smitten as can be. 

{photos from here}

Home, Sweet Home!

Last weekend we went to measure our new apartment and afterward, while sitting lakeside, I found myself experiencing immeasurable delight. J said that of course I felt that way because we're moving into what is really going to feel like our first home. And I must confess, I think he is right! We have moved every year (at least once!) since we have known each other. That's eight years of U-Hauls, new apartments, getting settled, dismantling, and doing it again. This time we know we'll be staying put for three years. What a delightful feeling, indeed.

J in the kitchen, which is being updated this week!!

Living room with incredible hardwoods.

Living room from other side. Woodburning stove!

Bedroom with amazing parquet floor.

Second bedroom (and the current tenant finishing up packing!)

I'm really looking forward to the process of getting settled and creating a space we can call home. Next up, some pictures of the adorable neighborhood!

New Home

We could not be happier about our new apartment in Seefeld. It is definitively the most desirable neighborhood in Zürich and utterly impossible to get into - especially at an affordable price. One evening we were riding the bus to a party at a friend's house and I got to thinking about how I'd like to live in the city. As nice as Adliswil is, it's a suburb and I just don't do suburbs! I'm a city girl, through and through. I looked up at J and said, "You know what will happen? Someone we know will be moving and then we'll take over their apartment and it will just work out that way and we'll get an amazing place."

Less than three weeks later we got an urgent call at 10 pm from some friends. Their neighbor was moving and if we wanted to get this place we had to act fast. We viewed the apartment the following evening and got the application in the mail the following day. Things fell effortlessly into place from there.

I was a little shocked to discover the total non-existence of equal opportunity housing policies here in Switzerland and extremely shocked to see people's reactions. At work and among friends, we got everything from sincere congratulations - you'd think we'd just completed our doctorate - to jealousy and whispering of the not-so-subtle variety. Waiting to hear back about an apartment you really, really want is hard enough, but having to endure remarks like, "An affordable apartment in Seefeld? Do you even have a chance? What makes you think they would they choose you?" is horrible. You might be asking yourself right now, how does one respond to that? I'll tell you. With a confident smile and an enthusiastic "It's not advertised! Our friends recommended us. They've been in the building for six years. Isn't it great?!" Oh, it's fabulous, darling!

I can scarcely count the ways this move is going to be wonderful, but definitely near the top of the list is decor. I have missed the vintage charm of our beautiful apartments in Portland more than I can say and our new place has serious charm: Original parquet floors from 1865, a wood burning stove from the same era, tall old windows with deep window sills, wainscoting! Elements such as those deserve decor that is warm, a tad modern to off-set the historical feel and cozy. Here's what I've got in mind.

photos from ikea.com and pendelton-usa.com

With the exception of the striped wool throw, which J and I saw in Sunset Magazine and immediately became completely obsessed with, all of the furniture and decor come from IKEA. The coveted striped throw is from Oregon's own Pendelton Woolen Mills. And did I mention it's 100% pure Merino? {swoon!}

When brainstorming what's important to us in a living room, we both agreed that cozy is paramount, hence the high pile wool rug, the Pendelton throws and the comfy couch where you can really snuggle up. It's also extremely important to us that our television not be the focus of the room. In fact, we don't even want it to be visible, so the cupboard will keep it tucked away and out of sight when we are not watching a movie rental from iTunes. In order to add a little warmth to the top of the cabinet, I envision the blue pitcher vase on top and a stack of books. I just love an artfully selected stack of books. To keep things from being too drab or plain, the red lamp gives a punch of color! Finally, the sofa table with its gooey golden glow will keep the sofa away from the wall and create depth and dimension in the room without the couch feeling like it's just out in the middle of the room on its own. I think it's going to be delightful!

What are your top priorities when decorating? What does your ideal living room look and feel like? What sort of "living" does your living room cater to?

Progress

These days our kitchen is starting to feel more like the heart of our home.  We got a fabulous butcher block from IKEA and it looks great with all of our pots and pans and cookbooks on display.  There's no getting around the fact that the kitchen itself is very "Euro."  As in lots of tile and modern clean lines.  (Maybe too modern and clean?)  It's coming along, but hopefully I'll find even more ways to warm up all of that grey.  For now, it feels like progress in the right direction.  

Design Dilemma

Since arriving in Switzerland, decorating our apartment has not been priority number one.  First of all, we wanted to make sure we actually liked this place enough to stay before we invested in décor.  Secondly, consider that we live in the heart of Europe.  Spending money on traveling is way more fun, and really, more important when you have two weeks of vacation in October!  Finally, having a washer and dryer was more appealing than getting the décor in order when the weather was nice and we were spending the majority of our non-working hours outside.

With those ideals in mind, we bought a white slipcover for our (then red) couch, got a cheap, but cute rug and coffee table from IKEA and decided it was good enough.  

And it was for a while.

But now the push to do something about the interior has become relentless. The weather is changing rapidly and we're spending more and more time inside. It's getting darker and darker and we don't have any ceiling lighting - anywhere, in the entire apartment! The space is not functional. We don't have a place for wine glasses. I don't have a place to put my keys and purse when I come in the door. We have virtually zero counter space. Most of all, it just doesn't feel cozy! J is completely unfazed by our total lack of design and function, but I am quickly losing my mind.   

Decorating a space is usually my favorite part about moving to a new apartment.  But this time it's tricky.  We don't have a car and I really miss west elm.  I need some help!  

What can you share about your success in designing a functional small space?  And if you live in Switzerland, what are your favorite furniture and home décor stores?  

Our New Apartment

These pictures were taken in April, but with all the hoopla of waiting two months for our work permits to be approved, finishing up school, giving notice to stop managing our current building and so on, this is the first chance I've had to post them.  So exciting!  

Front entrance to the building.  Not a total beauty, but not hideously ugly either.

Back of the building.  

Our street.

Foyer.

Bedroom.

Bathroom I.

Bathroom II.  Eco-flushing toilet and radiator to warm towels.  Alright!

Kitchen from living room.

Living room.

Kitchen up-close.  Very modern and clean!

Ceramic top stove might take some getting used to, but the dishwasher won't!

Living room balcony view to the left.

Living room balcony view to the right.

View from kitchen balcony.

And the other direction.

The departing tenant has left the couch for us and from some expats getting ready to leave Switzerland we got a bedroom set.  Other than that, it's going to be lots of furniture and setting up house.  It's going to be so much fun!