My Malmö Studio: New Gallery Wall!

If you stopped by on Saturday, you'll have seen a first glimpse into my new studio in the centre of Malmö. I moved in last September and can't tell you how great it is to have a permanent desk somewhere out of home  - I was honestly climbing up the walls! I share it with upholsterer extraordinaire Carina Grefmar and designer and CEO of Swedish Ninja Maria Gustavsson - both such talented, inspiring ladies! It was an empty shell when we first got it and Maria and I set about making the desk. This week I finally put something on the wall too: a gallery wall thanks to Posterlounge who sell thousand upon thousands of posters and prints!

Designing The Gallery Wall
I'm always a little cautious about creating a gallery wall since it involves a whole lot of drilling, so I played it safe by designing it on my computer and then using recycled paper, nails and a spirit level before hanging the pictures!

The Prints
I've been feeling so inspired by Danish gallery walls lately. They often have a relaxed, eclectic vibe going on and not afraid to incorporate colour and pattern. I went through the Posterlounge website picking out all the prints I loved and then narrowed them down to a selection which worked well together. I also combined white and natural frames.

Get the look


1. Scandinavian design with marble and gold by Radu Bercan
2. Watercolor Lines in Blue I by Nouveau Prints
3. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly by chungkong
4. Picture frame LOFT (White)
5. Angel by Paul Klee
6. Composition trees I by Piet Mondriaan
7. Adjacent Abstraction I by Emma Scarvey
8. Picture frame LOFT (Natural)
9. Composition in Black and White by Piet Mondriaan

Thank you so much to Posterlounge for helping me feel even more at home - it's amazing how art can transform a space!

If you'd like to add more art to your walls, the fab team at Posterlounge are offering My Scandinavian Home readers a 10% discount with code SCANDI10! Woohoo! Do share if you create your own gallery wall, I'd love to see it!

Next step... a rug. Watch this space!

Niki

This post is brought to you in paid collaboration with Posterlounge, however all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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A Dreamy Copenhagen Home Full of Books, Art and Danish Design

Friday totally calls for something fabulous. And when I discovered the Danish home of architectural technology student Freja Bak Petersen I knew I'd found just the place! Freja's Copenhagen apartment is a total dream! Just the glimpse of the books in her dining room in yesterday's Danish home round-up had me searching instagram for more, and her feed was awash with room after room filled with mid-century Danish design pieces, colourful art, stacks of books and subtle details that make the space truly unique and personal. Buckle up friends, you're in a for a real ride! 

Freja found the Børge Mogensen dining table on Scandinavian auction site Lauritz.

I could climb into that classic Kludestolen chair by Bernt Petersen and read all weekend, how about you?!  I also love floating bookshelves it helps to maintain a lovely light and airy feel (unfortunately, we don't have many walls in our home that could support this - do you?). 

Freja built the shelves herself (you can see a slide show of the process, including before pictures, here). So clever!

Instead of ripping it out, Freja kept the original 1920s kitchen and updated the cabinets with a lick of Retro paint by Beckers. The kitchen walls have been painted in Salt, also by Beckers. 

A plaster wall in the living room breaks up the white and adds a load of texture to the sitting room. 

It's the subtle touches in Freja's home, like the colour of the floor, that makes it so personal. "I painted the floors in a very light blue with a touch of grey. I love that they are light blue!" Freja told me. 

The velvet 'Floyd sofa' in matt beige is from the Sofa Company. 

What a perfect way to create room for a home office in a small space without having to stare at your work / study notes from bed! So inspiring! Freja made the desk herself using IKEA legs and a lacquered MDF board. The lamp is from Møller & Rothe.  

Oh, how I loved this home tour. I hope you also felt inspired!

Did anything stand out to you in particular?

I love the light blue floor (Freja has promised to come back with the exact colour code over the weekend. I'll stop by and update the post as soon as I receive it.

In the meantime, you can see plenty more pictures of Freja's home over on instagram here.

It seems the Danish design love fest has become a two-day affair! If you missed yesterday's post, I strongly recommend you pour yourself a coffee and hop over there now - so many dreamy spaces!

Other dreamy danish homes to love over the weekend include a rare peek behind the facade of Copenhagen's colourful Nyhavn, the cool home of a Danish architect and hygge and pops of colour in Hanna Järver's creative home.

Have a fabulous couple of days, friends!

Niki

If you're an interior designer or architect make sure you stop by over the weekend as I'll be announcing a very exciting contest!

Photography: Freja Bak Petersen, shared with kind permission.

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Step Inside Anna Church's Modern-Vintage Family Home

The other day I was leafing through Holly magazine and stumbled across the work of New Zealand artist  and entrepreneur Anna Church. A little research led me to images of her beautiful home in Toronto, Canada (I love it when that happens!). I couldn't resist sending a note to Anna to find out more about the wonderful living space which she shares with husband Nick and children Molly (10) and Thomas (8). Let's dive in!



How would you describe your style? 
My style aesthetic is modern vintage, mixing the efficiencies of modern-day living spaces with timeless eclectic treasured pieces.






How do you choose furniture for your home? 
I'm always on the hunt for a good bargain, flea market or vintage find! I Splurge on pieces I have swooned over for a good duration of time, like furniture pieces, such as our custom-made shaker dining room table. Which became a beautiful collaborative design effort with Arking Atelier (the stools, day bed and shelf above are also created by his hand). And all the artwork (besides my own) which we've collected over the years (We invest and gift a new piece of art to ourselves on our wedding anniversary each year). The beautiful Budgie / bird portrait above the mantel is by Fine art photographer Leila Jeffreys it was our first real collectable/ art investment piece.





I love the blend of old and new, can you tell me more about your thought process behind this? Mixing styles helps me create something more than meets the eye. It also fuels an impulsive inner necessity to constantly rearrange or evolve our space every few months (as the hunter gatherer in me is always on the lookout for a unique addition to our home or to use in my artworks!). A Lot of the Victorian details you see, have been added back, as they were unable to retain their original condition during the demolition / renovation process. I sourced and splurged on mouldings, a period-appropriate fireplace and ceiling roses custom-fabricated from fibreglass. The traditional backdrop is a perfect foil to the home’s modern architecturally efficient insertions.

What inspired the design?
The aesthetic of our home is a nod to the light-filled renovated homes found in our native homeland of New Zealand. White walls, pastel textiles and the large glass sliding back door lift the atmosphere of this once dark, unfunctional long rectangular home into a spacious light filled family friendly efficient space. Pops of colour come from my love of plants, collected artwork (and my own artwork) and carefully curated furniture accessories & smaller curiosities (both old and new).



As well as exhibiting in New York, Miami, London, Amsterdam, Toronto and New Zealand, Anna's art can be seen in various places around the family home including above their bed and here in her daughter's bedroom. her work is rooted in her graphic design and interior styling background. She uses a Sculptographic process, through which she builds new shapes from surprising elements, creating a sculpture and capturing a photograph of a new composition, yielding a fine art print.

"In an age of sensory inundation, the visuals you surround yourself with should bring joy, create fulfilling vistas in your home and perhaps even materialize your own aesthetic self-expression. "Art should inspire you to look deeper yet be a welcome cohabiter." — Anna Church







What a stunning home. I love how it's fairly clean and minimalist, yet there are interesting details and rare finds around every corner!

Is there anything that stood out to you?

You can find out more about Anna's work, latest projects and exhibitions as well as buy her art here:

Website: www.annachurchart.com

The art featured in her home includes Blurred Lines, Paper Cuts and Party Animal.

You can also get a load more inspiration here:

Instagram: @annachruch_art
Pinterest: Anna Church Art

Shall we kick back for another half hour and stay down Canada way? If so, pour that coffee and come and take a peek at:

An idyllic cabin by Lake Huron
The lovely home of Emilie Desjarlais
Lauren Maclean's beautiful Montreal home

Bah! Love all these spaces!

This post has reaffirmed my dream of visiting Canada one day. Any must sees when I do?

Ha det bra! 

Niki

Photography: Anna Church

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In Denmark, A Cosy And Eclectic Home Full of Art

A few moments ago, about a month's worth of rain came down in five minutes. I kid you not. Luckily, I'm working from home, all cosy and dry - and wondering if I've left a window open somewhere. In Denmark, another home was getting a soaking: det lille grå hus (the little grey house). Despite the weather and (pretty) grey facade, Helle's living space in Silkeborg is far from grey. The Dane is driven by "a love for beautiful things and fine materials" rather than designer pieces. Despite this, some classics have snuck in by way of flea market finds, family heirlooms "or simply because a chair is so beautiful it's hard to resist, despite being by Børge Mogensen". The eclectic interior also includes pieces from IKEA and Ilva as well as DIY solutions and lots and lots of wonderful art. Welcome inside the cosy Danish home of Helle, husband Kurt and their children Eve and Herman! 

Pink stairs print, kitchen from IKEA, tiles from Bauhaus

Sulten Geisha print 

PH 5-4 pendant light* & LC Shutters pendant* both Louis Poulsen

Pouf from Sofa Company

Hang-it-all hooks*

What a pretty home! 

I love how Helle has simply followed her heart and chosen pieces for their aesthetics rather than who they're made by, it's given the space so much soul.

Is there anything you love in particular about this home?

You can see more of Helle's home on her homepage and instagram @detlillegraahus and a load of other beautiful Danish homes in this archive. 

Got to love Danish style! 

Niki

Photography: Det Lille Grå Hus shared with kind permission 

*affiliate links

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The Genius App Every Parent & Grandparent Needs (25% off!)

Paid partnership with Doodlespot:

Are you a parent / aunt / uncle/ grandparent / someone who just happens to know a child who loves to draw?! My daughters have always loved to paint. In fact, not a day goes by without some kind of creativity. At one point, when Liv was at nursery, she was so prolific, she'd run through the door clasping 10 "masterpieces". As lovely as it is to see, le't face it, it can be hard to know what on earth to do with them all, don't you think?! At worst there might be one line per page but even the beautiful ones are on poor quality paper that's become a little scrunched and ripped in their school bag! 

And then I discovered the app Doodlespot. I'm the first to admit that I'm terrified of anything techy (seriously!) - but this app is GENIUS and sooooo simple! Available (almost) worldwide on Google Play and iTunes, Doodlespot allows you to capture your child's artwork on your phone. You can then have a play around with the design tools and templates before ordering the framed print straight to your door. I asked the crazies to choose their favourite paintings so we could put the app to the test!

LIV

My ten year old daughter chose 'Lazy River' (seen above and below) which she painted in art class a few weeks ago. She went for a classic portrait template with her name and age underneath so it would look super pro (just like her wonderful piece!). I think she's proudly shown the print to every single person who's walked through the door! 

ALLIE

My younger daughter chose a painting she did of our house and was as pleased as punch when it arrived. Even though the painting was drawn in landscape, she chose the 'portrait' format and had a little play around with the colours - and since she's the artist, who am I to disagree?! 

Doodlespot co-founder Stefan Persson tells me: "Our driving force is child creativity. It is all about helping children to explore and experiment, then we enable you to transform their creations into art you can display on your walls. Filling your home with your own child's art is such a beautiful thing."

The girls and I are so pleased, we've already started thinking about which artwork to get done next! It would make such a great present too, don't you think? 

Oh, and another thing - part of the proceeds are donated to 'War Child', a non-profit organisation helping children traumatised by war. Such a worthwhile cause. 

If you'd love to give Doodlespot a try*, make the most of a 25% discount with the code follow25 until 10th June, 2019! 

Niki

PS I think the last time I showed my crazies together in a post was in their room reveal back in 2014 - with the risk of sounding like a great aunt.... haven't they grown?!! 

*This post is a paid partnership with Doodlespot. All words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

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10 Ways To Transform a Room With A Single Painting!

I love reading your comments - it adds so much to the post and more often than not someone will point out something I haven't noticed and I'll look a the home tour from a new perspective. Yesterday,  for example, someone pointed out that there was no art on the walls - and it was in no means meant as a negative - more an observation that a home without art can also be interesting.  So today, I thought I would go to the opposite extreme and take a look at how a single painting can transform a space. When I was writing my first book, Modern Pastoral, the photographer James Gardiner and I captured a beautiful home in the Hudson Valley designed by Jersey Ice-cream Company. One of the things I noticed about the work of Tara Mangini & Percy Bright is how they apply art (mainly portraits, but also landscapes and still life) to bring the look together. Here are ten fine examples:

I found this fascinating, how about you?

Did you have a favourite?

It has totally spurred me on to look out for more original art for my walls. These are often good sources: 

Flea markets

Charity shops

Etsy*

Ebay

Do you have any other suggestions on where to source original portrait paintings? Perhaps some wonderful, modern artists?

I'm going to need to be careful though - there was a painting in my childhood home of my great, great, great grandfather who was an Admiral. My Mother used to have to cover it up with a sheet at night because my sisters and I were so afraid of it! There was something about the way his eyes followed you around the room. Did you have any paintings like that in your home? 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Jersey Ice-cream Company  / some credited to Beth Kirby

Affiliate links marked with *

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