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Before & After: A Swedish Kitchen Gets a DIY Makeover!


It's Friday friends, FRIDAY! Eeeeee! This weekend I'm planning a few home DIY projects to make our home as cosy as possible for the next coming weeks (we might even hang a mirror that's been lying about in our landing for two months - who knows?!). How about you? In case you're also looking for DIY inspiration, I thought I'd share this wonderful kitchen make-over by Swedish interior designer Johanna Bradford. Johanna and her husband Adam bought their former apartment in 2016. The kitchen was nice enough (see below) - but missing that extra 'mys' (cosy) factor.  Check out the changes the pair made using a DIY carpentry and a splash of paint to transform a basic, narrow kitchen into the cosy heart of the home!

Before

Formerly a maid's room with a separate entrance to the back stairwell, the previous owners moved the kitchen into this room in 2014. The kitchen units and fresh white cabinets ran along one side of the room and include double cabinets which extend the entire way up to the ceiling (perfect for maximising storage space! The stainless-steel worktop was beautifully fitted, and all the appliances were in good working order. The kitchen also featured a dark stained solid oak floor. 

Johanna and her partner wanted to leave the fully functional and perfectly planned kitchen intact but at the same time were keen to make their mark on it. 



The process

Prior to moving in, Johanna sanded down the oak floors and treated them with natural oil so that they would match the flooring in the rest of the apartment. 

They also wanted to make more of the right side of the kitchen - and make room for more people. Adam built a wall-to-wall bench using a long plank of wood mounted on solid brackets. He also added a wainscot using wood panels. And finally, he created a raised wood shelf. All of the equipment was bought from a local hardware store. 

Once the work was completed, the kitchens painted in calming Little Greene

After



Ta daaa! The work has made so much more of the right-hand side of the kitchen, and up until they sold the flat, they could accommodate up to 10 people for dinner! The update also helps give the illusion that the kitchen is wider than it is - and the wainscoting adds a really cosy touch. I also love the soft green shade, it's calm yet cosy and also adds a traditional touch to the space. Beautiful!



The table was custom made by Friends & Founders. A Flos light* hangs from the ceiling.  

What a great transformation! 

Perhaps you have a kitchen that needs a simple update (this is certainly proof that you don't need to do a lot to add your mark!), or looking for a project at home this weekend? If so, I hope this Swedish kitchen make-over has inspired you.  

Johanna frequently shares other DIY projects and news about her house renovation over on her wonderful blog here

If you love an awesome 'before and after' as much as I do put your feet up this weekend and take a look at these - so inspiring!!


So guys, that's all for me for the week. I hope My Scandinavian Home has provided just the bubble of respite you've needed this week and you've felt as inspired as I have!

Wishing you a lovely weekend - take care, stay home and relax (unless of course, you're planning an awesome DIY make-over!). 

Niki

PS I am not sure if you saw that Holly Becker of Decor8 and I started a #30dayhomelove challenge on instagram. It centres around providing a positive challenge each day for everyone at home. The daily themes include plats, shelves, coffee table etc. The hope is that it will help the home be an even brighter place to be. We're thrilled to see more than a thousand entries from all over the world. If you fancy participating, you can read more about it here. It's not to late to join in! 

Photography: Johanna Bradford 

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The Awe-Inspiring Private Kitchen of Noma Head Chef René Redzepi

You can kind of guess that one of the most highly acclaimed chefs in the world would have an incredible kitchen. And the private sphere of René Redzepi - Danish chef and co-owner of the two-Michelin star restaurant Noma in the Christianshavn neighbourhood of Copenhagen, Denmark certainly doesn't disappoint. You'd think the hand crafted bespoke Garde Hvalsøe kitchen in oak, steel and burnished brass and Dinesen HeartOak plank floors would be enough to make a statement in their own right - but there's also that magnificent open fire place and those charming wood beams to contend with. While his restaurant was voted the best restaurant in the world in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, I'm nominating René's kitchen for the best kitchen 2020 award. Take a peek and see if you agree! 


A few months ago, I spent a wonderful evening at the Garde Hvalsøe headquarters in a former car assembly garage in central Copenhagen and I have to say, the level of craftsmanship that goes into their kitchens (and other cabinetry) is incredible. I wish you could run your hand along the surface and open and close these drawers! The supper was superb too (even if it wasn't made by René!).


There burning question (sorry, couldn't resist!), is what appliances does the head chef of Noma choose for his own kitchen? The answer: a Grand Cuisine hob and oven. 




You can really see the beauty of the Dinesen wood in the above picture. It's made from 30 mm thick planks in mixed widths (350-500 mm and length 2-6 metres) with a white oil finish. So stunning, don't you think?

So, what do you reckon? Is this also one of the most beautiful kitchens you've ever seen?

I'm also curious to know, have you ever eaten at Noma? I've tried to get a table a few times but never succeeded. It's still high up on my wish list though!

Curious to see a few other magnificent kitchens today?

A fresh mint green kitchen
A calm kitchen made from wood
The inspiring black kitchen of an interior designer

Also:

10 beautifully simple ideas to steal from a Swedish kitchen
Our summer cottage kitchen (plus get the look!) and a tour of my kitchen at home (if only it was this clean and tidy today!).

Have a lovely day!

Niki

Photography courtesy of Garde Hvalsøe and Dinesen

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A Charming Shaker-style Kitchen in a 1000-year-old Mill

How about a little kitchen dreaming today? This beautiful space can be found at the heart of beautiful Cotes Mill - an historic water mill dating back over 1000 years and the site deVOL kitchens calls its home. Wonky old stone walls, low beams and an aged wood floor provide a cosy backdrop - but sure can make fitting a kitchen tricky! I mean, when we fitted our summer cottage kitchen we found the walls to be marginally off, and that was enough to give us a total headache - this is on another level! But with some careful scribing and the right choices, you can do wonderful things, as shown here in The Real Shaker Kitchen whit's wonderful mix of cupboards, dressers and work surfaces. Read on to feel inspired! 

I see, that deVOL had the same problem as us: a windowsill lower than standard cabinets (fairly common in older buildings). We used a curtain to shield the back of the cabinets in our kitchen, but these guys have used a Silestone up stands to keep the run neat, and the work surface contained, which makes it super easy to keep clean, and looks really smart. 

The designers kept the colours of the cupboards and worktops fairly light to make the room feel as spacious and bright as possible - important when the room only has limited natural light. 

Paint colour: Mushroom by deVOL. Worktops: Lagoon Silestone on sink run, Helix Silestone on island. Knobs and handles: deVOL's painted shaker knobs & ceramic cup handles, Cooker Smeg 100cm 'Opera' dual cavity cooker in stainless steel. Taps 'Ionian' deck mounted taps crosshead handles by Perrin & Rowe, chrome finish. 

I think I need to move to an old house (although I'd be hard pushed finding one that's 1000 years old!) - so that I can have a beautiful kitchen like this.

Is this your kind of style too? 

Read more about The Cotes Mill Shaker Showroom  and The Real Shaker Kitchen. And see a load more kitchen inspiration like this here: 


You can also find tonnes of kitchen inspiration (big and small) in this archive

Happy hump day (eeeek, that just doesn't work in British English....!). 

Niki

PS I'll be back tomorrow with a post about an exciting Danish-inspired update to my dining area, make sure you pop back to take a peek! 

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My Kitchen Renovation: 5 Kitchen Colours I love Right Now

In paid collaboration with Bosch 
Last week I mentioned that we're finally renovating our summer cottage kitchen - woohoo! I'm so excited. Not only is it well overdue (see the before pictures here) - it also means a lot of time drooling over swoon worthy kitchens on Pinterest. I've narrowed it down to five looks I love right now (not all practical, I must say, but a girl can dream, right?!). 

1. Blue / grey tones (above) This kitchen belongs to my friend Tina Lekeberg, who's a bit of a colour guru! I love the muted blue, green and grey tones she's used (the darker cabinets have been painted in NCS 6010-R90B and the lighter ones in Restful Le Havre). I'm also a big fan of the light grey marble worktop and backsplash (I've honestly lived with wood worktops for too long and I'm looking for something a little more practical this time round). I also like how the plants add an immediate sense of harmony! 

2. Sage green: This is definitely one of the big kitchen colours of 2019, and there's something so calming about it! Light green is certainly a strong contender for the cottage kitchen (I'll take a couple of samples up with me next time I go).  Are you a fan too? And just look at those little porcelain wall lights! They're from a local shop here in Malmö - and I've had my eye on them for so long.



3. In the pink: How fabulous is the colour of this Reform kitchen from?! As I said a girl can dream - but in reality, our cottage kitchen hasn't been decorated since the 1970s and probably won't get another facelift for fifty years - unfortunately this means I'm kind of going to have to reign it in a little in terms of colour and go for something a little more timeless, do you agree? Don't even get me started on the fabulous tiles!!



4. Two tone: Will you look at this Norwegian kitchen?! The interior architect has used a deeper blue-green on the lower cabinets and a lighter mint-green/blue on the upper cabinets. I also have my eye on the brass / gold touches (are you a silver or gold person?). Since the summer cottage is quite old, I might try to go ever so slightly more traditional with tarnished gold, we'll see!

5. Soft grey: Which leads me to the final kitchen. These soft grey cabinets and brass knobs in the home of Cille Grut were captured for my second book The Scandinavian Home (I'll never forget the day we spent photographing her beautiful house on the Danish coast). The light wood worktop adds a warm touch to the space so if I were to go down this route, I should definitely think about incorporating wood somewhere to prevent the look from appearing cold. What do you think?


IKEA LERHYTTAN cabinets are similar to the ones in the kitchen above. I think they could be perfect for a small kitchen as they are fairly understated and don't take up too much 'visual space'. Also, Bosch appliances fit seamlessly with these IKEA cabinets (I'm very keen to integrate the dishwasherovenfanfridge etc.) so this could be spot on! Hmmmm. Lots to think about! 

Next step: measuring-up and designing the layout. Oh, and testing those colour samples I mentioned. It suddenly feels like there's so much to do! 

I'm looking forward to updating you with my progress next week. In the meantime, please do weigh in below, I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

Niki

Picture credits: 1. Niki Brantmark / Tina Lekeberg 2. Photography Petra Bindell, Styling Emma Persson Lagerberg. 3. Reform 4. Photographer Nicklas Hart, Interior Architect Cecilie Claussen 
5. The Scandinavian Home published by CICO Books. Photography by James Gardiner © CICO Books 

*This series is in paid collaboration with Bosch. However, all words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

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Our Little Cabin Kitchen (with an IKEA hack!)


Guess what? Our little cabin kitchen (or should I say kitchenette) is finally finished! The cabinets have been in for a while, but the devil is in the detail, and all the hooks and doorknobs are now in place too! I'm looking forward to sharing all the details with you today!  

(See all the design plans for our 30 m2 / 322 f2 cabin on the Swedish West coast here). 

Inspiration

I love everything about the kitchen above by Nordiska Kök -  the grey-beige tone, clean look, the stone and the open wood shelves. I was also keen to bring in some dark grey stone to match the dramatic rocky shoreline in this part of Sweden. 

Floorplan

The designated kitchen area is small and centred around a mid-height window (174 cm wide). Even so we had several criteria: we needed a sink, fridge, small freezer, plenty of food storage and a recycling area. Notice that I haven't mentioned a stove or oven. 

We learned early on that installing a stove would mean it would become a property in its own right and would have electricity / water bill implications (gaaaah!) so we decided we'd use the stove in the main cottage for now. However, there are several options moving forward which include a gas barbecue, outdoor kitchen or even one of IKEA's pop up stoves. We'll see! 

Design

We explored many different kitchen brands, but to be honest, we simply couldn't believe how much even the tiniest of kitchens cost (have you found this too?) and since this is our second (little) home, they were all over our budget, so we had to get creative instead! 

When you're on a tight budget, I think IKEA kitchens are great. I'm a big fan of using them for the basics and then pepping them up by splurging on the details like the tap, handles and worktop. This is what we did in the main cottage kitchen several years ago, and I've been so happy with it! 

I also think the free IKEA kitchen planning service is great (no, this isn't sponsored by the Swedish giant, I promise!)  However, I was hoping to add a few personal touches, so I turned to my dear friend and interior designer Helen Sturesson for advice on how to incorporate hand-built shelves etc. And she sketched the above design. 

Ready to take a look at the results and find out more about the details? 

Results


We chose the Veddinge kitchen and then had it professionally spray painted by Swiss Metod / Lackera Köksluckor (my absolute go-to guys in Malmö) in Blek Sand (NCS S2005-Y20R). 


Worktop
I'd have loved a real stone worktop, but again our budget didn't quite reach for that now. I was really happy to find this laminate worktop at Hornbach. One day, maybe we'll swap it out for real stone, but I love this one for now! 

I think a high quality, beautiful tap is one of the most essential elements of a kitchen. It makes such a difference to the overall experience! We opted for the CRISTINA Rubinetterie CRIKT501 under window kitchen mixer in brushed old brass to match the bathroom taps. I love the finish!  

The sink is HAVSEN from Ikea

Handles


I was so happy to find these Cabinet Knob Helix - with a modern industrial vibe by Beslag Online (they have a load of beautiful knobs, hooks and furniture legs in their collection and sell throughout Europe).  The antique bronze matches the tap perfectly too! 

Shelves 


The open shelves were built by hand with oak slabs from Hornbach. I have to say, despite the faff, these are my favourite part of the kitchen - and so handy for cups and glasses and other items we use all the time. 

If we had installed a stove to the right, we wouldn't have been able to have these shelves there as we'd have needed to add a fan (I just wanted to point this out in case you're planning to do something similar). Maybe in the future, if we decide to get a stove, we'll have to do away with the upper right ones (sniff, sniff!). 

Lighting

An essential element - good lighting! In the above picture you can catch a glimpse of the subtle, Strömlinje LED light from IKEA which is connected to the wall switch and also has a remote control. The lighting is excellent, I have to say! 


We made one mistake. And that is that I should have used one panel instead of two on the front of the fridge (lower-centre). I got myself into a bit of a pickle with door handles - and may have used some photoshop trickery with this to show you how the end result will look with the knobs! However, in the long term I think I'll swap the two drawer fronts out to a single unit. What do you think? 

A few other things: 

We do have a kettle (hence all the teapots etc) - it's just not in shot!

The extendable table and chairs are from Danish brand Skovby (see my post about them here) and the ladder - which can be moved across to the kitchen, was built by a local carpenter. You can find all the information about the wood floor and panelling (by Norrlands Trä) in my post here

I hope you like our little kitchen as much as we do! 

If you have any questions, please give me a shout in the comments below and I'd be happy to help. 

Have a great weekend all, see you Monday! 

Niki

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What colour kitchen cabinets would you choose?

The kitchen is such an important room. One of my Mum's friends always refers to it as 'the engine room of the house', which I think is spot on, don't you? Last night I got a message from a great friend in London asking for advice on what colour kitchen cabinets she should choose. We've all been in interior dilemmas before and when I saw the picture of her kitchen (scroll down to the last image), I knew I had to help, plus it gave me an excuse to drool over beautiful kitchens on Pinterest. I also found these beautiful kitchens shot by one of my favourite Swedish photographers, Jonas Ingerstedt...could white or a shade of blue be the answer?!







Blue from the kitchen of Saša Antić:





Or a shade darker?





Jonas Ingerstedt. Residence.

Tania's kitchen now (taken by Tania):




I absolutely love the dark blue one, but perhaps not for my friends space.

Any thoughts?

What colour is your kitchen?

If you'd like to see more inspiration, take a peek at photographer Jonas Ingerstedt's own kitchen, this stunning Danish kitchen in pastels and this white and grey Malmö kitchen. Infact, type 'kitchen' into the my scandinavian home search and you'll find hundreds of beautiful kitchens (I couldn't believe it!).

PS I was quite nervous about this post since I only ever post images of spaces on My Scandinavian Home I absolutely love. So putting the last image on here was enough to break me out into a slight sweat (eh hem. I mean a gentle 'glow'!) but it's important to get out of the comfort zone from time to time....especially to help a friend in need, isn't it?!

Have a lovely Tuesday!

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