I remember when I grew up and Dad would take me to kindergarten in the morning, and you could smell the chips in the air from the factory nearby.

I think of the Jens Lekman in the songs as a completely different person who's stealing my stories.

I try and take it for what it is, and I'm very at peace with the fact that when I'm done with the songs, they don't belong to me anymore. They belong to the listeners.

I still love touring rock clubs around the world, and that's something that's really a part of me. I love making albums, and I'm a wedding singer on the side; that's my parallel career. So I love all those aspects of making music.

It's good to let go of control. That's probably something all artists and song writers will say at some point.

I went to Legoland in Denmark when I was five, I think, but I went to Germany when I was 17 to have a little adventure after graduation.

It's not difficult getting into the charts in Sweden. It's a very different musical climate, and in a very good way, I think, because artists like Jose Gonzalez or The Knife can actually get on the charts.

Christmas music is usually more concentrated pop music in a way. It's meant to make us feel good, and it's meant to make us like we belong somewhere.

It's weird talking about the album as a living being with its own thoughts and direction, especially if you're the one creating it.

The 'sent' folder of my email program is really my biggest inspiration and my biggest source of lyrics. That's where I go to pick up a lot of the lyrics that I'm writing.

I really love the idea of stepping into another character and being able to sing maybe stuff that is not my thought and my own opinions, but be able to portray someone else and take a walk in their shoes for a while.

I found a favorite chord, which is B flat 7 - that's my favorite chord.

Ever since I started writing music, I've wanted to know what the songs are about and to be able to tell stories.

In the past, I used to rely on the randomness of working with samples, which was a good way because it threw you in a completely different direction. You just thought, 'What if I take this samba drum and combined it with an '80s synth line or something from this record?'

I like short beards. Not a big fan of the bigger beards.

Older men in my family - back to my grandpa - were basically completely bald.

The whole thing with playing on a stage with mics and all that has always been kind of uncomfortable to me.

Getting my hair cut is just a very special moment for me. I don't know exactly why, but it's such an intimate, almost religious experience. I'm very careful with who gets to cut my hair.

The sofa is a really important investment for anybody, and I don't mean financially. You need to find a really great sofa that can transition with you, and you can build from there.

Never underestimate the power of a fresh coat of white paint.

My love for pottery started completely by chance when a good friend of mine recommended I take a class. When I sat down at a pottery wheel, it was like love at first sight. It was so deeply meditative, and I felt connected right away.

I personally think that a bouquet of white roses is simple, chic, and surprisingly long-lasting.

I have this vintage Ralph Lauren denim shirt that I wear probably more than I really should.

Let your personality and passions shine through in the objects you choose to display in your home.

Adding throws or blankets that have great texture over the back of a sofa adds some interesting personality really quickly and will visually change the room.

Well, I have an unhealthy obsession with coffee. There are at least five or six cups a day, in addition to the morning pot.

Once I was hosting an important dinner party at our house - everything was perfect, candles were lit, the house smelled amazing with great food and drinks ready. We lit a fire and the flue wasn't able to open, unbeknownst to us. We smoked out the entire house and the fire department had to come - it was a mess.

When you marry a triple Virgo, there's no way to meditate the stress away.

You have to try different things, that's how people realize what they're meant to do.

I think that's the great thing about interiors is that they can be treated like a great wardrobe. Choose a sofa and chairs that are staples in clean shapes that will keep for the next couple of years or decade. Then an easy way to bump up your entire room or your interiors is accessories.

If I host something, even if it's just dinner at my house, I like the event to move. So that means cocktails in the family room, and then moving outside and having appetizers on the patio, and then moving to dinner at the dining table. It's just the idea of the event being curated to every little detail.

Bookshelves are the most natural places for displaying your personal photos and picture frames. I always print our photos in black and white to keep a classic and cohesive look.

Book-matched marble is one of the truest ways to showcase the natural beauty of the stone and can become a statement piece of art.

I don't think unlacquered brass is going anywhere. And I hope the trend of mixing metals continues to live on. The trick to mixing metals is balance.

People want to connect with what they're purchasing.

I have such deep appreciation for artists who have the ability to create something from within, something completely unique and original to each piece of work.

I personally love mini bouquets randomly throughout my bathroom and my dressing room. I'll put a small bouquet on a dresser or on a round marble table in my bathroom next to the sink.

I recognized that the passion I have and feel for interior and design and furniture was not organically there for styling. The fuel that drives you when doing something you truly love... wasn't there.

Joel Chen is a friend and I'm a huge fan of JF Chen.

Your home is the truest and most honest reflection of who you are, where you've been, and where you want to go.

My biggest pet peeve is rushing.

When I first became really interested in building furniture, I went to Toys-R-Us, and spent $200 on Transformers toys. By taking the toys apart and studying how they moved, I was able to figure out how to hide a table leaf, what type of contraption I'd need to slide it under the table. I'm a really visual learner.

I'm inspired by deep, earthy smells, especially of the outdoors.

For summer soirees, I recommend being bold. Add a flavorful herb or a fresh, exotic fruit or vegetable to transport your guests to another place.

I think of myself as California modern, and I'm hugely inspired by nature.

The thing that nobody talks about with nurseries is that it's also about creating a beautiful place for you. You spend so much time there, it needs to be a soft place to land.

It's so funny because as a parent you kind of just fall into your roles. Nate loves to change a diaper more than anybody should because he knows he's instantly solved something. I'm the one that's up all night and in the morning because I need barely any sleep.

With small spaces in particular you have to really follow the rule that if it's not absolutely beautiful or absolutely functional, then get rid of it.

There's nothing worse than coming home to a room that looks like a catalog.

As a kid I used to love going to open houses and doing DIY projects with my parents and sister around our home.