3 Swedish Airbnbs That Bring You Close To Nature

Many people flock to Sweden in summertime. Some are looking for a city break, while many others come for the beautiful nature. It makes sense. Sweden has a population of 10 million and a land mass stretching 1572 km from North to South, which makes it easy to find a secluded spot. It's one of the things I love most about living here. 

If you're thinking of visiting, here are three very different Airbnbs which will immerse you in nature so you can switch off, relax, take a dip and generally recharge your batteries, Swedish style! 

The indoor-outdoor cabin

Live an indoor-outdoor lifestyle at this cabin in Southwest Sweden, and wake up to the sound of bird song while looking out over the fields of Halmstad. 

The forest cabin

You'll feel like you're living in a treehouse in this cabin in Gnesta. And it's just a short hop to a bathing spot too so you get the best of both worlds. Sign me up! 

The floating boathouse

This unique stay in Bengtsförs invites you to cut loose - literally, and tow your floating home wherever the mood takes you. I love the idea of  waking up to different scenery every morning! The house has a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom and sleeps four. 

All wonderful in their own way. Which would you choose? 

I have a hard time deciding, I must say, but since we have a sailing boat already - I might just be inclined to go for the forest cabin! 

Incidentally, I saw a question about screens and insects on the My Scandinavian Home facebook this week, and some of you might very well be wondering about this when you see these places! In my experience, it's quite rare to get mosquitoes and other pesky creepy crawlies south of Stockholm - although they can be a bit of a nuisance around sunset in the height of summer. That's why you'll rarely see screen doors and windows in these properties. However there can be quite a few mozzies in the North, where they are attracted by the many lakes. So, if you're visiting that part of Sweden you might need plenty of good repellent - depending on the year. 

Do you have a lot of bugs where you are? 

If you're planning a trip and would like to see more Scandinavian airbnbs, check out my holiday rental / airbnb archive - there are so many good ones in there! I have also written quite a few Scandinavian travel and city guides! 

Happy Wednesday!

Niki

PS I had promised to share a small Copenhagen home belonging to a single mother and her son, but unfortunately I've had to move the post to April. I apologise for this, but I promise it'll be worth the wait! 

Photography courtesy of Airbnb, with thanks. 

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Imke's Warm and inviting Rental Apartment in Geneva, Switzerland

Hej there! I hope you had a lovely weekend! It's the school half-term this week here, and although my family and I have stayed put in a very grey and dreary Malmö, my Facebook feed is flooded with scenes from the Alps as southern swedes share their holiday snaps (not jealous at all.... ahem)! It therefore made sense for me to pay a virtual visit today with this sunny apartment in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Owner Imke and her partner have worked hard to ensure their 72 m2 (785 ft2) rental apartment in a building dating back to 1909 is as cosy and unique as can be. While they have kept to a muted and earthy colour scheme, the furniture is an eclectic blend of styles which include French bistro style chairs, a Scandinavian design table, vintage treasures as well as the occasional high street find (you might be surprised to learn the  overhead lamp in the sitting room is from H&M Home - what a find!). 

I hope you enjoy the tour of Imke's warm and inviting Geneva home and it gives you plenty of ideas for your own home today. 

Such a charming space, don't you think? 

How I'd love to sit on that window seat and look out at the greenery. Has spring arrived where you are? Or perhaps Autumn for those of you in the southern hemisphere? No sign of it yet here. 

Imke has been great at tagging items in her instagram, so if you're curious to find out more about the items you see in these pictures, head on over to @sonnenetage to discover more. 

And as always, pleased do let us all know if anything stood out to you in particular, I love to hear your thoughts and observations. 

By the way, did you know there's an entire archive dedicated to homes outside of Scandinavia? You can find it here, and it includes beautiful homes such as: 

Cici and Locke's Berlin home and Frederike's warm and inviting home in the same city

Emily's family home in Strasbourg

The lovely Georgian home of a textile artist

And many more! 

I'll be back on Wednesday with a very small, yet beautiful space belonging to a single mother and her son. It's really inspiring, so make sure you pop back to take a look! 

Have a great start to the week! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of @sonnenetage, shared with kind permission. 

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This Fabulous Colourful Copenhagen Home is On Airbnb

Hej kompisar! Is it just me, or when planning a holiday or weekend away, the lion's share of the work is in finding the perfect place to stay? I guess it's because, if like me, your environment can add so much to your time away! 

The good news is, if you're visiting the Danish capital, I might have saved you hours (weeks... months...?) of scouring the net! Look no further than this incredible three bedroom apartment in the hip neighbourhood of Vesterbro which features sky high ceilings, beautiful period features, original wood floors and incredible light-filled rooms. 

Owned and run by host Nikolaj Paaby Normand, the abode is filled with incredible one-off pieces, art, make-you-smile colours and a riot of pattern. Needless to say, these pictures taken by Anitta Behrendt, have graced the covers and pages of some of Denmark's finest interior magazines and the airbnb is considered a firm 'guest favourite'. 

Ready to take a nosey around? Step this way! 

Have you ever seen such a colourful dining set arrangement? It works thanks to a very calm backdrop, making it a focal point of the room. 

The apartment is full of one-off pieces which adds intrigue around every corner. 

Colour, texture, and pattern come together in the sitting room, giving the space a relaxed feel. While the furniture and Svenskt Tenn pattern have mid-century appeal. Again, a calm backdrop helps to draw the eye to the centre of the room and ensures the look doesn't become too chaotic. 

A calming blue accent wall appears in the bedroom, while the vibrant quilt and cushion ties the look in with the rest of the living space. 

Oj oj oj - as they say in Sweden. It's one thing seeing an incredible space like this in a magazine, it's another knowing that you can actually stay in it as an airbnb. 

Meet you there?

More information about this Copenhagen apartment on Airbnb. 

Would you like to dream over a few other Airbnbs in Scandinavia? Hey, why not plan an entire tour of the region? Here are a few of my favourites:

A charming Danish summer cabin on North Zealand

A limestone barn on the Swedish island of Gotland

The Stonecutters Farm on the island of Öland

A cosy ski chalet in Hafjell, Norway

A quintessentially Swedish lakeside cottage

Aaaand that's it from me this week. I hope you have a fabulous weekend and the sun shines for you! 

Niki

Photography: Anitta Behrendt

Design / owner: Nikolaj Paaby Normand

Shared with kind permission

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A Rose-Tinted Swedish Home with a Contemporary Twist!

Alla hjärtans dag - or Valentine's Day calls for something pink, don't you think? And you certainly won't need to look through rose tinted glasses to see the blush tones in this Swedish home! 

Fear not though, 'sweet' and romantic it's not - but rather, it has a distinct contemporary vibe thanks to striped cushions with a zing of orange as well as notes of brown. Keep a look out for some very cool furniture in the shape of a Ekstrem chair - which we also saw in Julie's Danish home (featuring lots of pink too!), a playful mirror and some lovely lamps! 

Elsewhere in the home, you'll see a soothing shade of green in the bedroom and a deep blue in the loo - all of which are designed to keep you guessing and make for a thoroughly interesting abode! 

Such a cool apartment, and so different! 

Are you a fan of pink? 

Here are a few other 'pink' themed articles I found in the archives to get everyone in the mood for today:

Pinks big comeback in 2017! 

A retro 'funkis' home in Norway (note the green which is opposite to pink in the colour wheel, making it a perfect pair!). 

A very cool yet calm rose-tinted French family home

Before and after: a dingy stairway becomes a vibrant place - with stairs in every shade of pink!

And don't forget the pink stairs in Susie's home - someone told me the other day that a painter refused to do the job and I think Susie ended up painting them herself! A true labour of love! 

Glad alla hjärtans dag! Happy Valentine's Day! 

Niki

Photography: Johansson

Styling: Lindholm

For Historiska Hem

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A Charming Swedish Townhouse Where Old Meets New

There was something that immediately resonated with me when i first spotted this townhouse in the Gamle Enskede area of Stockholm. And then I read the blurb: 'an English townhouse' built in 1909 and designed by Victor Bodin.  

Needless to say, I've seen quite a few two-up, two-down formats like this in my childhood in London. But this is different. It has a distinct Scandinavian twist! Firstly, the wall between the kitchen and sitting room has been removed creating an airy open-space and secondly the decor is undeniably Swedish. It's also very unique. 

Think botanical wallpapers, scalloped edged rugs (I want one!), a vibrant gallery wall, candy stripes, pops of cherry red and a mix of antiques and modern day finds. Let's take a peek inside. 

I love this. It feels so familiar yet so unfamiliar at the same time. Sort of English cottage meets Swedish traditional meets Scandinavian contemporary - making the space truly unique. 

Is there anything that caught your eye about this wonderful house? 

While I couldn't find more homes like this to share, I did uncover a few lovely houses in the archive that I had forgotten about. If you have time this morning, dig into these: 

A Swedish cottage in the forest 

Scandinavia meets the med in a Mallorcan finca

Johanne and Lukas' Copenhagen townhouse from 1927

Have a fabulous start to the week! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Skandia Mäklarna with thanks 

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