A Scandi-inspired Family Home in a 1950's Bungalow

Looking at this home (which I discovered over at The Design Chaser), you'd guess it was in Sweden or Finland - maybe Norway, but definitely not Australia! It's perhaps little surprise that homeowner Nat Wheller is co-founder of norsu interiors, a Melbourne based Scandinavian interior homeware store. Nat and her co-founder Kristy Sadlier renovated the 1920's Californian bungalow over the space of 6 months, transforming it from an 'ugly duckling home' into what they describe as a 'norsu home', characterised by light grey and white hues and subtle, warm textures. They shared the process on instagram to show that a renovation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Today, Nat and her husband Dan and their two children Annabel (7) and Harvey (4) enjoy life in the family home. So, pop the kettle on - and enjoy the tour!

Wood cladding adds character and warmth to a room - while helping to maintaining a clean, calm look and feel.   

Loving that big ole' Smeg* in the kitchen and the chevron tiles! Check out the Swedish Rubn light fixture too!

How's this for a hallway with a calm feel?!Plus it has everything: closed storage for coats, scarves etc, somewhere to sit down and put on your shoes, and a 'landing space' i.e. the console which is the perfect spot for small items like keys. Not a scooter in sight!

Sliding doors are great - they take up less space and allow for a wider door way so more light can enter the room. I'm a big fan of barn doors like this one as they add so much character to a space too.

The wood cladding has been extended into one of the children's rooms adding to the cosy feel - love this!

As bathrooms stroke utility rooms go this has to be up there with one of the prettiest - and it's all in the tiles and clothes rack. We have a utility room in our home (it's never appeared on MSH because it's a total disaster area!!) - I'm so pinning this space. Perhaps I've found a project for this autumn! Anyone else feeling inspired by this?

What a beautiful space! Anyone else feel truly inspired and come away with a thousand ideas? I think I might just have finally cracked my hallway puzzle... (that's two projects this autumn - don't tell the man!).

I often think of wood cladding as a summer cottage feature but seeing it in this homes makes me realise it can look just as great in a modern home too - yay!

Is there anything you love in particular about this house?

If you're keen to see more, you can view the complete renovation process on film here and get the look room by room here (many items have been sourced locally down under). Oh and the guys are also offering norsuHOME styling services now too. How tempting!

More Aussie homes (where do I begin, there are so many rocking the Scandi style in a beautiful way!): the inspiring Melbourne of two architects, a relaxed beach home in earthy tones (there are those african baskets again!), a super relaxed boho cottage down under.

Have a lovely day!

Niki

Photography Lisa Cohen Styling Beck Simon

READ MORE...

4

A Cool, Grey, Cream and White Swedish Space

It's the hottest day of the year here - it's absolutely baking! While it's bliss splashing about in the cool, blue waters of the Öresund, sadly the heat is causing devastating forest fires across the country and Sweden has had to draft in the help of neighbouring countries to help extinguish the blaze. In certain areas locals have been lining the roads to cheer on the convoys of firefighters as they arrive - it's really heartwarming! Rain is on the forecast for this weekend too - phew! Meanwhile,  I'd quite happily hang out in this shaded apartment, with it's cool, calm colours for a few hours today. The space belongs to Swedish interior designer and stylist extraordinaire Hanna Ahlin - and it's a wonderful combination of soft white, cream and striking dark grey. Look out for her cute dog licking his chops! 

// affilliate links marked with *//

The gallery wall looks amazing against a dark grey wall. Hanna has stuck to a black, white and cream scheme for the gallery. I paticularly love the Nude 02 by Ekaterina Koroleva*.

I love this Elfa shelving / desk combination in the bedroom - it's such a great way to turn a wall in a narrow spot into a home office!

The linen curtains seen above in the bedroom have been chosen to match the wall colour and offer a perfect way to create storage and hide a lot of things! I've actually been thinking of doing this in our hallway since we always have so much clobber. It would be great to just pull a curtain across the whole lot and pretend none of it's there!!

I usually buy my linen curtains made to measure from this Etsy shop - and I see they sell dark grey linen drapes* just like these ones!

There's a lot to be said for cool greys when the mercury rises outside- don't you think?

Stay cool friends!

Niki

Photography Hanna Ahlin / Alen Cordic.

READ MORE...

4

Soothing Swedish Home with a Striking Dark Floor

Why, hello there! The Scandinavian school summer holidays start in a mere 6 weeks - eeeeek! How did that happen?  The thing is, my mind seems to think the long, gloriously slow days of summer have already arrived (it doesn't help that it's one of those diamond days with clear blue skies and the promise of an Aperol Spritz in the sunshine!). As a result I just don't seem to be getting anything done (do you ever feel like this too?!). This is where a maximalist home in a riot of colours might help jolt me back to reality. But nope, this soothing grey, white and neutral Swedish home fits my vibe in every way. I especially love the striking dark wood floor against the whites and pale greys. Come and dream with me (and perhaps pick up some ideas on the way!).

Going for a bolder colour in the bedroom is a fail safe way of injecting stronger tones into a home without going all out (and what a pretty colour it is too?!). I like how they've placed similar colours in the adjoining room (like the grey cabinet and rug) which help to create a cohesive look. 

The sitting room area is fairly awkward shape and yet the owners (designers?) have carved out a clever multipurpose space with a desk, social area and place to watch TV. I like the way the armchair (by Tine K Home) has been turned towards the sofa, taking the main focus away from the TV!

Rust, powder pink and amber accents are one of the key colour combinations of 2018 - I'm so happy about this I think there's something beautiful about these tones combined. The Poster Club sells similar abstract art and oak frames and you can pick up a pretty mustard throw here.

How clever is this little work space made up of a simple wall mounted desk and open shelving? The black chair is the Afteroom by Menu. Love how they've even added some greenery (perhaps they've been reading my lagom book?!).

The blue-grey hue in the bedroom creates an unbelievably calm feel. The hanging plant in the corner  (source a similar macrame planter here) adds some much needed height (an important thing to think about from a styling point of view - especially if you have high ceilings!). 

Look at all that natural light?!  Once again the dark wood floor adds a perfect amount of contrast to what is otherwise a very neutral space.

Photography Anders Bergstedt, Styling Nouvel Interior for Entrance.

Plants such as the fig tree and Rex Begonia seen on the balcony work equally well indoors or outdoors. In fact, I have a Rex Begonia in my office and they're practically impossible to kill (we like!). In fact they LOVE to dry out (and then you drench them before letting them dry out again - AKA my usual plant care routine!). Is it possible to have a plant as a best friend?!

Is there anything that stood out to you about this home?

If you'd like to see more homes with beautiful dark floors I can totally recommend having a whip round Si's lovely San Francisco Home, black floors in the home of a French stylist (possibly one of my favourite kitchens of all time!) and a striking dark and white swedish space.

Have a lovely day guys - I'm off to relax. No wait....

READ MORE...

2

A Swedish Home That Will Sooth Your Soul!

Have you seen the 'calm app' which encourages you to stop what you're doing for 15 seconds and listen to the sound of rain drops? The aim is to make you feel relaxed through mindfulness (but apparently people are getting stressed out from all the ads they've been sharing, which does make me chuckle!). Either way, when I find apartments like this one I get my own little dose of mid week calm - do you find this too? I'm not sure if it's the soothing grey walls, the way the light falls or the soft, natural textures in the form of wood, rattan, leather and linen - but there's something beautiful about this space high up in the roof tops of Gothenburg. I'll leave you to enjoy the tour i lugn och ro (in peace and quiet)!



















... and relax!

I love that it has a little balcony looking out over the inner garden. Communal gardens like these are really common in Swedish apartment blocks. They're usually divided into unofficial zones which includes  somewhere to store bikes, a barbecue spot and a children's play area. The apartment I lived in before also had a communal vegetable patch - so lovely!

Is there anything that stood out to you?

If you're looking to create a calm oasis in your home too - here's our guide to some of the pieces:

GET THE LOOK

1. IKEA Stockholm 2017 cabinet  (where not sold, Marte Storage Cabinet
is a great alternative).
2. Object Blanc no 26 - Atelier CPH
3. Slit Table
4. Gubi Semi Pendant - Dia.60
5. Filton Coffee Table
6. CH23 Side Chair
7. Nicoline A. Milton - Adoray
8. STOCKHOLM 2017 Tray
9. Glo-Ball S1 Suspension Lamp
10. Cutter Bench 120

More Swedish homes in the archives include the wonderful home of a food blogger (check out the blue walls!),  the charming home of a designer and a vintage inspired home full of soul.

I'm just doing the final prep on my office make-over. It's been a surprising amount of work - gah - (partly due to how much rubbish I managed to accumulate) but it's nearly there now and I'm really hoping to share the results tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Have a lovely evening!

Credits: Photographer Jonas Berg. Styling GreyDeco for Stadshem

READ MORE...

17