A Pretty New Watch for Spring!

Hello March! How nice to see you! Since moving to Sweden the 3rd month of the year gives me a glimmer of hope that spring is finally around the corner, even if there is still snow on the ground! Any day now the daffs will be out and the shops will be transformed into havens of crisp, light colours, soft pastels and the odd zingy hue - don't you just love that?! I felt this called for a mini pre-season celebration - a new timepiece. Meet my new friend from TRIWA (oh how I love being an ambassador for this lovely Swedish brand!).

Rose Svalan! This fab time-piece caught my eye at the TRIWA atelier in Stockholm back in December.  And it's finally hit the market as one of their new spring arrivals. I think it was the rose gold case, light organic handmade leather strap, and over-sized feel that did it!   

Beneath the Rose Svalan is a cookery book handwritten by my husband's Swedish grandmother Olga (her cinnamon buns have been immortalised in my Lagom book because they're just SO GOOD - in fact, the French version even comes with a separate recipe card!) and an old workman's stool which I use as a bedside table. I didn't really think about it when I took the picture, but all three of these items are made from authentic materials that only get better with age.

Another thing I love about TRIWA watches is that the straps are handmade from Swedish organic leather produced by the renowned Tärnsjö tannery. Tärnsjö is one of the remaining 5% of tanning houses worldwide that still employ vegetable tanning where bark extract is used instead of chrome. The beauty is that the process has a minimal impact on the environment and it makes the leather age gracefully with a nice patina.

What do you reckon? Could you imagine having the Rose Svalan as part of your spring wardrobe? If not, there are also whole load of other new arrivals to choose from here. They ship worldwide too. Just saying!

Have a lovely day!

PS take a look at other styles I've featured here, here and here (didn't the man do a good job in this shoot - a true #husbandofinstagram?! He's so happy with his Smoky Nevil too!).


Photography: Niki Brabtmark / My Scandinavian Home

This post is brought to you in collaboration with TRIWA. However all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and think you will too! Thank you for supporting the businesses that help make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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Is Embroidery the New Avocado Toast?!

In my Lagom book I talk about the importance of swapping screen time for analogue activities such as reading, writing a diary and handiwork before bedtime in order to feel more relaxed, doze off quicker and enjoy an improved quality of sleep. So you can imagine how excited I was to see embroidery popping up more in the social media sphere! Pinterest, Instagram (6 million hits!), blogs, DIY magazines, you name it. For those of you shuddering as you cast your mind back to a cold classroom with pricked fingers - fear not, we're talking embroidery with a modern twist and a Swedish start-up has you covered! Founded by Sofia Magnusson, The Folklore Company combines the digital world with old school cross stitch embroidery, meaning that anyone who hasn't done a cross-stitch since primary school can still enjoy the mindful activity and create something wall-worthy too! How fab is that?!

When Marielle at The Folklore Company first approached me I was quick to notice you can buy ready made embroidery patterns too - the 'busy' person in me was incredibly tempted! But then I realised I'd be missing out on the whole relaxation side  plus I'd never find out if embroidery truly was the new avocado toast! I fired off a mail with my concerns and was assured: "it’s really not hard to embroider your own, it’s a little time consuming but a very soothing activity, which is made even more cozy with a cup of tea."

Being a Brit, she had me at the tea. Here's how I got on:

1.  Selecting the pattern. The Design Editor offers a large variety of patterns ranging from more traditional flowers and lace to swallows, hearts and even unicorns! I went for the The Malta pattern - which is one of their best sellers since it's a relative simple pattern (best not to run before I crawl!). 

2.  Selecting the colour: I opted for the pewter grey thread, which I'm really pleased with. On the home run I exchanged one of the birds for a pink thread which I found at home. I think it added a nice little twist do you?!
3. Adding your text, favourite quote or poem: (remember the longer it is the more hours it will take, but then again, the task is not meant to be rushed and March is one looong month!). 
4. Choosing the text style: I chose the Primus Script as I kind of wanted the juxtaposition of the modern quote with the traditional lettering.
5. Ordering the kit: The embroidery kit contains everything you need to get started right away including a needle, fabric, yarn and pattern but I kind of got carried away and ordered the pretty peacock scissors (was tempted with the Eiffel tower ones too), a wooden embroidery hoop, and a thimble!

6. The process: I was so grateful for the very straight forward instructions and the embroidery was truly therapeutic (it's a perfect activity for a long journey, wiling away a few hours at the weekend or simply kicking back in the evenings!).

Once finished I placed the fabric in a black frame and hung it on my bedroom wall! I have to say, I'm so happy with the result!

Keen to make your own? All the information you need to get started is right here
- and the fab team are offering you 15% discount with the code: 15%SCANDINAVIAN up until 31st March. You The Folklore Team girls rock!


Don't forget to share a picture of your masterpiece using the hashtag #folklorecompany, we'd love to see it!

Thank you to the fab girls at The Folklore Company for setting me on the embroidery path and sponsoring this post - I'm already wondering what pattern to create next. Something for my daughter's room perhaps?! Watch this space!


Photography credits: 1 (montage) & 2 courtesy of The Folklore Company / 3, 4 & 5: Niki Brantmark - My Scandinavian Home.

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A Norwegian Bedroom Gets a Budget Make-over

Welcome to the second post in the before and after mini make-over series in association with Builders Bay (a builder's little black book for all things needed to renovate your home). In the first we looked at the fabulous transformation of a Miami penthouse (I'm still dreaming, are you?!).  But of course not all renovations need to be on this scale, sometimes you simply want to pep up a room without investing too much time and money, right? So today, I thought we'd go a little closer to home: and take a look at the beautiful bedroom of  blogger, photographer and visual storyteller Katerina Dima in Oslo, Norway. Katerina was looking to add warmth to a fresh white room and allow the history of the 1850 building to sing - all on a shoe string budget. I caught up with her to get the low down!





Who lives in your home?
Me (Katerina Dima), my husband and our cat Milo (who is largely undocumented on my social media because she sleeps and rests in the most ridiculous and unflattering positions. If I was running a comedy instagram account I think she would be a total hit.



Sounds to me like he could be a #CatsofInstagram star?! The  interiors you show in your blog are simply stunning, do you work in the world of interior design?
I am a trained architect with a masters in renovation and restoration, although now I work full time as a freelance photographer / visual storyteller for brands in association with my blog Only Deco Love and instagram. 



Ah, what great skills - do you find that you're constantly updating your home as a result?
We are renting but have carte blanche on any renovations. This was the reason I was allowed to completely change the look of the bedroom and skirting boards plus paint the windows.



I see you have great bones to work with?
If I am not mistaken, the building was built around 1850. It's a really funny story, one of the most convenient things is a small and remarkably beautiful storage room right by our stairs (our apartment is the only one on the floor), and I thought, I was really lucky to have it. It turns out that in the 19th century these buildings had no toilet (our floor was made up of many smaller apartments) and the 'storage under the stairs' was the common bathroom. There's no evidence now this was a bathroom but I have the most elegant storage ever - I really shoot in it but it is super cold!

What were you looking to achieve with your bedroom renovation?
When we moved in, the owner had painted the entire apartment white. It is a beautiful old apartment with ceiling rosettes, very high ceilings, big windows and original floors that were painted grey - and I guess white made perfect sense as a neutral palette. However, no matter how I tried to style the bedroom specifically, it always felt unfinished. Really tall ceilings can have that effect. I didn't want to overwhelm it with furniture and decorations in order to impart some life into it, I prefer my living space minimal and clean, yet welcoming and warm. The solutions was to create layers with paint and skirting boards.




How did you envisage the paint to make a difference to the space?
The layers of paint would provide interesting transitions that would fit the old apartment and define the space between the floors and ceiling, but without making it too heavy.

How did you choose the colour?
I knew I needed to offset the grey-blue floors with beige, this way the resulting tone would be warm (blue hues give cooler results and I'm not a fan of cold hues in the bedroom). I am a big fan of the Jotun Lady beige palette, especially the darker colours.

What other renovations did you need to carry out to create your vision?
I installed new skirting boards.  

Did you have any challenges with these?
I knew I would have to do everything on my own (with my husbands help), or else it would be too expensive, and our budget was in fact our biggest challenge. Buying the big pieces for the new skirting boards/panels I needed was not an option after all due to the enormous price, so instead we opted for DIY. In Oslo we don't have the equipment to create our own panels (another obstacle), and this is where the idea came to me to buy simple small and relatively cheap skirting boards, and create the panels I wanted by means of an illusion. I  added the small boards 30cm above the previous one, nailed them to the wall and painted the old skirting boards on the floor the new board and the wall in between the same color . This creates the illusion of a single but quite bigger panel which gives the room an added desired layer while it brings a palatial feel, exactly the result I wanted! And honestly you can barely tell even when looking at it up and close. We painted 5 times over and over again so the wall looked exactly like the wooden boards, and that was the only difficulty. We used a saw to cut the boards in the length we needed and a plastic guide that we found in the same hardware store in order to cut the corners of the boards in a 45 degree angle. 

FYI - you can source different size skirting boards on Builders Bay here. 

 It looks beautiful! So calm! What colours did you use? 
I painted the skirting boards and the windows the same colour (Space 10678 from Jotun Lady in Supreme Finish Matt for wood panels) to give a sense of community, but also because darker windows appeal a lot to me lately. I painted the walls in a light beige / grey colour (Sommersne 1928 Jotun lady, super mat). The colour is described as not quite grey, it was exactly what i was looking for. I debated whether to paint the whole space the same colour along with windows and skirting boards but decided against it. I wanted to add layers and introduce interesting transitions. This is also why I didn't paint the wall all the way up to the ceiling, leaving a ribbon on the top in the previous color that matched the ceiling (white).






I love the effect of not painting the walls all the way up to the ceiling, can you tell us more?
Because the ceilings are so high I wanted to create layers so there would be interesting transitions making the room feel warmer.  I decided to create a bottom layer with the panels/skirting boards, a middle layer with the wall painted in a different colour, and finally an upper layer that stayed the same colour as the ceiling. This way there would be a natural transition from the white ceiling to the wall as there is no decorative ribbon, making the design feel deliberate rather than incidental.

 How long did the renovation take?
The whole room took us two days from start to finish after we had decided on the plan ( the boards took us about two hours to cut and nail to the wall, then filled any holes with a special white glue that gives a smooth finish ), and this was mostly waiting for the paint to dry. The costs were very minimal, and I feel if we did it, anyone can!



How would you describe the final look?
The style is very minimal and combines early century with contemporary Scandinavian accents. The building was built in the Neo classic era with modernist yet romanticism architectural influences, I wanted to keep the feel of it but also bring it into this century. I think the colours helped me achieve that, but also the details I chose to use in the form of art and furnishings.

And finally, do you have any tips for anyone looking to do the same?
If you want to lightly renovate a room on a budget, painting and creating “faux” panels is a great way (if it matches your spaces original architecture), and it can completely transform a room beyond your imagination. Come up with a plan and create a moodboard to help you out, but I would say my key learning  to be able to adapt your plan on the go while trying not to stray too far away from it. Also if I learned anything from this is that these things are much easier than they look , you will be surprised by how much you can achieve on your own and in a short time! So go for it :)

What a beautiful space. I love how the clean, calm look allows the period features of the building to stand out, how about you?

In case you're curious about any of Katerina's carefully curated pieces - here's a quick guide:

Get The Look

1. April 02 Poster
2. Skagerak - Georg Desk
3. Skagerak - Edge Pot
4. Mobil 100 pendant - Monika Mulder 2016
5. Spade Stool Black
6. Snowball Floor Lamp
7. Skagerak - Reflect Wall Hooks
8. FRAMA Adam Stools


Thank you so much for sharing your renovation with us Katerina!

You can follow all of Katerina's latest projects over on her beautiful blog Only Deco Love and instagram. 

Have a lovely day!

CREDITS: Photography and Styling: Katerina Dima / Only Deco Love. 

 

 * All words are my own, and I only ever work with brands and services I feel are of interest to my readers. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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Reader offer on Beautiful Tylko Shelving

Sponsored post: 
Behind every beautifully organised home is great shelving (I just made that up, but there's a kind of truth to it?!). Shelving is so important. It provides a place to display personal possessions like books, photos, plants and keep them in order - making a house a home. But choosing the right ones can be tricky - you want them to store all your things, fit the space you have and look fabulous (at least that's what I'm after!). Asking too much?! Never! In fact, I know just the right shelving! Tylko. You may recognise the name from this post last year when I captured the shelves in my own sitting room (tried and tested - and they're beautifully made, easily slotted together without screws and a single swear word - love that!). If you could use a little more storage in your home, you'll be happy to hear that by typing in the code SCANDIHOME100 at checkout when you spend more than 800 euros (or pounds) you'll receive 100 euros off your total purchase (until 31st March, 2018). Yay!

In case you're curious, here are a few things I think are fab. Tylko shelves are customisable to the space you have and the look you're after down to the last centimetre. Choose between different shelf formations, colours (black, white or grey), density, width, height and whether or not you'd like doors. 

The shelves are made from slow-growth wood from Finland's birch forests which makes them really  hardwearing (mine still look as good as new) - and have that lovely Scandinavian touch (yay!). 

You can create Bookshelves, Sideboards, Benches and Wall Storage - and they're even available in an extra wide size, in case you live in a very, very large apartment or house and you own a ton of stuff!

Once you've perfected your design on the Tylko you can see how your design looks in your home using the augmented reality app. If it's not quite right, you can adjust your shelves in real time before you're ready to roll. We're seeing this more and more and I have to say, it's soooo helpful (I'm thinking of all the times I've spotted something beautiful on a website, ordered it home and it just doesn't work at all - amen to that!). 

So what do you think? 

Kind of beautiful, right?

Find out more and get customising over at Tylko (and don't forget to use the code SCANDIHOME100 at check-out to receive your discount!). 

Have a lovely day!

Images courtesy of Tylko.

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Tylko. However, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and think you will too! Thank you for supporting the businesses that help make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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5 simple ways to create a cosy corner

Sponsored post:

It's a little cold and grey here in Sweden right now, is it the same where you are? If so, no fear! I've got a tried and tested round-up of five simple ways to max up the mysig and create the cosiest of cosy corners! Prepare to feel toasty...

 1. Add natural textures: think raw or handcrafted materials. Here, the imperfections and patina in the raw wood stool and clay plant pot add interest and instant warmth. 

2. Books and magazines: So simple yet oh so cosy. I'm thinking chunky knit socks, a cup of tea and a good read. Plus switching off your screen and going analogue is said to be perfect for R&R! Who's with me on this?

3. Layer on the textiles: where would a cosy corner be without linen throws, a load of cushions and a soft rug? Loving the fringes and warm, muted tones too!

 4. Go green (or brown!): As Christina said yesterday - plants breath life into a home. Whether you prefer to go for a big and bushy climber, a delicate and small potted friend or an entire urban jungle  - plants will bring soul to your space!

5. Get a glow on: It's getting dark so early in Sweden (and some days the sun barely comes out at all) so good lighting is essential (especially if I want to read those magos!). I'm so pleased with this  library table lamp it looks lovely by day and brightens up the darkest of corners (which in our case is under the stairs) by night - yay!

I hope you like my latest sitting room update and it's given you a few ideas for keeping toasty this winter! Feel free to add your own tips in the comment section below, I'd love to hear them!

Oh and in case you're curious, here are some of the items I used:

1. Bed cover with fringes
2. LIBRARY table lamp
3. ESSENCE carpet
4. RAW stool

You can find webshops that stock Nordal in your area here.

Right, I might just have to go and curl up in this corner right now...

Have a cosy evening!


Photography & Styling: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home.  

Thank you so much to Nordal for making this post possible - I'm proud to have this Danish homeware brand as a sponsor. As always, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands that I love and think you will too. 

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The man - and a Special Offer From TRIWA!

Sponsored post: 
Men can be so tricky to buy for, don't you think?! My (Swedish) husband mercifully puts down experiences for most of his present ideas which means I get to enjoy it too (who's complaining?!). But this year I thought I'd go that extra mile for St Valentine's Day and get him something longer lasting: the Smoky Nevil watch from Swedish brand TRIWA! If you love the look of it too, I've got great news: the fab team at TRIWA are offering you the chance to buy the Smoky Nevil timepiece with Swedish organically tanned leather strap and get a stainless steel mesh-silver strap worth $69 for free (to redeem enter the code 'MESH' at checkout until end of Feb)! This meant that my husband got to open his two weeks early on one condition: he model it for us..... he here is!

And this is the Smoky Nevil timepiece with the stainless steel mesh-silver wristband... pretty smart, don't you think....

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home. 

Ahhhh, I think he did a pretty good job with the modelling, don't you?! Look out LFW! And he is seriously pleased with his watch too! 

In fact I'd quite happily wear this watch myself if I wasn't already attached to my Dixie Aska (seen here)! I love how the watches combine classic silhouettes and contemporary Scandinavian simplicity - so perfect! How about you?

If you're curious to know more, you can check out their mens and womens watches and find out more about the innovative Stockholm based company here.

And don't forget to make the most of the special offer (Smoky Nevil + mesh wristband with code 'MESH'!). 




Have a lovely day!


This post is brought to you in collaboration with TRIWA. However all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and think you will too! Thank you for supporting the businesses that help make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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