Cute cute cute cute and squeaky cute! It’s retro and colour and giggles and fun. Melki is a Polish furniture line. Redesigned chairs from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Smaka Design is a graphics firm while Melki and Smaka are Anita, Dorota and Łukasz. Nitka is the sewing cafe where visual identification, production (prints, website and internet store) and, of course, the furniture by Melki and Smaka all came together.

Lilou and her husband have finished renovating their Swedish country house and it’s gorgeous. So what do you do when you finish your house? Put it on the market and share it with Desire to Inspire. What? How could you sell such a lovely home Lilou?

I’ve been reading this blog for a very long time and now that I’m about to sell my house I thought I’d send you the link to the “for sale” site. My husband and I have been renovating the interior since the day we moved in. We found out during our house-owning-period that city life with its restaurants, cinemas, and cafés is much more to our tasting than country living. I also long to sink my teeth into our new apartment 🙂

Now that I can understand. Just wish I was in the market for a lovely Swedish home in the country. I’d be moving right in. Good luck with it all Lilou!

Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don’t know what to do? You’re not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you…. that’s you lot… the readers! This week’s problem is from Leslie and she really needs your help!

I am moving to a new 2-bedroom apartment – with no roommates – and I’m really excited about designing it the way I want. However, I came across a problem that plagued me in my old apartment as well, and which I am unsure how to solve. I have workout equipment – a treadmill, yoga mat, and exercise ball – and I don’t know where to put it. Initially I wanted to sort of ‘merge’ it into the second bedroom, which will be a guest bedroom. But the square footage in there is small enough that I am worried the equipment would crowd and annoy any guest I had staying over in there. Not to mention mar the design. I want the guest room to be inviting. But I just don’t know where else to put the stuff. Is there a solution for placing exercise equipment in an apartment where there is no dedicated exercise room? Could I put it in my main living area (a small double parlor) without ruining that design – which will be seen more often – as well?

Attached are pictures of the living room, dining room and bedroom. The living room and dining room are adjacent. None of the furniture in there is actually mine – it’s the current tenant’s. So we sort of have to imagine there’s nothing in there yet. The items there now do help illustrate scale/size, though.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

Drum roll please…. the winner of the Belle/Coco Republic Interior Designer of the Year 2012 is Iain Halliday for BKH. Iain Halliday is Australia’s pre-eminent architect and interior designer with over 30 years experience. Burley Katon Halliday are renowned for their design quality and innovation. Here is just a selection of recent work short-listed for the awards including the Ikon Apartment, johnandpeter canteen, La Croix and the Whale Beach House.

Thank you to Belle magazine for sharing these images.

Minimalist 2 storey apartment space within a heritage building in Amsterdam. Clean lines, sharp angles, limited colour palette and smooth surfaces. Warmed by wood elements. A steel staircase angles between the levels separating the dining and living spaces in the open plan first floor. But the hero of the space is fully equipped (albeit minimalist lined) kitchen centre stage. Design by Laura Alvarez Architecture.