Trend: Greige Walls

White walls are almost becoming extinct. As the year wears on, more and more of my friends seem to be getting weary of their walls and trying to find a middle ground between the straightforward trend of whites and the color palettes of late, which are filled with pinks, indigos and desaturated (and gorgeous, I might add) greens.

Greige is the perfect example of an in-between. It is not grey but it’s also not beige. That’s why it’s become increasingly popular–and it deserves to be for its diversity and subtleness. Greige is the color that says “I’m grounded, reliable, wholesome but also unexpectedly classy.”. To me, it’s one of the best colors of the year; it matches perfectly with light woods... and let’s be honest, it’s quiet a needed break from whites.

If you, like me, are not quite ready for the bold-color movement, consider this for your end-of-year home refresh.

Niki is in Paris for the launch of the French version of her book Lagom (Le juste équilibre) - if you're passing Galeries Lafayette between 4 - 6 pm this Saturday,  pop in for a signed copy and join in with a fun DIY session! I believe she's sharing the adventure over on instagram stories too!

Beautiful images by: Evalotta Sundling and Elin Kickén, with thanks!

About The Author

Ana Degenaar → My Scandinavian Home Contributor

Author, Graphic and Web Designer.
Mindfulness is at the heart of everything Ana does—from work to life and everything in between.
For over five years she's focused on creating honest, intelligent and refreshing projects—believing that the best way to accomplish this is to dedicate herself to the essential and making things speak of their intrinsic beauty and purpose.

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6

Sara's fabulous 'funkis' house in Malmö, Sweden

A few Friday's ago I packed up my photography equipment and nipped over to the other side of Malmö to spend the day with Sara Hallin Sandström. Sara is a Master of CMF (Colour Material/ Finish) at Electrolux and co-producer of Colour Therapy (along with Tina - who's beautiful home I featured here) and lives with her husband Nicklas - an Art Director (and ex colleague of mine - it's a small world!) and their gorgeous sausage dog Kakan in a funkis house from the 1930's. We had a brilliant day, including chats and laughter over a fika (coffee and a small treat) and capturing the details from Sara's wonderful home. I hope you enjoy the tour! 

Tell me about your beautiful house:
Our house was built in 1934 for families working at the nearby airport (Bulltofta, closed in the 1970’s). At that time, it was made up of two apartments with a shared bathroom, laundry room (in the basement) and garden.

What drew you to the house?  

We really love the architecture and the structure. It was made in the early days of the “funkis” (functionalist design) era and this is visible in the details of the house. The very rational structure and the big windows are very “funkis”, while the decorative details inside are more inspired by the 1920’s style. We liked that the house was left in its original state with a lot of original details. We also love the location of our house, it is a cosy, bohemian neighbourhood within walking distance of the city center. And of course, that we have our own garden with several fruit trees (original from 1934) and space to grow our own vegetables.

Have you carried out any major renovations? Yes, we re-made the kitchen and built a modern bathroom next to our master bedroom. But we have also kept the original bathroom with a tub in the basement. When we made the new kitchen, we removed a wall to open up the kitchen towards the entrance of the house, we hired carpenter Christer Bentmon to build a custom-made kitchen inspired by the original but with modern functionality. I painted the kitchen in a traditional, ecological paint made of eggs, linseed oil and pigment. We want this kitchen to live as long as the previous one, for more than 80 years!

How would you describe your interior style?
Eclectic, I like to mix new with old things and things from home with things from other cultures.

How would you describe your colour palette?
Colourful Scandinavian - we have lots of colours in our house but they are all quite muted and not too loud (very Scandinavian!) and work well in combination with other colours.

What tips do you have for anyone looking to introduce colour into their home?  
Dare to be personal. Go for what you like and don’t care too much about trends. But it's always a good idea to try the colour on a small part of the wall before you buy a big bucket. Colours change a lot depending on the light in the room, but that's also the beauty with it! Our grey colour in the living room is shifting from warm to cold depending on the time of the day and the season.

***

Thank you so much Sara, Nicklas and Kakan for inviting me into your home - what a fun and truly inspiring day. I think I need to go and fix a walk-in-wardrobe for myself now - how much would you love a room like this in your house?!

Get the look from Sara's home:

Kitchen - cabinets painted in Ovolin (code 5-632), Sara made the pendant lamp using the
HÖLJES Pendant lamp from IKEA, gold electric cable from a local store and this brass vase which she drilled a hole in.

Dining room - the Olle Alberius for Orrefors lamp was a wedding gift to Sara's parents from her grandparents

Sitting room - the round mirror is an antique (from Bukowskis) - this one is similar (see our mirror round-up here!). Sofa from Bolia, Isamu Noguchi coffee table. Book shelves from IKEA (painted the same colour as the wall: Lin from Alcro). Vase on shelf from Stilleben, Copenhagen.

Walk-in-wardrobe - storage baskets from H&M home, Ilva rug, clothes rails from Vore. This, this and this stand are ideal for jewellery.

For more inspiration check-out Sara's blog and instagram feed!

....And that's me done for the week here on the blog! We're enjoying our last couple of days in Spain before I head to London to celebrate the new limited edition Nespresso Variations Confetto collection in collaboration with artists Craig and Karl (candy inspired coffee blends - What's not to love?!) at the Regent Street boutique on Monday night (keep an eye on Instagram Stories!).

I hope you've got some fun plans over the next couple of days?

Have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday!


Photography - Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home. Design / home-owner: Sara Hallin. Styling support from Tina Lekeberg.

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4

Bright and Beautiful Scandinavian Apartment

Hi, hope you're having a wonderful Monday so far! It’s Ana here again. Niki is enjoying some well-deserved holidays in beautiful Spain for the next couple of weeks–so you will see me pop in once in a while to share some content I’m sure you’ll love...



Like this gem of an apartment, located in (you guessed it!) Stockholm. This 57sqm wonder is a display of light and well-thought-out design. From top to bottom, from room to room, this home is clearly a project of love. Don't you think? I'm particularly drawn to the openness of this home, the pops of green from the plants, the clever use of space, rustic floors and intricate pieces of art on the walls-specially that gallery above the sofa.

The tall ceilings and characteristic white-crisp walls, make this my dream Scandinavian experience. I can almost picture myself, on that stunning balcony, enjoying a bright Summer evening. *sigh*

I can’t wait to read what you think about this home... BUT before I let you go, don’t forget to vote for Niki and My Scandinavian Home in the Domino design blog awards (voting closes October 31st and you can vote once a day). Thank you!

About The Author

Ana Degenaar → My Scandinavian Home Contributor

Author, Graphic and Web Designer.
Mindfulness is at the heart of everything Ana does—from work to life and everything in between.
For over five years she's focused on creating honest, intelligent and refreshing projects—believing that the best way to accomplish this is to dedicate herself to the essential and making things speak of their intrinsic beauty and purpose.

READ MORE...

0

How to introduce subtle colours into your home

You know how sometimes you meet someone just by chance and you're not sure how you haven't met before? Tina Lekeberg is one of those people. Our paths have no doubt crossed many times in the past since we used to work for the same corporate giant, but we only met properly when our mutual friend Louise, invited us over to photograph her home in a converted school. Last Friday, Tina invited me over to her beautiful home in Eslöv, Skåne for lunch (she makes a mean pumpkin and zucchini lasagne!). I couldn't resist taking along my camera and grilling Tina on her personal style, thoughts on colour and other things about family life in a beautiful 1920's Southern Sweden home!

NB: What first attracted you to the house?
TL: I've always loved houses from the 1920's: they have such a nice atmosphere and the material choices are genuine and age with beauty. We immediately fell in love with the beauty of the house and garden and felt it was something special. Although the house is in a residential area, the garden is closed off and feels like it's in the countryside. I love to spend time in the garden.

NB: What renovations have you carried out?
TL: We completely changed the layout of the kitchen/ dining area by tearing down the dividing wall to create one big room and adding a door out to the terrace (which we also built). I love the new layout and stepping out into the garden to enjoy a coffee in the morning sun. We also built a fireplace between the dining room and living room which has been a fantastic investment for autumn and winter. Not only does it keep us toasty, it’s also so nice to sit in front of it when it’s grey outside. The kids love to grill marshmallows too!

Picky Living cabinets in  NCS 6010-B have been complimented with with a carrara marble worktop from Höörs Marmor & Granit. The back wall, side cabinets, shelving and glass cupboards are painted in Restful Le Havre from Nordsjö. Pick up a vintage industrial bar stool here. 

 A brass spoon from Stilleben, Copenhagen rests in a pretty ceramic pot bought in China.

NB: How would you describe your personal style?

TL: I don't really feel that I have a specific style. I aim to create an inviting home where people enjoy spending time and a space that evolves with our needs and the seasons. My husband Hans, has also played a big role in the interior. I think we compliment each other well as we have different skills: he is much more function orientated but also has a strong eye for aesthetics. I am more of a stylist. The house is a combination of our interests and ideas.

 A blend of chairs including the Gemla Vilda and Magis Chair One create a relaxed feel, while a taupe sheepskin throw and cushion add a soft touch to the space.

"Andrea" portrait by Anders Udd hangs on the wall above an IKEA side-cabinet. The pink marble is from Höörs Marmor & Granit and the wooden surface was created from left-over wood flooring.  

 Tina has combined flowers from Johans Trädgård with blooms from the garden to create a vibrant centre-piece. 

NB: How important is colour to you?
TL: Colour is very important to me. I was a colour and material designer for over 10 years and this is where my passion lies. To me, colour gives a product its spirit and brings it to life.

NB: Do you have any rules when it comes to using colour in your home?
TL: I take a lot of time selecting the right colours, but at the end of the day, it’s more down to what works best for each item and that we like it - only then will it have a place in our home! I believe using a diversity of colours is what makes a home unique and personal.

 A painting by Emanuel Bernstone hangs above the Bedside Gun Tablelamp by Flos and a console by Asplund.

A Hay Plus 9 blanket (now available in this colour) drapes on a green sofa from Bolia. The lamp to the left is the Shelter light from Bo Concept. 

Glass dome lamp

Jönssons cat from Svenskt Tenn has a great vantage point on the stairs!

A pink and white lamp from IKEA adds a splash of colour to the ceiling. The green headboard was made from Svenskt Tenn fabric. The white and peach throw was bought on a trip to Tunisia.  

Eames chair, belly basket.

NB: Do you have any advice for anyone looking to introduce a touch of colour to their home?
TL: Work with a palette of at least 3 colors. Have fun mixing different colours - combining bright colors with faded earthy pastel tones will add a whole other dimension to your interior. Most importantly though, don't pick hues purely because they fit perfectly with what you already have, trust your instinct and go with what you like!

Hans made the mountains on the bed - which has been built using IKEA drawers. Posters from Matilda's House & Co. The chair is from IKEA. 

The table, chairs and rug are all from IKEA. 

The letter 'K' lamp was picked up at a Berlin flea market and the side cabinet was originally Tina's Grandmother's. The cot is from IKEA.

NB: What do you love most about your home?
TL: The light from the windows and the atmosphere! It's a place where the whole family feels happy, relaxed and at home.

Thank you so much for welcoming us into your lovely home Tina! 

 If you're looking for more colour inspiration, check out Tina's blog Colour Therapy and Instagram feed, which she co-writes curates with Sara Hallin Sandström.

And check out other wonderful Swedish homes here.

Have a fabulous weekend!

P.S. I'm just about to leave for the airport after an amazing few days at Habitare in Helsinki - I'll be sad to leave (I LOVE this city) - but can't wait to see my family and have a Saturday morning lie-in - weeeee! Do you have any great plans?

Photography: Niki Brantmark - My Scandinavian Home. Home-owner / styling: Tina Lekeberg.