Design Shimmer is an ice-cool design blog by Bergen-based interiorsaholic Siw Haveland, and her home is gorgeous. Let’s hear more…
How does your day begin, Siw? My cat Oscar wakes me every morning, we spend wonderful minutes together before the day begins …
Tell us about living in Bergen, and how does it inspire you? Bergen is a beautiful little seaside town with many good qualities: high mountains with snow on the peaks, a great coast, four seasons in one day, a fantastic music scene, small intimate cafes with good home cooking, my family and my boyfriend.
What are you most likely to blog about? I blog about what inspires me – anything that shimmers. My posts aren’t planned as such, my brain works in a mysterious way, I work only on instinct, just like an animal!
Where do you find your inspiration? Magazines and books, creative people, design fairs, other bloggers, and in my dreams
Why did you start Design Shimmer? It was completely random, and at first it was just a form of home page for myself. After a while I realised that there was a lot of interest in a Norwegian design site, and decided to market myself a bit – so began the adventure. It’s very exciting to create something that others see almost the same moment as you post it. I love the idea of inspiration in an instant.
Which designers do you love? Lisa Bengtsson, Anna Kraitz, Alex Hellum, TAF, Nika Zupanc and Permafrost, Northern Lighting.
And your favourite-ever piece of design? My great-grandfather’s hand-crafted wooden box, which I have inherited from my dad.
What do you love doing when you’re not working? My perfect weekend includes: time with family, dancing, freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh bread, cherries, Italian food, a boat trip, time in a spa, champagne, exciting experiences for the heart and head, a soft bed, silence and romance.
Tell us about your home. We live an a charming apartment from the 1900s, in the centre of Bergen. It’s around 200 m2, with four bedrooms and two living rooms. The ceilings are very high, so it’s airy and beautiful. It has the original oak stave parquet floors, and white matte concrete walls.
And your dream home? Near the sea, and sheltered from neighbours. The house should have a flat roof, and large windows from floor to ceiling, so I can enjoy the sea view and the birds. The floors will be warm and white. A cat and a loving family is what I want to furnish my house with.
What other blogs do you read? Emmas Designblogg, Norsk Stil, Brigg, Decor8, and The Selby.

The English-based interior design magazine Livingetc. has published a short interview about "Design Shimmer" on their blog