8 Essential Furnishings Items For a Swedish Studio Apartment

Live in a small space? I've lived in two studios in which the bed was in the corner of the living room: while studying at the University of Edinburgh and then again when I first moved to Malmö, Sweden. And oh, how I wish I'd seen this home then - it's a dream and full of ideas! I hope this Gothenburg home inspires you too - even if you have a bigger space to play with! 

Here are 8 essential elements I spotted that hold the key to creating a beautiful compact home: 

1. Room divider: sometimes the most simple of dividers can be enough to create a visual separation between the place you sleep and the rest of your living space. This rattan screen is great as it can be folded away - and moved around should you decide to re-arrange the room. 

2. Nesting tables: I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of these nesting tables in the coming months and years - and they are absolutely ideal for a smaller space since you can move them around and use them wherever needed - or push them together for a more compact look. I love the Carl Hansen & Søn nesting tables I featured in my cabin last week. 

3. Pouf: I bought this pouf for our cabin last week (I chose it as it is the perfect height and really comfortable - plus it looks nice too). It felt like the final piece of the jigsaw. A small-ish seat-high pouf is a perfect addition to a compact space since it can be used as a footrest or extra seating and doesn't take up a lot of room. 

4. Blackout blinds: Look closely at the windows in the bedroom area and living room and you'll spot a white blackout blind above the window. It's subtle, yet vitally important for a good night's slumber! 

5. Hook rail: A staple in Scandinavian homes, a simple rail is perfect for extra storage and overnight items. Opt for a smaller one like in this home or fill the entire width of a room. 

6. Curtains: A compact space can quickly feel cluttered. Curtains are great for concealing clobber, help to dampen sound and also add a soft and serene feel to the room. In this apartment, fresh white linen curtains have been used as window dressing, to cover storage and also between the living area and kitchen. 

I spotted these white linen curtains* on Etsy which are made to measure, and you can decide on the amount of blackout too - pretty smart I thought!

7. Round furniture: I know, I kind of wax lyrical about this, but I can't emphasise the importance of rounded edges enough! Plus round tables are way more space efficient than square tables! 

8. Mirrors: reflective surfaces are a great way to visually enlarge a space and bounce the light around. 

Curious to see the layout of this lovely Gothenburg apartment? Here it is: 

Vargadsrum - living room, Kök - Kitchen

I hope this bright and sunny space has given you a few ideas! I love the curtains in particular - something I will be thinking more about in my home. 

Is there anything that stood out to you? 

Incidentally, booklovers out there must be wondering where the shelves are. If it were my home, I would probably add some built-in, wall mounted shelves in the corner of the living room which go up and over the door to the kitchen. It's a perfect spot for them, don't you think?

Would you like to see some more studio apartment inspiration today? Check out: 

Smart family compact living on a budget
A smallish city flat with a clever room divider solution
A little cottage in the heart of the city
A calm one-room oasis in the heart of the city
A tour of our little cabin
A charming tiny Swedish allotment cottage 

I hope you have a great start to the week! 

Niki

Credits: Stadshem
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Smart Compact Family Living On a Budget, Swedish Country Style!

Sometimes the best things come in small packages. And this home is a perfect example of this! Located in Uppsala, Sweden, the 43 square metre (463 square feet) apartment is home to digital creator Emma Boman Högmark, her husband and their three children: ten-year-old twins and a four-year-old. 

"The hallway, living room, bedroom and kitchen are all one room," Emma tells me. "Our bed is behind the curtain, behind the sofa. And the kids' bedroom is in a separate room. The closet has been changed into a bedroom for our youngest daughter - so compact living, yeah!"

Looking at the style, which Emma describes as "country design and second hand - full of harmony, ikea hacks and warm colours", you'd be forgiven for thinking this budget friendly pad is in the countryside - but it's actually in a 90's block, right in the heart of the city! 

Ready to feel inspired? Pull up a chair, and take the tour! 

At mealtimes, the table is pulled out from the window to create seating for the entire family. 

One of the beautiful things about this apartment, is that there is storage almost everywhere (look closely and you'll see open shelves and rows of hooks on almost every wall throughout the flat). And yet it still looks uncluttered, cosy and charming. 

Behind the dining table you can glimpse Emma and her husband's bed by the window. 

Sheer curtains are ideal for flexible small space living. During the day, they can be pulled back to flood the sitting room area with light. By night, the curtains can be drawn across to create privacy while still slipping in soft, filtered light to the other half of the room. 

The corner of the sitting room doubles up as a dressing room. 

Wall-to-wall storage made from a group of Ikea IVAR cabinets painted in an earthy green provide storage for clothes, toys and other items. 

Above it, family photos and a selection of art add a personal touch to the room. 

Despite the small space, the apartment is dotted with  beautiful pieces that create a unique and homely vibe.

The twins sleep in an Ikea MYDAL bunkbed which Emma stained brown for an aged look: "I mixed a whole load of wood stains - using everything I had at home, some of which were different colours!"

On the opposite side of the room, more slim ikea ivar cabinets are used for storage, while a wardrobe at the end of the bed provides hanging space and a vintage suitcase* offers a home for smaller items.  

While the youngest family member sleeps in a converted closet. This is how it looked before the make-over: 

To make it more 'liveable' Emma removed the door and painted the interior in cosy two-toned walls and added small details such as a mini shelf, hooks, and a canopy. 

Compact family living at its finest! 

And also, a perfect example of how you don't need to go contemporary just because you live in a modern apartment in the centre of town! 

Truly inspiring, don't you think? 

See more snapshots of Emma's home and follow her latest ikea hacks and other wonderful home DIY projects at @emmahogmark. 

Intrigued to take a look at some other small spaces today? Head on over to this archive - it's FILLED with amazing Scandi style compact living ideas. 

Har det så fint! 

Niki

Photography: @emmahogmark, shared with kind permission. 

*signifies an affiliated link 

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Helen's Cosy Swedish Summer Cottage Living Room

Kindly sponsored by Nordal, thank you for supporting the brands which make features like this possible*

A few weeks ago, I headed off to My Scandinavian Home interior designer Helen Sturesson's 19th century summer cottage in Blekinge on Sweden's east coast. We had such a lovely time! Last week I shared some information about the cottage's fascinating past and some snapshots of the cosy kitchen, including her Mum's incredible apple pie - take a peek here if you missed it! Today, I'm looking forward to showing you a tour of the main living room area and bedroom (the entire cottage is made up of three rooms: a kitchen, sitting room and bedroom. The loo is at the end of the garden and the bathroom is... in the Baltic Sea! A special thanks to Nordal - the Danish brand who made this trip possible - you'll spot many of their lovely pieces throughout the rooms! Ready to take a look?

The cottage is L-shaped, and the sitting room connects the kitchen (to the right) with the bedroom, when the family of four are here, they all share a room. Two windows flood the space with a warm southerly Autumn light. 

The room is made up of many different items collected over time - including a vintage sofa, a big glass cabinet which helps to keep books and games dust free as well as an incredible mirrored coffee table!

Oka coffee table with antique mirror sides and stone top, Mahe candleholder, Vela linen cushion cover

When Helen moved in, she peeled back the plaster on the wall to discover beautiful wood panelling. The planks are all numbers which could indicate the house has have been moved here - although this isn't confirmed (I have come across 'house moving' before in Sweden, does this ever happen in your country? 

CEMA pots in medium, large and extra-large, Club lounge chair in teak and paper rope.

Large 'kakelugn' (tiled ovens) stand in the corner of the main living room and bedroom and are amazingly effective at heating up the house.

Roa basket

In this picture you can catch a glimpse of the wood floor which squeaks as you move across it. A traditional Swedish 'trasmatta' (rug woven with rags / scraps of cloth which I wrote about in my Lagom book as they are a big part of the Swedish heritage) helps to keep drafts at bay and if you look very closely you'll notice the walls are wonky, adding to the charm! 

In the bedroom, floral wallpaper and natural wood help to bring the outside in and a candle brightens up the dark autumn day while adding a sense of calm.

Teak wooden stool, Aula linen bed cover

I hope you enjoyed this snapshot into Helen's cottage.

If you have any questions about anything, give me a shout in the comment section below and I'll ask Helen for the low down. 

Incidentally, it's not possible to buy the Nordal items directly from their website (they sell wholesale only), however, there are many webshops throughout Europe which stock their things. Find your nearest stockist here. 

Next week, I'm looking forward to sharing the final post of three: Helen's cottage ready for Christmas - weeeee, so excited about this one! 

Meanwhile, I'm busy packing for a two-day trip to Oslo, Norway (very excited!) where I'll be writing a guide for Simply Scandi magazine UK (my guide to Helsingborg appears in the latest edition and there's also a Christmas edition on sale right now which features a piece I wrote about our Swedish Christmas). The mag is available here in case you're curious! 

Do you think it could be interesting to share a guide to Oslo here on My Scandinavian Home too? 

Wishing you all a REALLY wonderful, relaxing weekend - and look forward to seeing you here again on Monday! 

Niki

*Thank you to Nordal for this paid partnership and helping to make My Scandinavian Home possible. All words and photos in this post are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

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A Small Swedish Home With a Smart Room Divider

In small quarters, creating a calm, practical and comfortable living space that's also beautiful isn't always easy, but it's something the Swedes are especially good at! 

While this apartment might be blessed with a spacious kitchen, the living room needs to serve as a place to sit, relax and socialise as well as a bedroom. And if there's one thing us humans love, it's to sleep in a cosy space that provides privacy. But, with only one window in the room, the owners were faced with a conundrum. Do they close off the 'sleep zone' and cut off the natural light? Or do they keep it open-plan? 

Read on to discover the smart solution they arrived at and feel inspired by a soothing colour scheme and light-filled home in a compact, 37 sqm / 409 ft.sq space. 

Mirrored furniture is great for reflecting light into all corners of the home - and it's also a huge trend this season! 

Look closely at the window and you'll spot a black-out blind - ready to turn the room into a dark haven for a good night's sleep! 

And here friends, is the answer the owner found to creating a little privacy at nightfall. A pony wall that's high enough to separate the living room from the bedroom but low enough to ensure light flows through. 

There's no shortage of storage here! 

The layout: 

Glossary; rum: room, kök - kitchen, badrum - bathroom

What a lovely space, and a clever idea for a room divider to boot, do you agree?

Is there anything that stood out to you about this Swedish apartment? 

See more small spaces that offer beautiful solutions for angled ceilings, one room studios, storage and more in the small spaces archive. 

Glad Lillördag! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Alvhem with thanks

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