We are delighted to have two very special guests on our blog today: the fabulous runners-up of this year’s Sweetpea & Willow Home Influencer Awards – Anna Jacobs (@annalysejacobs) and Tonje Bjerknes (@tonjebjerknes)!
First, let’s meet Tonje!
When designing interiors, I am most inspired by…
I try to choose an interior design from my own gut feeling. I get inspired by all the talented people I follow, and then I naturally adopted and create a mix from everything I see and feel.
How does it feel to be a runner-up in the Sweetpea & Willow Home Influencers Awards?
Honestly, it was a huge surprise! Being the only one from Scandinavia, I felt so honoured and lucky! It’s such a big blessing for me that I appreciate every day.
An invaluable piece of advice I have received is…
The best advice I’ve received is from Marie Kondo – Don’t keep anything that you don’t use, need or bring you Joy! Kondo’s method is to hold each item in your hand and ask the question: “Does this bring me joy?” She insists you’ll know the answer right away.
My favourite room in my house is…
My favourite room is the kitchen which we frequently use daily. We have our dining area there, so it’s a natural place for hanging out.
My favourite piece from Sweetpea & Willow is….
All things from Jonathan Adler are just fabulous!! One of my favourite designers!
Now, let’s hear from Anna, our other runner-up!
When designing interiors, I am most inspired by…
I’m mainly inspired by the work of artists and sculptors. I tend to design interiors like composing a painting, so other artworks give me lots of ideas for colours and forms and can also provide a fantastic starting point for a scheme.
How does it feel to be a runner-up in the Sweetpea & Willow Home Influencers Awards?
Oh, I’m absolutely thrilled – I really wasn’t expecting it! After a tough couple of years, it was just so lovely to receive such wonderful support from the judges and everyone who voted. I’m very grateful!
My favourite room in my house is…
I really tried to nail this answer, but you know what, I honestly don’t have one. Each room is designed to give a different feeling, so different ones become my favourite at different moments, depending on what I feel at the time.
An invaluable piece of advice I have received is…
“For god’s sake just apply yourself!” – said to me by my mum with some exasperation when I’d come home from school aged 9 having abjectly failed yet another test. It was a life-changing lightbulb moment because until then it just hadn’t occurred to me that answers didn’t just appear in front of you like magic, if you were lucky, but that you actually had to make some effort to work them out. It’s the same with everything in life – you don’t achieve anything unless you apply yourself and work at it. By the end of the next term, I went from close to the bottom of the class to the top three in nearly every subject.
My favourite piece from Sweetpea & Willow is….
I really love the Eichholtz Bond Chair – it gives you a beautiful piece of sculpture in your home that’s also rather comfortable to sit on!
Thanks to Tonje and Anna for their fabulous responses! See more from them over on their inspiring Instagram accounts!
