Hotel to Home: Stockholm, Sweden

I haven’t yet taken us to Scandinavia in this hotel-to-home series, have I? Let’s do it today, shall we? Grab your virtual passport and let’s head on over to the Görvälns Slott hotel 25km north of Stockholm, Sweden. It sits on the shores of Lake Mälaren at the heart of the Görväln Nature Reserve in Järfälla. Sounds pretty idyllic.

This bathroom is just about perfect, isn’t it?

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mirror, tiles, votives, sink, makeup mirror, candelabra, rug, towel, plant pot

Hotel-to-Home-Inspired by Gorvalns Slott-Sweden

I love the candelabra on the window sill. I hadn’t noticed it when I first pulled the photo. Isn’t it luxe?

Uptown: How I Bought a New Mattress

As some of you may know, I have declared that this year is the #YearOfMyBed.

I bought a gorgeous (really gorgeous) antique French bed a month or so ago and added a set of night stands soon after that (after some DIY attention, they’re looking just perfect with the bed if I do say so myself).

But, what’s a bed without a mattress?

Until recently, I’ve been sleeping on a double mattress inside a queen frame. It’s been fine, but it was obviously not the look (or sleep) I was going for.

To complete the #YearOfMyBed, there was obviously one thing that I really needed to do – buy a new queen mattress set. This purchase has been on my mind for a long while, but I’ve been putting it off because, frankly, I found it a bit daunting. So many mattresses, so little time? Yeah, something like that.

In the end, I headed to the sleep experts at Sleep Country Canada. I figured that it was a one-stop shop that would have helpful and knowledgeable staff who could guide me through the process. Thankfully, I figured right. (This is not a sponsored post, by the way.)

So how did I find a perfect-for-me mattress? Let me tell you!

First, I sang the Sleep Country Canada jingle.

Jokes. Jokes. I didn’t. Okay. I did. I mean, what Canadian doesn’t know Christine Magee or the Sleep Country jingle?

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Moving on…

After I headed to my local Sleep Country, I met with a sleep expert (Hi, ES!) who asked me how I sleep (side, mostly) and what type of mattress I like (more firm that soft). I told her that the brand wasn’t one of my concerns, but I did want a really good mattress that would be super comfortable (who doesn’t, right?). She narrowed the beds down for me, then told me to try everything out. What? Pretend sleep on the mattresses in the store? It felt a bit weird at the beginning, but she encouraged me to just go for it. I went back and forth between the narrowed down mattresses and “slept” on them. Feet up and everything!

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White-Cabana-Sleep-Country-3 White-Cabana-Sleep-Country-1 I was a bit resistant at first – Would I actually be able to tell the difference between mattresses? What’s the big deal about the pillow top? – but I got into it. I did actually notice a difference between mattresses, and some were easy to take out of the running (e.g., too soft, too hard).White-Cabana-Sleep-Country-9

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I narrowed down my options to two – a Kingsdown and a Serta. In the end, I opted for the Serta (shown in the two photos above), and I was hoping that it would be just right! (As I’m writing this, it seems that I’ve turned into Goldilocks.) I honestly think I would have been happy with either the Kingsdown or the Serta, but the Serta was slightly more firm, which I liked.

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here I am learning about the coils (coils, coils, coils) and the details of the Serta mattress set; it’s a pillow top mattress, by the way

Still a bit nervous, I was told about Sleep Country’s amazing sleep country guarantee. If I don’t like the mattress, I can actually exchange it for another one. Isn’t that amazing? It’s a win-win situation if you ask me!

White-Cabana-Sleep-Country-7 My mattress arrived this past Saturday, and I’m sleeping soundly so far. It did take a couple of nights to adjust to it, which I think is completely normal. I think I’m happy with it, but it’s also comforting to know about the comfort guarantee.

Tell me, dear readers, have you bought a mattress recently? How’d you do it? What features did you look for?

Thanks, ES, for your help!

Two for Tuesday: Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today’s two for Tuesday is extra special because it’s my dad’s birthday! This styling man…

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has gone from hiking in suits in Italy as a teenager to…

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hanging out in baseball-style tees in Toronto and texting local and international family and friends on his iPhone.

And he’s the most photogenic out of anyone in our family.

Seriously.

My Dad continues to have bursts of energy (in between resting, of course) and has helped me with countless reno projects at my home…you’ve surely seen shout-outs in these posts! Soon we’ll be off to Italy on our father-daughter trip of 2016. Bring on the gelato (you’re paying, right, Dad?)!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Photography: The Leica M 60 Edition

One of my favourite car brands is Audi. I grew up with my dad driving an Audi 5000 that he shipped over from Germany when we were a young family of travelers. That car took us to Florida every summer, and I learned to drive standard on that car. When I grow up (if ever?), I’d love to have an Audi. After my obsession with the Fiat 500 came to an end a few years ago, I began to develop an interest in the Audi Q7 (and the Q5, too).

I’m totally not a car girl. I could live a life without a car and be perfectly happy (as long as I could walk everywhere that I needed to…I don’t love the lengthy commutes of public transit). But the Audi Q5 (it’s a better size for me) – oh, I just love it!

Anyway – so when I heard that the classic camera-brand, Leica, partnered with Audi for a special edition, I had to investigate.

The Leica M Edition “Leica 60” is a beautiful piece. It celebrates 60 years of the Leica M and was created in collaboration with Audi Design.

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Leica M 60

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photo via DesignBoom

Isn’t it lovely? It combines old-school style and the photography needs of the future. I just love it.

The Friday Five: Bicycles

It’s bicycle season!

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cyclist in Vienna, Austria, photo by Design Maze Tim

Yet another reason why I enjoying living in Waterloo is that it has quite a good trail system. I can get from my place in Waterloo to Victoria Park in Kitchener via the Iron Horse Trail (with only minimal road riding). Last year, I rode (slow but steady) from Cambridge to Paris, Ontario on a trail beside the Grand River. It was beautiful (and mostly flat).

While I have a decent mountain bike that functions well (although it is heavy), I have my eye on a few of the retro bikes that have been on the market for a few years now (also known as The Miss Piggy Bike in my family). Maybe once my bank account recovers from a few upcoming trips and my bedroom makeover, I may invest in one of these beauts.

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Real step-through bicycle, $1200, Martone Cycling (why oh why is this out of my budget?!)

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Kent 700c hybrid bike, $189, Walmart

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Huffy Arlington, $248, Walmart

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Schwinn signature series cruiser, $849, Canadian Tire

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Schwinn hybrid bike, $199, Target

Do you have a bicycle? What kind? For what purposes? Do tell!

Have a great weekend, everyone!