A you the home chef? Make the kitchen your sanctuary!

Are you the chef in the family? This makes you the designer of the kitchen. Why not create your own little sanctuary of the kitchen. I enjoy cooking with an iPad on the counter which makes it my moment in the day without work or kids.

As you can see I have my eyes locked on this pink sink. How cool is that!! It is by Schock in Germany. And I love the glazing on the pendant. It would be items like those that would make me love to spend more time in my kitchen. And if it improves my cooking I am sure all family members will see the benefit of that.

Oh hey vacay!

Not sure about your plans but I am taking a break to spend some quality time with husband and kids this summer. Hope it will be a summer like last year. The grass was not so happy but I loved the heat.

Quote image via Pinterest

There's rainbows and holidays on my mind

With Spring kicking in I am starting to long for the same long, warm, sticky summer as last year. Wearing flimsy clothes and flipflops and drinking fruit juice and gin tonics. This combination gives me the same vibes. A vibrant Ibiza feel rug and palm tree lamps combined with wicker and some kick ass artwork. It feels like rainbows and summer in my mind. 

Become a style instead of parading after one

I love the community of Instagram. It has brought so many brands to my attention that I otherwise may not have found. So kudos for that. However.... it also seems to kill our own creativity. We all seem to create the seem mudded toned kids rooms. I am wondering where is the brightness, where are the vibrant colours. Still okay to choose a theme but add some personality. 

So here is my kick in the bud, add some colour, embrace your own creativity and become a style instead of parading after one. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

This sparks me joy!

This sparks me joy! I don't do the Marie Kondo style of living. I could try for a while but I am not a stick to the program kind of person. It has however helped me a great deal getting rid of some items that I was hanging on to for the wrong reason. So a big hurray to her for that.

If I was to live a Marie Kondo kind of 'no clutter' lifestyle I would imagine it looking a bit like this. Choose the items that spark you joy. And this selection creates fireworks from where I am standing!

Collect your memories on a wall

Whenever I go through my photo feed I have favourites. Those should be enlarged to a size for a beautiful memory wall. Why keep them locked up in a digital devise? This wall is all about moments with my kids, the life we had in Singapore. It won't stay like this for ever, it will keep changing and growing just like my kids do.

#SEASONGIFTGUIDES no 5 - we may need a bigger chimney

Every year I struggle making a wish list. During the year I can come up with numerous items I would like but when the pressure is on... I stall... This year I imagined a room and a mood. So I came up with a bedroom where you get ready for the day surrounded by a selection of precious items. This includes a rug... hence the titel 'we may need a bigger chimney'.

A-line satin dress | Huette Leather Boots | Arc en Ciel pailleté blue et doré | Hay rug blue | Dark chocolate with golden glaze necklace | Muuto candelabra green | Tonone Bolt desk lamp blue | Society of Wanderers bedding Topanga 

H E L L O F R I D A Y | Scandinavian design hand in hand with traditional flower decor

Going through Pinterest and Instagram I see a lot of old English and Scandinavian atmosphere with abundant flower wallpapers and velvet chairs. This style is brought to this century by adding modern quote posters, design light features and minimalistic modern furniture. As soon as it catches my eye I need to try to create my own style of collage with this atmosphere.


Artwork trees and flowers by Desenio | wallpaper by House of Hackney | Thin frame lounge chair by Lawson Fenning | Tulou coffee table by Muuto | Pebble Rug by Muuto | Floor lamp Nathan by Ellos

#SEASONGIFTUIDES No 4 - Prepare for a Winter Wonderland

Another 'SEASON GIFT GUIDE' edition for you! I love winter and hope we get a frosty one so we can take the kids out with the sledge and ice skates. The good thing about all this frisky outdoor life is  that you double enjoy the moments of comfort and warmth inside. A hot chocolate drink with one if these fun chocolate bars or playing for hours in your maillot on this Winder Wonderland tale telling play mat. Let the temperatures drop, I am so so ready for it.

Chocolate bars milk & white from HEMA | Panda wool cardigan by Mini Rodini | Moon Picnic Weather station | Twinkle twinkle garland | Tretorn active Chelsea winter rubber boots | Molo maillot pink | Winter wonderland play mat by ByAlex Playmats

H E L L O F R I D A Y | Let's get excited about ZONDAG (Sunday)

Sundays.. the last day of the week. A day to come together with friends or family. A day of sports and of taking time for things. Like for instance cooking. Weather it is a breakfast, a lunch or a dinner... at least one meal on Sunday should feel like a feast.

In England they have the Naked Chef and in the Netherlands we have The Holy Kauw Company. With a passion for food and an eye for creativity and styling the couple Arno and Mireille create magic with their food concepts. And not just for the newly weds on a catered party or for one of their magazine collaborations, they also bundle their best recipes in an amazing book.

Together with Uitgeverij Snor they have created the book ZONDAG (Sunday). For now it is only available in Dutch but I am sure if their star continues to rise an English version will follow. Let's continue the excitement. On my Instagram account you can enter a give away to get your own copy of this book.
This book is in Dutch so my suggestion is to join the give away if you have mastered the language. And once you have practiced the recipes... feel free to share some images using #zondagboek.

K I D S T U E S D A Y | Still not bored with the jungle theme, are you?

We still cannot get enough of the JUNGLE theme for a kids bedroom. It is because you can take it into so many different directions. Go 'botanical' with a few stuffed wild animals, or use some 'bohemian' to create the feel of a jungle treehouse.

In this 'mood board' below (sorry I wanted to see what it would actually look like) I combined some online favourite brands, some Instagram hits and a newly discovered lamp that makes my heart sing. Get me a room and a budget and i will create this dream space for your little ones.

Autumn... a season I appreciate so much more not I can enjoy it with my kids

Shop credits for the Autumn inspired moodboard on Instagram:



Maileg bunny Carla with sweater | Woodland Children's print by Wonder & Rah | Muuto pendant lamp Grain nature | Wall hooks trees by Ted & Tone | Mog Mittens oatmeal by Donna Wilson | Duvet covers by La Cerise sur la Gateau | Pine no Whine pillow by House of Rym

Dutch Design Week 2018

Ieder jaar is het weer mooier, weer grootser en weer beter georganiseerd. Met als achtergrond de verlaten productie fabrieken van onder andere Philips en Campina presenteert Eindhoven ieder jaar in oktober de Dutch Design Week. Door de combinatie van grotere namen, aanstormend talent en designs die vragen bij je oproepen is het voor mij hét inspiratie event van het jaar. Als je gaat probeer het dan over minstens twee dagen te verdelen. Anders kan het wat overweldigend zijn. Ik heb geluk met familie die in de buurt woont waar ik kan logeren. Je kunt om van lokatie naar lokatie te komen fietsen reserveren en ook gebruik maken van de 'free ride' auto's waar ze mee rond rijden.

#SEASONGIFTGUIDES No3: are your kids the kind that like to build things?

Check out these toys!! Are your kids the kind that love to build things? Mine are. Thank goodness because I also love that type of play. For this post I've done quite a search to get a fun combination of age, skill and price range. The toys are unique and fun and will keep your kids away from the screens.

Not kidding! Can't wait for the cold winter days that you go out for a walk or some sledding, come home and get all cosy with one of these toys. These will for sure go on our family wish list!

#seasongiftguides are an addition to my Favourite Friday and Kids Tuesday posts in the months approaching the holiday season. My attempt to introduce you to some toys and gifts you may not have seen before. All items worth the shipping costs of online shopping I promise. We kick off once a week and towards mid November/December I will add some extra gift guides. ENJOY!

Bakoba megabox (red dot award winner!) | Cubetto: a wooden toy robot teaching the basics of programming) | Apollo, construction game by Londji | Makedo Toolkit (your kids will never let you throw out a cardboard box as they will use it to build) | Poppik sticker poster (like pixel art on the iPad but than on paper, or a modern version of colour by number).

#SEASONGIFTGUIDES No2: Galaxy never gets boring

Finding fun and unique things to gift your children this holiday season doesn't have to be difficult. Just keep an eye out for our #seasongiftguides. At LilleLykke we source the internet for the most cute, fun, must have items. Sometimes in a theme like here, sometimes just by colour or play theme. 

Galaxy will never bore your kids. It is something mesmerising and even will intrigue us grown ups. As endless as the galaxy is the options for gifts are equally endless. Last year I made a great boys gift guide. This one tends to lean towards the girls. The scratch cards by Djeco are a real treat. Will keep your kids happily busy during the vacation days. And what little one doesn't love a pretty music box to keep your favourite little items. 

What are your favourite SPACE & GALAXY items? 

Space Rangers book (make your own paper rockets) | Fabric vintage watch | Star fall moon Pink print |

Djeco music box Superman mister moon | Brooches space | Velvet star pillows (available in any colour imaginable) | Djeco scratch cards Cosmic Mission

KIDS TUESDAY - for doll loving ground playing girly girls

As you may know by now I am a boys mama. Could that be why I enjoy creating these girly rooms collages so much? The start for this collage was this amazing doll bed by Crate and Barrel. I know most mommies are in love with the Sebra one but this is a good contestant as well if you ask me. It's a mini version of a Jenny Lind bed. Combined with the magical stars in the canopy and the lush little flowers on the ByAlex Playmat you have a winner. 

Why the crate... I'm not sure. It is becoming quite a hype on Instagram. It must be the cute colours plus all parents are keen on storage for the toys. But I never thought a plastic crate like this could get all of us running to the shops. Don't have one (yet) but am starting to see the benefit. 

Sources for the products:

Playmat with flowers | Carboard pendant light | little stars canopy | rabbit soft toy with oversized sweater (she had me with the sweater I must admit) | plastic storage crate (available in many trendy colours) | Jenny Lind doll bed 

#SEASONGIFTGUIDES 2018 No1

It is too early to start making suggestions for Sinterklaas and Christmas shopping? No! Ok that came out a bit harsh.

Before you know it favourites will have sold out. You get so flustered with everything that needs to be organised you forget where you have spotted something. Or the worst... you leave it to the last minute meaning there is not enough time for online (original) shopping so you are doomed to buy Lego or Playmobil. Don't get me wrong, great toys, we have them at home in an overload. But they don't give a parent the same kind of fulfilment as the carefully selected items in my #seasongiftguides will do.

Put them on your wishlist or drop them in a shopping basket today. What works for you, works for me. Enjoy this years gift guides. There will be plenty more coming.

Sources for the items selected: Candy bracelets | Wall decoration lion | Poster 'together' | knitted doll Lauvely Friend | lunchbox | Patterned legging 

FAVOURITE FRIDAY - lightness and darkness combined in a sereen design

When I think about this design I see a renovated home with fresh plastered walls, steal frame doors and a light wooden floor such as this chevron floor (we call this in Dutch a Hungarian point floor). The wallpaper is quite dark and heavily decorated. So this asks for a light balance. Found in the cloud lamps and the artwork with jellyfish art. It needed a warm highlight somewhere and I have a similar floral lamp on the wall at home which I LOVE. 

This is a basic design which can be used as a guideline for your own living room design. Add a Chesterfield or a solid MUUTO sofa. Choose your side to emphasise.. lightness or darkness. Create your own happy place in the finishes.  

Sources for the products:

Rug | Wooden floor | Pendant lamps | Wallpaper | Artwork | Chair | Wall lamp | Wall table

KIDS TUESDAY.... some decorations for the room

There is so much to find to decorate a kids room. No matter what style you like. I love to source things that trigger a kids imagination or their urge to play. With Dinosaurs, bugs and pretty art pieces you can never go wrong. All come in different prints, colours and shapes so make sure you visit the sites to find the ones that fit your room.

Wallpaper Tiny Tots Esseners light-grey | Dinosaur banner - In the Jungle Brochiosaurus & Parasaurolophus | Enjoy sign via Kwantum store | Giant cardboard stag beetle | UMASQU wall hanger Eye #3 | Wide leather wall pocket | Tine K Home rattan wall shelf 

KIDS TUESDAY... Let's head for the mountains

With the wether changing and Autumn approaching we get that 'get the house winter cosy' itch. But what to look for? It is so hard these days to find something original. When I open Instagram I see mommy bloggers working hard to get their kids all the cool items (often in a sponsored post) and this inspires other moms to get inspired and follow. What I am longing for is quirkiness, identity, uniqueness. Difficult as with Internet we have all seen it somewhere before. For this wallpaper I've looked on Spoonflower. It makes me feel that you can reach all the fun designers that normally would not be able to create a wallpaper. With a handful of colours represented in the print as my starting point it was easy to find the right accessories to decorate the room. All it needed as a finishing touch was some quirkiness. The result: a moodboard with FUN, PLAYTIME and HUMOUR. 

Wallpaper 'Call of the Mountains' | Garland Rainbow New Elements | Rectangular pillow cover Oscar Litchi 40 | Charcoal round velvet pillow cover | Poster Wilde by Pax and Hart via MioMeraki | Party Sloth pillow | Poster NORTH by Warmgrey Tail | Wallhanger in the shape of a house by ZARA Home | Spot-nik lamp Dirty Mint by Van Tjalle en Jasper