A little Calm from IKEA

Hello how are you doing?  I've been feeling a little washed out of late, what with the winter grey skies and general feeling of being under the weather, plus everything at home is a bit topsy turvy, some times things just seem to happen all at once don't they, towards the end of last year my washing  machine packed up, quickly followed by my cooker dying on me, and now there is work going on in the down stairs flat which affects our home up stairs,(our bathroom has been slowly leaking into the kitchen below us) so everything seems to be in a constant mess at the moment, and yesterday work men showed up to put in new telephone connections so I'm feeling less then relaxed this week.

So it was kind of nice to find these lovely relaxing photos in my in box this morning, from the Ikea Livet Hemma blog. Just staring at the photo above has already reduced  my stress levels, with its  calming colour palette and use of natural textures and materials -so relaxing.
Our environment has a huge effect on our well-being, (which I'm currently discovering firsthand) but  the use of   light colours give this look a feeling of calm and quite, and I always find that wood and wicker baskets with their  unique grains and distinct natural element are always comforting and relaxing.

One of the trends for 2012 is Pure and Simple and taking inspiration from Japan, Ikea Livet Hemma take a look at raw materials such as untreated wood and and natural fibers to help create this calming and natural look for the home. Although I can't quite picture me sitting on these lovely banana rush foot stools drinking Japanese tea anytime soon, (I'll never get off the floor) I can appreciate  the uncluttered calm feel of this space, with the mix of  the natural textures and the clean lines of the units and tables., and I also love  plain white table ware to serve good food on, so simple.

 

All photos Nina Broberg/IKEA Livet Hemma