Charlotte King, or @lepetitfika as you might know her, effortlessly blends French chic with Scandinavian soft minimalism to create a warm and inviting home with no shortage of elegance.

Updated : 5th July 2021 – Having recently worked with Charlotte to source some items on her long term wishlist, we decided to update this post to include recent imagery.

As we scroll through Charlotte's Instagram feed we find it very difficult to pick out an item that we wouldn't like in our own home. Whilst not strictly minimalist the Le Petit Fika blogger does seem to carefully consider each object that she adds to her home, with every addition serving its own visual and/or functional purpose.

As part of our Utility Follows series we caught up with the French-born filmmaker to find out a little more about where her design inspiration stems from and whether it extends further than just her home interior.

Read the full interview below.

What inspired you to start blogging?

"As a filmmaker, I have always been a very visual person with a strong sense of what I find aesthetically pleasing. I'm also very much a nester and with a busy job in production that often means long hours or travelling a lot, it’s important for me that the places in which I eat, sleep and spend precious downtime are calming and with minimal clutter. 

Several years ago I visited Scandinavia for the first time and discovered that their way of life and design sensibilities were very much in line with mine, so I started Le Petit Fika to share my journey of discovering brands and places that I feel an affinity with. I'm more of a photographer than a writer, so the blog was the perfect place for me to be able to combine my loves of photography and design."

How would you describe Le Petit Fika?

"It's still a relatively young blog but I would say that it's a place where I share some of the brands, products and places that inspire me. Being originally from France, Le Petit Fika is a fusion of my heritage and love for the Nordic way of life from the design, coffee breaks (known in Sweden as “Fika”, hence the name!), food and travel.

Behind it is the belief that instead of following current trends, we should do what feels natural to us and create spaces that are a reflection of our personalities. I’m also inspired by what others find inspiration in and what their stories are (that’s the storyteller in me!), so you'll find a section on the blog called 'In Conversation' which is a selection of interviews with designers and makers that I admire. I want to push to do more of those in 2018, because this dialogue with others is what I love the most about the way I work with people and brands. "

How would you describe your personal style, in your home?

"My style is definitely inspired by Scandinavian minimalism and French chic, as well as functionality. It's quite clean, with a soft, restrained colour palette and natural tones. I love having a bright space with earthy tones, accent blacks, wood notes and the occasional greenery from plants. Being from the south of France, I am used to having natural colours in my home, no carpets and big, airy spaces, so this is something that has also inspired my own tastes combined with Nordic design.

I try not to have too many bright colours in my home; they can contribute to a feeling of things being cluttered and I find it difficult to relax."

Does your interior style extend to other areas of your life? 

"My love of interiors extends to all other aspects of my life. You'll never find me wearing much colour as I wear black, navy or grey and white on a daily basis. I also catch myself wearing stripes a lot because I can't seem to escape the French heritage! My interior style is definitely an extension of my personal style. I spend a lot of my free time in France, going back to my roots and enjoying the slow and relaxed Mediterranean way of life. I also love to travel to Scandinavia to immerse myself in the culture and design – I’m always after my next cinnamon bun and great cup of coffee."

If you could have just one product from Utility, what would it be?

"The Vitra Standard Chair by Jean Prouve have been on my wish list for a while."

Are there any Instagram accounts that you love and think we should be following?

"There are so many inspiring accounts and people out there, but to name a few of the ones I love:

@thesefourwallsblog – @selina.lauck – @septemberedit – @hegeinfrance – @aboutthishaus – @i_love_you_wedding – @designhunter_uk – @swantjeundfrieda – @sylvie.lsltth

You can find Charlotte on Instagram and on her blog.

Time for more? Utility Follows Ingrid Opstad | Utility Follows Hannah Trickett | Utility Follows Allan Torp

Photography Credit: Charlotte Sintrat