A Cosy Scandinavian-boho Family Home

Do you ever suffer from an interior style crisis? I love so many different looks that my home feels like a complete mishmash - each room a mirror of the style I love that week. Bah! I know I'm not alone, as one of my oldest friends says her home decorating has come to a complete standstill as she simply can't decide which direction to go! If you're anything like me, you'll see a home like yesterday's serene light coloured Danish home and have a light bulb moment, and then suddenly a cosy boho-style home like this one in Vendelsö, Sweden will crop up and you'll be like "oooooh, but this is pretty!"  The cosy home in question belongs to freelance interior stylist Elin Wallin of Studio Elwa (who I had the pleasure of meeting at an event a few weeks back), her partner Jonas and daughters Indra (9) and Edda (5). Elin describes her style as "a bit bohemian Scandinavian style and I'm kind of a more is more person - I just buy everything I like and this is how it has turned out!" As we move into Autumn, I can't help falling in love with the deep earthy greens, rust and light brown tones and the romantic wallpaper. Time to pour a coffee and get cosy....

The sitting room walls have been painted in Jotun Lady Minerals Varmgrå  which gives a cosy, textured feel.

Also seen: String shelving system   Rattan armchair   icelandic sheepskin*

I've got a total weakness for vintage drinks trolleys (and it helps that Friday night cocktails are on the radar too!) -  this rattan one is so pretty, don't you think? I found a few similar vintage ones here*. The wall has been painted in D2.15.55 from Nordsjö (apparently the shade looks slightly different from the picture which has a filter on it).

Yay - a 'real' kitchen. If you wake up on a Saturday and it looks like this, you know you've has a great night!

Love the use of a carpenter's bench as a breakfast bar, how about you? - Wonderful!

The kitchen cabinets have been painted in Intense le Havre from Nordsjö which looks perfect with the William Morris Pimpernel wallpaper.

Elin and Jonas' bedroom is painted in Anemon 656 from Beckers. The rattan headboard is from Teretta Living.

What a lovely bedroom for a sporty girl- this wall bar is similar. I also spy: a Dusty pink bed canopy, bunting and Minnen junior bed.

How's this for an idea if you have some left over wallpaper but not enough to cover an entire wall?! This one is the Ava from Sandberg & Friends.

The bunny wallpaper is from Photowall with a matching rabbit lamp. The vintage children's bed has been painted in D2.15.55 from Nordsjö. Check out the scalloped ceiling too - so pretty! And that mirrored cabinet - wow!

I must say, I'm feeling massively inspired by all the unique details in this home - how about you?!

Is there anything that stands out to you in particular or that you can imagine doing in your own home?

Check out more beautiful pictures from Elin's home here.

It's definitely got me in the mood for a cosy weekend - and I've got some blogger friends arriving soon in the shape of Trend Stefan, Agata Dimmich of Passion Shake, Elisabetta Rizzato of Italian Bark, Igor Josif (Happy Interior Blog) and Mette of Monster Circus - it's going to be a fun weekend in Malmö!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend ahead too!

Vi ses på Måndag!

Niki

PS Back to the 'interior style' crisis. One of the beauties of interior design is that you can do whatever you like - and tapping into the various styles you love will make it 'yours' - this is what I try to tell myself. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this too!

READ MORE...

8

Make-Over: A Dated Bathroom Becomes a Tranquil, Moody Oasis

Are you a shower or a bath person? I love a soak in the evenings - the hotter and more bubbles the better! We lived in an apartment for one year without a bath and I missed it so much. To me, the bathroom has always been a place to escape, and unwind after a long day (preferably with a great book and a glass of wine!).  It seems Jeska Hearne, creator of the beautiful blog Lobster & Swan (and owner of beauty and lifestyle shop the future kept) and husband Dean feel the same. The pair recently stripped out their dated bathroom in East Sussex, England to create a tranquil oasis in which "to inhale, exhale and let the peacefulness soothe the senses" and the result is a-ma-zing! 

Before

The bathroom had been in a semi-ripped out state for a while, and the couple longed for somewhere they could relax surrounded by plants and incense!

Inspiration

The pair took inspiration from rustic bathrooms filled with reclaimed treasures and were looking to find "as many beautiful textures and finishes" as possible.

I was thrilled to see one of their sources of inspiration was Nadia Dole's bathroom which James Gardiner and I captured for my first book Modern Pastoral! I'll never forget the peaceful spot, high up on a hill in Vermont which felt entirely private, save for the odd deer and bear wandering passed the window! Check out more bathrooms that inspired their renovation here.

After

Due to a busy schedule, the bathroom was a year and a half in the making (without a shower or sink - yikes!), and now their haven is finally complete. The space is a delightful patchwork of of items they've bought, salvaged or made by hand against a deep, rich Off Black hue.

"We love the mood and darkness in here, at night we can sink into the bath with the windows open and feel at one with the night air. In the day the sun filters in through the frosted glass and reflects the gold and white highlights of the vases, pots, frames and decorations."

The bath caddy was "made in minutes" from driftwood, this rustic bath tray* is similar,  antique wall mounted brass candle holder.

"The colour throughout is Farrow and Ball Off Black, we used Modern Emulsion for the walls and ceiling and Estate Eggshell for the wooden panelling – (made from upcycled doors that we rescued from a house that was being knocked down in our village)!"

"The handmade curtains around the sink hide a multitude of cleaning products and other bathroom paraphernalia that is uneasy on the eye!" 

Curtain from Green Fibre, the bath and sink taps are by Bristan Renaissance (found on ebay) 

 "Black walls also make a great background for plants, each frond and leaf is visible and highlighted."

Rectangular Shower Tray from Victoria Plum, tiles from Mandarin Stone. 

Be still my beating heart!

Could you imagine going for a look like this in your bathroom? Just in case you're feeling super inspired - there are a load more pictures and a complete write-up of all the items in this beautiful space over on Lobster & Swan here.

Before you get out the sledge hammer - you might also like to scroll through this bathroom archive (loving this traditional Swedish bathroom with a modern twist - one of my all time favourites!).

What does your dream bathroom look like?

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend -  see you Monday!

Niki

Photography: Lobster & Swan shared with kind permission.

READ MORE...

4

Converted Stables Become a Dramatic Home Full of Contrast in Norway

It's Friday friends - JAAAAA! To wrap up the week I'm leading us all over to the dark side (mwah ha ha) on a virtual journey to an incredible maisonette in Oslo. Formerly a stables, the two floor apartment is owned by Nina (blogger behind Note to Self), her boyfriend Jørgen, baby boy Gustav, and cutest pup Ipa. When Nina's not sewing or working as a graphic designer, the pair are transforming the space (often on a minimum budget) into a dramatic family home full of contrast and delicious, warm, dark grey, chocolate and beige accents. Enjoy the tour!

The maisonette has an upside down layout with the entry, bathroom and bedroom on the ground floor and an open-plan kitchen, sitting room and dining area on the upper level. I thought we'd start with the cosiest zone of all - the sitting room!

The sitting room wall has been painted in NCS S 7002B which makes a wonderful contrast to the oak floors, plastered brick walls and a fluffy 70's style shaggy rug (from Layered). And just how cosy does that velour Madison sofa look? The Blind No5 print is by Danish artist Kristina Krogh (available here).

It's incredible what a difference vintage wood adds to a monochrome space. Pick up similar  Thonet-style bistro chairs here (gah! So beautiful!). Nina never quite got on with the original brickwork and so they decided to plaster over it.

"The plastering gave just the right, tactile texture the apartment needed. And the colour was perfect too, so there was no need to paint it."

Where would a Scandinavian kitchen be without a natural linen tablecloth?! So pretty (and it looks better un-ironed too). It's nearing lunchtime here and I'm sort of drooling over the cheese too!

All hale the Bollo chair by Norwegian designer Andreas Engesvik (I've got my eye on the pink one). 

Since the pair are currently renovating a house elsewhere right now (their future home), they didn't want to invest too much money on the apartment. Even so, they still managed to transform the kitchen from this...

 To this...

...on a limited budget!

 To achieve the new look they plastered the walls and painted them in NCS S 7002B, spray painted the cabinets in NSC S 8002B, replaced the thick laminate counter top, kitchen taps, sink (all HTH), added Borghamn handles from IKEA and spray painted the switches, sockets and cables. 

Quite incredible, and so inspiring to know what you can do on a limited budget, don't you think?!

When the pair moved in the stairs were a varnished yellow colour...

They painstakingly sanded them down before washing them with white pigmentation, and then painted the walls and doors the same colour as the sitting room. They also added the same oak floor. 

What an incredible transformation, don't you think?! I've been wondering what to do with my stairs (which are also tinged with an old yellow varnish) and now I may have found the answer - I just need to brace myself for the work (and warn Per!)!

Nina saved a load on a designer clothes rail by creating one from a 12 mm copper pipe, which she bent into shape using a wrench, lightly sand papered and then sprayed matt black! So clever! More info on her blog here. 

The dark tones are also carried through to the bedroom which give the room a wonderful cocoon like feel - and no doubt feels blissfully dark at night, even under the Norwegian midnight sun!

Another Scandinavian must - natural stonewashed linen bedding (it's that ironing thing again! Source similar here) - the unbleached material looks particularly lovely against the dark grey walls!

And this little chap feels right at home!

Thank you so much for inviting us into your beautiful home Nina, Jørgen, Gustav and Ipa! I for one, might be tempted into over to the dark side in my own home after all. Anyone else feeling inspired too?!

See more of Nina's home renovations, creations and recipes over on her fabulous blog Note to Self as well as on her instagram feed.

I can't resist leaving you with a few other links to enjoy over the weekend too:

f you're looking for more home tours on the dark side try a cosy cocoon-like Swedish home (also featured here) and dramatic green and grey in a Swedish home - actually, do you know what? I'm just going to go ahead and give you the link to the entire 'dark colours' archive! Way easier!

And now for one of my favourites. Conversions. Don't you love it when a home has history (like the stables in today's post)?! See everything from converted garages, warehouses, schools, shops and even a bar here!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Niki

PS This weekend I'm writing a guide to Malmö in which I'm hoping to cover off a load of the things I missed in my previous Malmö guide (and some of the new places that have popped up too) I'm so looking forward to my staycation! Look out for the guide soon.

All photography  © Nina / Note to Self

READ MORE...

7

Deep Hues in a Calm Swedish Apartment

When I arrived in the Gothenburg archipelago to visit Carpe Diem Beds yesterday it was bright sunshine - I thought 'I can't wait to get my camera out tomorrow'. And guess what? I woke up this morning (at the beautiful - Strandflickornas Havhotel) and there was a howling gale outside! I'm all cosy in my room drinking coffee and tapping away at my laptop, so it's all good anyway! And I've even managed to find a home tour to match (or should I say 'embrace') the beautiful moody notes of the weather. Think green-blue, deep purple and greys, luxurious velvet and a plenty of books and magazines to hand! What a perfect place to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm?!  

Stylist: Emma Fischer  Photography: Alen Cordic for Bjurfors. 

What a perfect oasis. All that's missing is music from a gramophone and you're sorted!

Coud you imagine rocking about here?

If you're curious about achieving a similar look, here's our round-up of lovely pieces....

Get the look

1. Emery Linen/Cotton Pole-Pocket Drape
2. Mark Eden Schooley Lamp
3. Sculpt Pod Vase
4. Bourne Dimpled Glass Vase
5. Southern Enterprises Full-Length Leaning Wall Mirror
6. Javiel Coral Decoration
7. Pedrera Coffee Table
8. DWR Diamond Quilt
9. DWR Linen Pillowcases
10. DWR Sateen Duvet Cover
11. Kaiser-idell™ Tiltable Table Lamp
12. Zeus Handmade Vase
13. Colette Desk
14. Spectrum Throw
15. Heart leaf plant
16. Nelson™ Daybed


Right, time to wrap up warm and head out with my camera (I've heard photographers love a 'moody sky' so perhaps it'll only add to my pictures anyway!).

Have a lovely day!

PS See more homes decorated in rich, dark colours here.

READ MORE...

2