COOL URBAN KAFFEBAR IN KREUZBERG BERLIN // TRAVEL

My wanderlust and caffiene cravings are taking me back to Kreuzberg Berlin and some of my favourite coffee shop corners that I never got around to sharing over here. Ah those sunny days exploring new cities has always been one of favourte pastimes, so to compliment my #stylemycoffee hashtag and my love of social spaces I wanted to introduce you to this cool city spot.

IS THE TERRAZZO TREND DEAD?

The interior world is a funny place where style and design come together in a big mixing pot of consumerism and culture, all vying for attention. After reading my pal Sarah's post it got me thinking about current trends and how we are influenced everyday in a bid to create our dream home. I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon when it comes to trends, yes I can say I do like a botanical print but Pantone greenery? Yep that's not really my bag *soz Pantone no offence. For me an eclectic mix is one full of fun, design classics that have stood the test of time and the occasional must have item that you spot in your fave magazine.

Image

Image

As much as trends change and your tastes develop, home is a sanctuary that should reflect the best of you. So here's the big question here on my mind,  is the Terrazzo trend dead? Erm NO. Now some might argue that it hasn't been back on trend since it fell out of popularity in the 70's with it conjuring images of 50's style dinners and granny flats, but this beautiful durable solid flooring is a design classic and if it's good enough for 15th Century Venetians then it's good enough for me.

Image

Image

I love seeing this material pop up on Pinterest in the most beautiful hues and patterns as architects embrace the versatility of this timeless classic. For those not familiar with Terrazzo is traditionally made with small marble chips that have been poured into cement base, ground flat and coated with a sealer, but with the joys of modern technology you can now find slabs made with mother of pearl, metallic, marble, glass and all sorts of interesting materials making it totally swoon worthy!

Image

I'm not really that fussed whether something is on trend, it's more about how I relate to the object. Is it interesting? Inspiring? Beautiful? Tactile? Durable? If I've invested time and money into it the chances are the answer is yes.

So here is a shout out to one of my fave materials, the humble Terrazzo. For me you'll always be on trend.
Save

MY QUICK SUPER SPRING SALAD & HOMESENSE HAUL // RECIPES

Some of the things I love about Spring is the early morning light, the spring blossoms, super quick spring salads and the occasional picnic weather permitting. Apart from the general spring clean and declutter that ritually takes place I have been focusing the past few months on self care, investing in mind, body and spirit so to speak. 

The easiest place for people to make change is in the food we eat, now I'm not suggesting in anyway that I'm all saintly and have cut out all the bad stuff from my diet, I mean I like a cadbury's cream egg as much as the next person, but I am trying to make informed decisions when it comes to food and trying enjoy as much good stuff as possible.

BOOK A STUNNING ADVENTURE THIS SUMMER

Finally, spring is here! This marks the countdown towards the long-awaited summer holiday season and I, for one, cannot wait to book my next adventure! I’ve been on the hunt for somewhere adventurous, picturesque and most importantly, family-friendly.

If, like me, you haven’t yet decided on this year’s holiday destination, I’ll share with you three of the places that are topping my travel bucket list for this summer:

BODEN SPRING BLOOMS TOUR IN BRISTOL

If you're a Boden fan girl then you may have noticed a big green bus making its way around various cities last week over on their social media! Yes the Boden Spring Blooms tour with Bloom & Wild hit the streets of Bristol last Friday and I couldn't miss a chance to say hey to the lovely Boden peeps and Bristol bloggers, while checking out a few select pieces from their Spring collection.

Did I mention the amazing green double decker bus?! Yes parked in the heart of the city centre Boden has teamed up with beautiful concept florist, Bloom & Wild, to create a flower workshop on the lower deck while transforming the top deck into a mini Boden showroom, complete with changing room.

THE PERFECT MOTHERS DAY GIFT FOR AN ADVENTURER

Are you ready for Mother's Day? Yes it's time to be pampered/get a last minute panic purchase *delete as appropriate* and with another celebration just around the corner I've decided to get organised for once and opt out of the classic chocs and flowers gift. Instead i'm going to treat my gorgeous mama to something a little bit special with a homemade hamper full of wonderful goodies that suit her down to a tee. 

When I was a kid I used to love creating special hampers, taking time to pick out things I thought my family would love with my weekly saved £2.50 pocket money. Ok to be honest they might not have appreciated the hubba bubba gum and stickers but the thought was there and this time round I wanted to create something that celebrated the adventurer in my mama, as she taught me to always want to see the world and explore.

COOL CERAMICS // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

After my little coffee loving confession last week I thought it would nicely link into one of my fave topics...ceramics. There is nothing quite like holding a beautifully crafted ceramic mug or eating off a   well designed plate *swoon* and it's quite often that our cupboards are over flowing with these objects and I have to make excuses as to why I'm hoarding them. I mean who doesn't need over 20 cups/mugs for two people?

So help yourself to a little eye candy with these cool ceramics for some interior inspiration.

My favourite, Tactile Matter

MY COFFEE RITUAL WITH THE DOLCE GUSTO MOVENZA

I think it's an understatement to say I like coffee, in reality it's become a necessity of my waking routine, and without one I am no fun to be around at all. With our rushed school run and frantic mornings full of me chasing a six year old boy around the house, any attempts to use the machine I bought Paul a few years back is a distant memory. Leisurely frothing milk to the perfect temperature has been duly left to slow weekends – oh the days of no school – and instead grabbing a takeaway for the walk home is the first caffeine hit I can get.

MY TOP FIVE SPRING TRAVEL BUCKET LIST

Whoops after an unintentional break for half term, I'm back. Yep I'm back to the normal routine of being woken by a small excited face at silly o'clock and have to somehow organise ourselves to get out the door on time for the school run *this never happens* before trying to cram in as much of my to do list in before heading back out to pick up my boy and repeat, so it's no surprise I'm already lusting for a mini break to a destination off my top five travel bucket list.

I'm not really one for routine and although I can admit it certainly has its benefits, it really seems to be my Achilles heel, I even have 'be more organised' on my list of things to do *Ha* well I can dream ay!

As we've had a hint of spring, I am suddenly craving ALL the sunshine and vitamin D so I thought I'd share with you the places that I'm longing to visit/revisit for a mini break.

PARIS

Springtime in Paris *sigh* after all the song says it all. What's not to love about the city of lights, wandering along the Seine ready for an impromptu picnic, catching some culture at the Palais de Tokyo or checking out the hidden side streets of Marais for a crepe or two washed down by a coffee. You could always head to the Molitor for some champagne luxury and a swim, or if you fancy something more low key you can channel your inner Amelie and skim stones along the Canal St Martin *swoon* You can check out some of my favourite Parisian spots right here.

NYC

Oh the Big Apple! So many of my friends have been across the pond to the crazy delights this city has to offer, with its iconic yellow taxis, Brooklyn Bridge and oh so many things, this is definitely on my list of places to visit. I would love to stroll through Central Park, pick up a rainbow bagel or two, grab a slice of pizza in Greenwich Village. Just imagine sipping cocktails on a roof top pool with the city bustling below or heading out to the Lido on Staten Island, it would feel like you've stepped into a Sex in the City episode! 

PALM SPRINGS

Home of the iconic Modernist Architecture and THAT famous pink door, this corner of the desert has been on my wish list FOREVER! With the likes of the Ace Hotel or the colourful Saguaro Hotel to rest your head you know you'd be in for a good stay. I often wonder whether I would be suited to desert living, although I would have to decide between split and ducted air conditioning as I do not handle the heat well! I'm probably more suited to a relaxing vacay with a drive out into the Joshua Tree National Park or Salvation Mountain.

BERLIN

This city totally stole my heart with its cool coffee culture, laid back attitude and creative vibes. I spent a few days here in the spring and spent the entire time exploring the city on foot, tasting the culinary delights it had to offer, especially the best steamed dumplings I've ever had. I would head back in a heartbeat and could even imagine owning a flat here one day *a girl can dream ay* You can check out a few more pics from my Berlin trip here!

AMSTERDAM

Now here's a city who knows its way to a girls heart. Sunshine, endless canals, cute bicycles and cool architecture, Amsterdam in Spring is the perfect weekend getaway. We loved wandering off the beaten track, finding great places to eat and enjoyed the stylish design hotels the city had to offer. I would recommend a stay at the Loft in the Hotel V Fredericksplein.

Have you got a favourite place for Spring? What's on your bucket list?

* Image source 1 2 3/ 4

CREATE A STYLISH PLANT GANG WITH POPS OF COLOUR

It seems the grey skies and winter chill has missed my memo for sunshine and spring vibes and I've been left to try and bring some sunshine into the flat with pops of colour. Call it a pink pick me up, but I'm really needing colour to get me over the weather right now, so when the I was sent two gorgeous Stellenbosch Phalaenopsis Orchids by Dutch grower Anthura, I grabbed the chance to introduce these unique pops of colour into the lounge and create a stylish plant gang.

GET READY FOR DATE NIGHT WITH THIS HIS 'N' HERS VALENTINE STYLE

With love just around the corner, or at least the social out pouring and feverish declarations of hearts and flowers only weeks away, I though it would be fun to put together a little style guide for the perfect valentine date. Nowadays most romance is contained to the swipe of screen or the furious volley of emjoi's, but not me. I prefer a much more old skool approach of getting asked out on a date rather than sending a risque selfie, so being married I still make time for a night out or a sneaky day time adventure.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SPARE ROOM WITH THIS DIY WALL HANGING

I love entertaining at home, having friends and family come over to stay and enjoying the space I’ve created. Currently we rent a two bedroom flat and I always dream of having a spare bedroom for guests to stay over in comfort, but until then we tend to room swap, letting guests stay in our bedroom or using an air mattress in the lounge (not so ideal). However I wanted create a cosy corner that is beautiful, functional and welcomes our guests.

POP UP DINNER WITH DELA & MADE.COM

Before I went into hiding with the Flu, I was very excited to have been invited along to dinner by one of my favourite interior stores, Made.com, at their new Bristol pop up showroom. Ah yes an evening of social mingling with other bloggers, fantastic food by Dela and a general ah-ing and co-ing over their current range *swoon*

WER-HAUS BARCELONA, THE PERFECT CONCEPT STORE // TRAVEL

Oh take me back to warm sunny days. Now it's not that I don't like winter but I really struggle without actual sunshine and with this blanket of grey Bristol has been living under the last few weeks, I've been daydreaming about the afternoon we spent in Wer-Haus Barcelona, the perfect concept store and coffee pit-stop. I love discovering hidden gems like these when exploring new cities and always look out for stylish design and interiors, plus they do the best hot chocolate too!