An Idyllic Swedish Country Home is Restored to its Former Glory

Morning friends, how are you fairing this Monday? New week, new start?  This is certainly the case for the Dexner family, who sold this beautiful house in Djursholm, Stockholm County, Sweden last week. Karl and Kristina share a passion for restoring homes and knew they had found the perfect project when they stumbled across this beautiful house dating back to 1906. The creative duo spent three years renovating the property while being careful to preserve the original features such as room layout and colour schemes while working only with natural materials. The project was a true labour of love from the wood panelling, rich hues, patterned wallpaper and traditional details to the antique furniture and light fittings. And now that their work is done, Karl, Kristina, their one-year old daughter Isabella and cat Saga can finally sit back and enjoy the house, before the fourth owners take the reins! 

Absolutely beautiful! 

I love the idea that you never really own an old house, you merely take care of it for the next generation. 

Could you imagine living here? 

So, what's next for the Dexner family? "After three years, our work is down and we're moving on to new real estate adventures- this time on a larger scale - stay tuned and you'll see."

Follow Karl and Kristina's journey over at @dexner_woodworking and @homeinsideout. 

As always, I can't resist sharing few other lovely old country houses today! Get settled and tuck into this lovely archive - or if you're a little tight on time, these three tours are a must:

A light filled family home

An idyllic Swedish kolonistuga (allotment cottage)

The boho home of an artist and florist

Have a wonderful start to the week!

Niki

Photography Lina Östling

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A Charming Gothenburg Family Home Gets A Last Hurrah!

Julia and Emanuel Karlsten and their two young children Billie and Frank moved house back in the spring. Before they closed the door for the last time on their Gothenburg apartment, Elle Decoration stopped by to take some pictures. As with all goodbyes, it couldn't have been an easy one - especially when the home has been lovingly furnished with unique objects, handmade pieces and painted in the perfect shades of grey and peach! Here's a final peek into the Karlsten's Kungsladugård home! 

Picture shelves are ideal if you love to shake things up at home without making millions of holes in the wall (guilty!). The Poster Club* sells similar prints and ships worldwide. And will you look at those parquet floors! 

I love the open shelves in this kitchen too, they're perfect for personalising the space. I was considering something similar for the cottage kitchen, kind of wish I'd trusted my instinct now! Guh! 

Two ikea AGAM children's chairs are a perfect match with a classic Lilla Åland chair. But best of all IMHO (I had to look this abbreviation up the other day - always so late to the tech / online party!!), is the sliding door painted in a peach accent, it totally makes the space! Could you imagine doing something similar in your home? 

There's so much to love about the sitting room. If I had to pick three things, it would be the DIY coffee table painted in brown-pink, the retro corduroy Karin chair and Tisca rug. 

The Line no 05 print from Hein Studio has been combined with a Gloria Candleholder and Julia's own handmade ceramics on a side table in the sitting room. 

Such a lovely space, don't you think? 

Follow Julia's blog and instagram for more beautiful inspiration and to see snapshots of their new house (currently under renovation) - I can't wait to see what they do next! 

You can also see more pictures of her former home and read a full interview with Julia in Elle Decoration.se (in Swedish). 

Looking for more Swedish interior inspiration, today? How about:

The fabulous Stockholm home of Lovisa Häger

A Stockholm space with touches of pretty pastel

If you love colours, there's a high chance you're going to love tomorrow's post too! At least I hope so, as Ana and I felt so inspired putting it together.  Don't forget to stop by!

Happy Wednesday friends!

Niki

PS I'm heading to Hamburg tomorrow to record a pod cast with Holly Becker from Decor8  as part of her Living At Home Holly magazine- feeling super excited, I love that city - and I love Holly! But it's also a little nerve-racking - have you ever recorded a podcast? Tips / advice welcome! 

Photography: Jonas Gustavsson

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A Photographer's Charming Swedish Summer Cottage In The Woods

Buoyed by my recent summer cottage kitchen renovation I picked up a copy of Swedish magazine Lantliv (Country Life) a few weeks ago. And, OH WOW, did it have some incredible homes in it - don't you love it when that happens?! I got particularly stuck on this charming summer cottage in the woods of Northern Uppland. A former petrol station dating back to 1930, the building was about to be torn down when photographers Lina Ericsson and Karl Anderson acquired it as a weekend retreat from busy Stockholm life. The pair set about lovingly transforming it into a unique and charming home full of antiques, second hand finds and pieces from Lina's sustainable interior shop Noy Road. The result is everything a Swedish summer cottage should be; simple and relaxed yet warm and cosy and packed with charm: a perfect place for Lina, Karl, daughter Charlie and their Jack Russell Terrier, Vilda to switch off, surrounded by nature.

The kitchen is a mix of freestanding and open shelving from IKEA - giving the space a relaxed vibe. I love how the couple have maximised space by adding a book shelf over the window. 

The six metre (SIX METRE!!!) high ceiling gives the sitting room a lovely light and airy feel. The rattan chairs are from Silka Design and the handmade wool rug is from Noy Road. Source a similar sheepskin here*. 

Vilda has adopted the handmade wool rug as her own - and who can blame her?! The linen cover and cushions on the IKEA sofa are also from Noy Road. 

Sheer curtains in the sitting room help to keep out bugs while slipping in a soft pool of light. On warmer days they can move outside and enjoy the shaded terrace (as demonstrated by Vilda - who's looking super relaxed out there, I must say!). 

Lina and Karl have made a feature of the doors and architraves by painting them a soft green. The hammam and linen towels are from Noy Road. 

The veranda has been given a new lease of life with recycled windows from Umeå Byggnadsvård while the floor was transformed using a linseed oil-based paint. I absolutely love this type of painted chequered floor - it's so easy to achieve and yet so striking! Do you feel tempted to do the same in your home?

The cottage was originally a traditional Falu red but Karl wanted to do something different and opted for green umbra. The garden is packed with homegrown vegetables - one of Lina's passions. 

Just beautiful.

I can't imagine a more idyllic retreat, can you?

Imagine how difficult it would be to close the doors on a Sunday and head back to town! Mind you, you'd feel relaxed knowing that the place is waiting for you come Friday.

Did you spot the DIY clothes line in the main dining room area (first picture)?  - isn't it clever? I found a DIY tutorial here - and you can also pick up a similar one here.

If you're feeling the Swedish summer cottage vibes after this tour, why not pour a coffee, light a candle (hey, we're talking Scandi here, after all!) and check out this Swedish Cottage archive. It's one of my favourites! If this cottage pops up first, you might want to look through the pictures all over again, or simply scroll on passed for more inspiration!

Ha så fint! 

Niki

These photographs were taken by Karl Anderson / @karlandersonphotography and shared with kind permission from Lantliv. 

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A Striking Holiday Home on The Swedish Island Of Gotland (AND it's for sale!)

As Swedish islands go, Gotland in the Baltic Sea has to be one of my favourite - it's a total summer paradise. Ever since our first ever visit last week I've been planning my next visit and eagerly scouring estate agent sites for holiday cottages (a dreamer, who me?!). And then this one popped up on Trendenser today (thank you Frida!). The house, which is for sale through Fastighetsbyrån, is situated just North East of Visby. Despite being built in 2016 / 2017, it encapsulates many of the traditional architecture traits of the region. Inside, towering A-shaped ceilings give the space a breezy feel while touches of wood add texture and warmth to a beautifully raw, understated living space. Time to dream...

Absolutely beautiful!

I am a huge fan of concrete floors which is probably what caught my eye - having said that, I'd probably need two add a load of rugs and textiles to cosy it up a little. 

Could you imagine rocking about here all summer too?!

Other Gotland homes to fall in love with here. 

When I get home, I'm going to download all my photos and see if I can put together a guide to Gotland. Everyone has to visit at some point!! Might that be of interest?

Happy 'lillördag' (little Saturday)! 

Niki

Photos courtesy of Fastighetsbyrån

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An Idyllic Swedish Hide-away On the Island of Dalarö

When I was in Norway a few weeks back, I spotted many lovely houses with a turf roof just like this. Imagine my confusion then, when I discovered this log cabin is actually in Sweden! Yes, in a few week's time, one lucky family of three will be headed to this dreamy Norwegian-style hide-away on the island of Dalarö in the Stockholm archipelago. Tucked away between the forest and sea, the pretty, traditional exterior belies little of the Scandinavian design treasure trove that awaits within! Combine this with a bathroom under the stars, and the residence becomes a perfect oasis from which to enjoy the Scandinavian summer!

Tulip dining table*, Standard chairs* 

Vintage safari chair*

PK22 lounge chair*, Borge Mogensen 2333 sofa, Serge Mouille wall lamp*, Alvar Aalto zebra cushion cover, Adnet mirror

White linen bedding*

 Outdoor furniture from Skagerak

Wooden peg rail, Hammam towel*, linen robe*

How lovely!

Could you imagine getting away from it all over the summer here? I most certainly could! 

I love the outdoor bathroom too - such a big fan of showering under the stars! 

Other delightful Scandinavian summer cottages to dream about today: a charming summer cottage on the Danish island of Fejø, an idyllic Danish summer cottage, a romantic swedish summer cottage and a relaxed cabin in the Stockholm archipelago. 

Tempted to join us for a summer in Sweden? 

20 instagrammable places to stay in Sweden

Stedsans in the woods

Välkommen! 

It's been an early morning start for us today as Per and I are on our way to the Cinque Terra for a few days to celebrate our ten year wedding anniversary (thank you for all your suggestions!). I'm so over excited as I absolutely love Italy, it has everything: the history, the scenery, great people, delicious food, good wine, a beautiful coastline, ice cream, coffee.... ! Heaven! 

I hope you have a lovely couple of days too - see you Friday!

Niki

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt, shared with kind permission. Found via Nordic Design with thanks

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