HAPPY WEEKEND!

Hi lovely bloggers and readers! How are you today? Are you still enjoying the weekend? I hope you have some time to spent with your friends and loved ones! Today I have some lovely Italian inspiration for you. The image are made for Cote Maison by Bernhard Touillon. I especially love to have such a fireplace:-)I hope you like it!





source: Cote Masion

WINTER TIME @ IKEA

YESS, it's that time of the year. Time to improve your home with some nice accessories and some fresh inspiration. IKEA now has all it's X-Mas items in store. So I'm planning a visit this afternoon before it's all gone;-) If you'd like to see the X-Mas catalogue, please click here.

image: Livet Hemma

TODAY I WANT TO BE IN..CYPRUS (VIA URBAN STYLE VIBES*)

It's cold in Holland now. It seems the summer has ended and I have to admit I'm not ready for a cold winter yet. I actually hate winter time. So today we travel to Cyprus where the sun is almost always shining. This is Almyra Hotel. What do you think about this place?

images: Tablet Hotels

URBAN LOFT LIFE

Today I'm inspired by thise huge urban loft. I would love to have a place like this. So spacious and just HUGE!

via: Desire to Inpsire

TODAY I WANT TO BE IN...URUGUAY (VIA URBAN STYLE VIBES*+

Hello darlings! It's almost weekend! Hope you had a wonderful busy and relaxed week like I had. Today I take you on a trip to Uruguay. This is the work from Martin Gomez Architects. The southern American arquitecture in combination with the stunning coastline is just awesome. Take me there!!

Have a lovely weekend for now!!

images: Martin Gomez

UNFORGETTABLE PLACES ON EARTH

Today I've stumbled upon an amazing website and I wish I knew about this much earlier because it's just brilliant. That's why I love to share this with you. Welcome Beyond Handpick Paradise is a website with truly amazing boutique hotels and B&B's. My earlier post about the B&B in Belgium is mentioned on this website too and they so deserve it!! Today I take you to a wonderful place up north west in Norway. I love this countries nature although I've never been there before. The Juvet Landscape hotel is a beauty surrounded by nature. The Norwegian owner Knut started this hotel in 1994 with help from the government he realised his dream hotel. The owner wants his guests to remember the hotel like this:

— Knut: “I would love our guests to have a feeling that this is a fantastic place, that they had been visiting friends and that they had a very, very nice time. And that I am sorry that they had to pay for it.”

Do I need to say more?

via: WelcomeBeyond

WASH & COFFEE

Good Morning! Todays inspiration comes from Amsterdam. Wash & Coffee is a place where you can have the best of both worlds. You can wash and iron clothes, drink a cup of coffee and get online. It's easy as that. They even offer ironing courses.

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS CONCEPT? DO YOU HAVE SIMILAR CONCEPTS IN YOUR COUNTRY?

LIFE IS FOR SHARING

Are you proud of your design, products, webshop or blog? Done something great or unusual related to travel, (home)design and style that you'd like to share on Urban Style Vibes*? My readers and I want to see it. I may even feature it! Please give me your thoughts. Please leave a comment below.
Thanks in advance! Have a lovely weekend!

A TOUCH OF YELLOW

Spring is in the air in Holland. Today the sun is out already and although the temperature is still low I feel spring is just around the corner. I'm inspired by this yellow-touch interiors. I found some lovely inspiration on Fabulous K from Kelly. Yellow can be an extra colour to give the interior a fresh touch. Combined with white and some gray/oyster tones makes it complete. What do you think of this combinations? Do you like it?

BLUE & WHITE INSPIRATION

Hi blogfolks! How are you today? It's still winter here in Holland. But in the meantime I'm dreaming of a lazy summer day. Let's spent some time in Greece today. Cavo Tagoo is a unique luxury hotel near Chora of Mykonos, built into an impressive natural cliffside. With its luxurious barefoot chic aesthetic, its distinctive architecture, versatile services, and respect for traditional elements, Cavo Tagoo unfolds as an unparalleled experience.



I just love all the blue details combine with white. What a good combination! It matches with the color of the sea.

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE IN GREECE?

HAPPINESS...(VIA URBAN STYLE VIBES*)

Today I found a very special blog from a very special lady who lives in South Africa. I just adore the image that I stumbled upon. So true, so clear, just awesome!

TODAY I WANT TO BE IN....THE CARIBEAN (VIA URBAN STYLE VIBES*)

My dear friends, how is your weekend so far? In my search for a new travel destination I stumbled upon this  French website. This villa is located in the Caribean at the bay of Marigot. Deocrated by the french interior designer Christian Liaigre this villa is a real treat for the eye. Take me away as soon as possible;-)

I jsut love the simplicity of this bungalow with a view. 

Q. What do you think of this retreat?

WEDNESDAY GIVE-AWAY: 1 NIGHT IN THE CONSCIOUS HOTEL AMSTERDAM

Hi lovely readers, sometimes beautiful places are just around the corner and as I know many of international readers love to come to Amsterdam.So today I'm hosting a give-away to stay 1 night* in this beautiful eco-friendly hotel in Amsterdam.

The Conscious Hotel Museum Square in Amsterdam is an attracktive hote just around the corner of some beautiful Dutch museus such as the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk MuseumRijksmuseum. You are even close to a lot of lovely shopping streets such as the P.C. Hooftstraat, the Spiegelkwartier and the Van Baarlenstraat. And if you need some time to relax you can visit the lovely Vondelpark. and the

The name in itself gives you already the suggestion that this hotel is more than just an ordinary hotel. And that's true. In 2009 the hotel was rewarded with the Gold Green Key Certificat. Read more about the conscious philosophy here.

How to apply:

1. Become a follower

2. Leave a comment below

3. Post this give-away on Twitter or your blog

*Monday-Thursday, not available in the weekend. Booking will be done at least 1 month in advance.

HELP: MY SEARCH FOR NEW CHAIRS...

Today I need your help. I'm in the mood for some redecoration in my home but I don't want to spent too much money on it because we might move to another place next year and at that time we might buy some new furniture that fits the casa, you know..So I'm seriously looking for new dining table chairs. We have a teak table (as shown above) but I don't like the chairs anymore. I feel they don't fit our interior which is based on natural colors with a modern twist (see below a glimpse of our living). We have a wooden floor, brown couches and white cabinets, shutters and lamps. Coming across many chairs all over the place isn't helping. However I came across some I really liked.

Please let me know what you think! You always give me the best tips and advice when it comes to decoration and redesign.

                                                                     a glimpse of our home...
And here are the chairs I liked so far:

The wonderful chairs of Philip Starck or...

                                                       Stunning Vitra chairs...or...

Lovely butterfly chairs..or...

The famous and gorgeous Panton Chairs..or..

A ROOM WITH A VIEW

How are you my dears? Did you had a good kick start for 2011?? I hope you have made some new plans and resolutions. Look at this room with a view. I think it's somewhere in Sweden. Isn't this stunning? I would love to have such a home by the sea or lake. It gives me a lot of inspiration for new ideas.

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE?

via: Skona Hem

NEW YORK QUICK GUIDE

My dears! Finally we're back from the Big Apple and ready to share my New York finds with you. We were so lucky to land on JFK airport the day after X-Mas. There was so much snow that only 8 planes were able to land on JFK that day. Isn't that a miracle? Needless to say we had a wonderful time in this sparkling city. It was great to travel with my Mr. again and we lived life to the max in Manhattan. (Because life is too short...) Many blog friends asked me to give some tips and ideas where to go while in New York. So I thought it may be nice to pull together a quick guide of some of the hotspots I've visited while I was in New York last week...

Where to sleep...
We decided to sleep in the Pod Hotel on 51st street. The location is perfect BUT: On their website they show you an urban design hotel but in real it's far below that standard. At the entrance you will see some design but your room is simple and basic. I must admit that's not a problem but for $300,- a night you expect a little more. The service of the hotel is below my standards: no roomservice, no breakfast and the wifi connection in the rooms is very weak so you can't even check update my blog...

Where to eat...
New York has over 18.000 very good and affordable restaurants so it's impossible to mention them all. Here are some good ones that I visited:
i Trulli: The name reveals it already. This is true Italian food. We had a wonderful diner here. Their pastas and 'secondi's' are divine. In addition they have a great wine list.
Spice Market: In the meatpack district there are many good restaurants. This is one of them. 
Villa Pacri: Fine dining with Italian styling and decor
And for breakfast:
Le Pain Quotidien This Belgian Breadshop gives New York and extra good breakfast and lunchplace.

Later this week I will post an additional list with my shopping tips for NYC. I hope you will enjoy it!


images by Lise M. for Urban Style Vibes*