10 May Interview with Cinnamon Home

Inspiring Interview with Gabriella from {Cinnamon Home}

Gabriella, you are te Owner of CINNAMON HOME. When did you decide to start your own business – your own online shop?

It was a long decision process, but finally I have started to realize my idea 2 years ago, when my son went first to the kindergarten and I got a bit of free time. I started doing my business plan and learning how to launch and lead a company. There was a lot to learn as I came from a completely different field, namely architecture. 

As an architect, you certainly defined a whole concept for CINNAMON HOME? Could you describe it in a few words?

Cinnamon Home is a virtual place, where you will find all the accessories which make your home more cosy and comfortable, the Scandinavian way. 

What about the name of CINNAMON HOME? Have you created it by yourself? Does it have a particular meaning?

It has been quite a quick decision: I find that the word “cinnamon” is very harmonious. People also match cinnamon with a calm feeling. I hope they can immediately imagine a nice and welcoming home with a freshly baked cinnamon cake on the kitchen desk. After a while, I learnt that Danish and Swedish people love to eat cinnamon bun for breakfast, and they even have a special day dedicated for cinnamon bun on the 4th of October. I felt immediately that it was the perfect name which I could choose for my shop!

CINNAMON HOME is based on Danish design home accessories. How would you describe the Scandinavian style? What makes it so successful in your opinion?

All the success of this style is based on their thinking. Danish design is made for human beings, focusing on decreasing the size of our ecological footprint. Danish design lacks exaggeration and waste, instead it’s creative, humane, focusing on the best use of a given space, environment – conscious lifestyle, unique solutions and high quality. They know that functionality, form, light, and simplicity appeal to the eye, the body and the soul. Danish people boldly mix old and new in their homes, and by upcycling the old, they also give these objects a new meaning.

In the previous century, Danish design planted solid foundations that are revered by today’s designers and that also keep inspiring them. Moreover, the icons of the Midcentury Modern from Denmark are more fashionable nowadays than ever.

How do you choose your products? What are their special features?

As my passion is to continuously look for home interiors on the web, I have got a good understanding of what is currently in trend and what are the objects which have a timeless design. The Danish prove that even though something is made to last forever, it can nonetheless be trendy. I also keep in mind the affordable prices when I choose my products. Finally, everything I choose from the manufacturers’ catalogues reflects my personal taste, but I also try to follow the public taste and keep the balance between the two. I have a perfect home with Scandinavian interior in my mind and I don’t sell any products that I couldn’t imagine there. 

When you started with CINNAMON HOME, what was the best advice you were given when you were starting off?

Try to think with the head of your clients and satisfy their needs. Of course, first at all, try to find your clients. ☺ But after that, the most important is their satisfaction. Try to give a bit more than expected. As my business is very small yet, I can pay attention to the little things – this is how I try to make a difference.

The most difficult part?

It’s not easy to resist buying all of the beauties what you can find in the catalogues of the manufacturers. That’s why I always encourage my clients to browse the online catalogues of the manufacturers as well and order their favorites at Cinnamon Home even if it’s not on stock currently.

What does your house/home look like? Do you have any advice/tips to create a Scandinavian interior?

I am very lucky, because my husband shares my love of Scandinavian interiors. He understands very well why I am so passionate about this kind of lifestyle. We travel a lot together to Nordic countries and collect inspirations. Our apartment is totally customized to our current life, and we can enjoy the advantages of our business: I love to use my products in our home, finally, that they are available in the region ☺. We also made some things ourselves, like some of our lamps and our coloured chairs and so on. It was fun, they are now special, and we even saved money!

The basics of this style are very human-centered, and a home with Scandinavian flair doesn’t actually mean a home for its own sake. So here are some of my essentials:

• Independently of the size of your apartment, try not to crowd it with oversized furniture or with garish colours. That could crush the space.

• Keep your basic furniture simple and moderate; in this way you can change the accessories according to your mood or to the season.

• Scandinavian people use a lot of white, mainly on the walls and on the floors: that is the way how they keep their homes light and bright. It doesn’t mean you cannot use colours: choose your favourite ones and use them sparingly to emphasize the contrast with the white scene.

• Sort your old stuff: don’t store unnecessary things in your home. It’s the same like with the colours: choose your favourite objects (like a few travel memories or hobby supplies, art pieces with special meaning, and so on), but forget about meaningless and worthless stuff. If you have a clear background, your favourites are better served. (And it is also easier to keep them tidy.)

• Finally, organize: if you don’t want to throw out the old stuff, collect them and arrange them in pretty boxes!

Thank you Gabriella for your detailed answers! I’m actually really inspired right now and I’m even thinking about writing a further post about “how to get the Scandinavian Flair into your home”. 

Are you curious about the products from Cinnamon Home? Just visit the Online Shop and start decorating your cosy home.

Wish you an inspiring Sunday :)

P.S.: Here are two more mood boards as well, where Cinnamon Home has been featured: