Scandinavian Serenity: A Cleverly Curated Apartment Full of Calm

Hej kompisar! Welcome to your mid-week breath of fresh air—and a masterclass in creating a sitting room and bedroom in one! This light and airy 51-square-metre (549-square-foot) apartment in Gothenburg has been beautifully curated in a soothing palette of white, cream, amber and brown to create a calming oasis in the heart of the city.

The main living area seamlessly combines a cosy social zone, a home office, and a sleep space—all while maintaining a wonderful sense of serenity. And guess what? There's even plenty of storage! The spacious kitchen is another highlight, with just the right amount of warm wood.

While it’s undeniably styled and curated, there’s still plenty of inspiration to take from this delightful Swedish apartment. Välkommen in!

The bedroom area is tucked into a small alcove off the sitting room. For added privacy—or simply to avoid making your bed every day!—you could hang a curtain. Don’t have an alcove like this? No problem! A wrap-around curtain or canopy can also help define a bedroom space and create a cosy feel. There’s a great example of this in this Swedish apartment. 

The wooden floor is likely the original from 1900, when the building was constructed. Many people choose to sand off the varnish and treat it with a special soap or wax for protection and a natural look. Of course, it helps that shoes are never worn inside a Swedish apartment—one of the secrets to keeping floors in such great condition!

I love the soft bedside table! Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the lamp is actually from H&M Home (they do great lamps!). 

What a great starting point! Now all that’s left is to add books, art, and all those personal treasures you’ve collected over the years to make it truly yours.

What do you think of the bed solution? Would you have done it the same way? Personally, I find these smaller sleeping areas so cosy—there’s something wonderfully cocooning about them.

You can see more sleep zones / smart bedroom zone areas in the small spaces archive - there are some really beautiful homes in there! 

Thank you for your warm wishes for my daughter (who is now back at school - yay!) and Per - who is hobbling around one of those boots (for the next 6 to 8 weeks) but also getting on with things. The sun is shining in Malmö today - so everything feels brighter! I hope the sun is shining where you are too. 

See you Friday, friends! 

Niki

Photography: Entrance Mäkleri

READ MORE...

10

An Light and Airy Guesthouse in a Former Potting Shed

Hej kompisar! I hope you had a lovely, relaxing weekend. I mentioned last week that I'd been chasing my tail, and it seems this week is set to continue - I arrived in Gothenburg late last night as I'm set to present on stage at Möbelmässan (the Gothenburg furniture fair) this afternoon. Eeeeek! During my research, I've learnt a lot about 2025 interior design trends which I'd love to share with you soon. 

In the meantime, I thought I'd start the blog week with a total reset in the form of a white shed, also known as The Potting Shed. Set in the grounds of Bunya House in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia, I found myself immediately drawn to it today as a) it's far away 2) it's on Airbnb so we can actually book it! 3) it's small - and if you've seen the tour of our tiny cabin, you know I love small and finally 4) it oozes simplicity. 

The shed is made up of one main room with a sink, small table and bed as well as a bathroom. Since it's hard to tell from the pictures - as you walk in the door seen above, the sink is immediately to your right and the table straight ahead. The bed is to the left. 

Ready to take a little tour of this simple, airy guesthouse? 

Could you imagine staying here and filling it with your holiday wardrobe and food picked up at the local market? Perhaps we could meet there: the main house is also available to rent through Airbnb. Now there's an idea for a Monday! I already see a spot for that glass of wine (Australian of course!). 

Is there anything that stood out to you about this little cottage? I'd love to hear below! 

Although I mainly show Scandinavian homes, you'll have noticed I do have a particular penchant for Australian properties (I must visit one day, never been!). You can see all the tours from the past here. 

Right friends, I need to get ready for this talk now, wish me luck and have a fab start to the week. 

Kram

Niki

Photography courtesy of @bunya_house_bowral, shared with kind permission

READ MORE...

18

A Dreamy White Vintage-filled Cottage in California

I am often asked how I find homes for this blog. The answer is hours and hours of scrolling instagram, Pinterest, and interior magazines. But sometimes, I home just lands in my lap - and I was very excited when this beautiful cottage appeared in my inbox this weekend! 

The cottage is located in central Vacaville, California - a short drive to the Napa Valley and with the Sierra Mountains less than 2 hours away. It belongs to Colette Miller and her husband who have been busy renovating it to restore it to its former glory and add her own 'California Casual' vibe to the space. 

If you love light and airy homes, white wood panelling and plenty of lovely vintage finds, today's tour is for you! Oh, and it also features a romantic rustic sunroom and even a shed! Read on to hear more about this dreamy property in Colette's own words - and a load of beautiful pictures captured by Lynda Kennedy. 

"We downsized to this little cottage on a tree lined street 10 years ago. It is 1200 sq. ft (111 sq.m) with a detached garage and shed."

"The kitchen is on the to-do list, but I'm OK waiting. I call it the 'unfitted look'- I think when I do remodel it there won't be any drastic changes... maybe a Smeg fridge though!" 

"The previous owners had remodelled and took out the vintage wood paned windows and the wood floors were covered with wall-to-wall carpeting. All of the windows and had been replaced as well, so we found vintage windows and doors that we thought the home was probably outfitted with when it was built in the early 1940s." 

"We raised the ceiling in the living room and added two skylights to really let all the light in and it immediately felt so much more spacious." 

"We replaced the pot belly stove for a 60's Malm stove for the vibe we were going for."

"If someone were to ask my "vibe" I wouldn't really know how to answer. I don't really fit in one box, but if I had to put a name, I'd like to think it's 'California Casual". 

The back porch was open when we moved in. I knew the moment I saw it that it needed to be a sunroom. I had 6 old windows that we used to partially enclose and its my favourite space just off our master bedroom for morning coffee! 

"I love our little shed in the backyard too. It's been a gardening shed, an art shed, a sit-in shed when rain is pitter-pattering on the tin roof. And now that I have grandkids, I have made it into a playhouse for them to play in."

What a dream!

It feels like this property has fallen into exactly the right hands! I love that old windows and doors have been refitted - and also that a sunroom has been made from vintage finds, I'd be so happy sitting there, sipping coffee while the rain patters on the windows, how about you? 

You can see more pictures of Colette's pretty cottage and follow her latest home updates over at @colettemiller. 

Is there anything that stood out to you about Colette's home? If so, please do share in the comments below, I love to hear your thoughts, observations and reflections! 

The interior reminded me a little of Leanne Ford's woodsy cabin and also some of the properties by Australian Lynda Gardner (especially her Daylesford property) - two interior designers I admire. And I think the sun room holds similarities to romantic Camellas Lloret - somewhere I've always wanted to stay! 

I am busy packing as I am heading off to Norway tomorrow for a week. I'll be heading to Bodø and then the Lofoten islands for a travel piece for Simply Scandi magazine, and I am SO excited! If you'd like a virtual trip, do follow along on my instagram!

Have a wonderful start to the week! 

Niki

PS Don't forget to make the most of the 20% discount at Skandinavisk with code myscandinavianhome20 - I love their FJORD fragrance, they've managed to captured the scent of the Norwegian fjords beautifully! 

Credits: interior design - Colette Miller, photography - Lynda Kennedy, shared with kind permission. 

READ MORE...

8

A White Swedish Apartment with A Small Space Hack

Anyone in need of a little calm this Monday? This elegant apartment in Södermalm, Stockholm is blessed with 3.30 metre high ceilings and beautiful period features. Plus, if you're looking to make an extra bedroom out of your living space or work wonders with paint, this is the inspiration for you! Let's take a look at what's at play in this 75 metres square (807 ftsq) apartment. 

In an open-plan space, it makes sense to place the table in the natural light of the window and the sofa in a cosier spot with less light. I love how the living room is full of contrasting textures too - something you'll see throughout the apartment. 

A subtle hint of colour in the children's bedroom does wonders to the overall look and feel of the space. 

I'm guessing the kitchen previously occupied the entire space just off the living room and now carved into two - a children's bedroom and a small space to cook. Once again, contrasts are at play - with the use of both industrial stainless steel and painted wood cabinets. 

Old wood windows allow the flow of light into the kitchen. 

Paint is a budget-friendly way to breathe new life into a space. In the hallway, the owners have painted a geometric pattern on the hall floor and also added a fun modern twist to the doors and cabinets by painting the lower section green. I love this! 

The owners have adopted the same industrial feel in the bathroom for a cohesive look. 

The children's bedroom may be small, but it's certainly pretty, cosy and well organised! The use of white helps the storage to melt in while splashed of colour draw the eye in. 

Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out a layout from the pictures, so here's some more info courtesy of Historiska Hem: 

Glossary: sovrum - bedroom, kök - kitchen, vardagsrum - sitting room, badrum - bathroom.

Absolutely lovely space - it's a total breath of fresh air and I really like the mix of materials. 

Is there anything that stood out to you? 

The room shuffle reminds me a little of the home I featured recently in Copenhagen here.  

Have a fabulous start to the week friends! 

Niki

Photography: Historiska Hem

READ MORE...

5