We found Blue Dela Cruz, an interior decor influencer based out of Oslo, Norway, as anyone finds incredible talent — scrolling through Instagram. His account @niblu.home is quintessentially Scandinavian, featuring warm neutrals, clean lines, beautifully crafted woodwork pieces, and the coziest of couches. All that to say, it’s a style we would love to emulate, especially as the weather starts to cool. So we sat down with him to learn more about his design aesthetic and to get his top six pieces of advice for how to create the hygge-est home.
Your home is just stunning, can you tell us a little about it?
Thank you so much! My design journey began when my fiancée and I decided to live together. Our first home was a rental in Oslo, on the eastside. The flat was in this old apartment building and had these gorgeous moldings and rosettes in the ceiling and stunning big windows which let a lot of natural light in. This was when @Niblu.home on Instagram was born.
After a year, we needed a bigger space. Our landlord had a flat available, but it needed a lot of work. Luckily our landlord saw what we had done with our previous flat and let us be involved in the renovation of this new apartment. We got to decide which walls to take down, make new doorways, heighten the ceilings, update flooring, choose tiles for the bathroom — literally everything. So we got really lucky; we were able to really design our space.
Describe your décor style and inspiration.
My fiancée and I have the same style; I would describe it as minimalistic and Scandinavian. I love Danish and Nordic design as they feature clean lines, brought to life with organic shapes and textures. I also love the warm tones of wood in the furniture. Furniture is critical when designing a space, it is just as important as those small details. Together, they make a home.
What are the biggest challenges you faced when designing your home?
You must be careful with the materials and placements you choose for rooms that are more “permanent” like the bathroom. I put that word in quotations because it’s not something you can replace quickly, like changing the furniture in the living space. So you have to be careful and make sure it’s a design that you love and that is timeless.
What’s your favorite room and why?
My favorite room would have to be the living room. It is nostalgic, as it is where we spend most of our time lounging, socializing and creating memories with families and friends. But it’s also the best because I can just rearrange the furniture whenever I want to!
You have an eye for turning empty canvases into a beautiful spaces. What are your top tips for creating this cozy, hygge, stylish vibe?
1. Base your choice of wall colors on the colors of the furniture you already have. This will make the room feel whole and unified.
2. Cozy up the space with blankets and decorative pillows on your sofa and bed.
3. Get some floor rugs! They really tie the whole room together and let you play around with those organic shapes and textures.
4. Think about how you want to use table and floor lamps to create ambiance lighting and build off of whatever natural light your room might have.
5. Get vases, they add such good decorative detail.
6. Lastly light candlesticks, to create a cozy vibe as it gets darker outside.
What is your Tivoli Audio product of choice and how does it blend in with your interior decor?
The Tivoli Audio product that spoke to us the most was the Revive. It looked so stunning, and I loved the clean lines and the wood finish! And, also, the quality of the sound! BOMB!
It is so useful as it has a wireless phone charger and light built-in. Plus, with the wood finish, this piece fit perfectly in our living space as we have incorporated a lot of wooden furniture into the space.
If we were lucky enough to be invited over for a cozy dinner, what genre of music would we find playing on your Revive?
If you came over for dinner, I would have jazz or mellow pop music playing on the Revive. It creates the perfect vibe for socializing.