JEWEL TONES: From walls, to furniture, to accessories, these jewel tones that are associated with brilliant gemstones will add a luxurious feel to your home decor. Photo from left to right via: meccinteriors.inc, aloraphernelia.tumblr.com, anthropologie.com, pinterest.com 

Jewel tones! I love them! And if you don’t really understand what I mean, then think about colours like plum purples, ruby reds, sapphire blues and maybe more than anything, deep greens.

All the jewel tones have been trending within the interior design world for some time now – from forest green to my personal favourite, emerald green. Today my blog post is dedicated to this rich green.

EMERALD GREEN: The most abundant hue in nature. This color stands for beauty and elegance, and is gorgeous when paired with gold! Photo from left to right via: Etsy, theberry.com, Alexia Lundgreen, intimateweddings.com

Some time ago; I visited the old, traditional department store in Oslo – Steen & Strøm. They have a big wall covered with painted palm tree leaves. And in front of them hang these gold and brass light fixtures. Lovely combination!! I – once again – was reminded that green really is my favourite colour.

FOCAL POINT: The lush green, and eye catching wall at Steen og Strøm, paired with brass pendants and mirrors . Photo: Alexia Lundgreen

I then discovered this lush, exuberant emerald colour mixed with gold even more after creating my beautiful green and gold pillows from the Balinese textile I brought home from Indonesia many years ago. You can read about that in one of my previous blog posts here.

Emerald green is a true celebration of nature. It’s a perfect way of bringing the outdoors in. It can improve your mood. It soothes your eyes. And maybe more than anything, it is associated with wealth, prosperity and luxury. In my opinion, it’s a shade, which is here to stay. Since when was nature’s luscious green ever really out of style?

Emerald green obviously works well with other rich jewel tones, especially together with deep blues. However, I love when it’s paired with gold accents. Mind you, it does not have to be a lot of it, just a few golden accessories to create a sophisticated statement in your home. It’s like adding jewellery to your décor.

And if you are not a fan of gold, you can of course mix deep greens with whites and yellow accents for a glamorous effect. Below I have put together a few images of how to rock the emerald green.

xoxo, Alexia

JUST A LITTLE BIT: Emerald green shades are perfect to be used in small doses and accents, like painting only one wall of the room, a sofa or chair, pillows, curtains, rugs and decorative accessories. Photo from left to right via: anthropologie.com, bolia.com, Etsy.com, jotex.com, jotex.com, instyledecorhollywood, bolia.com, Alexia Lundgreen

ELEGANCE: Beautiful deep green kitchen cabinets with brass and marble accents.  Photo via: sfgirlbyday-victoria-smith

ACCENTS: Adding emerald green to your home can be done with just a few touches like pillows and paintings. Photo via :Hudsons Bay

DRAMA: Beautiful emerald green bedding against a dark wall and gold accents adds luxury and elegance. Photo via: Architectural digest

LIGHT AND AIRY: Adding a minimum of green to a light and bright room creates beautiful focal points. Photo via: andtradition.com

MOODY: In this bedroom the tone on tone greens creates a sense of calm and serenity.  Photo via: houseofvalentina.com

I have earlier talked about my love of France and the charming flea-markets called Brocantes. That is where I found beautiful French vintage linen which I brought home with me to Norway and turned into throw pillows. They look great, don’t they Have a look in my shop if you want. I can hardly take my eyes off them. It feels wonderful to run my fingers over the soft, vintage textile.

A couple of days ago I went through some old flyers and advertisement catalogues that I haven’t got around to throwing away.

But interestingly enough, I found French linen imitation throw pillows and other accessories in one of the catalogues. What a coincidence! So if you like that kind of pillow, and you want to add it to your home décor, instead of imitation, why not getting the real vintage ones for yourself. Handmade and from an original French flea-market!

These French linen throw pillows are a perfect addition to fill your home with beautiful farmhouse decor. While I would not say they are strictly for a fall or winter style, they do work well with this year’s farmhouse fall decor trend, which consists of neutral colours, natural materials, textured fabrics and vintage finds. So voilà, all four combined in one pillow!

Once in a while, or I should say pretty often actually, I browse through Pinterest and other blogs to find inspiration. So to inspire you too, and show you how to combine vintage pillows with a more rustic style, I collected a few images from bloggers that rock the farmhouse fall decor.

xoxo, Alexia

After eight wonderful years living in sunny California, I moved back to Europe and settled in a small, tranquil town in the middle of France called Vichy. It is a beautiful, little spa town – many call it mini-Paris – along the banks of the Allier River. The town is known for its beauty products and hot springs.

I fell in love with Vichy’s eclectic style of architecture. It ranges from Art Nouveau and Art Deco to Neo-Gothic and Neo-Baroque. Strolling through the streets never became boring, I always discovered something new to admire in the beautiful facades, wrought iron balconies and vintage and antique boutiques.

During those years – from 2010 to 2015 – one of my favourite activities was visiting the lively authentic outdoor markets called marché aux puces or vide grenier, which is French for flea market or emptying the attic. Some of you might also have heard of the vintage and antique fairs called brocante. You find them throughout France during the summer season and they are extremely popular. You might even say they are a national passion in France – and you would be wise to know they are taken pretty seriously by the natives who spend their weekends visiting them searching for old treasures.

Visiting the brocantes always filled me with excitement and anticipation. I spent many hot summer days in picturesque towns bursting with history and old time charm. Warm, dusty streets were packed with vendors displaying their goods on small tables or simply spread out onto blankets on the ground. It is all very lively. While some vendors are in a heated discussion with a bargain hunter over what the price should be, others are snoozing in the sun having lunch with a glass of wine. Mind you, lunch, especially in rural France is no laughing matter and is – by all means – not to be missed.

An object, which always caught my eye but I never bought, were old, traditional French vintage linen tea towels. And they are not just any kind of tea towels. As you can see from the photo, I mean the ones with typical woven red stripe design and an embroidered monogram. They are wonderfully soft to hold in your hand; the more you wash them, the softer they become. These linen towels are a true find of high quality. They are sought after by collectors and naturally come with a «decent» price tag.

Ever since I started my own business and created a personal textile and pillow collection, I have wished I had bought such towels while living in France. I want to turn them into beautiful vintage throw pillows, bringing the French charm into people’s home. For me this idea represents staying true to my love for a mix of old and found design pieces combined with modern elements. I believe this balance makes a home more real, personal and well lived.

After some searching and good help of friends and family, I am now the lucky owner of quite a few old, traditional French vintage linen tea towels. They found them at a local flea market in a neighbouring village to where my mum lives. You can image the smile on my face when I finally held them in my hands. I am sure you guys can see the vintage magic, right?!

And now some of these vintage, monogrammed, French tea towels are turned into gorgeous throw pillows, which you can find in my shop.

xoxo, Alexia

I love to share with you the themes, trends and things that inspire me. So, today I thought I would give you a guide to how you best can coordinate fabrics, patterns and throw pillows:

FRESHEN IT UP WITH PILLOWS

If you are ready to freshen up your home, maybe to find something new to go with the season, I suggest starting with throw pillows. Changing up your pillows can create a new look to your sofa, that old chair or your bed. Pillows are a simple and great way to make a statement in any room.

IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE BUT…

Some people think that picking out a few throw pillows and placing them on the sofa is easy. «There is no need to put so much thought into it!»

Actually, I agree. After all, combining throw pillows is not exactly rocket science. However, for those of you, who get a bit overwhelmed by the idea of combining patterns, textures and colors – and who is maybe secretly looking for a designer’s touch, I will help you out with some pointers, using a few simple formulas, which have served me well throughout my career as an interior designer.

Let us start looking at some of the main categories/styles of throw pillow that is offered on the market. (See illustration 1). Knowing your pillow styles and how to name them will make you sound like a professional when you are out shopping. Maybe you will even impress the people working in the shops, or a friend or a neighbor.

SIZE DOES MATTER

The size of a throw pillow should be in harmony – in other words, determined by the size of your sofa, chair, bed or wherever you wish to place your pillows. Keeping this in mind, you are of course «allowed» to mix and match different categories/styles in various sizes. Trust your instinct! You will see it if the pillows become either too small or too big.

So, in general, on a large sofa (with or without a chaise) or a sectional (corner-sofa) it would look odd and strange with just one or a couple of too small pillows. Since most people, have fairly big sofas, pillows measuring 18 x 18 inches or 20 x 20 would give the best visual impression. It simply looks better. It would then, be smarter to add on with smaller pillows together with the bigger ones. It gives you a more exciting mix.

Naturally then, for a smaller sofa or chairs, I would recommend using bolster, lumbar and rectangular shaped throw pillows.

MAKE IT A FAMILY

With a better understanding of styles and sizes, let us turn to how we can coordinate patterns and/or colors.

If pillows are united by color, texture or pattern, they more likely will match harmoniously with one another. So, a good rule is to pick two or three different pillow designs belonging to the same color family. For example mixing pillows that all have different shades of blue.

On the other hand, you can forget about the colors, and alternatively pick the same pillow design/pillow pattern in different colors. In that way you can, as we say in the design industry, anchor your pillow selections. However, when you choose this option, always make sure the colors you choose can be found in other objects in the room. This could be your carpet, curtains, accessories etc. This is important in order to tie it all together and give your room a bit of that designer’s touch.

THE FORMULAS

Now that you know more, let me give you a few concrete, practical formulas of How-to-do-it.

1. Deciding on your color palette

Look around in your room, what do you see, what do you like, what demands your attention Or maybe you should forget the colors you see and rather change things up completely by picking different colors. Keep in mind the colors you choose should either:

1.1) be analogous, in other words corresponding with each other – typically three or more hues within «neighboring colors», they have matching nuance, temperature and energy. For example browns, oranges, yellows and reds.

Or

1.2) be complementary, in other words colors which are strong opposites of each other. These colors make each other appear brighter and they create exciting, vibrant effects. Be aware they can then also become demanding on the eye. So, be brave and modest at the same time!

2. Choose two different pillow designs: one with a solid color + one with a pattern (See illustration 2 & 3)

In this option you can either stick to analogous or complementary colors as explained above. You simply find two pillow designs, which have the same or opposite colors. Similar colors would work best on darker backgrounds, for example a dark grey sofa, while opposite colors would maybe work better on a white or cream colored sofa or chair.

3. Choose two different pillow patterns: one big pattern + one small pattern (See illustration 4 & 5)

This is actually common sense, and the key word is contrast. By carefully and consciously choose pillows, which have patterns in different sizes, you actually make each pattern stand out more. The patterns will then balance each other, instead of fighting for the attention. Only small patterns will not be individual enough and only big patterns will overwhelm you.

4. The rule of three (See illustration 6 & 7)

This well-know design-rule comes in handy, especially when you would like to have more than two different kinds of pillows: Odd numbers work well together when you are grouping objects, for example throw pillows. In other words, it is better to have 3, 5, 7 pillows, than 2, 4, 6… Try it and you will probably see it! So, I recommend grouping three pillows instead of four. Don’t be square, think in triangles!

When it comes to grouping three (or more) pillows, keep in mind:

First, choose your pillow number one; it should be the one with your lead pattern. So, what do I mean with that Pillow number one is your main pillow, the one you love the most, the one that sets the standard for the other pillows you will choose, the one that stands out the most. It is your statement pillow. Naturally then, it should have the largest, strongest pattern, for example, a big flower pattern or a striking graphic pattern. Ideally – and I would highly recommend this – pillow number one should have a design consisting of multiple colors.

Then you choose your pillow number two. Here I would go for a striped, dotted or scaled down pattern compared to the lead pattern on pillow one. And choose a pattern, which has only one of the colors in the lead pattern on pillow number one.

Finally, pillow number three. To complement the two other pillows, you should choose a pillow with either one, solid color or you could alternatively choose a pillow with tone-on-tone colors. However, keep it small scaled, so that it appears to be a solid colored pillow.

5. Mix and match textures

The last formula I will share with you concerns texture and materials – how the surface looks and feels. Basically this is nothing radically new but it is a different way to create contrast and excitement in your interior. In addition, using different textures adds a new feeling of volume and statement. However, when making brave choices of purchasing pillows with maybe completely different in texture, for example fur and linen, velvet and leather, I would recommend staying close to a monochromatic color palette.

As you can see on other parts of my website – and on my Etsy store – I have my own pillow collection. It is very exciting and a lot of hard work. It’s a bit scary to stick my head out and say «check out my things!». I have thought many times: «What if people don’t like it?» … But I’m really proud of it!

I hope you found this blog post interesting and that my guide to coordinating throw pillows left you with some useful tools in order to choose your new pillows, whether they are for your sofa, chairs or bed. Feel free to check out my collection, too. Should you have any questions or comments, feel free to send them to me.

Thank you for reading! Good luck choosing your pillows!

xoxo, Alexia

EMERALDS: I’m in love with this one of a kind, truly unique pillow set. Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

Hello again!

In an earlier post I told you about my friend Elang from Indonesia and how her beautiful batik creations revived memories of my trip to Bali 18 years ago.

I also promised to show you how those memories and meeting Elang inspired me to make a set of new pillows from a unique piece of textile I brought home from Bali back then in 2001.

Right after I graduated and received my diploma in interior design from the Vogue Academy in Amsterdam, I went on a month long trip to Bali with a friend. I remember I was so excited before going! It was as if I couldn’t pack my backpack fast enough, if you know what I mean?

Then I was off to the tropical, rainforest paradise on the other side of the world!

I was amazed by Bali’s landscapes with its volcanic hillsides, mountains, lush green rice terraces, rugged coastline, white beaches and sapphire blue and turquoise waters. The characteristic Indonesian architecture, temples and beautiful houses fascinated and inspired me. There was an infinite rainbow of vibrant colours and beautiful intricate patterns everywhere – in traditional costumes, ordinary clothes, religious decorations and everyday textiles for the home.

SUMMER 2000: Admiring colorful sarong textiles on the Island of Bali. Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

During my trip I became friends with a Balinese woman whose family worked in the textile business. She taught me about the different kind of fabrics, which are made on the island of Bali and showed me the textile collections her family produces for making sarongs.

I fell in love with all her different styles, patterns and colours. I just had to have one of those beautiful sarongs! So, I found an emerald green one with gold details. I thought it looked extravagant!

I brought the sarong textile home to Holland, inspired to make something out of it or maybe even just wear it as a fancy summer sarong myself.

Well, the sad thing is, I didn’t.

Home again, my busy ordinary life took over fast – and the sarong ended up in my closed. And there it has been waiting in the dark for the last 18 years, only to be re-discovered and packed up again every time I moved from one country to the next. So, my Balinese textile has been around the world – Holland, the USA, France and now finally, Norway. Many times I thought about giving it away since I did not seem to get around to do anything with it.

Today I’m glad I didn’t. Didn’t give it away, I mean.

After talking with Elang, I finally knew what I wanted to do with it.

But first I had to search high and low throughout the city of Oslo to find a high quality complimentary textile to go with the emerald green sarong.

GET READY-KIT: Got the zipper, textile, and everything else I need and am looking forward to getting to work. Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

I found it! A beautiful, deep green, 100 percent wool fabric with a rich, luxurious feel to the touch.

INSIDE OUT: Work in progress. Sewing up the top of the pillow first… Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

PINNED IT! Before pinning the zipper to the fabric. I find sewing in the zipper still the trickiest part of it all. Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

So, I have transformed my Balinese sarong into a set of truly exclusive, unique throw pillows. They are indeed one of a kind and has my personal story intimately attached to them. They are the kind of pillows you would expect to find in a high-end design boutique.

To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I have the heart to sell them. My boyfriend made that even more difficult. He is in awe of them. I love that kind of feedback!!

Under you can see the final result.

Xoxo, Alexia

BALINESE BIRDS: Tadaaa, the pillow is done and looks stunning. Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

A MODERN TWIST: Combining this traditional textile with the wool fabric gives the pillow an edgy and modern feel. Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

SPLENDID BACKSIDES: I love how well the high quality 100% wool fabric works together with the Balinese sarong . Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

TEXTILE GIRLS: Elang (left) and me on a cold day in Oslo. She brought me a very thoughtful gift the first time we met (see right). Photos: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

Hello, everyone!

This is me with my friend Elang. She is an artist from Indonesia. And she came to Norway for love, just like me.

Elang – just like me – is a member of a Facebook-group called Handmade in Norway. We are a group of people who are into handmade creations and who love to share ideas and thoughts on being creative and living in Norway. Most of us are expats and creative entrepreneurs trying to carve out our own path and build our own businesses in the land of vikings.

Elang has told me she had checked out my pillows and colourful patterns, and that she liked them. I was very happy to hear that! I’m working hard to promote my creations and they really mean a lot to me, so to receive positive encouragements like that really makes my day.

A HUNTING SCENE: One of Elang’s vibrant and intricate works. Photo: ELANG

And you know what, I’m honoured – in all sincerity – to return the favour. Elang makes beautiful batik art. I really recommend you to take a look at some of her creations. I’ve included some of her pictures here in this blog post, and I hope to one day see her atelier where she works.

For those of you who don’t really know what batik is, I can tell you it is an ancient craft of decorating textile using wax and dye. And Elang does something quite special with it. She incorporates traditional Indonesian motives and old stories from her culture into her art.

It’s fascinating!

IN PROGRESS: Elang working on The Hunting Scene (left). Wax on drawing sketch, so-called nyanting (middle). Elang with finished work (right) Photos: ELANG

Elang showed me some of her textiles. Wow! So beautiful! And just for a few moments it all took me back to my own trip to Bali (Indonesia) around 18 years ago.

I’ll tell you more about that in a later blog post (part two of this one) and how meeting Elang now has inspired me to create a very special, one of a kind, pillow out of the batik textile I brought home from that trip all those years ago.

So, make sure you read that blog post, too!

I feel so comfortable talking with Elang. When I met her, I liked her right away. It’s like we had an instant connection. You know, when you meet somebody for the first time and you feel right away at ease with that person. I felt that with her. She is very friendly and forthcoming, a smiling and positive person that gives you extra energy.

I am amazed to see how talented she is. Her work is vibrant, intricate and full of beautiful patterns. With the cold Oslo-day outside the windows, she took me on a small tour through several of Indonesia’s countless textile designs and techniques. Batik is just one of many. I hope to visit her one day – and then later I can tell you guys more about how it’s done. Maybe you would like to try it yourselves!

So, with some colourful, Indonesian inspired energy, I’m ready for another creative week. I hope and wish you all a great one, too!

And remember, part two is coming soon!

Xoxo, Alexia

HANDMADE: Three small gifts Elang gave me. I really appreciate them and my new friend’s kind gesture. Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

Inspiration: My new patterns inspired by the Norwegian winter landscape. Photo: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN

Hello, friends!

When my friends and family – most of whom live abroad – ask me if it’s tough to deal with the cold during the Norwegian winter, my answer is always no. The cold I can deal with. I can always put on more clothes. Or as my boyfriend (and most other Norwegians) always says, «There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing». That’s Norwegians for you. Crazy bunch, aren’t they!

But what I find very difficult, are the dark, often foggy days, which seems to go on with no end. Those days can really bring your mood down. Though I’ve learned that the best way to cope with days like these is to change your mindset. Keeping busy and embracing winter as it is. I can’t change it anyway.

The last couple two weeks I felt very inspired by the winter landscape. The white blanket everywhere transforms absolutely everything. The streets, the railway tracks, the woods, the roofs of all the wooden houses, the gardens… the whole landscape become lighter.

It’s a great source of inspiration! If you’ve never experienced it, I really recommend you book a trip here as soon as you can.

Bright days layered with fresh, crisp snow fallen to the ground after a blistering cold, night opens my eyes to a winter rainbow of shades and nuances. The landscape is draped in a monochromatic palette, where most things turn black, white and much more than fifty shades of grey, creating a sharp contrast.

From tree branches, to rocks, to the gravel on the ground. White, white, white! Grey, grey, grey! Actually many houses are painted in dark grey, too. I wonder if Norwegians do that on purpose so their home fits nicely into the winter scenery – a modest yet perfect complement to the white snow and winter sky.

It makes me see shapes and patterns everywhere. It inspires my designer heart to create mood boards transforming nature into patterns to match typical Scandinavian home décor.

 Nature photo and mood sketch: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN Interior photo left bottom: theultralinx.com. Bottom right: cutepaste.com

 Nature photo and sketch: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN  Photo top right: Vardehaugen.no  Interior Photo bottom left: theultralinx.com

Nature Photos and sketch: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN  Interior Photo bottom left: Pinterest unknown

Another favourite of mine are the days, which are slightly foggy with just the perfect temperature for Mother Nature to create a thin layer of snow crystals, which attach like crystals on bushes, plants and trees. Deep green pine trees are wrapped in beautiful dark sage green, as if nature is winter moody wearing a coat of muted greys to sage green in multiple, fascinating layers.

I love this Norwegian colour palette and how it is applied to Scandinavian home décor. You can see where the Norwegians draw their inspiration from – nature, simplicity, clean lines and minimal decoration. This combined with the carefully thought out use of light creates homes characterized by the use of earthy, muted tones and honest materials like wood and stone.

So, these last few days I have created mood boards for this winter colour palette and a few (literally) cool patterns that I’m truly pleased with. I will use them in a new textile line. What should I call it Nordic winter?

As always, I appreciate comments on my blogpost, so please let me know what you think!

Have wonderful days until the next time!

Xoxo, Alexia

Nature photos and sketch: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN Interior photo: Bottom left: theultralinx.com

Nature Photos and sketch: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN Interior photo bottom left: elledecorations.se

 Nature Photos and sketch: ALEXIA LUNDGREEN Interior photo bottom left: Natural Mavens

Another day of cold, grey and fog. Behind the trees right in front of our window is a grey wall of nothingness. I just realised it has been over a year since I started my blog. 2017 was just such an unusual year in so many ways

A thing I learnt about living in Norway, is that this country is a place of big contrasts. One in particular is the difference between the long, endless days of summer, when it stays light out almost all the time and turning on a lamp is not really necessary at all.

On the absolute opposite is the long dark days of winter – grey, black and cold. The Norwegians call it the mørketiden – the dark time. During those 3-4 months we only have light for a few hours from late morning until it turns all black again by early afternoon.

So, my winter days are very extremely short. You need to keep your lamps on from morning until evening. These days are not easy, trust me!

I can handle the cold, but the lack of light is something entirely different. Thank goodness that some of these winter days also can be filled with lots of snow, bright blue-white skies and some sunshine. You know, the typical winter wonderland, you imagine in your dreams!

I love those rare but still magical winter days. Sometimes they go on for weeks. They get my spirit and energy level up. Then all I want is to be outside.

And I need those bright days for another important reason.

Since I started my textile business, I noticed how important it is to have good natural light so I can take good product pictures. That is pretty much impossible when you have a day like this grey one. It’s frustrating when you have to wait for a day when the light outside is good. It’s a test for my patience! And when a bright day finally arrive, I only get a small window of opportunity in the morning when the light is at its best in my office.

I’m by all means not a good photographer yet but one thing I know: It’s important to show you guys my pillows in properly good light. That means a good white background and indirect sunlight. Of course, I could set up a light box – and maybe in the future I will – but so far, I prefer to work with natural light.

Lucky me, the other day was one of those sunny winter days. The light hit the walls perfect for staging my pillows and take pictures for the shop, the blog and Instagram. I’m glad I was able to take these pictures before it all turned grey and foggy again. Here are a couple of shots from that day. What do you think?

Xoxo, Alexia

Even though today is already the 20^th of January, I would like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2017! I have been told it’s ok to wish people a happy new year until the end of January. So here you go!

I have been really looking forward to 2017. 2016 was a pretty tough year for me (and apparently many others, as well) with lots of ups and downs. But that’s all in the past now, and I am ready for a fresh start.

My first blog post of the year will be about SCAN Magazine. The Magazine is distributed at many airports around in the Nordic countries, in a few airlines, and even through some cultural centres and chambers of commerce, too.

Here’s how I ended up in the magazine:

November last year I received an E-mail from their office in London, asking me if I was interested in having an article about my pillows in the December issue. It was to have a whole section dedicated to Norwegian designers and skilled craftspeople.

I must admit I was quite a bit surprised to be contacted like that. How did they know about me … Still very cool, though!

My handmade textile patterns and pillows business is not even a year old; I really got started only in the last part of winter, early spring last year. But you can imagine how excited I was about this opportunity. My story and products published in a magazine side by side with other talented, and often more established, designers!

Of course I wanted that!

But the deadline was very short, and I had to help them out finding material for the article. Did I have any photos of my creative process and myself, they asked. When would it be a good time for an interview, did I have any thoughts on how I could best be presented, anything unique about my business that they hadn’t already found on my website etc etc etc.

This was a new world to me. And I was so busy planning Christmas markets. Where would I find the time for this An interview with me Potentially terrifying! And exciting! What to say What to do And photos of myself?? Eh…

I asked my boyfriend who has many years of experience as a journalist and text editor. He’s even quite a good photographer, too.

Then things happened fast. I agreed with SCAN Magazine that I would find someone who could write the article. Just a couple of days later, the interview was done. It was a new challenge to talk about myself in such a way. I’m definitely not used to doing that.

A few days later the article was finished. Then it was on to the photos. Yet another experience where I felt like a total noobie. So, it was dress up right, put on makeup and show my creative process. It was actually great fun!

Text and pictures were sent off to Dublin, where the magazine was put together.

Then some long time waiting…

In the beginning of December I received a copy of the magazine in the mail. And I can tell you, having your first feature in a magazine is a pretty big deal. I felt proud of myself. So, later I had to post a selfie on my Instagram account with the magazine in my hand. I got really nice comments from my followers. They asked me to please publish the article on my website.

So without further ado, here’s the article. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy! And let me know what you think!

Xoxo-Alexia

Here’s the PDF-file:

Alexia_Lundgreen_SCAN_Magazine_December_2016