Small Space Inspiration: A Delightful Green and White Swedish Flat With a Pretty Bed Nook

If you're looking for a soft, calm, earthy colour palette for your home- this could well be it! I mean, just how pretty are the shades of earthy green with white, cream and pale grey in this two room Swedish apartment? I love all the textures too: hand knotted wall hangings, fluffy rugs, knitted blankets and floaty linens all of which help to ramp up the cosiness. Imagine escaping here each day?!

When a bed nook is too small for anything except for a bed - a simple rail in the main living room creates space for everyday clothes (even better if they're coordinated with the look and feel of the room - ha! But since we know this isn't always the case, a back-up cupboard in the hallway works as a perfect overflow!).

I'm loving these irregular shaped mirrors. I also spy the Ärod floor lamp from IKEA (we've got this in our home and it goes with everything so is always being moved from room to room!

How lovely is this bed nook? It just goes to show that no matter how small the space, you can still create somewhere cosy and private to turn in each night. A curtained off bed is fairly common in Sweden (especially in more traditional homes and summer cottages) - check out this and this home for more pretty examples! I sourced made-to-measure linen curtains in my bedroom and sitting room like these from Not Perfect Linen*. 

Speaking of linen, the bed nook features layer upon layer of it in soft greens, whites and greys. Just a small reminder (spoken from experience!) - that it's really important to invest in high quality linen bedding with a high flax content to avoid that uncomfortable scratchy feel (not a good thing when it comes to pillows!). High quality linen will also soften with age.  I love linen bedding from Secrets and Things* for that reason.  

Could you imagine hanging about here this weekend? It looks so calm!

I know this apartment has ben styled for sale and you'd have loads more clobber than this in reality but it is a great source of colour inspiration!

If you fancy checking out other homes with a similar scheme you might also like to check out this beautiful family home (I love the green and pink accents), a calm green, grey and white apartment and a Gothenburg home with an English vibe (one of my all time favourites - hmmm, wonder why?!).

Our four day retro VW Camper Van tour of Cornwall, England has come to an end - sniff sniff! Despite a rocky start (driving on the wrong side of the road, map reader not knowing their right and left and a broken radio antenna - not all necessarily connected!), we're really going to miss Scarlett! Now it's time to go and say a quick hi to my family before we fly home.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend too!

Niki

Photos courtesy of Kvarteret Makleri 

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A Cosy Danish Loft Full of Plants & Vintage Treasures

Despite haling from London and being very much a city girl, I do love to go out into the great wide open and forget myself for a while. This summer we're island hopping on Sweden's west coast. If you've never been to this part of the world, it's a must! The nature is absolutely breath-taking (keep an eye out on my stories to see more if you're curious - I'd be so happy to share my tips with you!).  Another girl after my own heart is Juila, founder of the delightful blog Copenhagen Wilderness. When Juila's not in her charming, boho loft in the heart of Copenhagen which she shares with her boyfriend Allan, Norwegian Forest cat Elmer, she's staking out remote forest cabins in the Scandinavian countryside. Here's a glimpse into Juila's inspiring world!

Molecular pendant light*, Macrame wall hanging*, Tolix chair*

How did Copenhagen Wilderness begin?
"I started blogging five years ago as a student nurse. I love DIY, plants and interior design so it quickly evolved. Now I also blog about small adventure travels - about giung out into nature and living the simple life in forest cabins and all sorts of other peculiar small 'shelters'. I love city life here in Copenhagen, but I also love the wilderness, so I unite them."

Perhaps this is why Juila's 124 metre square (1334 feet square) exposed brick and white washed loft is also filled with greenery and earth colours, which sit among beautiful Danish design pieces and other second hand finds.

Reema floor cushion*, source a Louis Poulsen pendant lamp here*

Your home is full of beautiful pieces, how do you source them?
"I love old Danish design from the 50's-70's and sometimes I get lucky and find something great on DBA or at a flea market. I love a good treasure hunt!"

The room divider was custom made by @jernogglas using four double doors which can be opened right out to create one large room.  

 Bloom table lamp

A lot of your furniture looks beautifully crafted and I also spot many natural textures, was this a deliberate choice?

"I love the idea of buying furniture that's good quality and based on a more sustainable mindset, so I'm also willing to pay more to ensure good quality, that is also based on conscious and responsible sourcing."

Ariel ceiling light

I love your concrete floor, did you lay it or was it already in place? 

"We laid it along with a wooden herringbone floor. I've always loved the raw look of concrete and it fits the New York loft look that I'm drawn to. Also, it's practical and easy to clean."

For a similar look, try this ochre bed setand kilim cushion*.

What's next in the world of Copenhagen Wilderness?

"Now I'm looking to buy myself a small forest cabin in southern sweden."

Washed linen bathrobe*,  round mirror*

I can't wait to see what it will be like, can you?! Perhaps it will be similar to some of the spectacular cabins Juila has visited in Sweden recently - like Naturbyn floating cabin on lake Eldan?!

I can't believe this cabin is only 6 hours drive from my house - I might just have to pay a visit! Is this your kind of over night stay too? If so, you might like to check out the full feature from Juila's overnight stay here - such stunning pictures!

In fact, if you're visiting Sweden and love to stay in places that are a little out of the ordinary, look no further than Juila's instagram feed, I've never seen so many wonderful places!

Do any catch your eye?!

You can keep an also keep an eye on her latest interior projects and travels on her blog Copenhagen Wilderness.

And for more beautiful Danish interior inspiration, check out these Copenhagen home tours.

See you Wednesday!

Niki

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A Small Swedish Space That Will Make You Want to Downsize!

Tjeeeena! Hur är läget?! Shall we start small this week? This Swedish studio in Gothenburg is a mini 45 metre square (484 foot square), but it's proof that you can have it all (even a piano!) in a small space! I also threw in the floor plan from where this lovely space is currently for sale so that you can make heads and tails of the layout (sometimes it can be hard to tell from the pictures). Sure, it helps that the building dates back to 1899 and the period features are still intact, that it has magnificent high ceilings and a beautiful arch window to boot - but there's still plenty of ideas to steal for even the most dark and dingy of flats! White paint at the ready....

Bed-side essentials such as a dressing gown and slippers can be turned into decoration in their own right. I've got my eye on a pretty floral kimono such as this liberty print one! 

White linen bedding, small beni ourain rug

Using the windowsill as a make-shift bedside table for books and a lamp helps to free up floor space.

Milk NA1 table lamp

A small space can become cluttered very quickly. Try to group items together and leave blank space between each zone so you can see some nice, clean areas - it will make the room feel bigger and less cluttered.

Hay Tray Coffee table, IKEA reading lamp.

It's quite incredible how you can fit showers into the tightest of spaces (my sister managed to get one into a small closet in her second bedroom and now has a lovely little en suite!). Even though this little bathroom is a wet room, a shower curtain would be essential for me as I've got something about getting my socks wet in the mornings (not to mention the loo roll!) - how about you?!

Fouta / Hammam towel, L:A Bruket hand and bodywash, Marvis toothpaste

Floor plan

Photography: Anders Bergstedt / Styling Studio Cuvier for Entrance.  

What a pretty space. Does it make you want to pack it up, pack it in and go for a studio in Sweden's second largest city?! I'm not sure I'd swap it for my house right now (what with all my kids and all!) but I wouldn't mind having it as pied-á-terre so that I could pad around, tinker on the piano (when I'm not at Theo's piano by the window in Berlin, of course!) and visit the likes of Artllieriet and Grandpa Store.  A girl can dream after all, right?!

For more small space inspiration this bright and sunny Monday morning - sit back and take a scroll through this archive (as always hop over this apartment if it pops up first!). If there's anything our Scandi friends totally rock at - it's making mini spaces mighty!

Have a great start to the week!

Niki

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A Mini but Mighty Stockholm studio

It's all very well featuring regal, spacious apartments with dazzlingly high ceilings and sweeping staircases, but the reality is many of us live in much smaller (but beloved) spaces! This little gem of a studio in Stockholm measures a mere 28 metres square (301 square feet) and has everything you need at your finger tips - and looks pretty too! There are some small space rules there to be broken- and I for one, love how the owners have gone for the big SMEG refrigerator and turned it into a style statement - it just goes to show, you don't always need to compromise! 

Floor plan

Photography: Fredric Boukari for Historiska Hem (found via Nordic Design with thanks).

In case you're working through the puzzle of furnishing a small space, here are some things I've learned over the years which might help to achieve your own, functional yet stylish oasis.

5 Things To Think About for a Small Space

1. It may seem obvious, but flexible items such as tables that fold-away / extend and stackable chairs are ideal for homes where space is of a premium.
2. Use the full height of a room and store lesser used items higher up.
3. Opt for multipurpose furniture such as a sofa bed, shelving that can also be used for hanging (as seen in this home), and pieces that double up as storage (there are some great coffee tables with built in storage around!).
4. Work to create distinct zones using rugs / different flooring.
5. Use negative space to create an illusion of size - but don't be afraid to go for big pieces of furniture too!

Please feel free to add any tips and tricks you've discovered in the comment section. 

More space love: 15 small space hacks to learn from a Danish home, a small Swedish space that's big on cosiness, small space inspiration from a swedish home.

I'm heading up to Stockholm today to visit the Bemz headquarters (I've loved my sitting room and bedroom make-over collaborations with them so far, so I'm really excited to meet the team in person!). I hope I also have time to nip into the Carl Eldhs Studio Museum during my trip (another recommendation from Karolina Modig!). I'll be on stories if you'd like to follow along!

I hope you have a fun day too!

Niki

PS Anyone else still thinking about Purrli the Internet cat from yesterday's post? More importantly though - what a fabulous home?! Loved the art!

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