Mina damer och herrar (Ladies and gentleman), allow me to introduce you to Ekekullen, an idyllic farmstead in the village of Månstad, West Sweden. When Sara Sjöblom and her family moved in five years ago, they became the fourth generation to take-over the beautiful Falun red and white family home. Sara and her partner have been renovating the property little by little over time while respecting the original structure, built by Sara's great grandfather. Think earthy tones, vintage and antique pieces and a wonderful, relaxed vibe. A perfect country home which combines and old and new and enjoyed by Sara's family, three cats and a flock of chickens. Välkommen in!
Sara replaced a window with old doors bought from a friend - which her Father then renovated. "It's really lovely to just walk out of the kitchen into the garden in summertime" she tells me.
The kitchen cabinets (from HTH) span the entire length of the kitchen and have been topped with concrete which has been impregnated and treated with a warm grey tone.
These 'kakelugn' (swedish masonry ovens) get to me every time - they are just so beautiful, and the heat they give off is incredible!
Sara found the chairs in a nearby 'loppis' (flea market) and painted them in 4502-Y from Beckers.
It's funny how an item can suddenly evoke a memory which has been buried deep in the archives of the mind! Sara's vintage mirror reminds me of the one I saw in the Norwegian home of Tone Krok which I captured for my second book The Scandinavian Home. I had been convinced it was antique, but actually Tone had simply bought a new mirror and left it exposed to the elements in the garden for a couple of years - and it looked just like this one. Now that's a trick worth knowing!
The grey ball vase* is from popular Swedish brand Cooee.
A vintage coffee table - a local flea market find - rests in front of a sofa from Decotique.
In the summertime, life moves outdoors to soak up the midnight sun on rayon chairs from Mio and a handmade table.
Lounge chairs and a loveseat from Jakobssons (check out their entire outdoor range - so many lovely pieces!) have been arranged around a handmade table for a relaxed outdoor seating area.
How unbelievably idyllic! It's everything I imagine a Swedish country home to be and more!
I love the outdoor spaces too - some lovely ideas here. Keep an eye out for more outdoor inspiration soon!
Could you imagine living here?
If you don't follow Sara on instagram yet, you're missing out! Hop on over to @ekekullen1 for more!
Fancy taking a peek inside a few other Scandinavian country homes today? How about:
Magical!
Oh, and a total sidenote - Swedish names! In the UK surnames tend to be centred around a trade, for example 'Smith' or 'Taylor'.
I've noticed in Sweden however, many surnames tend to either be family names (Larsson - 'son of Lars') - some of which have become so common that the younger generation are swapping them out for made up names. In my experience it's also not uncommon for a married couple in Sweden to also choose the more unusual surname among the pair.
But it's also common for surnames to have origins in nature. Sara's surname 'Sjöblom' for example, means 'seaweed'. 'Lindgren' of Astrid Lindgren fame, means 'green woodland' while Bergman (Ingrid Bergman) translates as 'Mountain man' and my own name 'Brantmark' means 'steep ground' (not quite as romantic as the others, I know!). I have always loved this.
Where dot eh family names in your country originate from?
Niki
Photography: Sara Sjöblom / Ekekullen
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