Five places in London

This is one of my favorite posts because I can share with you how amazing London town is. Since I came back from Greece the weather has been really great (until last week) and we had the opportunity to enjoy all these tasty meals and excursions to many wonderful places. Some of them in London and a couple of them just a bit outside the city. 
So, sit back and start making notes because I have some pretty amazing places to suggest to you. 

All of the pictures are taken by me with a NIKON D3100.

Baity Kitchen is a 'hip' destination in South Kensington. Located on Walton street, you'll love every single meal (most of them organic) and the interior. If the sun decides to come out they have a small but beautiful and cozy back garden.

Tom's deli is the ultimate location on a Sunday morning. If you're lucky enough you'll find a table right away, otherwise you'll need to be patient. Amazing cakes, sweets and treats in a funky mix and match interior.

The Breakfast club is my favorite place in Central London. I don't have enough words to describe how awesome the interior of this place is and how great their food tastes. Be prepared to wait a while for a table but it's totally worth it.

"Stein's" is a new Bavarian Biergarden in Kingston, it's just 30minutes away from Waterloo. John John took me there two weeks ago because he's a huge fan of Bavarian food and although I wasn't expecting anything fancy, I got really impressed with the location and the decor. A rustic atmosphere, handmade wooden furniture and live Bavarian music. Their service was a bit slow (more than 30 minutes for an Apfelstrudel) but everything else was great. We had a beer on their patio in front of Thames and when it got colder we headed inside. We're planning on going back there really soon!

Woburn Safari park offered me one of the most beautiful experiences of my life so far. It's located in Woburn, a small village 40 minutes away from London, where you can find beautiful antiques. When you enter the Safari park you have no idea what's going to happen. I am a huge animal lover and I can't stand zoos and aquariums, but in this place you're basically driving around wild animals in their (almost) natural habitat. You're a visitor and the animals are deciding if they want to come near you. It was a unique experience, when at some point we were stuck in the middle of the road because this beautiful bear decided to stay there and relax for a while! 

Have you been to any of these places? Do you have any suggestions? I'd love to hear them!

Take a look at more of my favorite London locations here & here

Have a lovely day,

Maria

Styling Recipe: Choosing the right wallpaper for a nursery

When it comes to little children and babies we need to be careful. Colors, shapes and textures affect them in ways we can't even imagine. So when you're decorating the room that is meant to be for your little prince/princess choose wisely. Wallpapers are always a great way to add style and color to a room, so it's the best choice for a nursery. You can try something fun, colorful and unisex (in case you have a boy and a girl), like the images on idea number 1. If you're a fan of  girly and bright floral patterns, make sure you cover only one wall of the room, it's the best amount of wallpaper.

If you're a fan of  girly and bright floral patterns, make sure you cover only one wall of the room, it's the best amount of wallpaper. After all, you want to welcome your baby in comfort and style!

If you don't feel like redecorating every two or three years Idea number 3. is the right choice for you, clear modern geometrical shapes that you can definitely keep for many many years, until your little baby isn't a baby anymore. It will make the room look fresh and it will add dimension and texture to it! 

What about you? Which one would you choose for your nursery?

Have a lovely day!

Maria

Images via my Pinterest board 'Nursery areas' // Edited by me.

DIY Monday: Paper ribbon flags

Every new week is a new beginning, it's a chance to set new goals and celebrate the present. During the weekend I was going through my pins on Pinterest and found this image and it inspired me immediately. I always had a thing about paper ribbon flags and anything that has to do with parties and decorations. This is super easy you can make it in just two minutes. You'll need wooden skewers and three-cm-wide paper strings.
I used my favorite kind of paper: brown recycled paper and they were about 20cm length. When the little flags were ready, I trimmed the ends so they looked like proper flags.

You can use them on the top of a small cheese muffin like I did on the first picture (Recipe here) or on the top of a birthday cake or your favorite treats (pancakes, cupcakes etc) and write wishes and inspiring words on them! I hope you'll take two minutes and find out yourself how easy it is to make these flags!

Happy DIY Monday everybody! 

Maria

Images taken by me.

Styling Recipe: A dash of dusty pink

Grey and dusty pink is definitely my favorite color combination. If you want to add a small feminine touch to one of your rooms in your apartment this is definitely one of the color combinations you need to try. Trust me, you will love the contrast between a dusty pink bedspread in a totally grey scheme bedroom. They complement each other perfectly and create a relaxing, calm atmosphere.

Are you a fan of dusty pink or do you prefer the original baby pink?

I hope you're all having a wonderful week,

I've neglected my blog for a while, hopefully everything is back to normal from now on :)

Maria

Pictures via 1,2 // Edited by me.

Fashion meets decor: Burgundy

As I said here, September is definitely my favorite month. Autumn was my favorite season since like ever, I believe it's the best time of the year, I always love new beginnings, new goals, a new wardrobe, and a renovated home decor. I've been through a really strong flue for the past two weeks and now that I feel strong and healthy again I've decided that it's time to redecorate. Burgundy color is my number one choice for my apartment (it's also one of the top colors for this Winter) so I grab the opportunity to share another 'Fashion meets Decor' post with you.

Burgundy color has a really strong personality, you need to be careful how you'll use it. Add small dashes of it, a sweater, a couple of pillows, a group of burgundy frames but if you feel comfortable enough you can also wear the trend from head to toe. When it comes to interiors you can dye your entrance door or your windows burgundy, just make sure you don't overdo it, otherwise your whole house will look like Santa Claus' secret workshop!

What about you? Would you prefer 'burgundy' in your wardrobe or in your apartment?

Maria.

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

Mixing color palettes

I love the excitement of a new color palette in a space. Recreating a new room, adding new tones and combining powerful colors. I remember this one time, I had to choose a new color palette for a client's bar. We chose the colors together and tested them on a small area on the wall and the painters came during the night and painted the whole place. I couldn't sleep that night, I was anxious and excited about the result. This is definitely my favorite part of being an Interior Architect, the feeling you get the first time you enter the room when it's finished. Today I want to share with you a powerful color palette of a living room. If you feel that your living room is kind of dull, add a dash of yellow (yellow is strongly connected with inspiration, joy and communication!) with a lamp or a couple of pillows. A vibrant artwork on the wall will do the same. 

This post will help you copy this room and its color palette! 

What do you think? Do you like mixing vibrant tones with earth tones?

Maria 

Image via // Edited by me.

Trendspotting: Moroccan tiles in the kitchen

To be honest, I was never a huge fan of mixed patterns. I was always supporting the 'Less is more' movement. But as I grow up I find my self loving mixed patterns, colors and textures. My latest obsession is Moroccan tiles. They come in different shapes and colors and they add a unique, ethnic character to each space. Especially in kitchen area. What do you think?

Would you like 'ethnic' tones in your kitchen?

Blogging break is over, I'm back to beautiful London town & my favorite daily blogging routine.

I hope you're having a lovely Summer!

Maria

Image sources 1,2,3 // Edited by me.

Favorite Summer holidays

Alikes beach, Ammouliani island, Greece // Picture taken by me

 I've just opened my macbook which has been sleeping for a week now due to a dead charger. I'm so happy to be back to the world of internet with a brand new charger and from a different location this time. I've just arrived to Aegina island, the weather is HOT(42 degrees!) and we are going to spend all of our days on the beach. Today I'm guest blogging over at Helena's blog 'A Diary of Lovely' about my favorite holidays and I'm sharing with you a secret Summer recipe! Take a look at it here. 

It's time for some refreshing cocktails!
See you all tomorrow!

Maria