The inviting home of a Danish florist

One of the surprising things I learned about Sweden when I moved here is that Christmas decorations are officially taken down on 13th January. This unnerved me as I grew up in England where I was led to believe leaving them up past twelfth night / 6th January is unlucky (what tradition do you have in your country?). These days I go with the flow and although our Christmas tree has long since gone I've grown to love the twinkling fairy lights which brighten up our neighbourhood in the first half of January.  It helps that the festive touches are subtle and all about nature too. A fine example of this can be seen in the charming Danish home of florist Signe Nelleman Bruun. White walls and floors and old wood beams serve as a magnificent backdrop for lovely displays of spruce, pine cones, moss and bare branches while lanterns, cosy blankets and rugs both inside and out add a warm and inviting feel. Let's take a peek!

Credit: Niels & Iben Ahlberg - www.ahlberg.photo. Shared with kind permission.

Oh so lovely, don't you think?!

I especially love the back yard with it's roaring fire, cosy blanket and the scent of hyacinths, spruce and rosemary in the air.

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Get the look from Signe's beautiful home: this lantern is similar, light grey reindeer hide throw, beautiful sheepskin and rug by Private0204. This dark grey linen duvet cover and soft grey blanket are similar.

Have a lovely day!

PS There's a blizzard raging outside here in Southern Sweden - definitely a double coffee and chunky knit blanket kind of morning!

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An inviting Danish home with vintage touches

Hello there! I had a mail yesterday asking for advice on how to create a Scandinavian feel on a budget. Of course, there are many different looks (both dark and light) but I suggested starting with a light backdrop - white or light grey walls matched with a wood or white washed floor. From there you can make the space unique with a wonderful mix of vintage pieces (it's incredible what you can find at flea markets both at home and abroad, online auctions and one of my favourite sites - Etsy!) and combined with the odd highstreet ( IKEA find and fab new Nordic pieces. Keep textures natural using materials such as wood, leather and linen and add plenty of sheepskin and candlelight for that true hygge feel! What do you reckon? Is this your idea of a Scandinavian home? To my surprise, I found the most beautiful apartment today to illustrate my vision! Step inside the wonderful, warm and inviting home of Henrik Hemmingsen, director of Copenhagen boutique and online store Fil de Fer, captured by Martin Sølyst. I'd love to tuck into that breakfast in bed and stay all day, how about you?!

Credit: photography Martin Sølyst (shared with kind permission).

How toasty! And conceived from an entirely white backdrop too - it's amazing how vintage finds in wood and leather can add character and warmth to a space. Time to start looking for bargains? Or perhaps a visit to Fil de Fer is in order?!

A few ideas to steal from Henrik's lovely home: pick up a vintage punch bag here, cosy up with this grey sheepskin. Source a selection of vintage and antique brass candles here. The Norwegian cabin I stayed in last week had the same Tolix dining chairs (source vintage ones here and here - although you'll need to hurry, they only have a few left!) which they then softened with sheepskin seat covers. This dark grey linen bed cover and selection of cushions are beautiful.

A little note on floor paint. Rather than opting for white I went for a very pale grey (slightly confusingly named 'strong white' in my bedroom  - which I really love and can highly recommend.

A few more fab danish homes to drool over today: a lovely apartment with a relaxed vibe, the home of a Danish style icon and finally a danish home with dusty hues and a homespun feel.  Ahhh, so lovely, don't you think?!

Have a wonderful day!

PS I loved reading your 2017 home decorating goals in the houseology give-away, so inspiring! I'm excited to now have announced the winner here!

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The cosy winter home of a photographer

Hello! Happy new year! I hope you're feeling all refreshed and ready to go after the holidays? I took a slightly longer break than usual this year and spent the last week in the most magical Norwegian mountain hide-away belonging to the amazingly creative owner of Slow Design (which also features in my book The Scandinavian Home out in 8 weeks... eeee, soooo exciting!). We skied, played board games, ate good food and took in the scenery - it was a true winter wonderland!  We arrived back in southern Sweden late last night (after an eight hour drive) and now I feel all recharged and ready for the year ahead (admittedly a little bleary eyed too!).  I thought I'd kick off with something suitably cosy - the 'winter home' of British photographer Michael Sinclair. The interior draws heavily on nature and showcases an array of natural textures including reclaimed wood, stone, linen and handwoven jute as well as bowls of feathers and pine cones foraged from the nearby countryside. How wonderful?!

Credits / copyright: Michael Sinclair, represented by One. Shared with kind permission.

What a beautiful home! I love the muted colours and vintage touches - how about you?

Ideas to steal from Michael's cosy interior: linen cushion and beautiful linen fabric by the yard. I love how the draft around the door is kept out by a linen curtain, source a similar made to measure one here. This is a great place to pick up vintage chopping boards. I found similar rustic wooden stools (seen in my bedroom) here. It's amazing how much you can add to your home using items found just outside the door. In Michael's house branches make a perfect place to store jewellery and feathers make a pretty display in a ceramic vase. And they're free too!

Is there anything that catches your eye? 

Right, that's it from me today - I'm so happy to be back, I have a feeling this is going to be a great year, don't you?

Have a wonderful start to the week! 

PS Today is the final day to enter the give-away to win £300 / €355 to spend at Houseology - it only takes a second to enter and it's open to all! I've got my eye on so many things in that online store it's unbelievable - see my pick here. Yup -whoever wins is going to be one happy gal / guy!

PS One final thing (bit random!) - does anyone have any experience of an egg bath? Would love to know your thoughts.

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My Scandinavian Home - Best of 2016

Well friends, this has been one crazy year. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed blogging in 2016 - it's been a little oasis of calm each day (I hope you've felt the same).  I've absolutely loved reading all your thoughts and ideas on here, Facebook and Instagram (if I've missed your page please leave your link in the comment section below, I'd love to check it out!). It's been a wonderful year of home tours, styling updates and give-aways. Here's a round-up of the...

Top six My Scandinavian Home blog posts of 2016:

 1. Serene, small space living in Gothenburg. Photo Alan Cordic, styling Emma Fischer for Bjurfors.

2. My home at Christmas - photo - me with help from my little six year old), styling Genevieve Jorn.

 3. Six beautifully simple DIY Christmas decorations - credit: Marij Hessel for VT Wonen. 

 4. My bedroom tour - photo by me, styling Genevieve Jorn.

 5. Decorating my home with posters - photos / styling  by me

6. A romantic Swedish home with vintage touches - home-owner - Cattis sold through Entrance.

I've also developed a slight Instagram obsession (haven't we all?!) and am so happy to have amassed over 50,000 friends! It's a perfect place to share little snippets of Scandinavian life  - including rustic cabins and wonderful corners of Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. Looking at the top five most popular instagram posts of the year it seems you share this passion too...yay! Here's a round-up of my...

Top 5 Instagram posts of 2016

 1. A canoe trip in Finland - Photography - Henrik Koskelo / @hentus (featuring Konsta Punkka)

2.  Christmas in a cosy Swedish home - photo Carina Olander stylist Anna Truelsen.

 3. A snapshot of Nyhavn, Copenhagen I captured on a visit to Denmark's capital city.

 4. Pink chair by a desk - Photograph - Anders Bergstedt for Kverteret Mäleri.

5. A charming Little red cabin - this little pic has been separated from it's owner- can anyone help?


And last, but not least - Pinterest!! Where mood boards come together and ideas come to life (if you can tear yourself away from the screen!). Here's a round-up of the My Scandinavian Home...

Top 5 Pins of 2016

1. This little pic I took of a corner of my home has had over 1.5 million impressions in the last month alone! It must be that little guy at the top?

 2.  Quite a few (million) of you like the idea of a bench at the end of the bed like in this Swedish home captured by one of my favourite duos photographer Carina Olander and stylist Anna Truelsen.

 3. Stonewashed linens have been everywhere this year - and these lovely ones in the home of Vintage Piken are possibly yours and my favourite!  Photo by Line Kay.

 4. On Pinterest it's all in the pink it seems, as the fourth most popular pin was this lovely picture of an Amsterdam bedroom captured by my talented friend Holly Marder.

 5. And finally, we do love a gallery wall - and Maaike Koster of My Deer certainly knows how to create one! See the rest of her wonderful home here.

I have to say, these are also my favourite posts and pins from 2016 too! But do you have an absolute favourite?

On a different note, back in the spring I was excited to launch my first interiors book - Modern Pastoral (exploring my passion for rural retreats, and sharing beautiful homes like Milkweed Barn in the Catskill Mountains below!) it was such an amazing feeling to finally get it in my hands and I'm so happy to see others around the world enjoying it too! Thank you!

Photography: James Gardiner from Modern Pastoral by Niki Brantmark, published by CICO Books.

This summer we photographed 10 more fabulous homes across Scandinavia for my second book The Scandinavian Home - which will be out in the shops next March - I am so incredibly excited as I know it will be right up your street! Creating the book was the most amazing experience, even when lost on a Norwegian mountain in the dark. I tell you, the site of that magical rustic ski cabin full of layers of sheepskin at the end of the dirt track at 1 am is one I'll never forget! But more on this in the new year....

Before I head off I'd also like to say a huge thank you to all the amazing photographers, interior designers and stylists out there who have filled us with inspiration this year - and also to my wonderful sponsors who make My Scandinavian Home possible. Many of them are small online shaops, and when you buy something an actual person does a little dance!

And finally - thank you to you all for all your wonderful support and words of encouragement this year, you're wonderful!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a *fabulous* new year!

PS If you feel like being horizontal this holiday (isn't that what they're for?!) but would still like to feel inspired, you can always explore my archives (full list to the left) - days of inspiration, I promise! And don't forget to enter the HUGE Houseology give-away to win an amazing gift voucher to spend on your home in 2017 (think all those Scandinavian design items you've always wanted!).

PPS see you on January 9th!
 

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