Things that made me smile this week

1. Wild flowers on my coffee table & a vanilla cupcake candle

2. Walking around London eye with a friend that visited London from Greece

3. The first time I made "skinny blueberry muffins". Recipe on the blog really soon

4. A quote I found and loved.

5. Midseason sales: A neon pink dress that I brought home with me (image 6)

This has been a really relaxing week for me, I took some time off and did a little "London detox". I've spent the whole week with John John at Cranfield University, playing tennis and enjoying the (kind of) warm weather of the English countryside. My detox is now over and I'm heading back to London with my batteries recharged!


How was your week? 
I hope you have a lovely weekend!


ps: Some of these pictures are already on my instagram timeline, if you're already on instagram follow me! Username: marimarmat


Maria

1. A pretty entryway of a house somewhere around Shepherd's bush

2. New business cards from moo.com

3. Making bruschettas for lunch

4. Walking around the Cranfield university campus

5. Enjoying an orange juice in the sun

6. Ice-cream van & vanilla ice-cream with bubblegum syrup!

Styling recipe: How to decorate your entryway

The entryway to our house provides to visitors the first impression about our home. Most apartments have small entryways and we think we don't have enough design options but this is not true. 

No matter how big our entryway is, we have to create a welcoming and warm mood in this area, which can be achieved by choosing smooth and warm colors and materials like wood. Add a vase that will always have fresh flowers in it, a modern lamp, some books and a couple of your favorite things. (It can be a small plate, an animal miniature, two candleholders or even the letters of your initials!) 

If you want to add a dash of luxury to your entryway hang a vintage chandelier above your table, place an olive tree next to it and a mirror on the wall and you're done!
If you're on a limited budget you can create a fresh and chic entryway with just a simple rug, a monochromatic chair and a wall hanger (the owners of the apartment in the last picture used a paddle as a hanger! Great DIY project, don't you think?)


Happy Wednesday!


How does your entryway look like? 
Do you have any extra tips to share with us?


Maria.


Images via 1,2,3,4,5,6 // Edited by me.

House tour: Casa Olivi in Italy

Casa Olivi is a heritage protected building located in Italy. Its owners renovated it and transformed it to a vacation house that is available for  holiday let. A minimalistic interior with expensive elements like Phillipe Starck bathrooms and Panton chairs. I'm totally in love with the exterior communal terrace, I can easily imagine myself having drinks with friends around the long stone table.

What do you think of this 300 year-old farmhouse?

 Is it too minimalistic for your taste?

Happy Saturday!

Maria

Images via // Edited by me.

House tour: A Summer house in Patmos, Greece

Do you remember this post about a stunning Greek villa in Mykonos? This was the first post where I've expressed my love about this specific shade of white or as I like to call it "Greek white". It's raining everyday here in London but my calendar and my facebook friends keep reminding me that's it's Summer in a galaxy far far away (Greece that is!). Since I can't be there, I've decided to do the next best thing: write about Greece and all the amazing Summer houses we have over there. 


This stunning Summer house is located in Patmos island and it belongs to a Dutch couple, Marianne Manders and her husband Marc Jansen. They visited the island for the first time 30 years ago and around 2000 they've decided that it was time to build their own little paradise there. They collaborated with a Greek Architect, Dimitris Konstantinidis and they created a place dreamy and bright. I'm pretty sure paradise must look like this.


What do you think of this house?
Have you ever been to Greece?


Maria


Images via // Edited by me. 

Fashion meets decor { Add a dash of red}

I love the 'Fashion meets Decor' section because it combines my two greatest passions. Interior design and fashion. I love looking for outfits that remind me of a specific interior or discovering a specific interior that looks exactly like an outfit I've pinned a couple of days ago. Today I wanted to talk to you about the power of red. I was never a huge fan of red but as the years went by I realized that red is a unique color with a really strong dynamic. It should be used correctly otherwise it doesn't make any sense. In our wardrobe and in our apartment. The perfect amount of red is as I like to call it "a dash of red", a strong element that will make you whole outfit/apartment glow. It could be a chair, a skirt, a pair of shorts or even a lamp!

A few notes about red color// 

• Use red to suggest speed combined with confidence
• Use red when you don't want to sink into the background
• Use red to grab attention and to get people to take action
• Small doses can often be more effective than large amounts of this strong color

Do you like red? Do you prefer to have it in your apartment or in your wardrobe?
Have a lovely day!


Maria


Images via 1/2/3/4 // Edited by me.

House tour : A modern multi level penthouse in Sweden

You already know how obsessed I am with Swedish aesthetics. I can't find an apartment in Sweden that I don't love. Especially this one. Leaning roof, wood floorings and countertops, combined with modern furniture. Interior Heaven. It is located in the Roeda Bergen of Vasastan in Stockholm, Sweden and it's around 1,100 feet.
What do you think? What does you dream house look like? 


Happy Wednesday!


Maria


Images via // Edited by me

Styling recipe: How to organize a Garden party

It's that time of the year that the weather is so warm and nice that all we wanna do is stay outside until the sunset. If you live in London like me you know that this is not true at all. I can't wait to go back to Greece and organize a huge garden party to celebrate my graduation, my birthday and all the things that I didn't have time to celebrate this year. I did a little research and collected some of my favorite garden party decorations. On the first board you can read some tips on how to create a festive, warm atmosphere for your party and on the second board you can read some tips on how to serve food and drinks! 


Are you a big fan of garden parties?
Do you have any special tips that I forgot to write about? 


Happy Tuesday!
Maria


Images via my Pinterest board 'Parties & Weddings' // Edited by me

Things that made me smile this week

1. Breakfast at home
2. Hot pink tulips for my coffee table
3. Leftovers of a Diamond Jubilee celebration around Thames riverside
4. A huge quote outside the Truman Brewery Gallery in London
5. Waiting for a friend outside his flat in Notting Hill
6. Exploring new places near Liverpool street


This week has been filled with love, stress and walks around London. Now that I'm officially done with uni work I have endless time on my hands to do all the things I love. This is what my life looked like during the last week based on some of my Instagram and iphone photos! I hope you enjoyed the weekend, I hope we all have a wonderful week. As for the situation back in Greece, I think staying positive is our only choice from now on.
“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours”


How was your weekend? Did you do anything special?


Maria


ps: Are you on instagram? Follow me @marimarmat

1. Regent street is getting ready for the Olympic Games 2012 
2. Homemade strawberry tart 
3. John John preparing an authentic Greek meal
4. A picture that my mother sent me yesterday: My big fat Greek cat laying in the sun
5. Supermarket shopping on a Saturday ( John John trying to capture a car instead of me!)
6. Sunday walk on Portobello road is the best way to end this stressful week

Low fat banana nut bread

Cooking is one of the few things that can relax me when I'm stressed. I spend most of my weekends experimenting with new recipes and John John is tasting everything. More than a month ago my talented friend and neighbor Drew Labridis decided to make a low fat banana nut bread. I've asked if I could join him and take photos while he was cooking and share it with you on my blog and he accepted. I can't even describe how tasteful the banana nut bread was, I hope you'll try the recipe and taste it yourself! It took me ages to edit this post but it's finally here. I've created a 'recipe card' so you can save it or pin it. Thank you Drew for this amazing recipe! 


I hope you all have a lovely weekend!
Maria 

Pictures taken with a NICON D3100

Make your own teepee

I'm back! I've told you in my previous post that I've finished my degree but I've underestimated how long our degree show exhibition in the 'Truman Brewery' in Bricklane would take. It was really long and interesting week and I'm happy and sad to leave everything behind me. 
Today I want to share with you one of my favorite parts of my childhood: playing and reading books in my teepee. I've found an image of a teepee on Pinterest a while ago and I've been preparing this post in my mind for a while now. It doesn't matter how old or young you are, this weekend take some time off and make your own teepee! Create a new adventure in your own apartment. Cintia's post of My Poppet blog will show you how to make a tepee from scratch here. If you don't have the time to build a teepee you can always buy one like this one here. It's a bit expensive but they offer the whole package.
Have a lovely weekend and remember we're never too old to own a teepee!


Did you play in a teepee when you were young? 
Would you make one for your children?


Maria

Photo Sources 1/2/3/4/
Edited by me.

Trendspotting: Floor-to-ceiling library

One of my favorite habits during Summer when I was a child was reading books. When I really love a book I can't stop reading it. This living room area is palatial loft residence located on the top floor of a beautiful historical building built in 1885 is located in one of the most desired addresses in Stockholm. The floor-to0ceiling library makes my heart skip a beat. Please, notice the ladder that is standing in front of the bookshelves. Do you remember this post about decorating with ladders?


What do you think? 
Do you have any favorite habits during Summertime? 


Happy June, everyone!


Maria


Image edited by me | Source