A Beautifully Crafted Tiny House On Wheels

Spreading some tiny house love today. I came across this in the feed of Anna Malmberg, a Swede living in the South of France (you might remember her beautiful house which she shares with her hat maker husband and their son) . Anne helped her friend Romain Lemonnier to style and take these pictures of the tiny house that he had built in a nearby village. The cabin was bought by a man who had been homeless for many years. He inherited some money when his Mother died and was finally in a position to buy himself this property. He calls it his 'castle'. Looking at the level of craftsmanship that has gone into it, I can see why! Curious to look around? 

How incredible! And so inspiring for anyone looking to build a tiny house. Unless of course, you'd like to ask Romain to build one for you (more info here: P'tite Nid Mobile). 

It made me think more about the little cabin we are building - which incidentally has suffered from a slight delay - apparently the foundation needs to breath for three months before we can kit out the interior. Even so, I hope the first spade will go into the ground within weeks. Exciting! More to follow soon! 

Here are a few other truly inspiring tiny homes: 

Before and after - a tiny Swedish cabin in the woods

A Swedish couple turn a Mercedes sprinter van into a tiny mobile home

Dream life on a budget: a tiny cabin and pottery studio

A beautifully revamped caravan

Looking for inspiration for a small apartment? Take a peek in the small spaces archive. 

I'm heading over the bridge to Copenhagen today for 3 Days of Design. I'm so excited as I get to go 'abroad', tuck into Danish pastries (a given!) and experience some incredible Danish design. Winner!  Keep an eye on my Instagram stories if you'd like to follow along!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! 

Niki

Photography: Anna Malmberg, shared with kind permission. 

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An Endearing Danish Summer Cabin on an Allotment

It's only a couple of days until midsummer, and Scandinavians are gearing up to the big event. The atmosphere in the city is slowly changing as folk load up the boot of their cars, ready to ride out to the countryside. Danish family Nicolai, Sofia and their three-year-old child will no doubt be exchanging their urban apartment to enjoy the long weekend at their charming little kolonihave (allotment house). The small wooden cabin is located in Åbyhøj, a quiet suburb of Aarhus known for Northside festival - a popular 3-day music event. The cosy pared-back abode has everything the small family need to enjoy the summer holidays - including a kitchen, dining area, sitting room which doubles up as a bedroom, and a loft bed. On warm days, life spills out onto the newly built terrace and lush garden. Kom indenfor! 

I love the relaxed summer vibe, mixed furniture and touches of green and blue - a perfect little escape! 

Is there anything that stands out to you? 

Scandinavian allotment houses are really special. I've explained the history behind them here. If you feel like taking peek inside a few more, click on any of the links below:

A charming Swedish allotment cottage in summer time

An inspiring Danish kolonihave with white washed walls

A truly idyllic Swedish kolonistuga

So lovely! I hope you're feeling inspired too! 

Niki

Photography:

1, 2, 3, 5, and 9: Julie Wittrup Pladsbjerg & Mikkel Dahlstroem / Another Studio

4, 6, 7, and 8: @sofiaganer

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The Design Plans For Our Tiny Swedish Cabin (Komplementbostadshus / Attefallshus)

A while back I wrote that Per and I are planning on building an attefallshus (a small Swedish cabin usually measuring 25 m2 (269 sq.ft) - but in this case it's a 'komplementbostadshus' which is allowed to be 30 m2 / (322 sq.ft) in the garden of Per's family's summer cottage in South Sweden. We've been pouring over lovely cabins for ages as you know from this post! We were hoping to buy something ready-made but after assessing all the options we eventually decided to design it ourselves. Out-of-the-blue, I came across Anela Tahirovic - a really talented architect based just outside of Malmö, whose home I featured yesterday. Anela has been working with us to help realise our idea - while also adding some great ideas,  tips and tricks of her own. Ready to see the plan?!

Tadaaaa! This 3D drawing (by the fab Mahir at Studio Ark) gives an idea of the overall look and feel. We wanted to draw inspiration from the surrounding forest - and decided on brown wood panelling (see the inspiration below for a photo of the wood finish we are hoping to achieve). 

Since the living space is so small, we were also keen to draw in as much natural light as possible and create an indoor-outdoor living space. This is why the cabin has so many windows and doors - which we can throw open on warm summer days.

I am toying with the idea of swapping out the black frames in favour of slim brown ones for a softer look (as seen below in this lovely 'Hållbar' 40 m2 house by Woodworks. What do you think? 

Here are some drawings by Anela showing how the cabin will look from different directions:

Inside, there will be a tiny sitting room area, basic kitchenette (fridge and sink), double bed and bathroom on the lower level, and then an upper loft area (accessed by a ladder) for two more beds. In such a small space, storage is a struggle - so, not only do we need to live fairly minimalist (not easy for the Brantmarks!), but we will also need to find some smart storage solutions! Here is a sketch of the layout: 

I am looking forward to sharing more inspiration for the interior and the outdoor area with you soon. In the meantime, this past post might just give you some idea of the general design direction!

And good news, we have planning permission - WOOHOOOO! We were hoping to have started the build this spring, but all the local builders are crazy busy due to the pandemic, so now we're looking at September. Feeling excited but ever so slightly nervous too! 

I hope you like the plans so far! 

Wishing you all a lovely day, 

Niki

A huge thanks to Anela Tahirovic for the design sketches and Mahir from Studio Ark for the building and construction drawings as well as the 3D visualisations.

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A Small-ish Danish Home With a Vibrant, Sunny Feel!

Hejsan! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! It was really sunny here, but wow was there a vicious northerly wind blowing - brrrrrrr! Even so, midsummer is a mere 8 weeks away and we're loving the long hours of sunlight up here in the North! It's at this time of year when smallish spaces and 'attic' apartments without balconies can start to feel a little closed in and removed from the vibrant spring / summer outside. But, if you're smart like 26-year-old nursery teacher Louise, who lives in a beautiful 46 square metre (495 sq. ft) apartment on the top floor of an old building in Aarhus, Denmark, it's easy to add a summer vibe. Louise has decorated her two-room apartment (made up of an open-plan kitchen / dining area and bedroom which also doubles up as her living room) with pastel coloured art, accessories, pretty summer dresses and vibrant plants and flowers - all of which help to bring a ray of sunshine to the space, even on a grey day! 

Louise has opted for mainly whitewashed walls which help to bounce the light around and give the illusion of space. while an accent wall adds a great focal point and creates contrast. 

Kitchenware in fresh pastel hues also add a summery vibe, while a canvas director chair adds a beachy touch. 

Sunny yellow tulips and daffodils brighten up a dark corner around the sink. 

A lemon tree brings an instant touch of the med to the windowsill and a white table helps to add the bounce around. The print on the back wall is from Copenhagen-based By Garmi. 

FYI I also have a lemon tree in my home which I bought last spring. I'm proud to announce that it's survived the winter but there are no lemons to be seen - what have I done wrong? Honestly though, I'm just proud it's still alive!

Notice how wall to wall storage units double up as seating in the dining area - a smarty small space solution. 

Art with pastel tones by the likes of local Danish artists Lotte Neupart and Pernille Bitsch adds a soft, summery touch to the bedroom wall while  lemon yellow under bed storage crates from Hay add a fresh touch to the room. 

Some summer dresses are way too pretty to be kept hidden in a wardrobe - put them on display like Louise has done - so even if it's too cold to wear them you can still appreciate them each and every day! These ones are from Boii Studios. 

Linen bedding in pale yellow and pink from H&M Home add a pretty touch to the bed. Just add a coffee and a croissant (and maybe a fresh glass of orange juice!). 

A lit candle - because, well, hygge. 

The pretty town of Aarhus is a must visit if you're in Denmark - and a walk by the coast his perfect for blowing away the cobwebs, or a dip if you dare! 

What a lovely home - and such great inspiration for spring / summer too, don't you think? 

You can see more pics of Louise's charming home here. 

Shall we take a look at a few other lovely attic spaces today? here are a few of my favourites: 

7 great ways to make the most of an attic space

An inspiring interior design studio in an attic space

Small spaces: a light-filled one room Swedish apartment

Before and after: an attic becomes a bright and airy guest bedroom

Wishing you all a great start to the week - I hope the sun is shining where you are too! 

Photography: Louise / @_lisebise

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Tiny Home Inspiration: A Beautiful Swedish Studio With A Great Storage Solution

A tiny, one room studio apartment with lots of storage and a beautiful aesthetic? Yes, it IS possible! if you're dealing with 28 square metres / 300 square feet or less and struggling to find a place for all your things, I have a feeling you'll find this beautiful Gothenburg apartment truly inspiring - and I couldn't resist adding a few more ideas to the mix too. Oh, and I added the floor plan at the end a first from my side, but I felt it could be useful (courtesy of Entrance). Don't live in a confined space? Lots of homes have compact spaces such as a box room - so I have a feeling this tour will come in handy for most of us! 

Unless you're a true minimalist, there's no going for the trendy 'no upper cabinets' look that's so hot right now. Instead, it's all about maximising height and wall space - and in my humble opinion, upper cabinets can look just as good! If you have a lot of kitchen utensils, opt for closed cabinets for a less cluttered look.  

This kitchen could have looked a little cold had it not been for the beautiful warm natural textures seen in the stone worktop and wood dining chairs. 

The stylist behind this apartment hasn't utilised under-the-sofa storage here, but if you need the space, opt for sofas and coffee tables with built-in storage. 

Again, not seen here, but if you are a book lover or would love to display personal items, the enclave in the picture above to the right of the wardrobe (where there painting is) would be a perfect spot for narrow vertical shelling that extends the full height. See this beautiful Stockholm family home for some great 'small space' bookshelf inspiration! 

No matter your ceiling height, the vertical space in a small apartment is one of your greatest assets - use to  the full by ensuring wardrobes extend all the way to the ceiling. You can always hang a ladder on the wall to the side for access. 

The space under the bed is another great place for extra storage. For a neater look, add a bed skirt - it will add a soft touch to the bedroom area and cover up whatever is underneath. 

Wall-mounted furniture and accessories: if your walls allow it, hang lights and other furniture on the wall to clear floor space. 

And in case you're curious - here's the 27 square metre floor plan: 

I hope this has been helpful. A special thanks to all of those who have e-mailed me /  requested inspiration for living spaces smaller than 30 square metres! Please do feel free to email me anytime with ideas and requests, it's really helpful! 

Oh, and for another serene smallish space - did you see Sarah's Copenhagen home yesterday? So serene! And of course, there's always the archive too! 

Wishing you all a great day!

Niki

Photography courtesy of Entrance 

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