Last few days I have been styling and photographing the apartment I am renting, and today I can finally share it as well! I have been very lucky to find this beautiful classic in the middle of Grünerløkka when I moved to Oslo last summer, with its beautiful layout and details, the original floors painted grey, stuccos and vintage stove.  The bathroom was completely renovated as well while the location of the apartment itself is perfect. Right next to Mathallen and a few meters away from Akerselva river, in the middle of Oslo. The apartment is located in the middle building of the city square and it is surrounded by a beautiful yard, full of trees and abundant space for summer strolls and dinners. Tim Wendelboe cafe is in the same city square as well, I can walk through my backyard in the morning for one of the best coffees in the city. 

Scroll down for a more complete look of my apartment, but also, if you want to see more photos in higher resolution , feel free to visit my dropbox folder . 

Although I spend quite a few months here, it took me a while before I painted everything the way I wanted. Call me a little bit slow, when it comes to another styling I make snap decisions, when it comes to my own space I move in turtle time. I did however manage finally make color decisions and I ended up redecorating the bedroom not a long time ago ( see before and after here ), while just a week ago I finished up the look in the kitchen and living room. Although I was planning on painting with Lady Minerals in the living room, due to time pressure I decided to instead use Lady Pure Supermatt colors since they are quicker to paint with ( they don’t require any special technique ) , while at the same time they give a timeless effect due to their supermat finish. The solution I ended up with was painting the wooden wall from its natural color to LADY 5455 Industrial Blue Supreme finish for wood and panels, while I kept the rest of the room simple and sleek painting in LADY 9918 Klassisk Hvit Pure color supermatt for walls. I love how my simple TV (and quite an old one) is now blending with the wall , while at the same time the beautiful blue is giving a feeling of luxury, win win!

For my styling I mostly used my own furniture and props, but some details I really feel added a lot of depth in my interpretation of “Modern living in an 1890s apartment”. The Crown chair from Mass Productions, the TR lamp from Menu and the posters on the wall were some of the new additions in my living room (kindly borrowed from Houz.no), the Panthella lamp from Louis Poulsen (kindly borrowed from Elisabeth Heier), all easily blended in with all the furniture I already owned, the Core table lamp from New Works (I got mine from Home Made Stories shop ) the beautiful plinth marble table from Menu, Hay slit table in mirror, Pallo vases in various sizes from Skrufs glasbruk, Sofa from Bolia, marble low table from Erik Jørgensen EJ 64 , details from Frama and Byredo. Tip : Color coordinating works wonders for details, the blue wall matches the Core table lamp from New Works (its granite blue), but also the blue speaker from Urban Ears ( on the floor on a stack of books). 

The kitchen was also painted but this time I went for a more colorful look using LADY Raw Canvas 10961, Pure color supermatt. If there is anything I would have added ( and I still may if the new owners allow) would be to also paint the windows and the door the same color for a more uniform and modern look. However even with white details it works quite beautiful I think , and since the floors are grey I got to keep and color match even the And Tradition In Between table and chairs I already had. Small details also work great however in this setting, glass and brass bottle from Menu, salt bowl and brass spoon from Ferm Living (also terracotta fruit bowl and brass candleholder from Ferm Living on the table). 

And while I still live in this apartment until July, I will fully enjoy the balcony ( not sure if the next apartment will have one), if you want to get the look then most of pots for flowers and trays are from Skagerak , the chairs and coffee table is from Fermob , the bench from Domo design, cups from Kinto and water can from Menu. If there are any details you would like me to specify, please leave a comment below and I ll get back to you as soon as possible! 

// Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

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Today I woke up really early ,right when the first rays of sun started hitting our small veranda. Scandinavian days are so long during this time of year, the sun is out almost at 6 in the morning. I usually start my day with water, during winter it is hot water with a little bit of lemon, while during summer I make a carafe with infused water that I keep in the fridge so it is ready whenever I want to enjoy something cool with a little bit of flavor. My favorite is really simple, just add fresh mint, some cucumber, lime and lemon slices in a carafe, fill it up with water and let it infuse for a few hours in the fridge. It coincidentally matches the all green clean white mood in my veranda as well, the look I created for this summer. It is really easy to replicate and budget friendly and it fits small verandas perfectly.
Start with painting the floors and the rails white if you can, but grey rails or black will work just as well. (I painted the veranda white last year and I barely need to wash it, it doesn’t show its dirt at all and my veranda is not covered. The paint handled snow and rain great too, no peeling ). Cafe style chairs and cafe style table match well with the mood I wanted to create, they are easy to find in any store (mine are from Ellos but check measurements first before you order as they run much smaller than the usual cafe style furniture, in fact they are very appropriately sized for your children or as side decorations ). Add a garland of string lights ( again you can fine the exact ones at Ellos, they are suitable for outside and they also come in black color) , they give off a French country cafe feeling even during the day! For a clean green look choose all green plants , a monstera and a pilea where the plants of my choice, but mostly I just use the plants I already have in the house.
Bring out a magazine, a cup of matcha tea or infused green water and enjoy an all green clean crisp mood in the comfort of your own home 😉

I will leave you with a photo from my instagram stories earlier today, it is not the best resolution, but it gives the exact feeling of a crisp early morning, or at least how my morning was exactly! And such a beautiful warm day it turned out to be!

// Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima

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The post : Early Green Mornings  , appeared first on Only Deco Love

Styling and photography by Katerina Dima unless otherwise stated.

A couple of weeks ago I painted our petites balcony floor white from red. Also I threw away any old furniture so I could start styling it anew. I am almost done (if only it will stop raining enough to paint the pallets that will go under the pillows), but there is a small factor I didn’t quite consider while thinking about this. Although the balcony is easy enough to style, petite and all aside, it is incredibly hard to find a good angle to show off its best features. I have created two nooks one as seen above and one on the other side with a small table and chairs, while also there are plants spread around, lights and a rug to tie everything together. Once I am finished I will share the final result, it is coming along exactly as I had imagined, even though it might be hard to capture. I will certainly try!

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Styling and photography by Katerina Dima unless otherwise stated.

I have been asked a lot about the progress of my Avocado tree (you can check my post about how to Successfully grow an avocado tree here) so I thought it is best to make a post about it to answer all the questions I have received so far. Lets start!

Q:When should I prune my avocado tree? I am afraid it will halt its growth if I do it wrong!

A:I know a lot of websites and blogs talk about how the avocado tree needs to be pruned, but I have not pruned mine yet and I do not intend to. If you prune it you force it into remaining small and I want my tree to be around 2 meters tall, so I will not be pruning it until it reaches the height I like it to be.However if you want to prune it just cut its very top leaves and you should be fine. If you look at the photo above you will see 3 new leaves coming out on the top of the bigger avocado tree, just cut those and a tiny bit of stem with a scissors.

Q:I have been waiting for a long time for my avocado to start growing, how long does it usually take and what are the signs I need to look for?

A: This is a little bit tricky because timing can vary due to various reasons. First of all you should know not all avocado stones will be able to produce a tree. Some are manufactured not to in fact. I suggest you buy several avocados from several markets regardless,one of them will be bound to produce a tree! When it comes to how long you might wait, if you place the avocado stone in water or well watered soil,in a warm room,then it should take no more than 6 weeks before the avocado cracks and you are able to see a small root if you pick it up.

Q:How fast does the avocado tree really grow?

A:It depends on the temperature.The warmer the climate and the more sun it gets, then the faster it will grow.I live in Norway so I chose to plant my trees early enough so they get all the summer sun and warmth when they are in the first stages. Here is how long it has taken mine to grow :

0-6th week , gestation period (from new stone to cracking and seeing a root no more than half a cm long)

6th-9th week , first signs of a stem along with more growth of the root.

9th-11th week , stem growth from 1cm to 10cm long, first photo top-left.

11th-13th week , stem growth from 10cm to 15cm long,first photo top-right.

13th-15th week, stem growth from 15cm to 17cm long,first photo bottom-left

15th-20th week,stem growth slightly halted around 30cm long, first photo bottom-right.

20th week until today , around 40cm, second photo, more leaves are sprouting every week and there is about 1cm growth every week. Also the stem of the tree changed color from brown to green.

As far as I have seen it is different for every avocado tree, my first one had less leaves but grew more in height whereas my second one sprouted bigger leaves earlier. Both appear to be healthy and show signs of continuous growth.

Q:Will my avocado tree produce avocados?

A:If you let it grow in height , yes it will. However they will not be as flavorful as the one that produced the tree itself. It takes many years before the tree is mature enough to produce fruit however even with great care so you might never see any. Either way the usual period is between 5 to 13 years.

Q:I do not have a greenhouse,you say it is best if it grows in one,what can I replace it with?

A:You can top your glass(or any container you placed your stone in) with a water cup,a vase, or a jar, anything that is made of clear glass and is big enough to cover your glass/container. It will work exactly the same as a greenhouse!

Q:How much sun does the growing tree need?

A:As much as possible. I have mine in a corner that gets sun from rise till dusk.

I hope this answered some of your questions, feel free to send me more! If you want to grow your own then check my full guide at How to plant and grow an avocado tree :Tips and tricks for 100% success. !

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The post : Q and A on my Avocado Trees Growth : When to prune?, appeared first on Only Deco Love

Styling and photography by Katerina Dima unless otherwise stated.