This cute country bathroom is just so fresh and delectable - with great contrasting colours give a fab starting point of dark wood floors and beige walls it is easy to dress the room and transform it in an instant to reflect the mood of the moment.

Scented candles, dishes and jars filled with soaps and other toiletries give this room additional character and complement the few pieces in the room. It's romance and country style at it's best!

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I am officially in love with the closets and all the storage with our place in Beijing. It's all real (no light MDF and stuff) - made of heavy dark wood (beautiful colour!) with a combination of hanging rails, pant racks, shelves, drawers, and even lights in every one of them. And there is plenty, more than enough I would say at the moment.

So beautiful, functional and plenty of them. What else can a girl ask for (except for a proper shoe closet also; but I actually have here one too, and since all the shoes are not in it it still enough, but would not be for all our shoes...)?

My luggage closet, fits most of the light pieces since smaller ones are inside the bigger ones

All closets are so pretty and functional

Love the fittings inside and lights...

...and dressers in every room!

Hello world outside China! After a long travel we really made it to Beijing. The last days were a haze of of packing, cleaning (I forgot to book cleaners for the house!), kids birthday and leaving parties at school, a walkathlon, last minute shopping for more suitcases, doctor's visit, you name it!

But I did manage to sneak in a couple of moments of relaxation in a Chinese food massage place with miss A. (that girl loves going there!!), a pedicure and a facial and happy moments with friends. I have to admit though that everything ran to a schedule where every minute was counted about 19 hours a day! So glad we can relax for a moment or two now...

Twins had their combined leaving & Birthday party at school and I got my mother's day present then too. How appropriately they both features airplanes in their frame of the picture itself...

We got some leaving presents for the teachers: flowers with cute hears where we wrote leaving messages, cards and gift cards to the teachers

We enjoyed our last chilled drinks for a while - China has McDonald's and coffee houses, but we are trying to enjoy the country the local way. Even in the US the kids already ate rice for breakfast at the hotel and enjoyed little cups of green tea with dinner when we had Chinese food, so we are well on our target

The moving day was hot, but luckily I still had a spot in the shade to sit on and enjoy a morning paper and a bottle of chilled water

It's looking empty in the house and the driveway is filling up!

Miss A. was lapping a lot in the 90 F (32c) heat, while the house was being emptied

For Miss A's class party I got lots of different cupcakes and some Chinese snacks, suitably for the leaving party theme!

We really were utilising our luggage allowance to the max - meaning 10 checked-in bags, 5 carry-ons and some "handbags" too. Miss C. got some oh-so-cute Hello Kitty gear for the travel! As the current luggage weights are so carefully checked and have gone done, the hard-case suitcases are becoming history at least in our household, and I opted for some new large wheelie bag. I picked a couple Sketchers ones as they lwere light-weigh, ooked great, were well-priced, and had tons of storage and good closing mechanisms. I hope they last for a long time (or that the 5-year warrancy is upheld if they break...)!

We got two new 30-inch Sketchers travel bags

Our mountain trip had so conveniently outlet malls on the way, so I got a real steal with these white linen pants from GAP, just $12 or so! I was so happy as my old white linen pants broke, and white linen is so summer clothing that makes you feel cooler and fresher! Note to the hot nail colour after the pedicude and my new flip-flops. Love that delicious fuchsia flower!

All cleaned up in the house! Note my new "travel" handbag in the lower corner. One needs a large bag for all the travel and emergency supplies, and they all end up weighting so much that all my bags broke. Got to get my old LV travel knapsack fixes as it has served me for over 10 years will all travels, in that case the annual cost of the bag was really low and worth the LV price tag!

Now if you wonder why postings have been a bit scarce lately, the answer is because we are moving. The plane is taking off in a few hours and frankly the road there has been more than rocky, including lost car and house keys in last minute and other not-so-funny incidents. Most furniture in the household has been sold and the rest of the stuff we'll hopefully see 2-3 months from now.

So for us it is hello China, and more specifically hello Beijing, and once settled I'll back online again. Plus I'll be starting another blog to cover the Asian adventures for this family. So stay tuned!

We are expecting some nice, albeit impersonal living in the temporary quarters until we manage to find a home of our own. I must say that the temp house feels like sheer luxury (at least in the pictures) as the last few weeks our house has suffered the "empty-home syndrome". So I say hello to hotel+ decor style and for shades of browns and taupes with little accent colours. We are ready for you Beijing!

I have never lived in a high-rise building before

Looking forward to the "in-house" restaurant options

I like them' views

Hotel+ bedroom style

I welcome brown instead of the "Valley yellow"

I like this colour palette!

Kitchen love...

...and a bit of bathroom love too!

Someone is looking forward to this indoor playground...although the sad side of the story is that some days the air quality is so bad that you can't let your kids go out

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The move to China is just days away and frankly we are very busy, but not too busy to squeeze in a couple of birthday parties, movies and swimming... This Hello Kitty-themed party with a magician fairy was very popular with our girls, and they spend ages in the HK store also picking the presents for the birthday girl (as well as for themselves)...

So this mother's day will be a bit different as miss A. is having a sleepover with her best friends and we are having a potluck with a bunch of friends. Happy Mother's day to everyone, hope your day will be filled with fun and laughter!

Yes, our family has been on the move again and I'll tell you all about it when I finally have some more time. We headed again to the lovely Mt. Shasta region in Northern California, and everything was so lovely and fun again. We did not expect to be able to ski again, so no winter gear was packed in the car.

The drive in the air conditioned car was pleasant when the temperature outside crept all the way to 95 F (35c) and once check-in the same cool lakeside resort as last time (we loved these Groupon deals at Mt Shasta Resort with food and spa treatment credits and all...) we were off to hiking. The plan was to hike the little spring meadows - for a mile or two - as recommended by the locals in 7600 ft (2300+m), but this is what we ended up doing: running around in the snow that was several feet deep as the road was still closed and covered by snow! Some locals obvilously knew it better as they came with their skis and other snow fun equipment for the slopes in the wilderness...

So it was hot and cold and tons on fun. So unique and truly unforgettable!

Roses, blue and white, vintage cream and rustic pieces. That is summer style in the conservatory!

Fresh. Lovable.Low maintenance. It's summer love!

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One of my favourite magazines - the California Homes & Design have just listed their favourite 50 California hotels and some of them are just stunning! Here's my pick of the places I would like to visit based on the decor or the views...Enjoy!

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Recently we attended a little party at friends house, and I just loved the way the hostess had used coffee sacks as accents in the garden. Such a simple and easy to realise idea where the outcome is really great!

Delectable blue and white. Summer colours of deep blue sky and little white clouds. So country chic and fresh. I have always loved this Ikea daybed and it just looks fab teamed with Ralph Lauren accessories and rustic little pieces. There is a hint of romance and yesteryears.

Yes, I think I am looking back to my grandfather's house where there was a daybed too. It changes colours over the years but I remember it best as being orange or turquoise. Hard to sit on as it had no cushions, but still great to sleep on at nights when it was set up... Oh those memories this sweet picture is bringing back!

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It is that time of the year again - my twins are soon turning three and we are having a party. This time it is a real kids part at a gym where they have been taking classes, so it's going to be a lot of running and jumping around!

Last year it was about greener theme with cute fabric bags, but this year with just a few days to go until we move to China I just did not have the time. As the little ones love books and will soon start to learn reading I wanted to have meaningful goody bags instead of just only little plastic things.

So we ended up with a quick tour to Target's one-dollar-bins to get these big "sand-claws" and books. This is a great time of the year as one can could have also bought the giant sand buckets and used them instead of the bags... In summary, this year's theme is about playing on sunny days and reading on rainy ones - and all done in one store with a limited budget.

This year Miss C. was also participating in the creating of goody bags, where we had a little bit different toys for boys and girls, but the main ones were the same. It's time to party now!

The latest Elle Decor showcases some cute outdoor spaces, pergolas, balconies and terraces with fabulous views. It's time to bring out your chairs, tables and umbrellas, add some lights and accessories and finish that summer room.

I would love to have this kind of natural, lush corner with a romantic pergola or a cushion-filled build-in terrace seating area with endless views of turquoise sea...

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This cryptic "A door this is not" is pretty funny and belongs to a rather unusual house in California. The owner clearly is a fan of elks, Dr. Who, bright colours - and humor.

A definite piece of art this door is for sure...

Black and white, huge contrasts and patterns so strong from the 60s. Fabulous, glossy statement floor together with stripes, solids and patterns. Mid-century modern pieces and even some 30s feel. This owner of this home certainly feels the pattern love and is not afraid to show it!

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Even on a rainy day these lush English gardens are nothing short of gorgeous - artful topiary, endless fields, flowers, immaculate lawns, statues, little ponds, ivy-covered walls - and not even one mole hole visible anywhere! At a time where most suburban house have a garden too small to have any greenery, this countryside hideaway is just worth a ton of garden love - and a bit of garden envy too!

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This cute Nantucket living room certainly has that beach feel, and and additional 50s flair with the postcard style paining on the wall. The burned okra coloured ottomans and cushions add some new vibe to the typical beach style of creams and blues, and everything is just so fresh and New England feeling...Love this room!

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The ever-talented miss Paris Hilton finally seems to follow the tracks of her grandfather as she is helping to design a resort in Philippines - and it certainly has some cool vibes. This room reminds me of somewhat of a mix between Balinese meet Hermes, and the fabulous setting in Philippines obviously helps too...

This dining room gets extra freshness from the lovely green plant-patterned wallpapers. It has an overall casual mix and match feel with the rustic accessories, live plants, and the chairs being painted in different shades of green in addition to black and white.

The end result is fun, casual and hopefully one that encourages even the little ones tackle the sometimes hard process of eating greens. This feels like a perfect summertime dining room to me!

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This absolutely adorable house in black, white, bold patterns - and a hint of softer blue is the creation of Australia-based designer Greg Natale. It's a collection on mid-century pieces, very Moorish patterns, so-fashionable black chandeliers , yet the colour-scheme has not taken the warmth away from the house.

The kitchen with black patterned doors still remains light and airy, and this definitely feels like a well-designed, fashionable home where kids can also live and play. J'adore!

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if you planning a trip to Mexico, and San Pedro is one of your pit-stops, then here's a must visit place for your agenda: the uber-fabulous Theurel & Thomas French macaroon shop.

Beautiful and tasty macaroon in such a  fashionable all-white setting!

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Designers from Martensen Jones have created this delectable bedroom filled with turquoise accents and some more eclectic accessories. It's fun and vibrant, and so not boring! I spy a cool Hermes blanket, truly furry pillows, Indian lanterns, , a Moroccan pouf, an Eiffel tower...maybe this room tells a story of the owner's travels and favourite locations?

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I have always wanted to have a bubblegum machine although I am not really a huge fun of the bubblegum. ...But one can always fill the machine with some other delicatessen.

So I am very excited for this purple beauty to have entered our household, and it is guaranteed to get a special place in our new house in China...

When it comes to colours there are several trends going on. There are always the classic pastel and soft romantic rooms, the fresh Scandinavian whites for the summer, and of course those bright colours for the spring and summer - like the blooming flowers in beautiful gardens!

I think these fantastic kids rooms would get a lot of approval from my kids, who just love their pinks, oranges and everything in between...

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Simple, sleek and just so cool modern bathroom interiors. What makes this even better is the unobstructed views of the sea through the all-glass wall panels. I can soak in the tub with dreams of floating in the sea...Oh that just must be so relaxing!

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How cute is this Scottish town-home! High ceilings, impressive staircase, some original tiling on the floors and the most amazing crown moldings and high skirting. And the kitchen of that cute cream-coloured shaker style with back marble tops.

Everything is just so soft in pastels and delectable; the only thing I would change is the carpets, as I am no fan of them - and they just don't go together with asthma in the family...

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