Captains Cottage: A Super Cosy Bolthole in Hobart, Tasmania

The weather has cooled dramatically this week in Sweden. Is Autumn in the air where are you are too? I should be dreaming of knitted scarves, steaming mugs of coffee, roaring fires and all the other magical things the new season brings with it. But I'm not. I'm dreaming of a winter escape to Tasmania (where it's a little warmer) and a stay at this charming cottage. Wait, before you say anything, you need to take a peek for yourself! Located in Hobart's central business district, the cosy listed cottage was built in the mid 1800s for a sea captain. Owners Kylie and Sean Breaker have lovingly furnished it with an eclectic blend of vintage finds and newer pieces - as well as a subtle nod to its sea-faring past. "Captains Cottage is where we love to stay when visiting Hobart and is your haven too. We hope you fall in love with her as we have," say Kylie and Sean to potential guests. Now there's an invite!

Could you imagine staying here?

I'm feeling like a trip to Tasmania is in order. I'd totally combine it stay with a stay on Satellite island too!

Mind you, I've been saying that for years.

Read more about Captains Cottage and book your stay here or on airbnb.

Also in Tasmania:

A relaxed artist's cabin by the sea
A dreamy little cottage by the sea

Feeling the Tasmania cottage love today - how about you?

Niki

Photography taken by Marni Hawson and @albertandgrace - courtesy of the Captains Cottage gallery and @captainscottagehobart

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A Photographer's Charming Swedish Summer Cottage In The Woods

Buoyed by my recent summer cottage kitchen renovation I picked up a copy of Swedish magazine Lantliv (Country Life) a few weeks ago. And, OH WOW, did it have some incredible homes in it - don't you love it when that happens?! I got particularly stuck on this charming summer cottage in the woods of Northern Uppland. A former petrol station dating back to 1930, the building was about to be torn down when photographers Lina Ericsson and Karl Anderson acquired it as a weekend retreat from busy Stockholm life. The pair set about lovingly transforming it into a unique and charming home full of antiques, second hand finds and pieces from Lina's sustainable interior shop Noy Road. The result is everything a Swedish summer cottage should be; simple and relaxed yet warm and cosy and packed with charm: a perfect place for Lina, Karl, daughter Charlie and their Jack Russell Terrier, Vilda to switch off, surrounded by nature.

The kitchen is a mix of freestanding and open shelving from IKEA - giving the space a relaxed vibe. I love how the couple have maximised space by adding a book shelf over the window. 

The six metre (SIX METRE!!!) high ceiling gives the sitting room a lovely light and airy feel. The rattan chairs are from Silka Design and the handmade wool rug is from Noy Road. Source a similar sheepskin here*. 

Vilda has adopted the handmade wool rug as her own - and who can blame her?! The linen cover and cushions on the IKEA sofa are also from Noy Road. 

Sheer curtains in the sitting room help to keep out bugs while slipping in a soft pool of light. On warmer days they can move outside and enjoy the shaded terrace (as demonstrated by Vilda - who's looking super relaxed out there, I must say!). 

Lina and Karl have made a feature of the doors and architraves by painting them a soft green. The hammam and linen towels are from Noy Road. 

The veranda has been given a new lease of life with recycled windows from Umeå Byggnadsvård while the floor was transformed using a linseed oil-based paint. I absolutely love this type of painted chequered floor - it's so easy to achieve and yet so striking! Do you feel tempted to do the same in your home?

The cottage was originally a traditional Falu red but Karl wanted to do something different and opted for green umbra. The garden is packed with homegrown vegetables - one of Lina's passions. 

Just beautiful.

I can't imagine a more idyllic retreat, can you?

Imagine how difficult it would be to close the doors on a Sunday and head back to town! Mind you, you'd feel relaxed knowing that the place is waiting for you come Friday.

Did you spot the DIY clothes line in the main dining room area (first picture)?  - isn't it clever? I found a DIY tutorial here - and you can also pick up a similar one here.

If you're feeling the Swedish summer cottage vibes after this tour, why not pour a coffee, light a candle (hey, we're talking Scandi here, after all!) and check out this Swedish Cottage archive. It's one of my favourites! If this cottage pops up first, you might want to look through the pictures all over again, or simply scroll on passed for more inspiration!

Ha så fint! 

Niki

These photographs were taken by Karl Anderson / @karlandersonphotography and shared with kind permission from Lantliv. 

*affiliate links

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My Summer Cottage Kitchen Final Reveal (+ Get The Look)!

In paid partnership with Bosch:
I can't believe we've finished our summer cottage kitchen! For a mini, 8 m2 / 86 sq. ft. kitchen, it sure was a whole lot of work! Thank goodness for You Tube and all your wonderful tips and words of encouragement along the way. There certainly wouldn't be a kitchen to enjoy without either of these ingredients! It seems a lifetime ago that I shared the before pictures, design plans - and a few nasty surprises along the way - so without further ado, here is the final reveal!



A little background
Our wooden cottage is located on the West coast of Sweden and was built by my husband's grandfather in the 1930s. It isn't insulated, so we're only there on weekends and school holidays between April and October. Life at the cottage is simple and involves a routine of eat, swim, sleep, repeat! It's somewhere we go to escape the city, kick back and enjoy everything the Swedish summer has to offer with no flights to catch and no schedules to keep. I was keen for the kitchen to reflect this back to basics way of life and create something simple, understated and comfortable.

The Colours
The house is a few hundred metres from the shores of the Kattegat sea where off-white sands meet cool, grey-blue waters. A pine forest leads down to the shoreline - and offers a perfect place to forage for berries and mushrooms. I opted for soft,  muted, subtle greys and whites with touches of lush greenery to reflect the lovely surroundings.




THE CABINETS
We chose simple veddinge cabinets from IKEA which I had spray painted by the fab guys at Swiss Metod in Malmö. We completed the look with bagganäs brass knobs (thank you for your help deciding these in my instagram stories poll!).

Above: While we tend to lead a back-to-basics life at the cottage, we still delight in a few modern comforts, and a dishwasher is one of them! We were going to go for a compact / slimmed down size but in the end went for the standard size Dishwasher Series 6 SBE46CX05E so we wouldn't be constantly emptying and refilling it! Since it's a small kitchen we integrated it behind the cabinets for a seamless look. It's also dead silent, so you'd never know it was there! 
 
I felt it was important to inject some of the original features. The original Bakelight fittings had been swapped out for white plastic fittings in the 70s and I felt it would be nice to reinstall replicas from this time. My Mother-in-law thought this was very amusing: "I still remember the day we installed the new light switches. They felt very state-of-the-art.". I wonder what the next generation will do?!





The worktop
If you've been following this journey, you'll know we went backwards and forwards on the worktop for weeks (thank you for all your words of wisdom!). Since it's not our permanent home we wanted something inexpensive, durable and practical. In the end we chose Ekbacken white marble effect as it covered all basics. I am super happy with how it looks and can highly recommend it. However, the 'purist' in me is pining for a natural surface so one day I might just swap it out for wood or stone, we'll see!

Oven, induction hob and fan
Having had Bosch appliances in our home for over ten years and knowing they can be integrated seamlessly into IKEA kitchens, it made sense to go for Bosch goods in our summer cottage too. I'm so happy with our Oven Series 8 HBG872DS1S and Induction Hob Series 6 PXE611FC1E, they're super sleek and state-of-the-art! We're also pleased with the fan, which is tucked into the cabinet above (allowing for more storage space above). You can read more about why I chose these appliances here.

I registered my appliances at My Bosch which allows me to test the appliances for 100 days and return them if I'm not satisfied - how helpful is that?! I also receive recipes, first insight into promotions, and a customer service VIP number - well worth signing up for!

Chopping boards!

I can't tell you how many wooden chopping boards I have (my husband has placed a ban on me acquiring anymore (along with the cushion embargo!). Fortunately, I had enough at home to donate to the cottage!).  I love that they are both practical and add instant texture and warmth to a kitchen - plus they only get better with age. Do you have wood chopping boards too?

Sink area
I think this area is my favourite. Since the house is quite old, the window height isn't standardised, so we hung a linen curtain (which my Mother-in-law found at a flea market) behind the sink to stop things falling down behind the countertop and add a hint of traditional Swedish cottage style. The sink is the porcelain Havsen from IKEA and the tap - which I LOVE - is by Tapwell (see the get the look below). The latter was a little bit more of an investment, but I completely fell in love with the rich patina and love the feel of it when in use - and am so happy I went all out with the it.



The details
Although a white and light grey colour combination helps to make a smaller kitchen appear larger, I was aware that it can also feel quite cold. I therefore added a load of natural textures in the form of linen, stone, wool and wood in order to add depth and warmth as well as draw nature indoors.

I picked up the stone vases at a local nursery (Trädgårdspalleten) in Malmö. I love the rough, imperfect nature of the surface. It's perfect for wildflowers too! Brass items with a subtle patina like the tap and nautical lamp also help to add interest to the room.

Soap dish (of sorts!)
My younger daughter brought this pebble back from the nearby beach, it makes a perfect soap dish!
 
Nautical pendant lamp
I am so pleased with this nautical-style pendant over the sink (from Rowen & Wren) - I got the idea from Jeska Hearne's kitchen! When lit, it looks really cosy and brings a subtle nautical touch to the room; I can imagine every kitchen window in the fishing village had a lamp like this at some point.



Fridge-freezer
In a small kitchen, it's vital to make use of every inch - which is why we opted for a Fridge-Freezer Series 4 KIN86VS30 and installed it behind the cabinet doors (read more about the fridge-freezer here). Not only does it make the kitchen feel less cluttered, it also allowed for more storage (and plenty of space for our summer wine and cheese!).
 



The floor
When we started the floor was covered in a plastic laminate which we ripped out. The wood floor beneath was fairly low quality so we decided to sand it down and paint it with hard wearing floor paint in white (take a peek here!). The walls have also been painted in a simple, matt white to create a light and airy feel.

The Curtain
Since the house isn't very well insulated, a linen curtain helps to keep out drafts by the back door, and adds a softness to the overall look. The stripes are another subtle nod to the coastal vibe, and I love how it billows in the breeze.



Open storage
If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know I love a row of hooks (I'm pretty sure Per will put an embargo on buying more of these soon, too)! But they're soooo handy and also add a cosy feel. I actually picked up these mango wood ones at H&M Home - such a find as they have a slightly aged look. I placed three side by side. The ones nearest the door are reserved for 'hallway' stuff like shopping baskets and outdoor items, while the hooks towards the centre of the room are for more kitchen-based items.








And that's it!

I hope you enjoyed the tour and like the result as much as we do!

The space feels extra special having done it all ourselves (save for a little plumbing and electrics).

In case you're curious on where items are from, here's the complete low down:

GET THE LOOK

1. Nordal Carpet with Fringes
2. IKEA VEDDINGE cabinets
3. HUBSCH Barstool
4. IKEA Brass Door Knobs
5. Byggfabriken White Photo Lamp
6. NCS Colour S 2002-Y
7. IKEA Natural Net Bag
8. Tapwell EVO184 Kitchen Faucet
9. IKEA White Marble Effect Countertop
10. Redecker Wooden Handheld Dish Brush
11. Byggfabriken Vipp Grounded Outlet
12. Byggfabriken Vipp Switch Trapp
13. IKEA Beige Curtains
14. Woven Finds Co. Straw Bag with Long Tan Leather Handles
15. Bergs Potter Helena Rose Tree Pot and Saucer Grey
16. Bergs Potter Helena Rose Tree Pot and Antique Rosa
17. Medium Hammam Towel With Fringes
18. IKEA Beige Dishtowel
19. H&M Round Straw Tray
20. Iris Hantverk Dustpan & Brush Set Black
21. Rowen and Wren Fowey Pendant
22. TOWA Workshop Japanese Tetsubin Tea Kettle
23. Nordal Chopping Board


APPLIANCES


1. Bosch Hood Series 4 DFM064A51
2. Bosch Dishwasher Series 6 SBE46CX05E
3. Bosch Oven Series 8 HBG872DS1S
4. Bosch Fridge Freezer Series 4 KIN86VS30
5. Bosch Induction Hob Series 6 PXE611FC1E

Did I miss anything? If you're wondering about any of the details, just give me a shout below and I'll do my best to help!

I am so looking forward to chilling out in the summer cottage garden in a few week's time, what do you say?! Not before baking an apple pie first, of course!

Niki

Thank you to: 
The wonderful team at Bosch who made this renovation series possible, the interior design guys at My Scandinavian Home Studio, Per for being my partner in crime and our children who spent HOURS on the trampoline while we worked! I'd also like to say a huge thanks to Sofie Lawett for looking over my ideas, my dear friends Jess Forsberg and Ullis Sjöström and the fab guys at Swiss Metod and Geijersgatan 53. 

*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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