Van Asch goes Organic for 2018!! & Competition Winners.

I'm totally beside myself with excitement!!!
Our brand new shiny web site launches on January 1st and it is going to be very special. Not because we are now offering free shipping and returns in Sweden or free shipping and returns for orders over €50 in the EU...No, nothing as boring as that!
We have teamed up with an NGO (non governmental organisation) called CIRHEP based in Tamil Nadu India, that offers women financing, support and education to start their own organic micro farms.

5% of all sales on our new web site goes to this organisation. Yep, that is 5% of absolutely everything that gets sold on our website goes toward changing these women's lives...

As women’s rights have traditionally not been prioritized in Indian society, one of the goals of CIRHEP is to empower women. By empowering women you empower entire communities. CIRHEP helps to organize self help groups (SHGs) and then provides training programs with a focus on creating awareness about women rights, gender equality and conserving the local environment. The aim is to strengthen women’s confidence and self-esteem, and to increase women’s involvement in the decision-making process within their families and outside the household. 

The women are also participating in entrepreneurship development programs with the support of NABARD (National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development). Women get help to start a small business in e.g. mushroom cultivation, honey processing, pigeon rearing, garland making, foot wear making, organic manure preparation, keeping small shops etc.

This is super exciting because we get to make a difference. 
Our contribution will help establish positive positions for women in their local communities. They, also  organise workshops for men in order to educate them about gender equality too. As women increasingly contribute to the household economy they also have a say when it comes to how to spend the money. Consequently, more children, and especially girls, are now sent to schools. This can break the cycle of poverty and set these families up for a much brighter future.





Ok, so what else exciting is happening in 2018!  You've probably picked up that I'm passionate about sustainability, the environment, reducing plastic use and generally being responsible in business, so, we are moving into 100% organic manufacture. All our new cushions, shopper bags and fabrics will be made from organic cotton.
And finally, all our international deliveries and transport in the EU will be using the new DHL GoGreen carbon neutral transport system which offsets all the carbon emissions from transport by planting trees and also subsidises the DHL fleet of electric and bio gas fuelled vehicles... 
Yep, 2018 is looking very GREEN for Van Asch !!!

Ok, enough about all that, you want to know who won our handbag competition right?
Ok, so lucky Pia Lundberg from Sweden is the winner of the Skull 403 handbag

And the runners-up to each win one of our cute Skull 403 mirror compacts are:

Diana VB from California USA
Sara O from Sweden
Vivienne W from UK
Francesca T from Italy
Daniella VH from Holland
Pauline S from Sweden

Congratulations to all of you! And a huge thanks to the multitudes that took the time to answer my nosy questions ;-)

Have a super wonderful Christmas, don't forget to check our 'mellandagsrea' or After Christmas Sale which starts boxing day... there will be masses of awesome bargains to be had...

Motivation & Positivity.

You know that saying 'when God closes the door, he opens a window'? I love that phrase and I'm not even one bit religious. I just really like the idea that there can be seeds of opportunity in adversity, if you are open to the possibility.

So as you might already know, I changed gyms recently. It because I was so devastated when the physiotherapist told me that I had to stop running, that I needed to do something differently and at the new gym, there was a sauna, so I thought that at least if I can't run, I can still have a nice sauna to reward myself after a workout.

I used to love running on the treadmill. It kept me fit, released happy chemicals in the brain box and allowed me time to let my mind wander creatively. So when I was told that that was it for running, if not for ever, then certainly for a very long time, you can imagine I was gutted.

It helped going to the nicer new gym, with the sauna, but what really has made the biggest difference is that the cross trainers at this gym are equipped with youTube. Now I'm so looking forward to going to the gym every morning because today I'm going to learn something new and start the day with a powerful positivity. This situation is an upgrade! So the door might have closed on running but the window is wide open and the possibilities are endless!

This is the video I watched today and it is really great...



Another reason that I'm super excited is that I'm about to relaunch my website. It should be up and running by next week. We have partnered with an NGO in Tamil Nadu India so that 5% of everything we sell on our web shop will go to invest in lifting women out of poverty by setting them up as organic micro farmers and I'll tell you all about that next week... I can't tell you how excited I am about it!

Lastly, if you have missed that I've got myself a youTube channel then please go check it out. The latest video is about transitioning from one diet to another. I don't mean diet as in weight loss, I mean diet as in Vegan or Vegetarian etc... It can be a difficult process and not everyone can just change over night, so if that describes you, or you are thinking more about what you eat, then check it out...

Making it All Count. Happiness, Gifts & Bags

Recently I changed gyms and in my new gym, I discovered, I can watch YouTube whilst I'm on the cross trainer. So I did what any normal person would do and watched funny animal videos to while away the time... (cross trainers are very boring!) But then I realised that instead of wasting my time watching funny kittens, I could actually be learning something. So yesterday I watched videos about recycling and waste management, yeah, I know you think that's weird, but I'm really into environmental stuff and I want to know how everything works. Today I watched an amazing video, a Ted talks about finding yourself, kinda... It's a total recommend so I'm posting it in here, try to watch it if you can, it will make you feel good...



Also, because it is that special time of the year when everyone goes mad and buys stuff like crazy, I thought I'd share with you my top gift ideas, and hope that my kids don't see this coz that will totally ruin their surprises! (I'm not too worried about that because they couldn't be less interested in my blog!)

So first up is cool gifts for girls:

Because my youngest daughter likes doing stuff with her hands all the time, this is perfect for her...Beautiful Fidget Cube
There are loads of these out there to choose from, I would've liked a wooden one really but I really liked the look of this one.

















My eldest daughter and I did a week long all natural cosmetics challenge a month or so ago  (you can read all about it here) and she really got into them, so this Neals Yard book Make Your Own Cosmetics should be right on target for her... Plus it is something she can do, other than be on her phone the whole time.... You mums, you know what I mean!















Cool gifts for boys:

Well I honestly don't know any...boys I mean, we don't have any in our family, but I did think this was kinda cool...Infinity Fidget Cube

I don't really like the whole idea of girls gifts and boys gifts but if you happen to be the wrangler/parent of these types of creatures, you'll know that they really do seem to want different things. So please forgive my gender separation here...





Gifts for Mums, Sisters etc:

I just fell in love with these black Lion candle holders, for the person who has everything and likes nice stuff for the home...
You can get them here

So those are some of my fave little things I found on the internet...













Lastly, if you didn't see last weeks blog, it was all the details to enter into a competition to win one of these bags:



So check last weeks entry for the details... AND because I love giving things away so much, I've decided that I'll give 5 runners up a free mirror compact for their handbag... so that's even more chances to WIN cool stuff !!!!

Van Asch Competition Time!

Hello my lovelies!
I want to get to know my customers a bit more and I thought a quiz could be a fun way to find out more about you... I would love to ask you all a hundred questions but I fear I might tax your patience ;-)

So, just by answering some simple questions you could win a brand new handbag worth €72!

Yes, you can choose which one of these you fancy...and just maybe you might win it!

All you have to do is email me with the answers to these 10 simple questions:

1. What are your 2 favourite online clothing shops? (not including Van Asch)
   
   
2. What are your 2 favourite online stores for interiors accessories?
   
   
3. What are your 2 favourite physical stores for new clothing?
   
   
4. What are you 2 favourite physical stores when buying stuff for the home?
   
   
5. Do you go to the gym or do yoga?
   
   
6. Do you have any tattoos? If yes, do you have just a wee one, several, or heavily tattooed?
   
   
7. Have you seen my blog or watched my videos on YouTube?
   
   
8. Do you follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest?
   
   
9. What main colours do you have in your living room?
   
   
10. If you had to pick 1 word that best describes you, would it be: Lighthearted, sincere, outgoing, quiet, creative, pragmatic.. something else?

Lastly, which bag would you choose if you won?

email me:   rachel@vanasch.se   with your answers and I'll randomly pick a winner on December 22nd

I'll add your email address to my special customer list too so that you will get special offers and updates (nothing spammy I assure you, I'm too lazy to send out newsletters more than a couple of times a year! :-D so don't worry about that, and you can unsubscribe with a click, any time you like)

And, if you do feel like indulging me, I would love to know what country you live in and anything else you think is important to you, like if you are an animal lover, a vegetarian, or whatever it might be, I'm curious...a bit nosey too if I'm honest ;-)  But you don't have to do any of that for the competition...just the 10 main questions will do it :-) And good luck!

I've made a new video too which is up on my YouTube channel now... If you fancy watching me have a bit of a rant about the environment...

Decluttering Your Life & More

Hello my lovelies! So I'm a week into making my videos for my new YouTube channel. I've posted up 2 videos already and recorded a third and I have to say that I'm totally LOVING doing it! I thought I would feel self conscious or awkward, but it's quite the opposite! I feel like I'm getting lots of stuff off my chest in a way that's not always possible with the written word. The thing about the written word is that it is much harder to imbue it with subtle humour, but in videos is as easy as giving a funny little look or the rise of an eyebrow.

And there is this other thing...and this is no disrespect to my nearest and dearest, but a lot of the things I want to talk about, my nearest and dearest don't give a damn about. Makes me feel like I've got no-one to talk to about all these important things going on in my head and out in the world. But sharing them in video styleee means hopefully I'll reach people who feel similarly and I can have more of a sense of community about those things... I'm going to be talking a lot about the environment, plastics, vegetarianism, creativity and stuff like that...

The video I've just uploaded to you tube is about decluttering your life and I hope it tickles your fancy... I know I'm a bit silly, I can't help myself...



Also, I've been asked a lot about when the yoga clothing is coming... The printed fabric has just arrived at the sewing factory so I'll keep you updated as I know more... but just know that it is on the way...

Next Friday I'm going to give you some details about entering a Van Asch competition... Gonna be real simple, you just email me the answers to some simple questions and I'll randomly pick out a person... they get some cool free stuff. So more details about the questions and the prize, coming next week...

In the meantime, have a fabulous weekend!

My YouTube Channel & Black Friday

I'm so excited to tell you that I've just started my very own YouTube channel, like what those youngins' do. Actually my kids don't watch any linear TV anymore. It's all about the YouTube and I feel like getting right in there and getting more connected with my friends, fans, customers and what not... That is part of the thing about mostly selling to stores, I never get to meet my customers and I don't feel like a have the depth of relationship with them/you as much as I would like. So that's all about to change!

I'm going to be doing a new video every week about all kinds of different topics and you can watch my intro video here, to get a flavour of what you can expect...



I'm also going to give all you lovely people an awesome half price discount code to use in my web store over Black Friday weekend (Friday 24th November) Yes, you can get 50% off your entire order, right across the whole store for the entire weekend, even up to the end of Monday 27th. Just use code BLACK50 when you check out and your discount will be applied at the checkout.

In the meantime you can check out what's there and plan your Christmas gifts and stuff...
Have a wonderful weekend and feel free to let me know what you think of my video...don't be too mean though...I'm a sensitive artist ;-)

Healthy Skin Boost Challenge Results!

If you read last weeks blog, you will know that my daughter, mum and myself have been on a 7 day challenge, swapping out all  out usual lotions and potions for the Daily Skin Boost organic fresh concoctions.

So here are our collective results....My mum managed to use all the products for only 1 day, couldn't handle the earthy whiff of the Radish Power Boost but carried on with the Night in Heaven oils which smell gorgeous. She didn't put her stuff into the fridge, her toners went bad so she only used them once. Naughty mummy.
My daughter and I both did the 3 different products for 3 days but then we had to stop using the Radish business because it had gone proper smelly. That was a real shame because hands down, it is the best product I have ever put on my skin in terms of the effect. We are talking soft skin, like angels bottom cheeks and glowing with vitality. Marvelous effect but not the nicest smell. They all absolutely have to be kept on the fridge, maybe not the oil so much, and even then they only seem to last a few days, maybe 5 at best.
The toners made my skin feel fresh and clean. The oil is amazing and seems to last much longer than the other things. I will be very sad when my little tester runs out. I've been using it twice a day, ditched my usual moisturiser and have never had such soft and clear skin.

Because they need to be kept in the fridge, you can't chuck them in your gym bag or take them travelling, but like the name suggests, these work as a great boost. Something you can do now and again, maybe in the week before a special occasion or as part of a detox. So long as you understand that, as fresh food for your face, they have a short life span, but whilst they work, they do work wonders.

Have a wonderful weekend you lovely peeps.

When Beauty Really is Skin Deep

Getting food on your face is not the done thing in polite society but what about food FOR your face? Well that's another matter entirely! We eat and drink all kinds of healthy things for the inside our bodies, but what about the outside? Skin is the biggest organ of the body so how about giving it the nourishment it deserves...

I was very lucky to get my hands on some samples from a brand new company based in Stockholm called Daily Skin Boost. What really got me interested in this company in the first place was their company ethos. They are all about sustainability, locally produced ingredients with no chemicals, no preservatives and no plastics (apart from the lids on the glass bottles of course). We like that!

But these are not the usual 'lotions and potions' style of skin care, this is more like food for the face.. nourishing, full of antioxidants and other good stuff.

Now why did I get 3 sets of samples? Because I've got my 14 year old daughter and my mum to get in on the weekly challenge too. We are going to ditch all our usual face creams and stuff, and just use these daily skin boosts for a whole week to see what happens to our skin.

So don't forget to check back next Friday for the results! In the meantime, have a lovely weekend and take care of yourselves.... and your skin!

Mood Board Inspiration & Sustainability

This week I went to a 2 day business development seminar run by The Swedish Wealth Institute. It was lots of inspirational speakers talking about their journeys and also about strategies to move forward in business. I loved it. I didn't think I would... I thought it would be more cringey and full of hot air...but it was actually very empowering and helpful.

One of the things we had to do beforehand, to prepare, was to make a moodboard. Now I'm no stranger to the moodboard creation, having made one for most of my cushion collections- But this one was going to be very different, because it wasn't just about colours and themes and form...no, I was about my hopes and dreams for the future. About what I think is important and where I want to take my business.

So this is my moodboard...

Yes, it is a triptych... I'm nothing if not ambitious!
Thank goodness my mum is a total magazine hoarder, so I had lots of raw materials to work with...

Moving into 2018 is going to be all about the environment for me. It's going to be about using organic fabrics, campaigning harder for reducing plastic pollution. Making sure everything I do stands for something positive, and in alignment with my principles.

On a personal level, it's about eating healthier, taking time to see my friends and keeping my positive energy up.





The dog represents a sense of humour. I am also a massive dog lover but that is not what this picture represents...

It is about keeping a balance of light hearted, upbeat positivity alongside the serious work that needs to be done to reduce global climate change, reduce plastic pollution and all the other challenges that we face together as a planet.

I'm halfway through doing a course on sustainability, and you can probably tell right?
I'm all about the saving the planet right now...
I'm learning so much and though it is quite distressing, it is also amazing to see what we are capable of both in devastation but also in innovation and compassion.

The thing I realise most deeply is simply that we in the developed world have all had it a bit easy and have become obsessed with comfort and convenience. We want what we want, and we want it now.... And we want it cheap. Well, that is not a recipe for sustainability. It means that if we want to begin to undo the damage we have done, then we all have to make small compromises. Things like buying the slightly more expensive biodegradable dog poo bags instead of the cheap plastic ones (that accidentally fall off your lead and get left in nature to do all those bad things) Or stopping using single use plastic party plates, straws and cutlery. How about just using your own stuff and washing it? Yes a bit less convenient, but that's the point. Ok I totally realise that I'm up on my soapbox right now giving a bit of a lecture...I'll try to get off it now, come back down here and be normal...sorry about that. I just get a bit hot under the collar. This shit is real, and we all need to help fix things. Ok, that's the end of the rant...for today ;-)

So, another funny thing that we had to prepare for the event, was to do this epic personality test to 'find your defining qualities'. They are only positive qualities, so you can't get any bad news ;-) I had to answer about 120 questions and then this answer spewed out..

I think it is pretty much bang on and if you fancy doing it too then click this link I'm not advocating this company or anything, I just did their free questionaire and I think the point of it is that if you know what your defining qualities are then you can do more of that stuff to be happy and play to your strengths, kinda thing.  I do know that I feel nourished by looking at beauty. It can be a museum or it can be a forest, but either way, I come out of the experience feeling a bit like I've had a big yummy meal. A sort of fullness that is hard to explain unless you've felt it too.

And coming in at number 2 is 'creativity' well, that's obvious, just look at my job!

Anyway, that's it from me, I'm off to make a delivery to Folkhemmet in Barkarby, outside Stockholm and then take a nice dog walk in the forest...

Have a wonderful weekend...

The World's First Recycling Mall, Up-cycling & the Circular Economy

Recently I saw a post on Facebook about a place called Återbruksgallerian in Eskilstuna (Sweden). Apparently it is the first and only recycled and up-cycled mall in the world.

 Well, that piqued my interest no end. So I decided to visit it and see what it was like for myself...

Anyone that knows me also knows that I'm passionate about the environment and a huge advocate of the circular economy, that is to say, not digging up resources, making stuff, using it then throwing it away. I think it is better to reuse things that already exist, fix them or turn them into other things, than to to just throw all that great stuff away...I mean what a waste!

Firstly I am so impressed by the idea of this place and by the vision of the people that made it happen. But the place itself, well, there are many great things about it but also areas to improve.

The cafe was excellent, cheap and really great food, definitely a recommend...

I was also really impressed with the florists shop. It had a great combination of old plant pots and second hand garden stuff, along with gorgeous flowers and all in a really well decorated space. You didn't feel like you were in a second hand shop at all...

 

The one thing the place lacked was a sense of creative potential. The up-cycled stuff were just old bits of furniture given a fresh lick of white or grey paint. There wasn't an aspirational feeling, not inspiring in the sense that the stuff looks amazing. Only inspiring in the sense that this stuff is getting a fresh lease of life, which is no small thing of course, but I wanted more...

To give you an idea of what I mean by creative potential and what is possible, just check out these amazing up cycled works of art and craft...

plates from Angioletti Designs

But not just pretty china, what about crappy broken china? No problem! Do this...

pic from www.cooperhewitt.org

And the many things you can do with old pallets...

or old oars...

And if you like the industrial look...what about a corrugated iron headboard?

And I haven't even started on all the cool things you can do with old chests of drawers and cupboards....

Want something fun for the kids? How about a dolls house? no problem..

made by Larotska

Or a mini kitchen?

The thing is that most of these projects require a bit of expertise in the crafty department, and that is what I feel was missing at Återbruksgallerian...

I think people need to be inspired by up-cycling, to see the possibilities and actually see things that are desirable. I'm not just talking about 'doing the right thing' by buying a second hand pair of skates instead of going and buying a new pair...I'm talking about newly made things from discarded items. Up-cycled things have more soul and individuality than mass produced store bought stuff and I want to see 'designer up-cycled' stuff alongside the second hand clothing and furniture...

You should go there if you can. Eat some of the great cakes in the cafe then wander around, pick up some bargains and think of our future..

Jewels, Shopping, Vegan Leather, & Charity

This week has been a very frustrating one on a personal level. I have a problem with my back which has prevented me from running or training for weeks now... plus I've been having technical issues with my internet connectivity since upgrading my OS, you know the kind of thing, normal irritating problems, small, sporadic... but gives a low level background irritation to everything.

So it is very nice when I see positive things and it's not in my nature to dwell on the rubbish that life throws our way, so I wanted to talk about some really great things going on...


Firstly I think everyone should know about a company based in America called Modern Meadow. They are a bio tech firm who have discovered a process to make real organic leather without the use of animals, that is to say, any kind of leather, crocodile, ostrich, cow, whatever, by tweaking some gene soup and putting the resulting gloop through a drying and tanning process without killing a single animal. This is proper futuristic amazing stuff!

They have just opened their exhibition at MoMa and as an animal rights advocate who is partial to a nice leather jacket, this development excites me no end!!




My mate Janice Issitt takes a very nice picture and she recently did a shoot for LuLu's Pearls on Nordic Design Hub. What makes this special is that all sales of this necklace go to Breast Cancer Research. Yep, 100% of the money goes to a very worthy charity. The necklace is called 'Hope is my Anchor' it's gorgeous and every one sold contributes towards fighting the big 'C'

If you are in the shopping mood then I better let you know that this weekend my 33% sale will be finishing, so if you have had a eye on something...it might be in the sale, so check it out. Use discount code TSHIRT33 when you check out to get the discount.

T-shirt sale,Tooth Removal & Saving the Planet

I've been a bit low key this week. The week started off with having a tooth removed, a difficult extraction, a solid hour of brain rattling drilling, sawing, picking, levering, wrenching and yanking. Unpleasant, but thank the lord for local anaesthetic!! Anyway, the following day I started having really weird dizziness and disorientation and got a bit worried. After doing some snuffling around on the internet I discovered I had Vertigo. Apparently this sometimes happens after tooth extractions or root canals. So for the rest of this week I have been taking it easy, driving as little as possible and doing a whole heap of sitting on the sofa. Whilst sitting on the sofa I saw this amazing thing on Facebook and I just need to share it with you because it illustrates perfectly why despite all the bullshit and pollution out there, I still have hope for us and the planet....

Product design student Ari Jonsson from Iceland has come up with a way to make completely biodegradable 'plastic' bottles from red algae powder. The bottles keep their shape whilst full but once empty, they begin to decompose.

You can read more about it here

That also got me thinking about all the plastic I use. I already use fabric shopper bags for my shopping and have recently bought biodegradable doggie poo bags, but I think I'm going to go through all the plastic things I use in every day life, find environmentally friendly alternatives and post a list of links on how to get them up here in a couple of weeks time, incase you feel inspired to also become part of the solution...


Back to work now.... I'm going to be doing a big end of season sale on our T-shirts and tunics next week, all week from Monday October 9th through to Sunday 15th There will be 33% off the T-shirts and Tunic if you use code TSHIRT33 when you check out.

 Just click our Sale page and take advantage of these fantastic bargains!

Have a wonderful weekend you lovely peeps!

Van Asch Tackles the Giants

I'm going backwards in time... not in a 'Time Travellers Wife' or Benjamin Button' kind of way, but more like starting with what is happening today and going back in time to my trip away in Marbella Spain...

Today (Friday 29th September) is the grand opening of a new branch of Folkhemmet furniture store in Barkarby Stockholm, just next to Ikea. I've been stocking their other branches for years and was super happy to see them open up a new shop.

I delivered a huge bunch of cushions and here I am with Ricard, the owner, on their amazing green velvet sofa! Ricards dog Molly liked the look of it too and up she came! As a fellow dog lover, I was delighted to see that Ricard didn't care about 'dogs on furniture' rules but I did have to help her up and the old girl needed a butt shunt to get her up!

I've only been back from Holiday in Marbella for a week and that is why there were no blogs these last couple of Friday's...Anyway, I'm making up for that with this bumper blog.

Where we were staying in the hills of Porto Banus, there were some totally amazing mansions but this one was like no other...

 It is the closest thing I've seen in real life that looks like how I imaging an alien civilisation would live..ok, I've read a bit too much science fi as a young' but it sure was amazing.

I can't speak for all of Spain, but certainly Marbella is a place of weird contrasts. There are a lot of immaculate, beautifully tended homes and gardens right next to dilapidated houses and half built abandoned construction sites, which flow onto the pavement. Sidewalks in front of nice homes are well kept, but sidewalks in front of abandoned homes are full of garbage and just left to run wild, despite the whole pavement being a public walkway.

There is masses of dog poo everywhere and the recycling system is laughable compared to the Swedish system BUT all the supermarkets I went into had biodegradable 'plastic' bags in their fruit and veg sections and that can not be said about Swedish supermarkets.

I thought, 'well, if Spain can manage that then so can Sweden'.  So why is the title of this blog 'Van Asch tackles the giants'? Because I'm on a mission to get the big Swedish supermarkets to stop using plastic bags and start using biodegradable ones instead.

I contacted Coop supermarket customer services to ask if they had plans to make this change and their response was obscure and confusing but essentially they said that those biodegradable bags don't meet food approved status and that it is the consumers responsibility to dispose of plastic properly.
I replied back that they were not in possession of the facts because the bags are food approved and can be bought from many places including a Norwegian company called Bio Bag World (more about them later) I have't had a further response from them so I've written them letter.

Then I rang ICA supermarket and I was pleased to hear that they are taking this seriously and that there is an internal conversation about it but they were looking at using paper bags possibly, however it would be an opt in thing for individual stores and the best thing to put pressure on is to contact your local stores directly. Not very promising...

But realising that there are biodegradable bags out there means that I've stopped buying plastic bin liners... I found these at my local Willys store and when I wanted to find doogie poo bags, my friend put me on to Bio Bag World who do a whole range of stuff. Yes, it is more expensive but it is a cost I'm more than happy to pay.

Plastic pollution is not a third world thing

This is the crap I picked up out in the nature on my early morning dog walk, just a quick 10 minute one but 3 plastic bags including one of the fruit and veg bags I want to see the end of.

Mr Boycie and I are not amused!

I could go on to get a bit ranty and preachy, but I won't do that..yet...

Changing over from using plastic shopping bags to using fabric ones is only the start and if you are looking for a chic way to hold your purchases then check out my wide range of cotton shoppers

Too Trendy Teenagers Bedroom Interior Design

Since when were youngins' so interior savvy? Ok, so obviously teens are spending huge amounts of time on the internet and specifically social media, like Instagram and Pinterest, watching you tube videos etc - looking at masses of pictures of beautifully decorated homes. It's given them the inspiration, and I hate to say it, pressure, to have their own rooms decorated just so.

But the thing that baffles me is why 12 year olds opt for Nordic minimalism as the style of choice. I mean when I was a kid I loved bright colours and crazy patterns...oh hang on...that hasn't really changed, but I mean most kids either didn't care about decorating their rooms or just stuck a couple of band posters on the wall, job done!
Not anymore! Jeez these kids are so sophisticated it blows my mind...

Cushions by Van Asch and bedding from Ikea

I think part of the reason that this style is so popular with teens is that it is easy to keep clean and neutral for all the relentless social media pics and selfies they do...

Big thanks to Klara for these pictures.

When I asked my daughter what were the key features of this look she said 'black, white and minimal. The focus is on the details'.

So there we have it... thats what kids seem to like these days ... here are some fancy versions..

pic from Two Thirty Five Designs

One of the things I do really like about this whole monochrome kids room thing is the gender neutral feel of it which is in keeping with the way society seems to be moving, I like that.

pic from 'The Only Girl In The House'

and just so you see what a difference it is now from when I was a kid...just check out a typical teens room from days gone by and I think you'll agree, a lot has changed...

That looks like a bedroom someone goes to die in! Ugh!!!

See what I mean!