A Warm and inviting Home in Rural Sweden - Filled with Vintage Finds

Hello friends. I'm back here after a week off with my family. Last night the Öresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark was once again lit in yellow and blue as we pray for peace and our hearts go out to all those affected. While I continue to share Scandinavian design inspiration here on My Scandinavian Home, please know you are never far from my thoughts. 

Today, I felt like re-visiting Nicole's charming country home in North Sweden. It's one I think about often (who can forget the seat by the window from where you can sit and watch salmon jump from the river). Originally from Chile, Nicole has carved out a home in rural Byske, and set up Nicole's Lantgård - an online shop selling vintage and antique furniture.  Every room in Nicole's home is filled with an eclectic mix of well-worn pieces - each with a story to tell. The second hand finds create a sense of familiarity and come together to give the home a lovely soul - like a big, warm hug. Ready to see her latest updates?

This room is just beautiful - I can imagine the family spend the bulk of their time here (I would!), snuggled up on the sofa enjoying a book by the fire or playing cards at the table. 

I love how Nicole has chosen to paint the floor in a dramatic dark colour - helping to ground the space  and ensure a cosy feel despite the enormous ceiling height. 

Nicole sells all kinds of vintage and antique furniture through her online webshop Nicole's Lantgard. It's one of my favourite go to sources (she ships worldwide) - I often wonder how she can bear too part with some of the items. Needless to say second hand pieces can be spotted at every turn. 

Despite being far from a town, the house always feels full of life - with children playing and numerous pets occupying cosy spots around every corner.

What a truly lovely home. 

Warming in every way, and so inspiring to see how vintage and antique pieces can be adapted to every space. 

Best of all for me? The library! It's made me realise this is exactly what we need in our tiny cabin. 

Is there anything in particular that stood out to you? 

Stor kram (big hug) to you all,

Niki

Photography courtesy of Nicole / @amvalland

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A Magical Rural Escape by a Norwegian Fjord

I am constantly astounded by just how magical some Scandinavian summer residences are. Not because they are luxurious - far from it. You see, Scandinavian summer houses tend to be pretty pared back affairs. The focus is on kicking back and allowing the nature to help you unwind. Slipping away for the weekend or for an entire summer, there are no flights to catch and no schedule to keep. It's a simple life which dances lazily to the tune of eat, sleep, swim repeat. This enchanting summer house on the banks of a fjord in Northwest Norway belonging to Monica (AKA @tante__monica) is a fine example of how the Scandinavians have got it exactly right! 

"The summerhouse has no electricity or water and no road. Usually we arrive by boat," Monica tells me about her family summer house. "But at this time of year we have to walk through the forest since the boat is on land due to winter storms."

So where do they get their water? 

"We retrieve water for washing from a well, and we either get our drinking water from a nearby waterfall or we bring it with us on the boat." 

And the electricity? 

""For cooking we use propane, for light we use old oil lamps and candles and for heating we use the wood burning stoves," Monica explains. "We listen to music on our phones. We love to be there and not have to think about what's on TV. Instead we sit on the veranda and watch the sun go down as the birds fly or swim by and the fish jump from the fjord."


"It's quite romantic, but of course a lot of work," Monica says. "We have no animals, so we have to cut the grass ourselves. We do this once a year in order to allow for the wild flowers and plants to grow and attract a variety of insects. Every year we look forward to seeing if any new species appear." 

"Norwegian flower meadows are now in huge decline and our goal is to make our meadows rich in species again." 

The house is beautiful with a fascinating, if not tragic history. 

"My father grew up in the house. It was built during the war in 1942-43. Sadly the older house which stood there before burnt down. It was a huge tragedy for the family. My father was only nine and had to jump out of the kitchen window and my great grandmother was helped out through the window of her bedroom."

Today, the property, which was built after the fire, has been decorated in a serene, understated way. Vintage and antique pieces pop against a white and grey backdrop, and touches of blue and green mirror the surroundings. 

"I like to use items that have always been here. If we are in need of something new, we tend to buy old furniture and accessories. They are more charming and go a lot better with the house," Monica explains. 

Plates and other items were stored in a wall mounted cabinet with a subtle blue / brown theme and a simple rag rug can be seen on the floor. 

This lovely picture - captured for a feature in Lev Landligs - a Norwegian country life magazine - shows a pair of vintage beds, which had already been painted green when Monica found them. 


What a truly magical place to spend your summers. 

I can almost feel the warmth on my skin and I'd never ever tire of the view, how about you? 

See more of Monica's beautiful summer residence over at @Tante_Monica. Monica is also a keen knitter and sells handmade Christmas stockings through her shop Tante Monica (@christmasknitting) and Norwegian jumpers together with her friend Katrine via @mokkastrikk

Keen to take a peek inside a few other Norwegian summer residences today? I love: 


Niki

Photography: Monica Almskår Heggset & Lev Landig 

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Helen's Cosy Swedish Summer Cottage Living Room


Kindly sponsored by Nordal, thank you for supporting the brands which make features like this possible*

A few weeks ago, I headed off to My Scandinavian Home interior designer Helen Sturesson's 19th century summer cottage in Blekinge on Sweden's east coast. We had such a lovely time! Last week I shared some information about the cottage's fascinating past and some snapshots of the cosy kitchen, including her Mum's incredible apple pie - take a peek here if you missed it! Today, I'm looking forward to showing you a tour of the main living room area and bedroom (the entire cottage is made up of three rooms: a kitchen, sitting room and bedroom. The loo is at the end of the garden and the bathroom is... in the Baltic Sea! A special thanks to Nordal - the Danish brand who made this trip possible - you'll spot many of their lovely pieces throughout the rooms! Ready to take a look?

The cottage is L-shaped, and the sitting room connects the kitchen (to the right) with the bedroom, when the family of four are here, they all share a room. Two windows flood the space with a warm southerly Autumn light. 

The room is made up of many different items collected over time - including a vintage sofa, a big glass cabinet which helps to keep books and games dust free as well as an incredible mirrored coffee table!


When Helen moved in, she peeled back the plaster on the wall to discover beautiful wood panelling. The planks are all numbers which could indicate the house has have been moved here - although this isn't confirmed (I have come across 'house moving' before in Sweden, does this ever happen in your country? 

CEMA pots in medium, large and extra-large, Club lounge chair in teak and paper rope.

Large 'kakelugn' (tiled ovens) stand in the corner of the main living room and bedroom and are amazingly effective at heating up the house.


In this picture you can catch a glimpse of the wood floor which squeaks as you move across it. A traditional Swedish 'trasmatta' (rug woven with rags / scraps of cloth which I wrote about in my Lagom book as they are a big part of the Swedish heritage) helps to keep drafts at bay and if you look very closely you'll notice the walls are wonky, adding to the charm! 

In the bedroom, floral wallpaper and natural wood help to bring the outside in and a candle brightens up the dark autumn day while adding a sense of calm.


I hope you enjoyed this snapshot into Helen's cottage.

If you have any questions about anything, give me a shout in the comment section below and I'll ask Helen for the low down. 

Incidentally, it's not possible to buy the Nordal items directly from their website (they sell wholesale only), however, there are many webshops throughout Europe which stock their things. Find your nearest stockist here

Next week, I'm looking forward to sharing the final post of three: Helen's cottage ready for Christmas - weeeee, so excited about this one! 

Meanwhile, I'm busy packing for a two-day trip to Oslo, Norway (very excited!) where I'll be writing a guide for Simply Scandi magazine UK (my guide to Helsingborg appears in the latest edition and there's also a Christmas edition on sale right now which features a piece I wrote about our Swedish Christmas). The mag is available here in case you're curious! 

Do you think it could be interesting to share a guide to Oslo here on My Scandinavian Home too? 

Wishing you all a REALLY wonderful, relaxing weekend - and look forward to seeing you here again on Monday! 

Niki

*Thank you to Nordal for this paid partnership and helping to make My Scandinavian Home possible. All words and photos in this post are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

A Charming A-Frame Cabin on the Danish Island of Orø


Saturday marks the start of 'höstlov' (autumn half term) here in Scandinavia, and many will be packing their bags in search of a quieter week in the countryside. I wonder if Marie Monrad Graunbøl will be heading to her cabin on the beautiful Danish island of Orø? I first came across her cosy A-frame in the Skandinavisk Voices magazine, and since we're in the middle of building our own cabin, I couldn't resist taking a closer look and sharing a few pictures here! Ready to be transported to the Danish wilderness?

Orø is a small island in the Isefjord, an hour or two west of Copenhagen. It's especially popular in summertime, when Danes flock to their summer houses. But actually, one of the best times to visit is off-season, when you can experience the vastness of the wilderness in solitude. 

A picture of Marie's A-frame cabin taken by Mikkel Tjellesen, as seen in Voices magazine


Marie spends the majority of her time in Copenhagen, where she runs her visual communications studio Revolver, which offers journalism, editing, creative direction and interior styling services.  But there's nowhere Marie loves to be more than at her cabin on Orø:

"Each time I reach the ferry terminal, I get an immediate sense of tranquillity, I breathe more freely, and my mind seems clearer.... most often I greet the stunning scenery on a late Friday afternoon, exhausted from a week's work and longing for a welcome respite... life slows down at Orø" - Marie.

When Marie and her husband first bought the cabin, it was rundown with a rotting foundation and in need of a new roof.  The pair painstakingly replaced everything inside, ferrying items over from the mainland. It was a slow process, but now their hard work has paid off and they have a wonderful retreat.

Although fairly compact, the couple have everything they need at the cabin, and it's been decorated with a simple yet charming blend of artisanal pieces and vintage finds, creating a wonderful, relaxed feel. 

These days the couple know the cabin and island inside out, as Marie explains in her interview with Voices:

"We came to know all the little signs of the changing seasons, the loud, terrifying noises of pines swaying dangerously in the storm, and the true bliss of entering the house to the warmth of the woodturning stove."

What a perfect place to recharge the batteries, don't you think?

Thank you to Skandinavisk for the kind permission to share these images (hop on over to explore their fragrances - they're simply divine!)

Looking for more dreamy inspiration this week? I love these archives: 


Speaking of recharging batteries, my family and I are heading to Mallorca tomorrow to visit my sister for the first time in 4 years! We CAN'T WAIT! She lives in the North of the island with her boyfriend Ben and my two nieces. It's so beautiful up there. 

I'll be taking some time out with Per and the girls and will be back here blogging again on Monday 6th November. Feel free to pull up a chair hang around and browse the archives (after ten years of blogging there's a ton of inspiration in there!). I'll most likely capture my trip on Instagram stories if you're curious to see the island. 

Have a wonderful week! 

Niki

Photography: Chris Tonnesen
Voices spread photography: Mikkel Tjelleson
Styling: Marie Monrad Graunbøl / Revolver 
Shared with kind permission from Skandinavisk

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Great Stays: A Rustic Hideaway Surrounded by Rolling Hills

Feel like getting away from it all? This wonderful rustic hideaway is available through Airbnb! Set high up on rolling hills, The Wensley is architecturally designed with an Oregon and Ironbark timber exterior and offers everything you might need to switch off - including cosy sofas with panoramic views, a fully equipped kitchen, and a wonderful indoor and outdoor bathroom (my eyes are on that zinc tub!) - all with a timber and stone touch to emulate the surroundings. Such beautiful work by Lisa Buxton Interiors! OK, there might be a slight catch (at least for the time being) - it's in Wensleydale, around one and half hours from Melbourne, Australia! Yikes! But that shouldn't stop us from dreaming about a future stay, right? 

In my mind, I'm already soaking in that tub - the odd kangaroo hopping passed. Heaven! 

Could you imagine staying here?

If you'd like to do a little more mid-week 'escape' dreaming, here are some other places I'd love to stay at one day:


Do any of these capture your imagination? 

Wishing you a fabulous mid-week!

Niki

Photography courtesy of The Wensley

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