Our Landing Makeover with an IKEA Hack

This post contains press gifts marked with *

Do you have a space in your home which you've delayed decorating for years? In our house, I had completely neglected our landing, mainly because I didn't really know what to do with it! It's a tricky space, relatively narrow with five doors coming off it. 

But now, I've finally fixed it! I thought I'd share the new look with you, in case you're also struggling with a hall or landing and looking for inspiration! Maybe this will spark some ideas! 

Side cabinet

The main problem was finding a side cabinet that was slim enough to fit the space. The answer came in the form of a simple white BESTÅ cabinet in size 60 cm x 20 cm x 64 cm from IKEA and then I dressed it up using items from Superfront* (a Swedish cabinet that make doors, fronts, tops, legs etc for IKEA units - the wonderful team said they can offer My Scandinavian Home readers 20% off side boards with code scandi20 until 27th July, 2024). Above is a sketch by Helen Sturesson who helped brainstorm the project with me! 

I picked out Vertical doors in umber wood* with matching umber side panels and a portuguese limestone* top (which simply glues into place) below (it's such a lovely stone). I also added slender low stainless steel legs*.

Sidenote: My daughter says this isn't a good picture as I have my 'grippers' out. Have you heard this term? Apparently a TikTok trend amongst the young of Europe dictates that you shouldn't have your feet out in public!! Did make me laugh! 

I picked up a simple round mirror from Bauhaus and the fab lamp is the Double Bubble in size small* by Finnish Studio Eero Aarnio (available in the US here). 

One of my favourite updates has been switching out the old spotlight for two beautiful Danish Le Klint Lamella pendant lamps*. When lit they emit a lovely warm glow and they are so timeless. 

The landing finally feels complete - after 15 years (embarrassed to admit that!). I hope you like it as much as we do! 

Do let me know if you have any questions or I've missed anything and I'd be happy to help. 

Speaking of comments - thank you for all your lovely congratulations on our anniversary and sharing your thoughts on good presents for 'crystal' on Wednesday. We so appreciated it! 

Have a fantastic weekend, see you Monday! 

Niki

Photography by me, styling by Helen Sturesson.

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Details that Elevate the Room at Our Summer Cottage

This post is kindly sponsored by Corston. I only work with brands I love. Thank you for supporting the amazing companies that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

A few weeks ago, I shared the before and after pictures from our summer cottage bedroom renovation. Per, the girls and I went up over the weekend, and I was so happy to open the door to the room once again. I think something happens when you renovate a space yourself, do you agree? - you get a special connection with it. 

A labour of love, we're really happy with the big changes we made, but when it comes down to daily life, what really makes the difference funnily enough, are the details! Read on to discover some of the details we paid special attention to and why. 

To me, the items you touch in a room are incredibly important to the overall experience. When carrying out a renovation, it's often the small details such as a tap, cabinet handles and utensils in a kitchen or the door handle and light switches in a bedroom that make all the difference and elevate the space. 

In this renovation, we picked out the details from Corston architectural details, a UK based company selling throughout Europe. Their collection includes premium switches, sockets, hardware and lighting in antique brass, polished nickel and brass, all designed to elevate a room. 

In the bedroom, I was weary that the first thing you touch when you enter a room is the door handle - so I picked out the sprung Digby Bronze door handle with a traditional look and feel to match the style of the cottage. Dark bronze is a popular material in Swedish summer cottages and country homes and is often seen on door handles and curtain rods. I love the contrast with the white of the door! 

We're so happy we finally sorted out the electrics too. Up until now, we haven't had an overhead light - and you'd need to scramble through the darkness to fumble for the bedside lamp switch on the opposite side of the room. An electrician came in to rewire the room, adding a beautiful antique brass dimmer switch beside the door as well as an antique brass wall socket which has already come in handy for the heater, vacuuming etc! 

On the far side of the room, we had only had one wall socket located directly behind the middle of the bed. One of the best things we did, was change this to two separate sockets either side of bed - way more practical! 

We picked out the antique brass wall socket with space for two plugs and two USC so that we can plug in everything from lamps and laptops to phones. They've added a touch of luxury to our humble little cottage! 

And finally, other important details: a small collection of shells from the nearby beach... resting on top of a pretty little vintage side table which has always been there!

AND a freshly baked cardamom bun from the nearby bakery. Of course! 

Edible details are the best, don't you think? 

And now, we feel the room is finally complete! 

I hope you have felt inspired by these details too! 

If you're renovating, I can highly recommend checking out Corston to see the complete collection of handles, switches and hardware. They have something for every home! 

Do you have any details in your home that you love in particular? If so, please do inspire us all with the details in the comments below! 

See you tomorrow with a beautiful scandi home tour.

Kram! 

Niki

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Before and After Vintage Wall Shelf Makeover

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments about our summer cottage master bedroom makeover on Wednesday. Per and I are so happy you like the update as much as we do! 

As promised, here is a post about how I transformed the pine wall bracket.

This wall shelf has been hanging on the bedroom wall in the summer cottage for many years (long before I arrived on the scene!). Needless to say, it belongs here! But the varnish on the pine had yellowed with age and while we all love the shape, the outdated look wasn't quite in keeping with the calm style we had envisioned for the newly revamped room. 

Caveat: I am not quite sure why there's an old mattress leaning against the wall in this picture obscuring the view - but I hope you get the gist as it's the only shot I have! 

So, we took it off the wall and I carried it to my studio where I scrubbed it down with soap and water (an important step!). 

I selected Tidlös paint by Jotun Lady to match the Sandberg wallpaper (the great thing about this paint is that I didn't need to sand down the wood first - but if you are looking to carry out a similar project on a wooden item, it's important to check the requirements first).  

I applied two layers of paint using two different paint brush sizes - one fairly small (featured) and the other very small (the knobs on the drawers were so fiddly!). Afterwards, I lightly sanded the edges of the drawers to ensure they slotted back into place and could be pulled in and out freely. I've learnt this from my childhood home - I had an antique chest-of-drawers in my bedroom and would need to wiggle the drawer for about 20 minutes just to get to my socks, it used to drive me insane! 

Once the paint had dried, we hung it back on the wall using a spirit-level app on the phone (have you tried these types of apps? so handy!). 

Aside from drying time, the entire process took about 2 hours. 

And hey presto! A brand new shelf! 

I hope you like the results and feeling inspired to revamp something unloved too. 

Who knows, perhaps you'll be looking at that piece at home that you were thinking about chucking out with new eyes now? Or maybe you'll discover a tired looking item of furniture in a loppis (flea market) that no one wants this weekend and give it a fabulous revamp? If you do, I'd love to see the pictures! 

Happy Friday friends! 

Niki

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Before and After: Our Swedish Summer Cottage Bedroom Make-over

This blog post is not sponsored. However, it does include some press items that I've received in the past and present (marked with *)! Thank you for supporting the brands that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

Two summers ago we built a tiny cabin in the garden of Per's family's summer cottage on the Bjärehalvön coast, West Sweden. We love heading up there as often as we can, but this winter we had the perfect excuse: it was time to renovate the master bedroom in the main house! There was nothing wrong with the room per se, it just hasn't been touched for several decades and needed a major freshening up. But you know me, I can't really do things by halves, and this was definitely a case of 'in for a penny, in for a pound!'

I find winter is the perfect time for decorating - do you agree? Plus, Per and I love a project. So, back in October we cracked on in the hope that the room would be ready in time for spring. And it is! I hope you like reading about the transformation today!

The walls were covered in wood chip and since I had my eye on a wallpaper I loved, the existing layers needed to be removed - no easy feat! It was a gruelling, messy job getting rid of it all - but satisfying too! Underneath, we discovered that the century-old walls were also very uneven which meant we needed to plaster over them and then cover with a base wallpaper. 

The original wood floor is lovely but the varnish had slowly yellowed over the years, so we rented a sander to file the wood down, before adding several layers of white soap wash. Neither of us had done this before and the sander was a mighty machine! We had our heart in our mouths as we worked around the room - concerned that we might accidentally burrow down and wreck a plank! 

It all worked well in the end though and this is how it looks now: 

We'd also noticed that the ceiling was coming apart at the seams, and there was no outlet for an overhead ceiling light. 

Per added panels to cover the seams - which match the panels on the ceiling in the main room of the cottage. And we also gave the ceiling, skirting boards, architraves and door a fresh lick of white paint. 

We're willing to do most jobs ourselves (sometimes with the help of YouTube) but since we value our lives (and respect Swedish law!), we called in an electrician in to re-wire the room and add an outlet in the ceiling as well as power sockets to the wall! The lamp is called REGNSKUR from IKEA. 

We were keen to give the room a traditional cottage feel with a modern touch and a hint of green to match the rest of the cottage, so we looked at samples from Swedish Sandberg wallpaper, eventually settling on Karolina green*. 

We were a bit apprehensive about putting the wallpaper up but it was surprisingly quick and easy once we got going. You definitely need to be two pair of hands for the job - and pay attention to aligning the pattern down to the millimetre with each new section so nothing goes awry! Probably good to double check if it's the right way up to (my wonderful dad once learnt this the hard way!). 

And then the fun part began: decorating the room! 

We were keen to use as much as possible from what was already there. 

The bed is the same  but I added a simple headboard (115 cm high x 180 cm wide) and then added a white linen cover. The bed linen is from HM Home and the blanket and throw are old ones from home. The rug was already there. 

The windows are quite wide (measuring 197 cm) so I picked out the Mozart extendable curtain rod from Åhlens. I had some old-ish white linen curtains hanging around in the loft which turned out to be perfect for the room. You can find similar white linen curtains here. 

I don't go anywhere around the cottage without my well-worn Shephard slippers! 

The chest-of-drawers was already in place and the chair has always been at the cottage! 

Nothing says spring to me like a bouquet of Mimosa! it brings a little sunshine to the greyest of days, don't you think?

We re-hung the vintage mirror on the wall (it had been resting on the chest-of-drawers for years so it was nice to finally put it back up!). 

We also wall mounted two sets of simple wooden hooks from Swedish store Granit (I find hooks so useful in a summer cottage - they're perfect for hanging the few outfits you have with you, plus other essentials like a dressing gown for 'morgondopps' (morning dips) and a sun hat! 

The hooks also provide a great place for other items - including one of my favourite bouquet lamp* by Le Klint and a robe from Humdakin* (bringing a touch of Danish design to Sweden!). 

In this picture you can also catch a glimpse of the new dimmer switch* and power socket* (both from Corston). The electrician also added power sockets either side of the bed. 

The pine wall shelves had yellowed with age so I repainted them in Jotun Tidlös to match the wallpaper. I might write a separate post about this. It's amazing what you can do to give old pieces a new lease of life. Would you find that of interest?

The bedside table is the original one that was already in place. 

I hope you like the results as much as we do! 

Naturally, if you look very closely our DIY renovation it isn't perfect, but that comes with the territory of carrying out a project yourself, and I wouldn't have it any other way! 

If you have any questions, please do give me a shout in the comment section below and I'd be happy to help. 

Would you like to see a few other of my room makeover from the past? Check out: 

Renovating our summer cottage kitchen

Our DIY powder room makeover

Before and after: our attic makeover

All a labour of love! 

Do you dabble in DIY too? 

Niki

PS I am starting a 30 days of Njuta challenge on instagram stories today, come and join me! #30daysofnjuta! 

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Cosying up my Bedroom with a Danish Cabinet and Chair

This post is kindly sponsored by Skovby, thank you for supporting the brands that help make My Scandinavian Home possible.

Scandinavia is often synonymous with light wood, but lately I've noticed a growing trend - dark wood is making a steady comeback. In these darker days of December, while the snow falling silently outside, I think there is something incredibly cosy about the darker grain. Here's a fine example of how two beautiful 100% Danish crafted items from Skovby have transformed my bedroom. 

My little bedside stool has been swapped out for the harmonious #402 sideboard in walnut - meaning I suddenly have storage for all kinds of things, as well as a lovely display surface to wake up to each day! 

The beauty of Skovby items is that they are crafted in Denmark and you can often personalise them so they perfectly match your space. With the #402 sideboard, you can mix and match the top which is available in a variety of wood and laminate surfaces. For this shoot, I went for walnut throughout. 

You can also choose between a selection of legs or a plinth depending on what works best with the style of your home. 

Inside, the cabinet has a long drawer and two shelves. You could place the cabinet anywhere in your home, but there's something about being able to reach books, my diary etc without having to leave my bed. Bliss!

How beautiful is this embroidered cushion? It's a vintage Swedish cover which my friend, interior designer Helen Sturesson brought with her for the shoot! I'm going to keep an eye out for something similar on my antique rounds!

Do you have any vintage or antique bedding in your home? 

And now for the other item! 

You may recognise the #827 dining chair as I have the oak white oil version in my cabin! But I'm also absolutely in love with this oak mocca edition seen above in my bedroom - there's something beautiful about the combination of dark wood with the woven seat, don't you think? The rounded back makes it really comfortable too - little wonder it's won countless awards. 

And now, it's just to curl up with a book until nightfall - heaven! 

I have featured so many handcrafted items from Skovby in my home from the past. In case you're curious to discover more, take a peek at: 

Coffee tables and festive touches in our cabin

A glögg bar courtesy of Skovby! 

The skovby glass cabinet in our dining room

You can find your nearest store here. 

In other news, today is my birthday! I was born on St Nicholas day, hence why I am called Nicola (Niki) - yes, my parents named me after 'Santa Claus'!! I am hoping this really does give me licence to curl up with a book this afternoon!

Have a cosy day friends, 

Niki

Photography: Niki Brantmark

Styling: Helen Sturesson

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