What a weekend!! As I start writing this post, I’ve only been home a few hours from a crazy 48 hours in Munich – I’m exhausted but happy and I have so much news to tell you!!
The first thing I have to express however, is my sincere gratitude… There are times I need to pinch myself that I’m afforded the opportunities that I am – doing what I love, writing about interiors and chatting to you fabulous people. I know not everyone has that privilege (and certainly not everyone would even want that necessarily) but every single day I am grateful that you guys pop by and read my ramblings and chat to me here and on social media. I know I’ve said it a million times before but seriously, I couldn’t do what I do without you and your support.
Right, I needed to get that out first.
So for this to make any sense, I need to start from the beginning, to early this year when I was approached by mega German publishers Callwey congratulating me for being chosen as one of 15 interior design bloggers from 6 different countries who would be appearing in an upcoming German interior design book called Wohnideen – Aus Dem Wahren Leben (Home Ideas from Real Life, roughly translated). It is the sequel to a best selling publication of the same name where interior design bloggers’ homes are shared in a beautiful coffee table style book.
There were was a jury – mega bloggers Igor Josif of Happy Interior Blog, Gudy Herder of Eclectic Trends and Ricarda Nieswandt of 23qm Stil who came together with Callwey Publishing and author Petra Harms, poured through the hundreds and hundreds of interior design blogs in Europe and chose their 15 favourites to appear.
The Jury!! Photo via 23qm Stil
I am thrilled that the book also showcases some of my fabulous blogging friends – Jeska from Lobster and Swan, Caroline from Patchwork Harmony and Tiffany from Curate and Display all from the UK as well as some favourites from around Europe – Mette from Monster Circus (Denmark) and Iliara of Un Due Tre Iliara (France) to name but a few. These guys are some of the best blogs Europe has to offer and sharing this privilege with them is such a huge honour.
The nice thing is, we all have hugely different styles and I love that this book has captured the individual expression and passion we all have in creating homes we love. Yes, this book is written in German but honestly, you don’t have to speak the language to appreciate the gorgeous images held within the pages. The book is stunning and inspiring and there is so much beauty captured in so many different styles and it’s a total joy to be a part of it.
Wohnideen – Aus Dem Wahren Leben is officially out on the 12th of September in Germany and I’ll share more of it with you soon, but most importantly, I’ll have a number of copies that I’ll be giving away to you guys here! Whoop! So keep an eye out for that!
Second of all, the reason I was in Munich is actually related to appearing in the book. Callwey invited all of the bloggers appearing in the book to Germany for a whirlwind day and evening alongside the very first large interior blog award ceremony Germany has ever had. Super exciting! So here is the story of my weekend…
I awoke at 3:15am (!!) to catch my early morning flight from Manchester to Munich on Friday and met up with Caroline and Jeska at the airport. After a few little glitches and minor delays (always the way), we finally made our way to meet up with the other bloggers and our hosts at Porzellan Manufacktur Nymphenburg, a manufactory of porcelain since 1747, rich in history and tradition but which is creating some beautiful works of art to this day.
We then headed to Callwey’s Publishing House who publish both beautiful lifestyle books (including well known blogger and interior design authors like Will Taylor, Holly Becker, Jonathan Adler and Kelly Hoppen) as well as magazines. We toured their premises where they explained how they conceptualise their target audience with a beautiful moodboard reflecting the modern needs and desires of a fictional woman they’ve named ‘Anna’.
There, we heard a number of presentations including a talk by Farrow & Ball on Living with Colour and best-selling lifestyle book author, blogger and journalist, Stefanie Luxat who shared ‘How to Write a Best Selling Lifestyle Book in 10 Steps’ which was incredibly entertaining.
Photo via Immi at Laux Haus on Instagram
After some Prosecco and snacks, we all headed back to H’Otello in Munich to get ourselves together for the big award ceremony that evening held at the beautiful interior design store Kokon Lenbach-Palais.
We had a warm welcome by Dr. Marcella Prior from Callwey to start off the ceremony.
We also heard from Delia Fischer of West Wing who chatted about 2015 trends she saw through the trend-setting bloggers within the book.
And then it was time to hand out the three awards on the night – “Best Creative Idea”, “Best Individual Style” and “Blog of the Year”.
First up was the lovely Igor Josifovic who was giving out the award for “Best Creative Idea.” I didn’t get any other pictures of this part…
REASON BEING IGOR ANNOUNCED MY NAME AS THE WINNER. WHAT.
**Update! Here are some pics of me accepting my award – thank you Jeska!**
I genuinely didn’t think I had a chance in hell of winning anything at this awards ceremony because I was amongst some incredibly creative and talented people. Plus, my style isn’t particularly ‘German’ at all so I was honoured enough to be a part of the book, never mind thinking anyone would actually put me forward to win anything.
When Igor announced my name I was absolutely gobsmacked. I just thought, ‘Why is my picture on the screen? What is happening here?!’ I blog because I love it and not necessarily to win anything and to be honest, it’s probably not a big deal to anyone but me but yeah, I’m human, I can’t help it – I CRIED. Oh my god. I think it was the lack of sleep and the excitement of the day and being surrounded by such a fabulous crowd and the many beautiful cocktails they were serving but I just had tears streaming down my cheeks when they invited me on stage to accept my award. I know, I’m such an emotional sap.
The other two completely deserving and lovely winners were Anastasia Benko for “Best Individual Style” and Mette of Monsters Circus who won “Interior Blog of the Year”. You really must check out their blogs because they are both so talented. Here’s a pic of us posing with our awards, all of us completely blown away! I’m sorry I don’t have pictures myself of this – I was sort of in la-la land by that point!! When I get the official press pictures, I’ll update this post!
And here’s another with Callwey, Delia, Petra, the fabulous jury and the winners…
via Sister Mag on Instagram
And another of all the nominees who appeared in the book! Such a fabulous group that I CAN’T EVEN.
via Immi of Laux Haus on Instagram
It was an amazing night!!
Me and my Girls – from left: Me, Jeska of Lobster and Swan, Tiffany of Curate and Display and Caroline of Patchwork Harmony
After a night of celebrations with all the nominees and dinner and drinks at a restaurant near our hotel, I finally got to sleep at midnight – yes, more than 20 hours after I’d woken up that day. It was a long, exciting and emotional day.
On Saturday, we had a bit of a much-needed lie in, a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then in the late morning, we headed to Room to Dream where there was a little blogger styling event happening. It’s a gorgeous Scandi inspired store with lots of beautiful things and the owner, Sabine was so warm and welcoming.
I love this print because it’s ALWAYS a good day for a disco.
A handsome, smiling bartender serving lovely cocktails just before noon never hurt any blogger event either to be fair.
After the event, we said our goodbyes to our fellow lovely bloggers and Jeska, Caroline, Tiffany and I went to try to figure out how to get to the large Botanic Gardens. Trying to find your way around a strange city is always a little confusing and we ended up having to say goodbye to Caroline before we even got there who headed back for her early evening flight. So Jeska, Tiffany and I had some late lunch and explored the Gardens after that. It was so beautiful and I only had my phone and my battery was nearly dead so my apologies for the lack of pictures of that! It’s definitely a must-see however if you ever visit Munich.
We then headed back to the hotel in the evening and I said my goodbyes to Tiff and Jeska and then I was alone to ponder the last crazy 36 hours in my hotel room where I finally got the chance to really have a look at the book and marvel at the weekend we’d just had.
After a very early night, the following morning, I was up again at 4:00am to catch my early flight back home and whilst at the airport, I picked up a copy of Petra Magazine which you may recall me telling you in my last Something for the Weekend post, I appear in under an article entitled Die 10 Besten Wohnblogs (The 10 Best Home Blogs).
Such a gorgeous article, I’m freaking out a little that my itty bitty blog is getting a bit of a shout out in Germany right now even though the Callwey thing and the magazine thing are completely unrelated – crazy coincidence, no?
I apologise if this post sounds at all like I’m gloating – please know that’s not my intention at all. It’s just that when things go really well, you can’t help but shout from the rooftops and show your gratitude and Swoon Worthy is the place I share my world with you so please forgive me for the long winded post.
I’m just so happy and so excited to be part of this little blogging community and honoured that people actually seem to like what I do here. Of course, today – the day after I started this mega long post, it’s back to reality – I’m sat in my pyjamas as I write, with a cup of green tea, a puppy curled up at my feet and a Pablo kitty on my lap. There are breakfast dishes to be washed, laundry to be done, bills to be paid, emails to return and articles for clients that need to be written. But sometimes life just shakes you up a little, puts you in an exciting place and you just feel GRATEFUL for the little sparks of happiness along the way.
A huge thank you to Callwey for a wonderful weekend and to Igor and Gudy for being such amazing hosts and to Jeska, Tiffany and Caroline for sharing a whirlwind weekend with me and to all the bloggers and creatives I met on my trip for being so damn inspiring and lovely. And thank YOU for letting me share my news and for your continued support! I love you guys.
Wow! Congratulations. You deserve to be shouting this from the rooftops. I love your style and I love your blog.
Thank you so much Stephanie!! That’s so sweet of you! xxx
Congrats Lovely! So happy to see you’ve had a fab time and the award is totally deserved. Whoop!!! xo
Aww thank you my darling! Mwah! xxx
Well done Kimberley, your win is well deserved! I love your blog and how accessible it is, and the fact that it has some personality in it. Your photography is amazing too – thanks for sharing with us! x
Aww thank you Afa, that’s so nice of you! Thank YOU for being so damn lovely ;) xxx
Kimberly you deserve that and more xx well done you, shout it out good and loud, and i think that everybody who reads your blog will agree with me, congratulations and big hugs sent your way xxx
Aww Pauline you are so sweet! Thank you so much, you are an absolute star! Big hugs back! xxx
What a fantastic recap of a fantastic weekend! I am so happy you left Munich with tons of good and hopefully unforgettable memories! I was honored to announce you as the winner and beyond happy to have finally met you in person!! Big hugs from now rainy Munich!
Thanks so much Igor, you complete star you! It was so nice finally being able to spend some time with you and the trip was certainly unforgettable – thank you for being a big part of the reason it was! Mwah! xxx
A big congratulation from Germany! Of course we love your blog here and I don´t think there is something like “German style” when it comes to interiors (although, now that I think about it, a lot of homes probably look like a page of an ikea cataloge. lol :-D )
Anyways, herzlichen Glückwunsch! ;-)
Hahaha! Thank you Melinda, you are too sweet! Mwah! xxx
totally well deserved! congrats!
Thank you my sweet friend! Mwah! xxx
Yay! Congratulations! This is awesome news! You totally deserve this. This blog is among one of my favorites.
Aww that’s so nice of you Michelle! Thank you so much! xxx
Fab post Kimberly! And congrats again, u are a super deserving winner, as I say so in my post I just published!! ;) and yay! U got a copy of Petra!! So much fun hanging out with u lovely x x x
It was so fabulous, thank you for sharing this amazing weekend with me! And yes, got a copy at the airport and the guy at the til goes, “You speak German?” and I said, “No…” and he says, “You know the magazine is in German, yes?”… “Umm yeah I know.”… “You know you are buying two copies, yes?”… *blank face* I stutter, “Oh I have German friends who translate for me!” Hahaha!! xxx
Well done Kimberley!! Congratulations!! and totally well deserved!! :) xx
Thanks so much Helen, you are too sweet! xxx
PS: pahaha to the bar man comment!! :-)
Had to get that in there!! ;) xxx
How wonderful!! And the award is so deserved. You have such a fresh, non-trendy style and I love it! Shout out to you from South Carolina!!!
Oh thank you so much Sheran!! South Carolina is so gorgeous, send some sunshine our way please! ;) xxx
Congratulations! And a big warm Thank You for sharing!! I love your blog, it’s such a pleasure to read; so creative, funny, honest & interesting! You deserve this recognition… And may the success continue! All the best!
Oh that is so kind of you! Thank you so much! Sending big hugs xxx
Wow, how amazing is that! Congratulations, well deserved…enjoy the moment and the loveliness of it all! Sharon x
Awww yay! I will ;) Thank you so much Sharon, that’s so sweet of you! xx
Well done! Your blog is amazing and your home is very beautiful so congratulations on your success, you deserve it. XK
Aww cheers Kate, that means a lot to me coming from you!! xxx
Congratulations! You totally deserve it, and it doesn’t sound like you’re gloating at all. You should shout it from the rooftops; you’ve worked so hard for this.
Aww thank you Suzanne! I never really know how things are going to be taken so it’s good to know you understood I was just sharing my happiness! Mwah! :D xxx
Congrats Kimberley! Well done ;-)
Thanks so much Diane!! xxx
Congratulations! So well deserved. Enjoy it.
Thank you so much Nadine!! Mwah! xxx
Congrats Kimberley! International fame suits you! You must be soooo chuffed…. enjoy the fruits of your labours ;)
Aww cheers Heather! I admit, I am chuffed to bits! Ha! xxx
Oh my goodness congratuwelldone!! So awesomely amazing and 100% thoroughly deserved. I and so many others love reading your blog and finding inspiration here so it’s great to see you do so well. Really well done! x
Oh thank you Lucy! You are too sweet, that means a lot to me! xxx
I’m so super happy for you! I’m sitting here grinning from ear to ear! You are officially a big deal ;) I love Petra magazine too. Oh and I already follow Delia Fischer and Monsters Circus.
Hahaha! Thank you my dear friend! Delia was a new one for me, she’s so young and pretty and SO successful, what an inspiration! xxx
What a fantastic weekend and well done. Your blog is lovely to read and therefore… you deserve it. xxx
Thank you so much Natalie, that’s so sweet of you to say! xxx
Congrat!!!!! You deserve to shout it from the rooftops. We are all so proud of you <3 Enjoy your time in the spotlight, love!
Oh you are so sweet Lynne! Thank you so much for your loveliness! xxx
Kudos to you girl!!! You should be so proud of yourself:) Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know how much you have inspired me. You have dared me to be more bold and adventurous in my decorating style; to not care what anyone will think as long as I love how it looks. I look forward to getting on your blog every morning as I have incorporated it into my daily routine:) Keep doing what you love doing!
Awww Whitney!! You are too sweet – that’s so lovely of you to say and means the world to me. I’m so happy to hear you are being more bold and adventurous – music to my ears ;) Thank you so much hun! xxx
I am so happy for you. I’m not surprised you won at all! You have a wonderful blog. Enjoy your fame!
Oh thank you Sandy, that is so lovely of you to say! Mwah! xxx
Congrats friend! SO well-deserved and that looks like it was a ton of fun :) xo
Thank you my darling! It was an amazing weekend, I’m still in recovery! Ha! xxx
Congratulations!!!! I’m absolutely delighted you are getting the recognition you deserve. And sharing your happiness is not gloating! :) xx
Oh thank you Linda! You are too sweet and I’m so glad you understood it was just me being excited and happy! xxx
fabulous! Very well deserved. I love your blog posts – always full of inspiration!
Thank you so much Raphael! I’m so happy to hear that, means the world to me :) xxx
Du bist sehr freaking awesome!!! So glad you’re being recognized for the amazing talent you are. Congratulations!!!
P.S. – Don’t ever feel guilty to share great news with friends. There’s so much darkness in the world it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to bask in a joy-filled glow! xx
Awww cheers Tracey!! You are too lovely, thank you so much for your kind words! Big hugs xxx
Hooray! What all these people said times a hundred. Bloody well done you. Hope to see you soon! Mwah!!!
Aww thank you my dear one!! I was just shocked but chuffed to bits! Yes we need to get together soon ;) Mwah Mwah! xxx
Yay! So deserved and no you are not gloating. It is good to hear some good news for a change x
Congratulations on your lovely win. It is good to see something awesome happen to you because your blog brings a lot of light to the rest of us designing challenged. Thank you for being brave and blogging about your home.
Congrats Kimberly! What an honor! I love your blog! I always look forward to reading it, you just put joy and life in it!
Yay! Congratulations! Love your individual style – definitely a well deserved win!
Oh my goodness-stop apologising for your amazing news-you deserve it all!!! Had such a fantastic few days getting to know you, swapping crazy cat stories and our blogger experiences. Really hope to see you soon. xx
Sounds totally amazing, Kimberly. So proud of and happy for you :) But where is the dress?!
Thank you so much!! Alas, through the day that everyone else was going a bit ‘smart casual’ and I realised I would have been WAY overdressed! So last minute decision to just go a bit more casual!! LOL! Shame really but I will just have to save the dress for another occasion ;) Mwah! xxx
This is so fantastic – congratulations!! It sounds like an absolutely incredible whirlwind – I bet it almost seems like a dream!
So well deserved – good for you! xx
I’m giving you a standing ovation. .! Congrats ..you deserve it#
Richly deserved, Kimberly, huge congratulations! :-) x
Well done Kimberly, you really deserve your success, I can see how much hard work and talent goes into your blog and decorating your home! I have everything crossed for you for the Amara awards, I think this will be your year!! xx
oh :) Kimberly! Congratulations! Well deserved !
That’s the perfect insight in a thread like this.