A Norwegian Home Gets The Dark Treatment, And It's Beautiful!



People often refer to Scandinavian interior design as a 'trend' - but to me (and I'm pretty sure all Scandinavians) it's anything but. The beauty of Scandinavian design is that's is timeless and surprisingly versatile - the simplicity means it blends with different styles, eras and architectural elements. And as this home shows, it definitely doesn't need to be all about the white / light look! Interior stylist and visual storyteller Catrine Svellingen has transformed her home in Oslo, Norway into a luxurious yet calm sanctuary using a delicious deep blue, rich greens and black and peach accents. The furniture is a mix of elegant contemporary classics, new Nordic design and the occasional IKEA piece for a smart yet homely feel. Are you ready to take a tour?


White Juju hat* (on wall), Kong Gloria candle / vase*, order a made to measure Beni rug like this here*Flos 2097 chandelier. Oh and what's that we see peeping into the left of the first image? Shock, horror - a TV! Ha ha! It blends in so well it's barely noticeable too - another reason to go for a darker wall colour! 



Paint colour code. S3020-Y40R, Eames side chairs*






How beautiful this home? 

I love the colour combinations (I'm just trying to find out the exact shade she's used in the living room and will hopefully be able to stop by and update the post shortly.  

Is there anything you love about this Oslo home? 

You can see more pictures of Catrine's beautiful home and follow her latest styling projects here

I also thought I'd spread a little more Norwegian home love with this beauties: 


I'm really excited to be heading to Bergen next month for a work trip - but thinking about staying for the weekend. Any tips are so welcome! 

Are you up to anything fun this weekend? Whatever you do, I hope you have a fabulous (and relaxing) couple of days!

Niki

Photography: Catrine Svellingen shared with kind permission

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A Stunning Norwegian Home In Many Shades of Blue

This has been a really inspiring week on the blog, I hope you've felt the same! On Monday I was dreaming about buying this holiday cabin on the Swedish island of Gotland complete with sea view and sauna. Yesterday I felt the urge to pack up all my belongings and move to a tiny cabin in the woods and pursue a career in pottery and today, I'm thinking I might just stay put after all and paint my home in shades of blue! When you see the interior of this stunning Norwegian home you'll understand why! Former owner Jan Thoresen and his wife (the apartment was sold last year) hired Tone Kroken to design their beautiful home in Oslo, which she decorated using a range of blue shades, veering from a soft grey-blue in the sitting room and a vibrant middle blue-grey in the hallway to a deep blue in the bedroom. Cognac accents, contemporary art and piles of books also add to the wonderful, unique feel of the space. Så flott!


TIP: To achieve the same rich patina seen in the bedroom and hallway try a minerals based paint like Pure & Original (which was used to paint this home) Jotun Lady Minerals (seen in the first two Norwegian bedroom shots in this post) or Kalklitir powder based paint (which the girls from Our Food Stories used to paint their beautiful studio and home) - the latter ships worldwide. You can also add Roll-A-Tex to normal paint like I did with my dining area (although be warned, this last option is soooo messy!!). Notice how the skirting boards and architraves have been painted in a slightly different blue accent adding interest and depth.



My eyes on that hallway. BE STILL MY BEATING HEART! Anything with piles of books and I'm in (I know I'm not alone either, the open shelving in Katarina Mattson's home is still my number one most popular instagram post E.V.E.R!) - but in combination with the 'mineral walls' - simple amazing!

Is there anything that caught your eye?!

Kudos to photographer extraordinaire Yvonne Wilhelmsen who took these wonderful pictures and interior architect Tone Kroken, the latter of whom who I had the pleasure of meeting when we captured her former home on an tiny car-free island outside Oslo for my second book The Scandinavian Home. It was such a magical day! Check out their interior book here and see more pics of this beautiful home on their website here.

More blue interiors to drool over today: feeling the blue in a Swedish home, a striking dark blue Stockholm pad, the wonderful home of a Swedish food blogger and how to add colour the Danish way.

I hope you're also singing the blues after all this Scandinavian inspiration today!

Niki

Photography: Yvonne Wilhelmsen  Styling: Tone Kroken

PS We've been beavering away on all your new room designs - so fun, thank you so much for signing up! If you'd also like to give my new room design service a whirl, I'm offering a special kick-off discount of 20% off with code MYNEWROOM. Get started here, or read more about the service here

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A Serene 'Japandi' Style Family Home in Western Norway


Welcome to Astrid Marie's serene home in a small town in Western Norway. Astrid lives in a house on the farm she grew up on with her husband and two little children . Looking at her calm, beautifully curated home, it comes as no surprise that she's always been passionate about interiors and studied to be an interior consultant ten years ago. It's only now though, that she's dared to take the bold step to start up her own business Pur Interiør, alongside her current role as an advisor for KS. Astrid describes her style as "Nordic minimalism, or Japandi style" (where Japanese and Scandi style come together) and likes to combine furniture with clean and simple lines with natural elements and soft, earthy shades.  It's hard not to feel your pulse lower just looking through these pictures. As for that view from her cabin... Velkommen i!


Mantis wall light, &Tradition Hoof table, Söderhamn sofa, the walls have been painted in Space 10678 and Raw Canvas.


"I like my interior to be minimalistic with high quality and natural elements. I like to surround myself with neutral and warm earth colours, with contrasts in black and dark wood." 

Catcooee bowl

Astrid's adorable 1 year old son and 4 year old daughter play by the fire on a cosy, super fluffy sheepskin (source a similar Norwegian sheepskin here*). 

Scandinavians have an incredible relationship with candles - burning them all year round, day and night. I feel it really adds to the warmth of a room!



&Tradition In between chairs*, the kitchen walls have painted in Sommersne 1928  and the cabinets (which Astrid made herself) in Space

As you often find in Scandinavia, Astrid prefers to fill her home with whatever is available outside the door, rather than shopping for fresh bouquets. It's a way too connect the home with it's immediate surroundings and embrace the season - bringing nature indoors in a natural way. 

Kamut print by Coco Lapine, Natural linen waffle blanket*, the walls are painted in Sommersne 1928 and the floors and mouldings in Space 10678.






Astrid's daughter's room is painted in Soft Skin and Senses, and the floor is painted in Tidløs.

At the weekends and during the holidays, Astrid and her family head off to their cabin. I couldn't resist a snapshot from the cabin sitting room! That view!! Here's how Astrid described their island retreat to me:

"The cabin is on a small island called Atløy on the west coast of Norway. It is about 1.5 hours drive from our home. We love spending time there because it's so calm and relaxing. We can sit and just watch the ocean, the boats and the weather change for hours. Sometimes we see whales swim by or eagles right outside our window. We also have a couple of otters that live just down from our cabin. The children love to watch the wildlife, and so do we! We leave all our worries back home and just enjoy life."


I have to say, I really wouldn't mind hanging out in either of these spaces - but that sitting room view is something else!! One of the things that always mesmerises me about Western Norway is the dramatic weather - one minute the sky is a bruised, inky black and the next there's a shaft of sunlight piercing through the clouds, bathing the scenery in a warm golden light. I can honestly imagine sitting there for hours just watching it!

Is there anything that stood out to you about Astrid's serene home (and cabin)?!

You can take a peek at more pictures over at @astridmvie and find out more about her interior consultancy business here: Pur Interiør.

Not ready too leave Western Norway today? Neither am I! Here are a few other homes I love from the region: A Norwegian House By a Fjord, a beautiful AirBnb rental in Bergen and a Rustic Norwegian hide-away.

Ha en fin dag venner! 

Niki


//Photography by Astrid Marie shared with kind permission
//Affiliate links marked with *

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A Norwegian House By A Fjord

A friend of mine visited Zanzibar a few weeks ago and told me she's found her special place. "It was something to do with the light, I can't really explain it, but it gave me so much energy," she said. I understood immediately. I feel the same about Norway. If you haven't been, it's a MUST - the scenery is magical! One family who get to enjoy the power of the nature daily is Eldrid, Martin and their little son Aron. The family live in a house overlooking one of Norway's most stunning fjords in Stranda in the SunnmØre region of Western Norway.  These snapshots from the main living room beautifully capture a home where nature is the order of the day - inside and out! 







"Soon the snow will melt, the waterfalls will make music again and the green beauty of the fjord will spring forth." - Eldrid





Could you imagine looking out over this fjord? The weather changing every five minutes as it rolls in off the North Sea - so dramatic!

We're going skiing in Hemsedal in early January - I can't wait! If you have any tips I'd love to hear them!

You can see more pics for Eldrid's cabin here and read more about the region here (I see you can ski there in the winter!)

Naturally I can't wrap up the post without sharing a few more inspiring Norwegian cabins with you! Here are a few I love: a magical Norwegian mountain cabin, a rustic Norwegian cabin hide-away and a cosy Norwegian ski chalet.

Where's your special place?

Niki

Photography: House By The Fjord shared with kind permission

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Lessons To Learn From A Colourful Yet Calm Norwegian Home


There's so much to love about the Norwegian home of interior stylist Rikke Bye-Andersen: from the colourful Scandinavian design furniture and pink accent walls to the contemporary art and tropical wallpaper. I caught up with Rikke to find out more.  Prepare to feel inspired to introduce more colour into your home, and still keep that beloved Scandi vibe alive!

Muuto Five Pouf*, Wing Back Chair*, Saucer pendant*


Have you always liked to have a lot of colour in your home?
I have always loved colour and am especially inspired by interiors from the UK and the US, I think they have that special touch of colour and a playful way of looking at interiors, rather than the minimalist white and grey associated with Norwegian style. I try to be a little different and am often complimented on the colours I choose for my furniture and walls.

I am not surprised, they are both cheerful and calming in equal measure! What is it about colour that you like? 
It's proven that colours make you happy and give you energy. For example, if you paint your kitchen yellow it will feel sunny everyday, and who doesn't want that feeling?!








As an interior stylist / designer, do you encourage your clients to use more colour?
In my work I like to inspire people to use more colour and go a little crazy. Not everything needs to match and be tone in tone - I think interiors should be more personal and fun. I also advise using colours that make you feel comfortable, but it's also good to think outside the box and not just follow what everyone else is doing in their homes.


Wishbone chairs*, Gubi pendant*

I spy a few Scandinavian beauties in your home - how does this fit with your scheme? 
I love to furnish my home with Scandinavian design pieces, but I tend to go for colourful fabrics so that they stand out a bit - like my Wing Chair by Hans. J. Wegner* in pink. I think I've only seen it in grey before! I'm not your typical Scandinavian minimalist.



Do you have colours you return to time and time again?
I am drawn to pastels and soft tones, these are hues I feel most comfortable with. I love green, so I have used a couple of different greens over the years. But pink is definitely my all time favourite, it's really warm, cosy and fun all at the same time - you can't go wrong with pink!

lamp gras 204 wall light in red has been mounted over a round mirror* above a freestanding bathroom sink from Duravit


Finally, do you have any tips for anyone looking to introduce more colour? 
Have fun playing with colours, it is so easy to paint a room! And it's just a colour... much better to try out different tones instead of playing it safe with white or grey.

The bedroom is painted in Peignoir from Farrow & Ball.

In the hall, Rikke has teamed Alexandrie wallpaper from Pierre Frey with Teresa's Green paint by Farrow & Ball. A fabulous plum coloured door completes the look! 




Wow! I absolutely love this home.

If I were to introduce more colour into my own home (which I plan to in 2019 - wait, did I say that last year too?!) I'd like to think this would be my approach!

That hallway!

We need to be braver (could well be speaking for myself here!).

Did you find Rikke's home inspiring too?

It's totally worth checking out her wonderful blog and instagram for a load more pictures!

Other fabulous Norwegian homes include the cosy and relaxed home of a blogger, a charming Norwegian home in green, grey and cognac and a beautiful Norwegian home in summer time.

Have a lovely day!

Niki

Photography: Filippa Tredal 

PS After the revelations in yesterday's post (including Valentina's comment!) I couldn't resist holding an instagram stories poll to see how many of us nip into open house / property viewings for fun (with no intention to buy). It seems like we're way nosier than the average Swede with 71% of us taking it as an opportunity to take a peek! Funny!

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