Step Inside Ellen's Beautifully Restored 1920s Swedish Villa

Hello campers! I hope you've had a wonderful summer! We've had such a fantastic time - above all else, those long days with no plans, waking up without an alarm (worth its weight in gold!), swims in the sea and simply spending time together. Bliss! And it's so good to be back here in my favourite little corner of the internet today too!

Let's kick off with the beautiful home of Ellen Ingman. Built in 1923, Ellen has been slowly renovating the villa, restoring it little by little while adding her own modern touches to create a wonderfully warm and relaxed home for her family - cats included!

And there is so much to love. Original details such as the deep door frames, herringbone floors and generous windows have been carefully preserved, while a soft palette of buttery yellow, warm beige, muted green and powder blue brings a gentle sense of colour throughout.

I especially love how Ellen has mixed old and new: an antique workbench takes centre stage in the kitchen, vintage wooden chairs sit alongside contemporary lighting, and traditional wallpaper and joinery are balanced by relaxed linen, rattan and wonderfully tactile rugs. Nothing feels too perfect or overly styled - instead, it has that lovely, collected-over-time feel that makes a home feel truly lived in.

The kitchen might just be my favourite. Those creamy yellow cabinets, stone floor and marble worktop are beautiful in themselves, but it's the old wooden table piled with pots and pans that gives the room so much soul. And how pretty is that little dining nook with the striped pendant?

Altogether, it's a home that feels wonderfully respectful of its 1920s roots, without ever feeling stuck in the past. Shall we take a tour?

Oh, so beautiful! I can only imagine how much work has gone into this home over the years - restoring, renovating and building, not to mention choosing the tiles, colours, wallpaper, furniture and even every last light fitting. A true labour of love, which has certainly paid off in the form of a beautiful, warm and personal family home.

Is there anything that particularly stood out to you? 

You can keep an eye on Ellen's latest renovation projects over at @galgbergsvillan.

Other Swedish villas to feel inspired by: 

Step inside a dreamy Falsterbo beach villa

A beautiful country wedding / party villa (I once had the pleasure of staying here and it was even more fabulous in real life!)

A romantic Swedish art nouveau villa

'Stor kram' from me, happy to be back! 

Niki

Photography: Ellen Ingman, shared with kind permission.

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The Ultimate Scandinavian Summer Round-Up

Dearest friends,

It's time for me to head off on my summer vacation for a couple of weeks. But I'd never leave you high and dry without plenty of beautiful Scandinavian summer inspiration!

Today, I've put together a big summer round-up featuring some of my favourite Scandinavian summer cottages (plus links to another twenty at the end!), floating saunas, outdoor seating ideas for spaces big and small, pools for every size space and budget, and the most wonderful outdoor shower and bath inspiration, in other words, everything you need to embrace life alfresco.

Just add a good book (and perhaps a little mosquito repellent!), and you're all set. I hope these ideas inspire you to soak up every last moment of summer, wherever you happen to be.

A Gotland summer escape (available to rent)

A rural Norwegian cottage by a fjord

A Swedish summer house filled with vintage and antique treasures

Before and after: a dated Danish house becomes a summer home

A dreamy Danish thatched cottage by the sea

A dated house becomes a Danish summer home

Anna's floating little Swedish cottage with a sauna

10 ways to maximise your balcony for summer

7 boho ideas for outdoor spaces big and small

16 outdoor bath and shower ideas

10 small pools for every budget

I hope you felt inspired by these ideas. In case you are looking for more while I'm away, you might also like to see: 

10 dreamy Scandinavian summer cottages

10 magical Nordic summer houses

Scandinavian summer holidays to rent (and a few others further afield)

That's it from me for now. As always, a heartfelt thank you for stopping by, and for your wonderful comments and emails that make this blog such a warm and positive community to be part of.

I hope you have a magical, Scandi-style summer, wherever you are in the world. I'll be back on Tuesday 18th August, refreshed and full of inspiration. Until then, take good care and enjoy every moment!

Niki

PS two other things you might like to see - did you tour the Danish theatre home earlier this week? It's not to be missed! Also, if your child is starting college, here's a piece I wrote for IKEA about how to style their college room. 

Credits: 1& 3 Monica Almskår Heggset & Lev Landig, 2 Airbnb, 4. @clindholm_design for Historiska Hem 5. @det_lille_hus_i_skoven 6. @vestkysthem 7. Anna Starrén 10 Alicia Taylor

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One of my favourite trips of the year is almost here!

Sponsored by Formland, all words are my own.

Eeek! I've just booked my train to Herning, Denmark and my hotel for 16th-18th August, which means one thing... it's almost time for Formland!

I've been making this biannual trip to the Nordic interior and lifestyle tradeshow for many years now, and honestly, I never tire of it. Every season I come home with a notebook full of ideas, a camera packed with inspiration and (usually!) rather sore feet.

People often ask me what makes Formland so special. Of course, it's a chance to see what's new in the world of Scandinavian interiors, but for me it's really about the people. It's where I catch up with old friends from across the industry, finally meet people I've only ever emailed, and spend three wonderful days completely immersed in beautiful design.

If you're thinking of visiting this year, I thought I'd share a few of the things I'm looking forward to most.

1. Discovering beautiful brands

One of my favourite things to do is simply wander through the halls and see what catches my eye. Alongside many well-known Nordic brands, there are always exciting independent makers and smaller studios I'd never have discovered otherwise-not to mention a sprinkling of international exhibitors too. 

These are often the brands that end up appearing on My Scandinavian Home months later, so I can't wait to see what treasures I uncover this time. See all the exhibitors here.

2. Popping into the talks

I always try to make time for a few of the talks throughout the fair. This season there are sessions exploring everything from retail and consumer trends to AI, alongside daily trend talks, debates, workshops and plenty of creative inspiration. As always, I know I'll leave with pages of notes!

3. Visiting the Trend Zone

Another stop on my list is this season's Trend Zone, 'Analog ...a store', created by Studie Flyhelsted.

From what I've read, it sounds wonderfully immersive. Visitors are invited to step into a series of spaces where soft meets hard, smooth meets rough, and the different settings flow together to tell a story around sleep, wellbeing, food and beauty. It's designed to awaken the senses, to encourage you to pause, notice the details and experience design more intuitively.

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those spaces where I'll linger a little longer.

4. Catching up with wonderful people

This is probably my favourite part of all.

Working from home can sometimes feel surprisingly solitary, so I really treasure these few days of conversations with designers, stylists, PR teams, buyers, shop and brand owners and fellow writers. Every chat sparks a new idea, introduces me to someone interesting or sends me off in a completely unexpected direction.

I always come home feeling inspired-not just by what I've seen, but by the people I've met.

Why not join me?

If you've been considering a visit, it's worth knowing that international visitors receive free entry, and there's also a free express bus from Copenhagen to Herning, making it really easy if you're flying in.

And if you can't make it this time, don't worry! I'll be sharing plenty of discoveries, beautiful stands, favourite brands and behind-the-scenes moments over on Instagram throughout the fair, so do follow along if you're curious. Hopefully it'll feel like you're wandering the halls with me!

On a completely seperate note, tomorrow will by my final post on the blog before I head off for a two week summer holiday, I hope you'll stop by! 

Niki

Photo credits & exhbitors: 1 & 5 Creative Souls (J7512), 2. Bröste Copenhagen (J2795) 3. Jakobsdals (M9646), 4. Casa Mags / New Mags (J7122), 6. Rosendahl Design Group (M9445)

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A Magical Theatre Home on the Danish Island of Møn

Sometimes a home lands in my inbox that completely stops me in my tracks.

Last week, these photographs arrived from the Danish island of Møn and, from the very first image, I knew this was somewhere rather special. The owners, Peter Kirk and Tilde Knudsen, are the creative force behind Asterions Hus, the theatre company they've run since 2003. Known for their imaginative interpretations of myths, fairy tales and classic literature, their productions are poetic, highly visual, sometimes a little grotesque, and always infused with humour. It doesn't take long to see how that wonderfully creative spirit has found its way into the place they call home.

Set close to the breathtaking white chalk cliffs of Møns Klint, this former village school has been transformed into far more than a house. It's a family home, a theatre, an artists' residence and a gathering place for creatives from around the world. Built in 1935, the school has lived many lives. After serving generations of local children, it became a refuge for Bosnian families in the 1990s before later evolving into a housing collective. Over the years it suffered neglect and even fire, but today Peter and Tilde have lovingly restored it, preserving its remarkable history while writing an inspiring new chapter.

What struck me most wasn't simply the beautiful old buildings, but the layers of stories woven throughout them. Antique treasures gathered from the French and Scandinavian countryside sit happily alongside theatrical props, artworks and cherished mementoes collected over a lifetime of making theatre. Every object seems to have earned its place, and every room has a story to tell.

Because this home is so deeply personal, I thought we'd do something a little different today. Rather than me doing all the talking, Peter and Tilde have kindly shared the stories behind many of the rooms, objects and spaces in their own words. It feels only fitting that two lifelong storytellers should guide us through this magical place themselves.

So, shall we take a peek behind the curtain?

"We use this as the theatre foyer whenever there are performances. We built the sink ourselves. There used to be a toilet here when the building was still a school, so the plumbing and drainage were already in place. Now we use it to make tea and coffee. The bell is rung to let everyone know it's time for the show to begin."

"Also in the foyer, the white piece is the top of a Bornholm clock. The rest found a second life as a prop in one of our theatre productions about Leonardo da Vinci."

"To the right, there is the entry into the dance space, and upstairs is the entry to our apartment and the kitchen."

"The mannequins in the entry for the dance space are props from a solo piece ‘My Room’."

"This is our office. We were performing at Icharia. We went around the island, exploring on a scooter, and found an abandoned school full of maps. We took as many maps as we could carry on a scooter. We felt very naughty!"

"Many of our pieces of furniture were spontaneous second-hand finds. It doesn't matter to us that it's antique - it's just important that it has personality. We had a big theatre van. We have taught each other that it's good to say yes. 'Grab it when you see it', instead of overthinking." 

"In Copenhagen, we have two good neighbours: the Royal Theatre warehouse, which often threw things out, hand-painted backdrops, etc. The other neighbour was a big second-hand furniture website, the B&W. We collected so many interesting items from them. In our theatre, we had audience seating for 70 people, just antique couches."

"This is our scenography workshop in an old classroom, you can see where the heightened platform for the lectern was. It's full of props and paint and small details."

"This is a costume from a performance called The Europeans, by UK playwright Howard Barker. The screen is from the old shipyard in Copenhagen. And the pink animal on the shelf in the back is an iconic animal from a Czech art festival. It was our mascot when we performed there."

"This the heart of our home: the dining room. We designed the tables from stage podiums during the pandemic. The big black artwork on the left is by our beloved photographer Ingrid Bugge, unfortunately no longer alive, who has followed us for many years. The artwork in the background is a drawing from the well-known local political cartoonist Per Marquard Otzen."

"We built the kitchen ourselves from old grocery store and pharmacy cabinets. We searched online and drove to different towns to collect the pieces. The island bench is from an old shop on the ground floor of a 1929 villa in Odense. It had been built into the space. We had to cut the legs off to take it out."

"We live here with three cats: Natskygge (Night Shadow), Skumring (Dusk) and Stevie Wonder.

One day, a friend called about a tiny kitten they had found, thinking it might be ours. Stevie was very, very small. He wasn't our kitten, but we took him in while we tried to find his owners. We put him in our son's bedroom and, during the night, our son accidentally stepped on him, badly injuring him. Stevie started having fits. We'd already decided we would have to put him to sleep, but miraculously, he recovered.

The accident left him blind, so we called him Stevie because of his blindness, and Wonder because he had survived against all the odds. After we named him Stevie Wonder, we started to hear him sing.

He's now one year old and thriving. He's incredibly sociable and completely fearless."

"This is the school inspectors' house, seen from the garden."

"In 2014, we created a theatre performance in Finland and toured it around Finland and Estonia. After every performance, we visited a different sauna—a traditional smoke sauna, a floating sauna, a sauna by the sea... We loved the ritual so much that we decided we wanted to go to a sauna after every show in Denmark too. So we bought one and installed it by the sea near our home in Copenhagen, where we could jump straight into the water afterwards. We even created theatre performances around it!

When we moved to Møn, we knew we wanted a sauna here as well—so now we have two, one in Copenhagen and one on Møn. This one occasionally doubles as a bedroom when all our guest rooms are full.

Next on the list is an outdoor shower. The sea is about two kilometres away, which is just a little too far to run!"

"All the houses share a large, lush garden overlooking the sea at Klintholm Havn, the nearby fishing village. In summer, it's buzzing with life.

When we moved into the school, the garden had been completely abandoned. During our first year, we dug a drainage channel to prevent the fields from flooding, then planted an orchard with apple, pear, plum and cherry trees. We also planted birch trees to create an outdoor stage-now known as The Birch Stage-as well as raspberries, gooseberries and other berry bushes. Altogether, we've planted around 150 birch and hazel trees, along with 50 fruit trees."

"We're very close to the UNESCO-protected Møns Klint, with its dramatic white chalk cliffs, widely considered one of Denmark's most beautiful natural landmarks. The entire island is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, home to an extraordinary variety of rare habitats and species, including 18 species of orchid and the Large Blue butterfly, which is extinct everywhere else in Denmark.

This year, we created a theatre performance about the Large Blue butterfly, and since then we have become ambassadors for the UNESCO Biosphere."

I honestly feel like I could have wandered around this magical place for hours-there's a story waiting to be discovered in every room, every object and every corner of the garden.

A huge thank you to Peter and Tilde for so generously inviting us behind the curtain and sharing not only their extraordinary home, but also the stories and philosophy that have shaped it. It's been such a privilege.

To discover more about Peter and Tilde's artistic work, To The Møøn Festival, their artist residencies and home stays, do pay a visit to teatermon.dk, or follow them on Instagram @teatermoen.

And finally, a heartfelt thank you to Australian writer, editor and journalist Jana Perkovic, now based on the beautiful Danish island of Møn, for thinking of My Scandinavian Home and so kindly sharing her beautiful photographs and story with us.

I hope you've enjoyed this tour as much as I have. I'd love to hear what caught your eye-or which story stayed with you the longest.

Niki

Photography: Jana Perkovic, shared with kind permission

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