Sara Silm's Fairy-tale Chateau in Southwest France

Is there such a thing as the perfect place to live? If there is, I think this could be it! At least, I'm sure Sara Silm - author of the book How To Country French Country would say so. 

Sara describes herself as an Aussie girl, with a pinch of the Middle East, a spoonful of Africa and marinaded in Russia - now simmering in Southwest France! As you might have guessed, Sara is passionate about cooking, and her journal contains droolworthy recipes from every corner of the world.

Naturally, a lady into cooking, needs a beautiful kitchen - and Chateau Montford - her home in France which she shares with her husband and children certainly has this in spades!

But there's more to this wonderful home too. Hundreds of years ago, a French general scoured the Bearnaise countryside in search of the perfect place to build a chateau. He settled on Montfort, a charming village nestled amid the foothills of the Pyrenees. 

Sara and her husband bought the chateau in April 2015 and have gradually been reawakening the property, after years of dormancy. Today, room after room reveals a story of vintage and antique finds, lovely Farrow & Ball hues and nature themed wallpaper (much of which is from the Swedish brand Sandberg).  

Ready to fall in love? Here are a few snapshots of Sara's French dream! 

Wow! It's like something out of a fairy-tale. 

I will be dreaming about owning a chateau in the south of France all week how about you? 

Is there anything that stood out to you in particular? 

You can read all about Chateau Montford, Sara's book and her recipes here. If you're curious about particular wallpaper, colours and items - Sara is great at listing them on her instagram feed. You are also welcome to ask away in the comment section below and I'll do my best to help! 

Would you like to take a look around a few other French homes today? Mes oui! 

A relaxed, vintage inspired home in the French countryside

Kristin's current rustic French home and her former home in the south of france. 

Old meets new in a Paris apartment

An 18th century former basketry workshop

A Swedish photographer and hat-maker's home in France

Alexandra's vintage inspired home in the French countryside

I hope this has filled you with inspiration for the start of the week! 

Bisous! 

Niki

Photography by Sara Silm, shared with kind permission

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Books, Art and a Cool Painting Technique in a Swedish Home

It's Fredag (Friday) people! Woohooo! I am going to hazard a guess and say 50% of swedes are working at home today. Basically, anyone who can! It's a day where homes are prepped between meetings in order to have everything ready for 'fredagsmys' (a cosy Friday evening at home involving tacos and a movie), possibly the most important event of the week! 

This fabulous funkis home in Gröndal, Gothenburg measuring 85 m2 (914 ft sq) is just the place I can imagine enjoying 'fredagsmys'. Books galore, musical instruments and art are just a few of the things that stood out to me right away. But take a closer look and there are other great interior elements at play. 

Flexible Elfa shelving (which I have added to Allie's room and also used in the laundry room and attic) is ideal for a large wall of books!  

I also love the classic vintage drop leaf table (source a similar one here*), which adds plenty of charm to the space. 

The living space is entirely open-plan with the dining area, sitting room and home office all in one - meaning everyone can be together yet doing their own thing. 

One of my favourite lamps - a Gubi semi pendant, hangs over the coffee table. 

I love this gallery wall, full of fascinating original paintings. While at the Formland design fair last week, I noticed that there's a strong movement away from posters and prints in glass frames to original artwork on canvas and other fabrics. A welcomed move! 

Plate racks have also become increasingly popular - as seen in Kristin's French kitchen last week, and here in the open shelving. 

Wall racks are a great idea for cookbooks - as seen here, it ensures they are ready to be perused over a morning coffee! 

In the bedroom, the owners have used old fashioned 'stänkmålning' on the walls - a method of flicking paint on the walls with a paintbrush. This was traditionally used by the Swedish lower classes who couldn't afford wallpaper but still wanted to decorate their walls. You often see it in summer cottages. In this room, the splashes have a wonderful contemporary feel! 

Wood abound in the shared children's room - and so much room to create too. 

What a fabulous home with so many interesting details, don't you think?

Are there any ideas which you could imagine applying to your own home? 

Check out more swedish homes this weekend here. 

I hope you have a fabulous few days, see you right back here on Monday, when I'll be sharing a beautiful French chateau!

Niki

Photography: Utsikten foto

Styling: Utsikten home

For sale via Historiska Hem

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Old Meets New in an Eclectic London Townhouse

I was initially drawn to the pink in this sitting room. And then when I delved deeper, I was so excited to discover an entire house with impeccable style. The London terrace features room after room of beautiful design. And crucially, it also feels wonderfully personal! 

The property combines beautiful late-Victorian architecture with contemporary interventions - and this blend of old and new is continued in the eclectic array of furniture. Think mix and match one-off pieces embodying different styles, eras and cultures as well as a blend of shapes, pattern and texture. 

Even so, the space emits a wonderful sense of calm thanks to the use of blank space between the elements, and the light that floods in through the windows and doors. 

Ready to feel inspired? 

There are so many things to love about this house - and the more I look through the pictures, the more I see! I particular love the bookshelves in the stairwell, the art and all the one-off pieces no doubt collected over time. 

I'm also dreaming about the pink - and wondering where it can go in my house. Maybe the landing or our bedroom. Not sure if Per will agree though. Can you imagine having a shade like this in your home? 

Is there anything that stood out to you about this house? 

See more of this fabulous property over at Inigo where it is currently for sale. 

Looking at homes in London makes me feel so nostalgic, and I can't wait to head 'home' in late September to catch up with family and friends (and hang out at the pub!). 

Here are a few other houses I've featured from the capital in the past: 

A creative London home full of art, greenery and sunlight

London calling - could this be your next home? 

A charming rustic London townhouse

Have a great Wednesday! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Inigo, with thanks.

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A Danish Cabin with a Nordic Beach Vibe

Last week I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Denmark, and I left full of inspiration! So, today I thought we'd make a virtual trip to the North of Zealand, around 60 km from Copenhagen where Mads and Sara have their cabin. 

The cabin is 76 sqm (818 sq.ft) and also has a small separate guesthouse. The family bought the 1960s cabin in 2021 and have set about adding a coastal touch to the space. 

"We have decorated with tones of blue to reflect the sea and added lot of natural materials such as wood, jute and lots of pebbles and shells from the nearby beach for a cosy, Nordic beach vibe" the pair explain.

Think vintage touches, stripes and plenty of pastels.  

Ready to feel inspired? 

Simple, relaxed and very pretty! I'd be happy to spend my summers here, how about you? 

I particularly love the way they have applied paint to some of the vintage finds like wall cabinets and wardrobes - a clever way to revamp something old that's fallen into disrepair! 

Is there anything that stood out to you about Mads and Sara's cabin? 

See more snapshots here!

Fancy seeing a few others Danish cabins today? Here are some favourites I've featured in the past: 

A charming and relaxed cabin by the sea

A beautifully simple white danish cabin

A Danish cottage oasis on North Zealand

Inspired to visit Denmark and experience one in person? This light-filled Danish cabin is available to rent. 

Have a great start to the week!

Niki

Photography courtesy of @kulhusehytten, shared with kind permission.

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Tiny cabin update: Our Outdoor Sitting Room

Thank you to Brafab for a great collaboration 

Hello friends. I thought I'd share a small update from our cabin in the Northwest tip of Skåne today. As many of you know, we finished the build last spring (full tour here). And we'd been so busy counting down the days until we could move in that we hadn't thought about the garden. So much so, that when we arrived the cabin was like an island surrounded by mud! Eager to rectify this before the summer, we rapidly had a deck built and set about sowing the lawn. Admittedly the grass is a bit patchy still and in need of some weeding - but it's hard to get up from our lounge set to get around to it. And this friends, is what I wanted to share with you today! 

At a summer cottage, particularly one with a small living space like this one, I've learned the outdoor space as just as important as the indoor space. Up here, life spills outs 24/7 as one day leaks into the other - I'm sure it's the same where you are too! 

So, the next step was to add some seriously comfy outdoor seating. After a lot of research, we 

settled on the Lyra sofa and armchairs by Brafab. And I have to say, it's one of the best additions we've made to our cabin. We're talking plump cushions and a seat deep enough to tuck your feet up under you. In fact, several of our friends who stopped by for a coffee / drinks this summer have now bought a set too! 

I particularly like the black powder-coated stainless steel and synthetic rattan on the armrest. But also, the cushions are made using water repellent fabric specially designed for outdoor use which means we don't need to sprint around bringing the cushions in every time it rains (which would be often - and with a cramped living space a no-go!). Instead, we just move them inside for the winter (or for completely crazy weather like the recent 'storm Hans' a few weeks ago (when storms have a name you know you're in trouble, right?). 

The other new addition is the Indus coffee table - made from teak ribs and a black metal frame. It was important for us that it was big (it's 135 cm long) so you're never far from your morning coffee, cinnamon bun, glass of wine!

And finally, the parasol! I have to say, we tempted fate with this one. It had been sunny all summer and then the parasol (Trieste in natural) arrived and I'm not sure we saw the sun from then on - isn't that always the case? But the good thing about a parasol is that they're not just designed to keep you in the shade, there's also something cosy and comforting about sitting under them at night, don't you think? 

This one measures 2.5 metres, tilts and is made from beechwood. It can be fairly breezy up in the Northwest corner of Skåne so we've used the Grosseto base made from 70kg of granite (it's on wheels which makes it easy to move around). 

What you don't see, is that I also planted 19 plants - which doesn't sound like much but when you have sandy soil like ours it was a major job! So actually, I was quite grateful for all the rain after all! Let's hope they survive! 

And now, we're hoping for a 'second summer' so we can relax and enjoy the great outdoors for a little while longer! 

I hope you like our outdoor space so far.  If you have any questions about anything you see, please do give me a shout in the comments below! 

Have a 'trevlig helg' (nice weekend) folks, see you Monday! 

Niki

PS Brafab can be found in retailers throughout Europe (our sofa was acquired via Bramöbler). To find your nearest retailer tap here.  

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