A Finnish Collector's Home Full of Vintage Treasures

I've posted a LOT of Finnish homes on here in the past, but never one like this! Stepping inside Pauliina's home in Harjavalta, Western Finland is like stepping back in time."I love 50's and 60's furniture and get so much inspiration from a thrift store," Pauliina tells me. "Usually I don't want to buy anything new, I try to find everything thrifted." The fruits of Pauliina's search have resulted in a unique home full of vintage treasures with pops of pink, blue and yellow accents. Don't miss her very pretty, very fluffy cats too!

I love this pair of brass cranes, I spotted similar ones at Hotel Henriette in Paris. This corner of Etsy is a great place to pick up a pair of your own.

The walls have been painted in code G370 from Tikkurilas and the floor is dotted with pretty rag rugs (traditional floor coverings made from leftover fabric scraps). 

"One of my favourite pieces is our coffee table in our living room. I also love our green armchair, it's designed by Olli Borg and is called 'Rondo'."

Keep a look out for an original version of the 60's Rondo chair on auction sites like Bukowskis. The light grey walls have been painted in Tikkurilas (code 1923) and the pink linen curtains are from IKEA (don't you love it when that happens? It's like when you ask someone where their dress is from and they say they 'bought it yesterday in H&M' - result!

The retro style wallpapers have been sourced from BoråsTapeter and Pihlgren&Ritola.

"The three best places to find lovely vintage items in Finland are Pimee vintti, Wanha mari and in summer time there are many good outdoor flea markets here in Finland. You can find the schedule here (in Finnish only)." Pauliina.

How pretty does Pimee vintti look? It's a little like the area I visited for my book The Scandinavian Home and I've been dying to go back ever since!

This guest room is full of 50's / 60's floral prints - and looks right at home in the house built in the same era.  

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Aaaaa, I really loved looking around this home, it was like going in a time machine, right down to the last detail (did you spot the retro radios?!). If you have a spare moment today you must visit Pauliina's instagram feed and blog where there are hundreds more pictures of this space and snippets from the homes of similar minded vintage bargain hunters! 

Does this home inspire you to go hunting for vintage treasures?!

For more retro vibes today check out the relaxed Antwerp home of a creative duo, Tamsin Flower's cheerful London Home and a pared-back Australian beach house with a retro vibe. These are all such wonderful homes - I love them all! 

Have a lovely day!

Photography: Pauliina

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A Small Swedish Space That Will Make You Want to Downsize!

Tjeeeena! Hur är läget?! Shall we start small this week? This Swedish studio in Gothenburg is a mini 45 metre square (484 foot square), but it's proof that you can have it all (even a piano!) in a small space! I also threw in the floor plan from where this lovely space is currently for sale so that you can make heads and tails of the layout (sometimes it can be hard to tell from the pictures). Sure, it helps that the building dates back to 1899 and the period features are still intact, that it has magnificent high ceilings and a beautiful arch window to boot - but there's still plenty of ideas to steal for even the most dark and dingy of flats! White paint at the ready....

Bed-side essentials such as a dressing gown and slippers can be turned into decoration in their own right. I've got my eye on a pretty floral kimono such as this liberty print one! 

White linen bedding, small beni ourain rug

Using the windowsill as a make-shift bedside table for books and a lamp helps to free up floor space.

Milk NA1 table lamp

A small space can become cluttered very quickly. Try to group items together and leave blank space between each zone so you can see some nice, clean areas - it will make the room feel bigger and less cluttered.

Hay Tray Coffee table, IKEA reading lamp.

It's quite incredible how you can fit showers into the tightest of spaces (my sister managed to get one into a small closet in her second bedroom and now has a lovely little en suite!). Even though this little bathroom is a wet room, a shower curtain would be essential for me as I've got something about getting my socks wet in the mornings (not to mention the loo roll!) - how about you?!

Fouta / Hammam towel, L:A Bruket hand and bodywash, Marvis toothpaste

Floor plan

Photography: Anders Bergstedt / Styling Studio Cuvier for Entrance.  

What a pretty space. Does it make you want to pack it up, pack it in and go for a studio in Sweden's second largest city?! I'm not sure I'd swap it for my house right now (what with all my kids and all!) but I wouldn't mind having it as pied-á-terre so that I could pad around, tinker on the piano (when I'm not at Theo's piano by the window in Berlin, of course!) and visit the likes of Artllieriet and Grandpa Store.  A girl can dream after all, right?!

For more small space inspiration this bright and sunny Monday morning - sit back and take a scroll through this archive (as always hop over this apartment if it pops up first!). If there's anything our Scandi friends totally rock at - it's making mini spaces mighty!

Have a great start to the week!

Niki

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