Set in a former brothel in Pigalle, Hotel Amour is one of those low-key Paris hotspots that gets whispered from one style setter to the next (beware: during fashion weeks, you might not be able to get a toehold). Best known for its restaurant, and in particular its splendid eggs and salads brunch, it has 24 rooms, each designed by an artist with love on the brain. What better place be on Valentine's Day?

Photographs from the Hotel Amour, unless otherwise noted.

Above: The hotel is set in one of Pigalle's famous bordellos and playfully salutes its past starting with its pink neon sign. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Above: A two-story suite with open bathroom. Photograph by Anne Ditmeyer of Prêt à Voyager for Design Tripper.

Above: Each of the rooms is the work of a different artist or designer, and the looks vary wildly (there's even a teen room with a skateboard and lit vitrine of plastic figurines). The walls of this double bedroom are enameled in a high-gloss black paint.

Above: You might luck into a mirrored vanity. All of the furniture at Hotel Amour dates from the fifties and sixties and was found at auctions and antiques fairs.

Above: Salmon pink walls meet black subway tiles in bedroom with a window onto the bath.

Above: The creative team behind the hotel explain "the general theme is the erotism"—here in blue and green chamber with photographs by Irina Ionesco of her daughter, actress and director Eva Ionesco.

Above: Green marble tiles extend down the shower wall and onto the bathroom floor.

Above: Our vote for the room to request: beloved French illustrator Pierre Le-Tan's apple green boudoir, filled with his drawings and musings on love and crowned with a portrait of a man tucked in with a life-size teddy. 

Above: Hotel Amour is best known for its hip-homey restaurant, with tables right off the tiny lobby. Photograph via Design Tripper.

Above: The main draw is the restaurant's courtyard; it's the place to be for le brunch.

Above: The classic red, white, and blue seating is vintage. 

For reservations, go to Hotel Amour.

Below: The hotel is at 8 Rue de Navarin, in the 9th arrondissement, just south of Montmartre.

View Larger Map

For more in and around Paris, see our Travels with an Editor: Paris series and visit our Paris City Guide.

Roses do not last long enough in the garden. I know you agree. June may come and go, but you and I would like to be gazing fondly on pink velvety petals in December, as well. I believe this to be the reason wallpaper was invented.

UK designer Kevin Dean, a self-described "keen plantsman," has captured the essence of rose—big, blowsy, overblown, beloved by your grandmother, and yet entirely modern. It has been nearly five years since Julie and Francesca discovered his English Roses wallpaper collection at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, and I only wish they'd brought a few rolls home. (As you know, I agonized for months before I figured out how to Pick the Perfect Wallpaper for my guest bath.) 

Photograph via Kevin Dean.

Above: Digitally printed on linen using inks made with organic pigments, the English Roses collection of wallpaper is £85 per roll (measuring 10 meters long by 52 centimeters wide). For more information, see Kevin Dean.

Above: Photograph via Design Sponge via Flickr.

Perhaps the inspiration for the English Roses collection came from real life; here a vase sits on Dean's mantelpiece at home.

Above: Photograph by Geishaboy500 via Flickr. 

For more see Walls, Windows & Floors: Kevin Dean Textiles and Wallpaper.

N.B.: This is an update of a post published June 13, 2013 during our American Beauty week.

This week we found ourselves in the Valentine's Day spirit (we've had enough lace, hot pink, and heartfelt sentiment to last until next year). Next week we'll be back to business as usual with all things Danish. In the meantime, this is what we're currently crushing on:

Above: We spotted these lounge chairs by Dutch industrial designer, Ditte Hammerstrøm, on Dwell.

Dalilah, our newest staffer on the Remodelista team, is intrigued by the idea of 3-D printed fashions, like this 3-D printed dress made for Dita Von Teese, featured on Dezeen. 

Above: This weekend, in anticipation of our Scandi week ahead and in honor of Danish film director Gabriel Axel who just died, Margot is planning to watch Babette's Feast, Axel's Oscar-winning movie from 1987.

Above: Michelle's Gardenista post on the World's Best Rose Wallpaper has us thinking about how one goes about removing unloved wallpaper. Sunset's 4-step instructional on how to get rid of wallpaper has the answer.

Reading this list of where to save and where to splurge on designer home decor (hint: splurge on Tom Dixon, a definite "yes") on HuffPo Home.

Above: The love holiday had Alexa reminiscing about this red room that Julie posted about last winter in La Dolce Vita: A Restored 17th Century Convent in Italy.

We're always on the lookout for nontoxic products for the home and found Real Simple's post on 66 All-Natural Cleaning Solutions to be very useful.

Above: Loving the Dog and Cat grooming kits currently available at Kaufmann Mercantile.

Above: Alexa wants to have all her books rebound with their paper marbled like this example from book binder Christopher Rowlatt in the UK.

For more inspiration have a look at our previous Current Obessions and Design News posts.

On the suburban outskirts of Aarhus, Denmark, Danish architects Mette and Martin Wienberg combine warm, modern rusticity with a cool, minimalist Scandi aesthetic to transform what was originally a 1940’s summer cottage into their family home. It's an unlikely pairing of styles perhaps, but the ease in which the two coexist is what makes this design so memorable.  

Photography by Mikkel Mortensen with styling by Gitte Kjaer via Yatzer and Dezeen. 

Above: The kitchen is the classic white setup we've come to associate with Scandi design—but here it's linked to a family room lined with stained plywood more typically seen in cabins. Polished concrete floors visually unify the two spaces, while a rough concrete block provides a bridge—and a step—between the two. 

Above: In the kitchen, floor-to-ceiling curtains and painted wood baffle ceilings (useful for hiding electrical wire while providing sound insulation) add texture while maintaining the cool and calm of the white kitchen. 

Above: A Noguchi Akari Ceiling Lamp diffuses the light over the dining room table. Catifa 60 Chairs by Arper in a natural leather keep the palette neutral. 

Above: For a brief moment, the built-in wood bench in the family room becomes an extension of the concrete floor in the kitchen. Concrete block steps are as sculptural as they are practical.

Above: A built-in wooden bench with leather-covered cushions wraps around three sides of the sunken family room for informal and casual seating. Large cut-out windows provide unfettered views to the outside.

Above: In the family room, a set of bookshelves runs under the stair riser. 

Above: The built-in bench becomes a three-riser step that leads to the master bedroom. Natural daylight washes down the stairs from a large window above.

Above: A cool minimalism pervades in the all-white master bedroom, while a glimpse of the wood-paneled family room is visible beyond. 

Above: A wood stair connects the upstairs study to the downstairs family room.

Above: In the study upstairs, the natural rustic wood from the family room downstairs continues to be the predominant material even on the floor. The Noguchi Akari Ceiling Lamp above the stairwell provides a visual reference and connection to the kitchen. 

Above: The upstairs study provides expansive views  outside. With its built-in wood desk and bookshelves, the space is suggestive of a tree house, albeit one with heating. The architects keep things consistent and connected by introducing the same Catifa 60 Chair by Arper that they used in the kitchen. 

Above: In the large hallway behind the kitchen, the Wienbergs reference the wood in their family room and study by using a natural jute carpet on the floor.

Above: A simple desk has been built-in to run the length of the office, while open metal Metro Shelves provide useful and flexible storage. The same Catifa 60 Chairs by Arper that have been used throughout the house are here used in white. (N.B.: The flexibility of Metro Shelves makes them an architect favorite. Go to Living Small in London to see how the set I bought when I was a newlywed is the best $1,000 my husband and I ever spent.)

Above: In the private back hall, everything is white including the painted floors.  Worried about keeping those white floors clean? See how the Scandinavians do it in the Great Slipper Debate.

Above L: The same neutral palette established throughout the house stays on course even in the bedroom of the Wienbergs' young son. Above Rt: The bathroom is lined with large-scale black ceramic tiles. 

Above: The exterior of the house is clad in black-painted wood panels and screened with a green slatted fence.

Above: The ground floor plan of Danish architects Mette and Martin Wienbergs' home. 

It's no secret that we're predisposed toward the simplicity of cabin living. See 10 Summer Cabins for more sources of inspiration from our Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory.

Planning a trip to Scandinavia soon? Some design-worthy cabins to stay in include this Remote Retreat Designed by Swedish Survivalists and The Little Red Treehouse. 

In honor of our Great Danes issue this week, we're spotlighting standout Danish designs, and a great example is the work of the late designer Kay Bojesen (responsible for the iconic teak hanging monkey, among other pieces). Margot's post, Revived: The National Flatware of Denmark, put his 1930s streamlined cutlery on our radar and we've been fixated on it ever since (clean lines, matte finishes, what's not to love?). We've teamed up with Kay Bojesen, a new Copenhagen company launched by Bojesen's granddaughter, to give away four prizes, each consisting of a pair of Kay Bojesen salad servers and a salt spoon made to the designer's original specs (retail value for each set is $133). The Kay Bojesen pieces are made of stainless steel and winners can elect a matte or polished finish. 

Here's how to win:

• Follow Remodelista and Kay Bojesen on Pinterest.
• Create a pinboard titled "The Great Danes" featuring images of your favorite Danish-inspired living spaces. 
• Pin five of your favorite pieces from the Kay Bojesen line and five images from Remodelista.com, with a total of at least 20 pins on your pinboard.
• Post a direct link to your pinboard in the comments section below by 6 pm PST, Sunday, February 23; we'll announce the four winners on Tuesday, February 25 at 8 am PST.

Above: The prize: Kay Bojesen's large salad serving Fork and Spoon (€27 each) and a Salt Spoon (€17). Four people will win the sets.

Above: Create pinboards to win. Here's an example from our own pinboard, architects Tsao & McKown's house in Rhinebeck, New York, full of Danish modern antiques.

Above: Also pinned to our board: Bicycle Bells from Danish company, Sögreni, available in zinc, copper, and brass for $65 CAD each at Mjölk.

Above: For more inspiration for your own board, visit our Great Danes board on Pinterest. We're excited to see your finds!

LA creative director and designer Sarah Sherman Samuel and her husband, Rupert Samuel, thought nothing of tearing out the cabinets in their LA bungalow with their own bare hands. We've been watching them in action via Samuel's blog Smitten Studio. The two are can do sorts, but not so handy that they could tackle building the replacements. Nor were they ready to shell out for a cabinetmaker. Instead they took the high/low road: they bought Ikea cabinets and turned to LA-based company SemiHandmade to put up a good front. As Sarah explains: "The genius part is that at Ikea you can buy the cabinets without the doors and drawer faces, so then by getting those at SemiHandmade, you end up with beautifully crafted and high-quality doors and drawers, but it's still less expensive than a custom kitchen. It's like the ultimate Ikea hack."

Photographs by Sarah Sherman Samuel.

Above: Sarah puts a cabinet door in place. The cabinetry all came from Ikea; the doors and drawer fronts are the work of SemiHandmade, which uses Ikea's plans (or architectural plans or even legible sketches) to create customized fronts. Sarah chose SemiHandmade's DIY Shaker design, which is made of maple with MDF inset panels (and is called DIY because the wood is untreated and unstained). 

Above: The cabinet doors freshly painted in Farrow & Ball's Pigeon await installation. "Originally we were going to paint the doors and drawer fronts ourselves," Sarah writes in her chronicle of the project. "I researched spray guns and read up on different DIY techniques, but in the end we hired a professional. By the time I factored in the price of the sprayer and considered all the time it would take me, it turns out hiring the professional ended up being more cost effective."

She settled on the color by painting foam core boards with several possibilities and moving the boards around over days to see how they looked in different lights. She was initially inclined to go with a dark shade, but during the testing process this nuanced gray-green emerged the winner. 

Above: Rupert assembles the Ikea shelves. Sarah reports that they were able to follow the Ikea instructions without going too cross eyed, and that it took the two of them a full day to install all of the SemiHandmade doors and drawer fronts: "The drawer fronts snapped in quick like lightening, but hanging the doors and adjusting the hinges took a bit of time."

Above: SemiHandmade ships its designs across the country, and is planning to set up showrooms near some of the largest Ikea stores (it's currently in Burbank, CA, two miles from Ikea). Wondering about costs? The company reports that most clients spend $5,000 to $10,00 on its doors, panels, and drawer faces to complete a room. Ikea cabinet boxes and hardware typically cost $1,000 to $3,000, and, if you pay for assembly and installation, that generally runs $1,500 to $2,000—so that projects generally total somewhere between $8,000 and $15,000.

Above: Sarah's high/low approach extends to the fixtures and finishes: the apron sink is from Ikea—the Domsjo; $185.99—while the counter and backsplash is Calacatta Gold marble. The kitchen is shown here nearly finished—cabinet and drawer pulls are still to come.

Above: "I've always wanted a kitchen with marble countertops," says Sarah. "I know they aren't the most durable or practical, but come on, the heart wants what the heart wants." She selected the slabs at an LA marble yard and expected to go for Carrara, but discovered "Carrara is generally more gray with smaller veins, and Calacatta is whiter with more dramatic veins. The slab I found was very white and the veins have the prettiest range of colors, including touches of gold and green."

Above: Further departing from Ikea, Sarah chose a high-end faucet in a brushed bronze finish: Brizo's Solna design, which has a hidden pull-down spray wand at the tip of its spout.

Above: Sarah test drives her own designs on the new counter. The Walnut Serving Board Hexagon ($48) is from her online shop, Sunny Afternoon, which specializes in picnic wares (most of them made by Sarah herself and her father).

Above: The kitchen opens to the living room and dining area. Upper cabinets flank the kitchen window but fade into the background thanks to the fact that they're painted white—Wimborne White from Farrow & Ball—to blend with the walls. SemiHandmade supplied the bar front; the stools are from Organic Modernism.  Go to Smitten Studio for more details, including Before shots of the kitchen. 

More ways to customize Ikea? Have a look at Superfront, makers of cabinet upgrades; Bemz, which specializes in transformative slipcovers; and Pretty Pegs, a line of custom furniture legs—all made for Ikea designs.

There was a time—and I'm not saying I'm at all proud of this—when I used to go to Ikea for the Swedish meatballs. This was when we had toddlers, and my husband and I would strap them into the backseat of the Honda Civic to drive nearly an hour to the closest store on Long Island. 

Ikea was a new thing then, and to Americans everything about it was cool: the maze of movie-set rooms displaying flat-pack furniture; the free babysitting in the Småland supervised play area, and of course the well-priced lunch. But in retrospect I think it must have been the eating of so many meatballs that gave the Swedes the wrong impression of us. Perhaps it established us as rubes, unsophisticates, a nation willing to consume anything.

This has to be why Ikea doesn't send us the good stuff: we must seem like credulous children to Europeans. It's the only reason I can think of to explain why Ikea doesn't sell some of the best products in its repertoire here. The US stores stock 12,000 items. But some of the best Ikea designs—the pink birch stool, the iconic rattan pendant, the copper-legged trestle table—never make it here.

Above: For Europeans only? Ikea's pink Frosta stool. Photograph via Ikea.

All these years later, I still love Ikea. Make that love love Ikea. And I need a pink Frosta Stool. It has lovely birch legs, a painted seat, and a design directly influenced by the iconic Alvar Aalto Stool 60. If I lived in the UK, where it is being reissued as part of the company's new Bråkig collection, I could buy it for £8. But in the US? Forget it.

The Europeans are getting the good stuff. Why aren't we? We do after all have quite a few shoppers here who would like to buy pink stools: nearly 318 million people live in the US, versus 63.7 million people in the UK—or, for that matter, 9.6 million in Sweden. So what's up?

Above: Not coming to America: Ikea's Brakig trestle table. Photograph via Ikea.

Many of us 318 million Americans wonder why Ikea is withholding our Scandi basics. When Ikea took away our Enje window blinds, blogger Daniel Kanter of Manhattan Nest wrote, "I mourn for them daily." When Ikea discontinued its birch Akurum Adel cabinets in the middle of homeowner Jan Clayton Shaw's kitchen remodel, forcing her to finish the job with Home Depot lookalikes, she worried she might not be able to sell her townhouse: "I thought about going eclectic—as in non-matching—but I'm worried it would look odd to potential buyers."

Is Ikea denying me a pink stool because they think Americans have bad taste?   You can imagine the conversation going on in some conference room in Stockholm, where they're making decisions about who gets the pink stools and who doesn't. Are they saying, "Send Americans more meatballs, they love the pork and the beef, but let's keep the good furniture here?"

When I phoned Ikea spokeswoman Marguerite Marston, who is based in Philadelphia, she assured me this was not the case.

"We get probably 95 percent of what other places in the world take," she said. "Of course, there are occasionally some collections that we don't take in our US stores for a variety of reasons. We may not have enough capacity. It may be hard to believe, because our stores are so big, but in Europe the stores are even larger. Or we may not think it's going to be of interest to our customers in the US."

Above: Ikea's Leran pendant lamp; photograph by Ivy Style.

Not of interest? How could an adorable pink stool that costs less than $14 not be of interest to every American? And what about the beautifully proportioned Leran Pendant Lamp, which we used to be able to buy in the US before it was discontinued here? If I were one of the comparatively few shoppers living in the UK, I could buy it for £70.

And what about the Lövbacken side table ($59.99), a reissue of a classic three-legged table that Ikea started selling in 2013 in Europe? It didn't arrive here until about ten seconds ago.

The Lövbacken side table, like the Frosta stool, is part of a limited collection, said Ms. Marston, adding that Ikea often tests those collections in Europe first.  "If we launch a collection in Europe in January, we may launch it in the rest of the world in May or June because of production cycles," she said. "Suppliers can't possibly produce enough to supply the whole world at once."

Above: Ikea's Maskros ceiling light; photograph via Bo-laget.

Another example of a product in a limited collection that eventually earned a permanent spot in US stores is the Maskros Pendant, a giant dandelion puff of a ceiling fixture that costs $49.99.

"So will we Americans get the pink stool in a few months?" I asked.

"No," she said. "It's part of a special collection we're not taking to the US."

"Never?"

"Not at this time," she said.

"Could I go online to an Ikea store in Europe, order it there, and have it shipped internationally?" I asked, a note of desperation creeping into my voice.

"You could probably try, but you’d have to have it air freighted and I’d hate to think what it would cost," Ms. Marston said. "It would certainly be a collector’s item when it arrived."

Ikea, I love you. You were my first bookcases. You were my daughters' first big-girl beds. You were the stainless steel cabinet pulls that made a tiny kitchen feel sleek. And if you don't let me buy the pink stool, I'll still love you. But I will feel you don't love me back quite as much.

(What about you? Would you buy a pink stool if it were available in the US? Is there another Ikea product you wish you could get here? Tell us about it in the comments below.)

Read more of Michelle's weekly Domestic Dispatches, including Death to the Double Sink and her adventures in Removing Stains from a Marble Backsplash.

Spend any time cruising the Web lately and you can't help but get caught up in the recent studies directly linking productivity (not to mention well being and happiness) to sleep. By now you've probably heard what a bedroom should and should not be: it should be a serene space sheltered from your busy life, and should not be an office (no laptops and their tungsten light glare allowed, no cell phones tucked under pillows).

This leads us to define the proper bedroom as one with a well-made bed with lots of natural woolen materials to settle into, and a stack of bedside books—actual books—for reading. A perfect example is this Scandinavian bedroom, with a mix of natural linens (that fall at different points in the pricing spectrum) and a bench as a bedside table. We've sourced the key elements to recreate the serene setup—and strike that just-right work/sleep balance.

Above: Stylist Paula Eklund dissects the winter white bedroom on Ikea Family Living Magazine, and while the look can be sourced through the Scandi superstore, it's the mix of luxurious Japanese and French linens from a variety of sources that makes the design so appealing.

Above: West Elm's Simple Bed Frame is built from solid wood with a white lacquer finish and solid pine slats; $349 for a queen size.

Above: The Varmluft Pendant Shade is made from a square of white paper that gives off a soft glow; $7.99 each at Ikea.

Above: Muji's Light Feather Duvet No. 2 is filled with French goose feathers for a warm but lightweight quality; $575 for the queen size at Muji. Alternatively, Ikea's Mysa Vete Comforter is made from cotton and duck down and offers a medium level of warmth; $99.

Above: Also from Muji, the Linen Calico Duvet Cover in ecru is made from 100 percent linen; $168 for the queen size.

Above: Some of the most coveted linen sheets are at Merci in Paris (and online), such as the washed pure linen Fitted Sheet in Off White with a natural wrinkled look; €129 each.

Above: Seen in the home of French stylist Aurélie Lécuyer, the Merci Pillow Cases (€35 each) and Inserts (€15 each) are made from the same natural linen as their sheets.

Above: Ikea's textural Ofelia Throw Blanket is made from an off-white nubby wool blend of yarn; $29.99.

Above: The simple Norden Bench in birch wood is $69.99 at Ikea.

Above: The large Reed Box (26-by-15-inches) by A Détacher is $250 from Anaïse.

Above: Ikea's Tisdag LED Work Lamp has a wrought iron base and steel shade all in a powder-coated white finish; $69.99.

Above: From architect Bryce Gracey's sheepskin-sourcing company, Black Sheep (White Light), a Natural White Icelandic Sheepskin is $220 at The Line.

Above: Restoration Hardware's Hand-Braided Jute Rug is made of natural jute fibers; prices start at $395 for the 5-by-7-foot size.

Looking for more sleep advice? See our posts: 10 Secrets for a Better Night's Sleep and 7 Secrets for Making a Perfect Bed.

Ushering inspired designs out of prototype and into manufacturing is the m.o. of lighting collective Standard Socket. The company has its own workshop, Eastbay Lighting, in Seattle, and collaborates with an international roster of designers, many of whom take a delightfully playful approach to their task.

All of the lights are made in Seattle and available directly from Standard Socket as well as from Inform Interiors of Seattle.

Above: Standard Socket's Strung Pendant brings new style—and permanence—to party lights. The design is the work of James and Chelsea Minola of Grain Studio, who met as RISD students in Guatemala and now operate out of a 1902 farmhouse with five chickens on Bainbridge Island, Washington. 

Above: The light is made from glazed ceramic socket covers, nude-colored nylon cording, and brushed brass.

Above: The Strung Sconce (shown here) with three lights is $1,175; the Stung Pendant with five lights is $1,625. A multi-string chandelier version, as well as a black and charcoal color option, will be available within the next few weeks.

Above: Norwegian designer Catherine Baekken modeled her Booi pendant after mooring buoys. The design will be available in late spring; pricing is still to be determined.

Above: The light is 14 inches in diameter and has a hand-turned birch handle and a sandblasted glass globe.

Above: The Spun Pendant by Seattle's Ladies & Gentleman Studio is made of brass, copper, and maple; $450. It works with incandescent, LED, and CFL bulbs to allow for intense or diffuse light. Ladies & Gentleman is operated by Dylan David and Jean Lee, who say they like to combine Japanese craftsmanship with Dutch humor.

Above: The Spun Sconce, $375. The interior components of the light are available in white or black powder-coated aluminum. 

Above: Coming soon: The Spun Multiple Pendant.

Browse our vast Photo Gallery of Lighting for more ideas. Wondering about which bulbs to use? See the Great Light Bulb Debate. Looking for a DIY? Check out the Ceiling Medallion from The Brick House.

Danes seeking a break from honeyed wood and soft Gustavian grays can find refuge at No. 40 Copenhagen. The ultimate retro-modern man cave, the shop presents an eclectic array of French vintage and industrial goods: weighty metal files, dramatically scaled lighting, medical ward cast offs, and vintage locker room fare. There's also texture—woven baskets and rustic farmhouse tables—to punctuate the darkness. A healthy dose of curios, sprinkled with goods of a more intimate scale, further broaden No 40's appeal.

Above: Located on Gammel Kongevej, No. 40 hosts a range of French goods, from Jielde floor lamps to classic bistro fare. Image via The Happy Mango. 

Above: Nothing new: the shop specializes in storied pieces marked with the patina from years of use. Image via What Katie Does.

Above: Vintage Luxembourg cafe chairs flank the sidewalk.

Above: An eclectic mix of rustic and industrial elements give No. 40 an earthy, grounded feel. Image via What Katie Does.

Above: On any given day you might find vintage taxidermy or classic movie lights brightening the moody interior.

Above: Retro fans and a model plane add a touch of whimsy.

Above: Industrial clocks and lights and antique gym equipment are among the staples at No. 40.

Above: An industrial table and vintage drafting stools, an ensemble that would look great in a restaurant or home.

Above: No. 40 is a reliable source for mid-century lighting and rustic furniture—but you never know what you'll find on offer.

Above: A room furnished with finds from No. 40—demonstrating that the goods are not at all incompatible with a more traditional Scandi palette.

Above: Two mixed-media interiors compliments of No. 40 Copenhagen.

A source of industrial antiques closer to home? See Big Daddy's Antiques in LA—the setting for our winter Remodelista holiday market. For an interior that makes use of industrial architecture and design, visit an Industrial Penthouse in France. Like the idea of living with lockers? See Design Sleuth: School Lockers.

When architects Solveig Fernlund and Neil Logan undertook a gut renovation of a historic Brooklyn townhouse for a Swedish family, they turned to the classic hardware of Scandinavia, D Line. Manufactured in Denmark to exacting standards, the collection is the work of Danish architect and industrial designer Knud Holscher and remains much unchanged since the 1970s. "D Line is so common in Scandinavia, it's almost generic," adds Solveig, "but it's very high quality."

Throughout the house, Fernlund and Logan used D Line's Lever Handle, one of the company's bestsellers available in a range of sizes—"they're used in the bathrooms in the Denmark airport," says Neil. And in the clean-lined, stripped-bare master bath, they used D-Line's elemental stainless steel handles, knobs, and toilet paper holder, introduced in 1970 in Denmark and still in production.

Go to D Line to view the entire catalog and find a dealer near you. For US price quotes and orders, send a query to Ironmonger in Chicago, which carries the line. 

Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.

Above: A sliding wood door—painted a shade of green copied from Le Corbusier's palette (and offered by Swiss company Kt Color)—leads to the master bath in an 1840s Brooklyn townhouse remodeled by architects Solveig Fernlund and Neil Logan, each of whom now operates their own New York firm. The door has a recessed Flush Pull Handle made of satin stainless steel by D Line of Copenhagen.

Above: To keep the bathroom light and bright, the architects used a clear glass shower wall and milk glass tiles from Urban Archaeology. (A caveat: the glass had knife-sharp edges and unexpectedly required laborious sanding.) The Raindance Showerhead is by German manufacturer Hans Grohe. 

Above: In lieu of a towel bar, D Line Coat Hooks in brushed stainless steel with signature "coat pin" line a wall. 

Above: The his and hers trough sink is Duravit's Vero design and the faucets are the iconic Vola HVI tap designed in 1968 by Arne Jacobsen.

Above: The toilet is Duravit's Happy D model. See our post, 5 Favorites: The Best Water-Conserving Toilets for more ideas.

Above: The architects installed the D Line Spare Toilet Roll Holder in brushed stainless as a toilet roll dispenser. The design went on to be much imitated: see our post 10 Easy Pieces: Modern Toilet Paper Holders for lookalikes.

Above: The radiant-heated floor is tiled in balsatina, "a stone found in Italian train stations," says Solveig. Sourced from Stone Source, it's applied in two sizes: large squares for the main floor and smaller ones in the shower area (so the architects could create the right pitch in the subfloor for a shower drain).

Above: In another bathroom, and throughout the house, Fernlund and Logan used D Line's Lever Handle, one of the company's bestsellers available in a range of sizes.

To see Solveig Fernlund and Neil Logan's design for the first floor of the townhouse, go to A Scandi Kitchen in Brooklyn. The house's attic bath—one of our all-time favorite designs—is featured on pages 238-241 of Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home. Click here for more of our hardware finds.

Nautical style comes naturally to the seafaring Scandinavians (their maritime history stretches back to the Vikings). Here are some favorite recent finds:

Above: The rustic linen Vaxbo Lin Bath Mat is $29 from Manos in Sweden; elsewhere, you can find the Vaxbo Lin Bath Mats for £22.95 from Hus and Hem in the UK; and in Canada, the Vaxbo Lin Bath Mat is CA $45 from Truly Swedish Design.

Above: Exfoliating Swedish Sea Salt Soap is $6 from West Elm.

Above: Designed for the Swedish Military, Hudsalve is known as "the Swiss Army Knife of lip balm"; $12 from Best Made.

Above: Nautical cleats as towel hooks; for sourcing ideas, go to 7 Cleats for Home Use.

Above: Swedish-made Iris Hantverk's bath accessories are available from Olmay Home in Los Angeles (L to R): the Bath Brush is $36, the Toilet Brush with Concrete Holder is $78, and the Concrete Soap Dish is $32.

Above: The 100 percent cotton Sea Anchor bath mat is $38 from Anthropologie.

Above: The Denmark Flag Shower Curtain is $57.99 from Cafe Press.

 Have a look at more of our favorite Bath Accessories, and for more nautical ideas, check out Guideboat. A nautically-inspired DIY? See Stair Rope Banisters.

As we count the minutes until spring, we're partnering with Terrain to offer US-based readers a chance to win a trip for two to Terrain's flagship Philadelphia store on April 19, 2014, for a day of shopping and feasting with Remodelista's editor-in-chief, Julie Carlson, as your guide.

Here's what one lucky person will win:

• A $5,000 shopping spree at Terrain in Glen Mills, PA, with Julie Carlson as your personal shopper
• Lunch with Julie at Terrain's Garden Café
• Roundtrip Airfare for two to Philadelphia from anywhere in the Continental US 
• A hotel stay on Friday and Saturday nights, April 18 and 19, at the Hotel Palomar in Rittenhouse Square
• Transportation to and from the hotel to Terrain on Saturday, April 19 
• Dinner for two on Saturday evening at Terrain's Garden Café

View the official rules (note that winners must be able to visit Terrain on April 19) and enter to win below:

Above: Enter your email for a chance to win at Terrain + Remodelista's Win $5,000 and a Trip to Terrain contest page. The winner will be selected in a random drawing on March 20, 2014.

Above: Plants for sale at Terrain's flagship store, set on 11 acres in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, 15 miles west of Philadelphia.

Above: The winner will have $5,000 to spend at the store, with Julie as a shopping guide.

Above: Terrain's Garden Café is set in an antique greenhouse under a canopy of hanging ferns. Chef Keith Rudolf's menu focuses on seasonal ingredients from trusted local farmers.

Enter to win the shopping spree and trip at Terrain.

The Windsor is the quintessential wooden chair, a classic that since its first known appearance in the 18th century has been stained, painted, deconstructed, and reimagined in all sorts of ways. The British (and the American) Windsor is traditionally made from a triumvirate of maple, poplar, and oak with a curved back and seat; here are 10 new variations on the theme we're eying:

Above: The J111 Windsor Chair by Paul M. Volther for Danish design company Hay, is available in natural beech wood (shown) as well as black, white, gray, and red finishes; £372 at Folklore.

Above: The Coventry Chair by Chris Eckersley, manufactured by Sitting Firm Chairmakers in Coventry, features "an uncluttered contemporary aesthetic"; £510 from the New Craftsmen in the UK.

Above: The Spoke Dining Chair from West Elm sports an elongated back; $299.

Above: Christopher Howe takes the classic beechwood Windsor and gives it a high gloss finish in custom paint colors. His Painted Windsor Chairs are £225 each at Howe in London.

Above: The Riviera Tall Windsor Side Chair designed by Paola navone is $399 at Crate & Barrel.

Above: UK designer Matthew Hilton's 362 Hastoe Windsor Chair for de la Espada is $895 from YLiving.

Above: Serbian design company Antipod's custom Windsor Aluminum Chair presents the design in an unexpected lightweight metal; available through Antipod in Belgrade.

Above: A Remodelista favorite, Design Within Reach's Salt Chair is a modern take on the Shaker-style chair and a go-to for affordable seating. It's made in the Czech Republic of beech and beech plywood, and comes in red, black, gray, and white; $99 to $109 each. Serena & Lily offers the same model (they call it the Tucker Chair); available in seven colors; $168 from Serena & Lily.

Above: Designed for New York store Matter, Chris Specce's Windsor Chair pares the classic down to its basic elements. Available in six different colored stains or paint finishes, the chair is $625 at Matter.

Above: Designer Mark Daniel designed the Willa Side Chair for Crate & Barrel in a variety of colors, including Mint shown here; $149 each.

Above: Designed by Lina Nordqvist for Design House Stockholm, the Family Chairs are a 21st century take on the Swedish-style Windsor with a stick back. Each chair in the set of four has a different spindle design; a two-piece set is $420 from Fjørn Scandinavian.

Above: The J77 Dining Chair, designed by Folke Pålsson for Hay, is made from solid beech in a minimalist, newly proportioned package; $225 at the Finnish Design Shop.

Above: New to Ikea, the Trendig 2013 Chair in black (or red) is something of a cross between a Windsor and a wingback chair; $59 each.

Above: UK-based Italian designer Marino Gamper's Yellow Chair is a reclaimed Windsor updated with wood stains that have been applied and removed in different areas. The chair was designed as part of Gamper's Gesamtkunsthandwerk exhibition and is available through Everyday Needs in New Zealand.

Looking for another riff on a classic? See Five Prouvé-Inspired Swing Arm Lights. For more dining room seating, take a look at our 10 Easy Pieces on Red Dining Chairs.

Danish artist Anne Mette Skodborg makes her living drawing murals with markers directly onto the walls of offices. She applied the same inventiveness to her cost-conscious renovation of her two-bedroom apartment in Copenhagen, which full of home improvement tips for all remodelers, even those who ready to take pen to wall. Undeterred by the pre-war apartment's size—660 square feet—and residue left by a heavy smoking previous owner, Skodborg armed herself with gallons of white paint and attacked with determination. Ingenious design updates combined with flea market finds result in small urban living at its most inventive—and fun.

Photography by Frederikke Heiberg and styling by Rikke Graff Juel via My Scandinavian Home and Ellen's Album. 

Above: Skodborg installed coral colored acrylic sheets for an inexpensive backsplash solution. A clear acrylic box hung on the wall provides invisible incidental storage above the small counter. 

Above: Classic Wall Mounted Tolomeo Lamps provide above counter lighting, while handmade leather pulls update the kitchen cabinets. To make your own leather pulls, see our DIY Video: How to Make a $20 Pull for $2. Looking to buy? See 10 Easy Pieces: Leather Cabinet Hardware and Made Measure Takes Leather Pulls One Step Further.

Above: Cutting boards against the inventive acrylic backsplash.

Above: To make up for the kitchen's lack of storage and counter space, Skodborg added a stainless steel Ikea catering cart. A flea market lampshade is updated with a fluorescent cord.

Above: Skodborg labels her glass jars with Uni Posca pens, water-based markers that can be used on all surfaces.

Above: A narrow dining table fits into the L-shaped dining area off the living room. In addition to hanging her own canvases, Skodborg draws directly on her walls with markers. See Anne Mette Skodbord for more examples of her work. 

Above: Pale green accents in Skodberg's paintings are picked up in a translucent FL/Y Kartell Pendant Light and green glass vase. 

Above: In the living area, Skodborg continues the green accents. A sheepskin throw on a stackable outdoor Hee Chair transforms it into an indoor chair. Skodberg uses the space between the window sill and cabinets as an ad hoc bookshelf. 

Above: A cluster of colored vases on the window sill complement the spines of Skodborg's design books.

Above: Mod meets 19th century in the bedroom where a midcentury desk and chair sit next to the bed and a metallic lampshade hangs from an ornate ceiling plate. The geometric bedcover is the Mega Dot Quilt by Hay. 

Above: White and green keep the color palette simple and fresh on the bedroom sill.

Above: A long bolster serves as a makeshift headboard.

Above: Skodborg painted an old wardrobe black and added tassel pulls. Her wall drawing on the side of the pilaster ties together the colors of the artwork and chair cushion.

Above: In the entry, a sheer curtain on a brass rail hides the electrical box, while a Hay Pinocchio Rug, inspired by Danish licorice balls, lends a playfulness to the apartment's comings and goings.

For more budget makeovers, see A Budget Bedroom in Brooklyn and Tile Intel: A Remodel with Heath Seconds. Fixing up your place? See our Remodeling 101 posts for crucial advice.

Arne Jacobsen had a hand in every inch of the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, completed in 1960, from the architecture to the bed linens. Originally owned by the Scandinavian Airlines System, the hotel has changed hands over the years and been remodeled (in 2009 it became the Radisson Blu Royal), but one suite, 606, has been left exactly as Arne intended it. And it's even available for the night.

We love Jacobsen's fearless use of myriad blues in the room. Here, we matched each shade with a paint color, so you can easily introduce a little Copenhagen blue at home.

Swatch photographs by Meredith Swinehart. 

Above: Pratt & Lambert Duckling is our pick for the blue-green that Jacobsen selected for his upholstered furniture. Image via Radisson Blu. 

Above: Farrow & Ball's Cook's Blue matches the window valence and curtains in Suite 606. (N.B. This is an infinitely usable color and recommended if you're looking for a good medium blue. And if you'd like your own Arne Jacobsen sofa and Swan and Egg chairs, they're still in production and available from Fritz Hansen.) Image via File No. 7. 

Above: Jacobsen offset his blues with wenge wood paneling and linen curtains. Farrow & Ball's London Stone captures the linen. Image via Classe Touriste.

Above: Farrow & Ball's Green Blue is a close approximation of the bedroom walls. (The Farrow & Ball color is also a favorite of architect James Dixon, who recommended it for our 10 Paint Picks: Jade and Celadon Green.) Image via Classe Touriste. 

Above: Match the bedspread with Vivid Blue from Pratt & Lambert. Image via Classe Touriste. 

Above: Supreme Blue from Pratt & Lambert is a good approximation of the bright blue of the laminated nightstand. Image via Classe Touriste. 

Above: In an all-white hallway, Jacobsen introduced a surprise hit of bold blue; a close match is Sherwin-Williams' Freshwater. Image via Radisson Blu. To stay in the room, go to Radisson Blu.

Keep exploring color with our Palette & Paints posts. Also don't miss Behind the Green Door: 5 Rooms with Stealth Color and Steal This Look: Creative Color in a Dutch Kitchen.

Copenhagen night-life impresario Rasmus Shepherd-Lomborg recently unveiled Lidkoeb, a bar that spans three floors of an 18th-century apothecary brick building, with original wooden beams and thick walls in place. Tucked inside a courtyard off Vesterbrogade, Lidkoeb is kitted out with Børge Mogensen's midcentury Danish leather seating, a private smoking balcony, and a stage large enough to fit a piano and a small jazzband. When in Copenhagen, it'll be one of our first stops. 

Photography via Lidkoeb and Visit Copenhagen.

Above: The bar opens to blazing fire in a beamed hearth. Note the inset stacked firewood.

Above: Danish designer Børge Mogensen's Spanish Chair, a 1958 classic still in production, are lined up on the herringbone brick hearth.

Above: Menus on wooden clipboards are lined up between the beer taps. Lidkoeb's logo is a pair of shaking hands.

Above: The ground floor has leather banquettes and Spine Barstools designed by Space CPH for Frederica. "The cocktail world, in Copenhagen anyway, has been characterized by the bar looking like something from an airport—stylistically stringent and slightly cold," Shepherd-Lomborg told Issuu, by way of explaining his insistence on supreme warmth and comfort.

Above: The banquettes are slung with shaggy fur throws.

Above: Shepherd-Lomborg selected a warm wood for the bar so that it's a place where people want to linger.

Above: The bar backdrop is tiled in a black-cross pattern.

Above: Choose your perch—an equally inviting bar with gray walls, black tables, backed wooden stools, and old medicine cabinets awaits on another floor.

Above: Libkoeb entrance is hidden in an unmarked courtyard and can be hard to find. Look for stately red doors and a subtle sign. See Lidkoeb for more details.

Check out our City Guide of Copenhagen for more visit-worthy bars. A favorite of ours is the Mikkeller Bar.

Anne Black, one of Denmark's star ceramic artists, recently opened a concept shop in Copenhagen featuring an idiosyncratic mix of wares (furniture from e15, home accessories from Moormann, and linens from Society) as well as her own delicate, sherbet-hued pieces. Black, who graduated from the Kolding School of Design in 1996, apprenticed with several ceramicists before launching her own line with her husband, Jesper, which is made by hand in her studio on the outskirts of Hanoi in Vietnam.

Above: The shop is located at the corner of Gammel Kongevej in Frederiksberg, a district of Copenhagen. Photo via SoFiliumm.

Above: The high-ceilinged space is painted entirely in white, floors included.

Above: A collection of Black's hand-glazed Bloom vases.

Above: Black's ceramics and other offerings are displayed on FNP shelving by Nils Holger Moormann.

Above: Last spring, Swedish artist Astrid Svangren created a watercolor installation in the store. Photo via SoFiliumm.

Above: In the US, Anne Black's Tilt Bowls are available from Huset in LA; $27 to $50, depending on size.

Above: Black's muted color palette is inspired by nature.

Above: A corner of the shop with a clever folding table; the shelf leaning against the wall is by e15. Photo via SoFiliumm

We're eternally on the hunt for standout ceramics. You, too? Have a look at our Ceramics posts, including Brooklyn's Clam Lab, Humble Ceramics of LA and Another Country's Another Pottery Series, made in the UK. 

Concrete is the Cinderella of flooring materials: long relegated to life as a subfloor—and covered up by a host of materials deemed more suitable for display, like wood, tiles, and carpeting. But in recent years, it's earned its place in the limelight, polished and ready to take center stage. Hardworking, low maintenance, versatile, affordable, and in it for the long term, polished concrete is an undeniably appealing floor choice—but, like everything, not without its faults. Is it the one for you?  Let our guide help you decide.

Above: Architects Specht Harpman installed polished concrete floors across the expanse of a 19th century gambrel barn that they renovated in Connecticut. Expansion joints are incorporated into the floor to control and minimize cracking. Photograph by Michael Moran. 

What is polished concrete?

Concrete is a natural composite material made from an aggregate (typically rocks, river stones, and granite chips) combined with a cement binder (such as limestone and calcium sulphate) and water. For those wondering what the difference is between concrete and cement, the answer is that cement is a component of concrete: sidewalks are made of concrete, not cement.

Transforming concrete into a smooth and decorative surface for flooring requires treating it with a concrete densifier, a chemical that is applied over the concrete surface to fill the pores. Once the surface is prepared and dried, it is then ground with grinding tools that get progressively finer to achieve the desired finish. Polished concrete is measured in grades and finishes: the higher the grade, the larger the exposed aggregates; similarly, the higher the finish, the shinier the polish. 

Above: Diamond-polished concrete floors in the house of Tiina Laakkonen, as seen in our Remodelista book. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Why are concrete floors in vogue?

Like all things utilitarian, concrete floors are having a moment. Thanks to the stalwarts of modernism and their form-follows-function mandate, the material has become synonymous with honesty and integrity. When working with large open spaces, concrete floors are an easy and cost-effective way to achieve a unifying aesthetic—one that offers a seamless transition from interior to exterior. And, with its thermal conducting properties, concrete works particularly well with radiant floor heating systems, warming up large swathes of floor space efficiently (want to know more about radiant floor heating? See Remodelista 101: Five Things to Know About Radiant Floor Heating).  

Above: Concrete floors combined with radiant floor heating are welcome anywhere in the house, particularly in the bathroom (as seen in this Hokkaido house by architect Jun Igarashi). Photograph by Daci Ano via Dezeen. 

What are the challenges involved in installing a concrete floor?

Just because concrete implies utility doesn't mean that working with it is simple. “I love polished concrete for its visual appeal and its performance as a floor," says London architect Johnny Holland of Hacket Holland (a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory), “however, I have a few words of cautionary advice. The process is not as simple as it sounds, and because the material is wet at first, the timing of all the steps is critical and must be carried out by a specialist." Here's what some of those specialized steps involve: Before pouring, the concrete has to be vibrated to remove air bubbles. During pouring, the concrete has to be leveled perfectly and expansion joints need to be incorporated to avoid cracking after it's in use. To create a smooth surface, a "power float machine" gets run over the concrete at exactly the right moment in the curing when it's still quite wet. "The entire process from start to finish occurs over a matter of weeks and the surface must be protected against potential damage while it dries," continues Holland. "The specialist contractor then returns to polish the floor, which is done mechanically with abrasive grits (usually with a diamond content).  This is not a job for a DIYer—or even most ordinary builders.”

What kinds of textures, colors, and finishes are available with concrete floors?

If you're installing a new concrete floor, the choices of textures, color,s and finishes are nearly limitless. Texture and finish are determined by the grade of concrete used, how it's poured, and the polishing process. Color can be introduced in several ways: pigment can be mixed into wet concrete to achieve any desired color (colored aggregates, too, such as stones, marbles, and pieces of glass, can be added), or an acid- or water-based stain can be used to color dry concrete.

Above: In a London House, architect Jonathan Tuckey runs a red pigmented ribbon of concrete stair through the house. 

Do concrete floors need to be sealed and what sort of maintainance is involved?

Concrete is susceptible to oil, water, and pet stains, so sealing is recommended—and an easy process (use your installer's recommended sealing product). Your floors will need to be resealed every two to three years to keep them looking as fresh as when they were installed. Maintaining a concrete floor is simple: once a week or so, run a dust mop over it to pick up dust and fine particles and then mop with a gentle cleanser. Your installer may have recommended products to use.

Can you change the finish or color of an existing concrete subfloor?

You may be living with concrete floors and not know it: concrete subfloors often exist beneath another flooring material, so all you have to do is remove the top layer. The exposed concrete floor will likely have a rough finish that requires polishing. The possibilities depend on the quality and condition of the concrete; check with a specialist to find out what can be achieved. Options for changing the color of an existing concrete floor are limited to what you can apply on top: concrete stains or paint.

How much does a concrete floor cost?

A polished concrete floor is an attractive option for many reasons, including the price. The average cost is $4 to $5 a square foot. 

Above: Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen opted for a polished concrete floor when they transformed a workshop/shed into a bunkhouse for visiting children and guests. For the full tour, see Backyard Bunkhouse, Hollywood Royal Family Edition.

Polished concrete floor recap

Pros:

• Strong and durable
• Affordable
• Little maintenance required
• Good thermal conductor for radiant floor heating
• Develops a rugged patina 

Cons:

• Uncomfortable to stand on for long stretches
• Can be cold without radiant floor heating
• Concrete isn't for perfectionists: it cracks, chips, and stains easily, but that rugged look can also be considered charming
• The material has less give, which means dropped items often break.

Another flooring material that has a lot going for it? See The Mystery of Bamboo Floors Revealed. Embarking on a kitchen remodel? To get started, read Questions to Ask When Choosing Your Kitchen Countertops and Questions to Ask When Choosing Your Kitchen Cabinets.

Jewelry designer Marie von Lotzbeck and photographer Jakob Kirk took a hands-on approach to the revamping of the 1929 farmhouse in Eastern Denmark, where they live with their daughter and dog. We love the mix they struck of Scandinavian order against raw surfaces, like concrete floors and painted brick walls. Also notable: the couple's use of interior windows to fill the rooms with light and create the illusion of space. 

Photos by Kira Brandt via Femina except where noted.

Above: The flooring on the main level is concrete with an epoxy finish (though Von Lotzbeck intends to paint it). The concrete may look cold, but it's kept warm thanks to radiant floor heating. The black stool next to the stove is the Raft design by Norm Architects for Danish manufacturer &tradition. 

Above: Von Lotzbeck designed the full-height bookcase in the dining room, and Kirk built it using painted MDF. He also made the dining table using recycled wood stained black in a high-gloss finish. The chair and pendant lights are from &tradition.

Above: The living room overlooks the kitchen through a clear glass window. The tall stool is the Raft Barstool Norm for &tradition, and the small stool is an antique. 

Above: On the wall dividing the living room and kitchen, a wood-burning stove stands next to a full-length mirror, another interior window of sorts.

Above: The kitchen has a Siemens cooktop, Vola fixtures, and salvaged wall lights.

Above: In a house with stone walls and concrete floors, acoustic absorption is important. Behind the kitchen table three pieces by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects are hung just for this purpose. The table is lit by three Ikea lamps that Von Lotzbeck patinated. Photo by Karina Tengberg for BoligLiv.

Above: An iron-framed window opens the living room to the front entry. The sofa is from Ilva and sits beneath paintings by Julie von Lotzbeck, Marie's sister. Photo by Karina Tengberg.

Above: The window was salvaged from an abandoned factory.

Above: Another painting by Von Lotzbeck's sister hangs in the bedroom. The side table is by Kasper Ronn of Norm Architects and the lamp is Trash Me, a paper pulp design from Victor Vetterlein.

Above: A wooden toy laptop from Munk sits on a desk in the top floor nursery and studio. Photo by Karina Tengberg. Next up: Lotzbeck and Kirk plan to build an all-glass addition, filled with light and plants. Stay tuned.

For more super-Scandi design, see A Momentous Loft in Malmo, Sweden and Design Sleuth: Swedish Botanicals as Decor.