Win a fab &tradition milk table lamp

Thank you to everyone who entered this give-away. I am delighted to announce Andreaa Gabriela as the winner of this fab lamp. Andreaa, please send me a mail so Occa-Home can send it out to you. 

To light up (eh hem!) St Valentine's Day, I've teamed up with fab online interior design store Occa-Home to offer you the chance to win a Milk Table Lamp. Designed by NORM architects for Danish brand &Tradition, this lamp is a particular favourite of mine as it's created using ancient Nordic traditional materials: wood and glass. Not only that but it can be placed anywhere in the home (here's an example of it in action) and said to 'light up both body and soul' (oh, yes!).  It's one of many utterly fab Scandinavian pieces sold by Occa-Home and I'm so excited to offer you the chance to win it this weekend! Find out how to win below. 

How to enter:

1. Visit the Occa-Home online interior design store and take a look around. 

2. Comment below which product you like the most and why (see my personal product pick here).

And that's it! The competition is open to everyone until Sunday, 15th February 2015, Midnight GMT. The winner will be announced on the evening of Monday 16th February 2015 so make sure you pop by to see if it's you!

Terms & Conditions

You must be age of majority in your country of residence. We are not responsible for any duties, import taxes that you may incur. Only 1 entry per person. 

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Occa-Home.  

Happy St Valentine's Day! 

Wishing you a fabulous new year....

May your night sparkle and all your dreams come true!

Credit unknown (can you help?)

Credit unknown (can you help?)

via Allyson Vinzant

Emily Steffen via Heart Love Always

Thank you so much for following My Scandinavian Home in 2014. 2015 is an exciting year for me as I'll finally be able to follow my dream of blogging full time.

See you on 2nd January where I'll begin a month full of ethereal Scandinavian inspired home tours, DIY projects, tips and tricks for the home and exciting give-aways.

Have a fabulous start to the year!

Win a very cool Muuto E27 socket lamp

To celebrate the second week of Advent I've teamed up with fab online interior design store Occa-Home to offer you the chance to win a Muuto E27 socket lamp in your choice of light green, black, light grey, orange or rose.  Occa-Home is one of my go-to stores for Scandinavian items including favourites from &tradition, Bestlite, Ferm Living, and Muuto and many others (see my product pick here). Find how to enter to win a Muuto E27 socket lamp below.

How to enter:

1. Visit the Occa-Home online interior design store and take a look around
2. Comment below which product you like the most and why.

And that's it! The competition is open to everyone until 7th December 2014, Midnight GMT. The winner will be contacted by e-mail on Monday 8th December 2014 so make sure you leave a way for us to contact you.

Terms & Conditions
We are not responsible for lost shipments. You must be age of majority in your country of residence. We are not responsible for any duties, import taxes that you may incur. Only 1 entry per person. 

Let There Be Light

Have fun with accent lighting. Finding just the right lighting is one of the most difficult things for me as an interior designer, but when it happens it is magic. I think of the room as the perfect little black dress with the perfect cut, the one that dresses up or down according to the occasion, and the perfect lighting fixture is the jewelry that finishes off and compliments the little black dress.

I have written an article for West Coast Homes and Design, a supplement in the Vancouver Sun Newspaper,on how the right lighting is one of the most important aspects in achieving atmosphere in a home. Lighting is a discipline all to itself and often is one of the most important parts of an interior. Bad lighting can ruin a good interior: good lighting can almost salvage a bad one. For example….. (more)

In kitchens it is particularly important to get the lighting right as food preparation along with the eating and social aspects that go on in this room are a vital part of our lives and involve all of our senses. Kitchens need to be well lit with good overall ambient lighting and task lighting over islands and countertops. Add a little fun and pizazz with accent lighting as I did over this island.


Lighting in a bathroom and bedroom needs to make you feel refreshed and energetic in the morning, ready to face the challenges of the day ahead, but at night should engender a feeling of relaxation and harmony. In a bathroom, good lighting for putting on make-up should come evenly from either side of the mirror so shadows are not cast on the face. The rest of the room needs to be lit evenly from overhead, but be careful of placing recessed pot lights that are directly over your head when standing in front of a mirror or else you will have shadows under your eyes. I put the lights for the make-up lights and the overhead lights on different switches to further enhance the options to create different moods.


Left: Wall mounted LED swing-arm lamps were used in this bedroom for task light.
Right: Candles can add to the mood and ambience in a room and make a dramatic statement.
Click on the PDF icon to read the whole article

PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm in Vancouver. Here we write about lifestyle and
WHAT'S HOT in the world of interior design, architecture, art and travel. 2012 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™