A Cosy Swedish Family Home Filled with Books

Why, hej! How was your weekend? Ours was a mix of dips in the sea, thunderstorms (not at the same time, thankfully), work (too much on at the mo, and not at all 'lagom' - but thankfully only short term) and life in between (like arguing about who is going to empty the dishwasher). I hope yours was suitably varied, and lovely and relaxing.

So, let's kick off the week with something inspiring, shall we? Like a cosy Stockholm apartment. This home is dedicated to anyone who loves colour, pattern and likes to be surrounded by books (show of hands please?). It's also inspiring for anyone looking for cute ideas for a small space with young children (love the cot in the master bedroom and children's bedroom solution). 

Ready for a nosey? 

Note the climber in the kitchen window - with autumn closing in, it's a great way to create a 'green effect' while the trees lie dormant and create those nature-inducing feel good vibes. 

We're seeing so many statement-painted doors right now and I find them so inspiring. Would you consider painting a door a different colour in your home? 

FYI stripes continue to be a strong trend this autumn and tablecloths and cushions are a great way to add them to the home. 

The colour, the pattern, the warmth - the everything! 

A home for book and LP lovers, so great to see, don't you think? 

Notice how the owners have added pictures, bunting and other small touches to carve out a corner exclusively for the littlest member of the family, while the rest of the room still has a mature feel. 

There's always room for more books!

When space is limited, a desk and raised bed solution is a great way to ensure there is a zone for everything. 

I love this home as the owner's personality shines through. Plus, it's so well kitted out to display and store all their belongings and treasured items. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts and observations below. 

Wishing you an 'underbart' start to the week! 

Niki

Photography Boukari, Styling by Copparstad Interior for Historiska Hem, shared with thanks. 

READ MORE...

21

A DIY headboard, Children's alcove and a log fire in the Bedroom!

Hejsan! Scrolling through my usual sites on a Monday morning (along with a Swedish extra strength coffee of course!) I stopped in my tracks when this Swedish home popped up. There were three things that really stood out to me: the soft yet contemporary pink bedroom, the ribbed headboard / half wall that also serves as a shelf and the children's alcove off the sitting room! Let's take a closer look! 

No doubt a former storage cupboard, the parents in this Swedish home have converted an alcove off the sitting room into a children's playroom. I particularly love the glass doors - which ensure some peace and quiet  - after all, we all know how noisy parents can be - not entirely conducive when you're trying to create a crayon masterpiece ;). The alcove is perfectly organised with a cosy place to curl up with a book, a desk and shelves for creating and some floor space for general play. 

Plus, if it gets messy (let's face it, it probably doesn't look as neat as this all the time!) there are always the curtains which can be drawn across! 

I love this pink shade in the hallway and master bedroom. It looks like Deco pink by Jotun Lady - a shade that goes equally well with grey (like in this home) or even zesty colours like neons and cherry red. Are you a fan too? 

These types of headboards and wardrobe coverings are extremely popular right now and make such a statement - even when painted the same colour as the walls! They are also very easy to create yourself. A large DIY store will stock everything you need to create the look. 

I didn't mention the 'kakelugn' (Swedish tiled masonry oven) in my list of three, but it's an absolute given! I mean, who doesn't want to fall asleep to the warm embers of a log fire in winter time? So cosy! 

I hope you felty inspired by these features too. Perhaps there is something else that stood out to you? If so, please do point out in the comments below! 

I am heading off to Jutland, Denmark today to attend Formland design fair tomorrow - very excited as it's such an inspiring place and where I find out the latest trends and news for Autumn. If you can't attend in person,  I'll be sharing my trip on Instagram in case you'd like to see what's happening! I'm then off to Aarhus - Denmark's second largest city to write a city guide for Simply Scandi magazine. I've never been before so very intrigued, I've heard many a good things! 

I hope you've got some fun plans for the week too, and that the sun is shining for you. 

See you Wednesday friends! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Alicia Edelman via The Nordroom. 

READ MORE...

2

A Light Filled Family Home in Berlin with a Nordic Touch

During the Easter school holidays, my daughters and I are heading to Berlin, Germany for a couple of days. It's somewhere I've been saving up for as I've always wanted to take them, it's an amazing city and only 6 hours drive from Malmö! While doing a little research for things to see and do (any tips would be wonderful!), I veered off course (as always), and ended up stumbling across the Berlin home of Judith Schenk - which I had to share it with you guys! 

Judith describes her home as 'Nordic minimalism meets Berlin Altbau' - and the light-filled family apartment is made up of sleek finishes, Scandinavian design, plants and art. Read on to see more pictures and find out about some of the touches Judith has decided on. 

The kitchen is made up of IKEA cabinets with Reform CPH fronts. The countertop is a solid Corian surface. 

The lights are Flowerpot pendants in white.

'Case Study House #10' by Stephanie Kloss hangs over the dining table. A Gubi semi pendant hangs over the table. 

The Model 2065 pendant light by Gino Sarfatti makes a statement in the sitting room. The sofa is from Bolia. 

The plant-filled sun room is bathed in light - a perfect cure for the winter blues (have the leaves come out on the trees where you live yet? Here in Malmö, it's still just twigs - gaaaah!). A desert lounge chair can be glimpsed in the corner. 

Double doors in the living room lead through to the lovely children's room. 

A sofa by Karup Design pulls out into a double bed in the spare room. 

Look at all those beautiful trees - *sigh*, there's nothing like a green view! 

The serene bathroom reminds me a lot of the tones / look I have used in our little cabin bathroom - including brushed / antique brass. The tap is from Grohe. 

The master bedroom is the epitome of calm with walls painted in Portlandstone Pale by Little Greene. Judith has used this shade throughout her apartment: "As we have a super open layout in our flat, this was my approach. Also the paint is so highly pigmented that it always appears different depending on the light and daytime," she says. 

Judith has hung three prints over the bed, including Bleu by Lucrecia Rey Caro*. Arum lights an be seen either side of the bed. 

Absolutely love this home. All the windows certainly help but also Judith has made everything look so effortless and struck the perfect balance between pared-back and personal. 

Did you feel inspired by this tour too? 

See more of Judith's apartment and follow her latest projects over at @kavalierchen. 

Now I'm in Berlin mode, here are a few other tours from the German city: 

A lovely relaxed artist's home full of plants (don't miss this one!)

A bohemian touch in a magnificent Berlin apartment (another favourite!)

The Berlin flat and country home of Nora and Laura

A serene family home in Berlin

And of course, if you're looking for more inspiration this weekend, make sure you look back t the tours I've shared this week, including a Gotland country home (I loved all the discussions about the tiny bath!) and a Stockholm flat worthy of an interior magazine feature - which is currently for sale! 

Have a fabulous weekend friends! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Judith Schenk, shared with kind permission

READ MORE...

5

Allie's Bedroom Makeover - From Tween to Teen!

Paid partnership with Elfa, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

The thing about children is that one minute they're tiny babies, the next they're whizzing off on adventures with friends! Take my daughter, Allie. She's turning twelve this October! Where has the time gone? Always a ray of sunshine, she can't go two steps without a cartwheel and loves to ski, play football (that's soccer to all my American friends!) and lately, has become passionate about fashion and interiors (hmmm, I wonder who she gets that from?). 

Needless to say, she grew out of her bedroom a long time ago - and a makeover was well overdue. Since I promised 2022 would be the years we'd organise our home (with my new wardrobe checked off the list last month), one of the key factors would be to ensure it had plenty of storage! It would also need to cater for Allie's needs - and of course, reflect her personal style and wish list. 

Before

I told you our house is messy / disorganised! I'm surprised there wasn't a pair of pants (UK version) on the floor! Chaos aside, this side of the room was dominated by low storage which was crammed with books, toys, cuddly bears and a load of other bits and bobs. 

I've noticed that the toys have slowly started to collect dust and her room has become a place to hang out with friends, do homework and experiment with fashion, hair and make-up - in between making TikToks and doing backflips on her bed - not always in that order!

I asked Allie what she felt was missing and we narrowed it down to:

- A desk area with drawers 

- A pinboard for small pictures, notes and general inspiration 

- Book shelves - with book ends! 

- A dressing table 

- Good lighting 

Oh, and the look and feel should have a hint of boho with lots of greenery, natural material and plants! 

Planning 

Above is the original design, which was created using the Elfa drag and drop online planning tool. Once the items arrived, we rejigged them a little to make use of the natural light (that's one of the beauties of Elfa - it's a flexible system so you can constantly adapt it according to your needs as well as add items over time). 

After 

Just like the wardrobe system in my bedroom, this shelving system is centred around a series of vertical rods, to which you can click-in a whole tray of items such as shelves, drawers, clipboards, mirrors, hooks and more. For a children's bedroom it's an absolute dream! Here's a breakdown of the items we added: 

The desk area

Above the desk we added a Storing Board with attachable hooks and boxes for small items like pens, paperclips and scissors (Per always marvels at how many 'tiny' items the girls amass, all of which are apparently crucial!). 

I particularly love that the desk height can be raised as she grows!

A mesh basket under the desk is used to store cables (her room is officially neater than my office!). 

And we also added a series of deep wire drawers with Décor fronts for all her notepads, paint etc. 

The shelves 

To create the shelving, we used a series of melamine shelves mounted on click-in brackets. Lesser used items are / old photos etc which Allie would like to save for the future have been stored away on higher shelves (we might buy a small footstool which could double-up as the dressing table stool) and the things she uses daily are within reach on the lower shelves. 

One of the niftiest items we discovered is the reversible shelf / tray which can be used as a shelf for plants etc or a tray for paper, prints etc with a ridge so they don't slide off.  

We also used a series of book supports and wallbands to stop tomes and other items from falling off the shelves (you haven't seen the chaos when Allie does gymnastics!). 

Sidenote: have you read 'The Boy, the mole, the fox and the horse'? It's the sweetest book and a Brantmark family favourite! 

The pinboard 

I made the pinboard using a cork board covered with stretched linen.  

Slim hooks that click into place created a place for hairbands, necklaces, sunglasses... you name it! 

The dressing table 

A dressing table was highest on Allie's wish list! She's actually not allowed to wear make-up outside of the house yet, but she loves to experiment and have fun with it at home!

To create the dressing table area, we added a Decor Mirror - which is the same as the one I have in my new wardrobe. We also put a reversible shelf underneath it for nail varnish, brushes etc and a series of clear boxes (from the Elfa Studio in town) for make-up, jewellery etc. A simple lamp above lights up the area after dark. 

The drawer underneath has been fitted with a Decor accessory tray so that Allie has a place for her bits and bobs like earrings, hairbands, purses etc. 

And finally, we hung a Bracket hook rack on the side for her bags. 

Oh, how I'd have loved to have had this setup when I was a kid! 

The best thing of all, is that it's created so much space in the rest of her room, perfect for phase two of the make-over - rumour has it, Allie's planned a gallery wall with Per's old LPs, a garland of trailing ivy and there was a mention of a lava lamp! I'm looking forward to seeing the boho look unfold!

Oh, and in case you're wondering about the keyboard, there's space for it on the long desk but she might also use a stand instead. 

I hope you like the results as much as Allie does! Please do give me a shout if you have any questions - or if you have a children's room to plan, you can find out more about this system over at Elfa. 

I hope you have a relaxing, fun weekend planned. I'm heading off to Stavanger, Norway this evening to write a city guide for an English magazine - very exciting, Norway is my favourite country in the world! I hope I can squeeze in a trip to the fjords and a hike on the Saturday. If you'd like to follow along, I'll be sharing my trip on Instagram stories. 

Trevlig helg! Have a great weekend! 

Niki

Photography Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home

Styling: Helen Sturesson

READ MORE...

12