Step inside the charming home of a Swede living in Italy

It's so much fun to see the home of a Scandinavian expat. Last week we took a tour of a Swede's colourful home in Brooklyn, New York. And today I thought we'd step inside the incredibly charming Italian home of Swede, Annemo. Based in a small village 30 minutes from Milan, Anemo works as an agent for Danish brand Tine K Home and shares her house with her Italian husband and three children. The family have decorated their home with beautiful, understated furniture and muted tones allowing the high ceilings, beautiful period features and huge windows to take centre-stage.  Subtle hints of bamboo, rattan and handwoven baskets add a hint of the med while linen gently floats in the afternoon breeze for a fresh, cool feel.

Production: Jonna Kivilahti / Mrs Jones blog. Photography: Krista Keltanen.

*Sigh*. Such a beautiful home! I love the muted tones and Scandinavian feel. I can really imagine how lovely and cool the space feels in the summer time - a perfect respite from the scorching sun. How about you?

Get the look: these Tine K Home bamboo furniture (I love the idyll home chair!) and round basket lamp (in kitchen).  This basket and bag are similar. Dining - Bistro dining chairs. Sitting room - Gervasoni ghost armchairs and sofa. Source made-to-measure light grey pure linen curtains / drapes here (Click here to see mine in white). Study - lamps by Tine K Home.

It'll come as no surpise that this lovely home has also featured in back issues of Elle Decoration country, Elle Decoration Sweden and Glorian koti in Finland. Great minds... :)

Thank you to Krista and Jonna for the kind permission to share these images. The Finnish duo are often capturing beautiful homes - previous tours I've shared include a lakeside cabin with a twist, a pared-back Finnish summer cottage and even Jonna's own summer cottage in the Inkoo archipelagos - Guh! Take me to the Finnish islands now!

Have a lovely day!

READ MORE...

10

Best of My Scandinavian Home 2023!

This post contains an advert for my own book. 

Hello friends! 

It feels like only yesterday I was summing up the blog year for 2022. But here it is - the best of My Scandinavian Home 2023! 

This blog is in it's 12th year, and I have to say, I am equally in love with this little corner of the web now as I was way back then! This is all thanks to you! I so appreciate you stopping by and I've loved reading your comments and emails.  

2023 has been quite a year, not least because I completed my fourth book Njuta - The Swedish Art of Savouring the Moment which launches on 26th December (available to order here among other places) - I'm excited and nervous in equal measure. I hope you enjoy reading Njuta as much as have writing it. It is set to launch in other languages too - more info to come in 2024! 

Over the past week I've been busy rounding up the most popular blog and instagram posts of the year and it's quite a selection! From a charming cottage overlooking a Norwegian fjord and a Swedish home in the South of France to Marianne's Stockholm apartment and a cabin in Latvia! Read on to discover more! 

Top blog posts of 2023 (starting with your most favourite!):

1. A charming rural cottage by a Norwegian fjord

2. A charming Swedish family home in the south of France

3. Marianne's art-filled apartment in SOFO, Stockholm

4. A dream cabin in Latvia becomes a reality

5. Before and after: A dated Danish house becomes a vibrant summer cottage

Top instagram posts on @myscandinavianhome in 2023

1. Kristin in her home in the south of France (found on instagram here) 

2. Carl Hansen & Søn nesting table collaboration 

3. My 'Day in the life' of Malmö reel 

4.  A Danish cabin featuring an outdoor terrace and bath - don't miss the complete before and after tour of the cabin. 

5. The before and after of our cabin bedroom nook was also a popular call! 

I loved all these too! 

But, perhaps you had other favourites - after all, I did share around 120 Scandinavian home tours this year! If so, let us all know which caught your eye below! 

If you'd like to pour over some Scandi inspiration over the holidays, here are some of my favourites archives: 

Christmas decorations and tours

Country home tours

Cabins and summer cottages

Tiny homes and small spaces

Swedish home

Danish home 

Norwegian home

Finnish home

Right folks, other than a quick 'Merry Christmas' post on Friday, I think this is pretty much it from me this year. Thank you so much again for stopping by, it really means so much to me! 

If I don't see you before the holidays, hope you have a really wonderful, relaxing break. I'll be back again on 8th January, 2024. In the meantime, you might like to subscribe to my newsletter so you don't miss any posts and you can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram! 

Stor kram! (big hug!) to you all! 

Niki

READ MORE...

12

Your 2020 Off-the-grid Getaway: Nolla Cabin In the Helsinki Archipelagos

Hello! Happy new year! I hope you had a wonderful, relaxing break? Is anyone else back at work today and feeling as slow as anything?! I'm on my third coffee and nothing seems to be happening (send more caffeine!)! All the same, I think 2020 is going to be a fabulous year, don't you? I thought I'd kick it off with a tour of the magnificent yet basic Nolla Cabin, a 20 minute boat ride from Helsinki. What fascinates me, is that it's a cabin of two halves. It's both tiny and big at the same time. Located on Vallisaari island and measuring 9m2, it offers views over the beautiful Helsinki archipelago which is home to over 1000 butterfly species! Finnish designer Robin Falck's intention was to inspire visitors to come and enjoy the Nolla (meaning zero) cabin while living with a minimal footprint. Read on to feel inspired!

The little cabin is equipped with two camping beds, along with a Wallas stove for cooking and heating (the stove runs on Neste MY Renewable Diesel provided by the host).  

The electricity is generated by solar panels on the roof (we're warned that supply might vary!) and has no wifi - but with views like that and an island to explore, I think we can all agree that it's hardly needed! 

Visitors are encouraged not to bring packaged foods and cosmetics in order to comply with the zero-waste ethos. 

Also, being off-the-grid, the cabin doesn't have running water BUT fresh water is available at the guest port 400 metres away and there's a dry loo on the island too - phew! 

What about a shower? With the beautiful waters of the Helsinki archipelago on your doorstep you have all the cleansing water you might need (depending on the time of year and quoting Per: 'it's OK once you're in - and great once you're out!'). Hmmm...

Up for the challenge in 2020? 

The Nolla Cabin is only 20 minutes boat ride from Helsinki. The best news of all? Finnish renewable energy company Neste is donating the rent to the The Ocean Cleanup, who develop advanced technologies to rid the world's oceans of plastic. 

You can book your stay here. 

While on the subject of Finland - I think it's pretty cool that the country has recently sworn in prime minister Sanna Marin. At 34 years of age, she is the world's youngest serving state leader. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe one of her first policies is to reduce the working week to four days and enjoying a six-hour workday. Which potentially means more time to spend at places like this! I think I need to have words with the Swedish PM!

Up for a little more Finish design today? I love:

Suvi's beautiful modern home on Finland's West Coast

An inspiring Finnish home with an element of surprise

Old meets new in a beautiful Finnish home

Have a lovely day friends, it feels good to be back! 

Niki

Photos courtesy of Airbnb

READ MORE...

0

A minimalist yet cosy Finnish home

Well hello there! This summer I visited Finland for the very first time, and what a beautiful country it is! Have you ever been? I particularly loved Helsinki and the Taamisari archipelago (where we photographed two beautiful homes for The Scandinavian Home). I realised I have so much more to discover and I can't wait to go back some day. In the meantime I'll be living vicariously through beautifully captured Finnish home tours! You can imagine how happy I was to receive a mail last week from Laura Seppänen Design Agency with Laura's latest project! Stina Mäntyniemi, head of Cosmopolitan Finland,was looking for a clean and monochrome interior - with one explicit request - it included a Bertoia Diamond lounge chair (I love her style!)! Using this as a brief, Laura has transformed the space into a bright and breezy two room apartment which is minimalist yet cosy. The space has been furnished with a wonderful blend of Scandinavian design classics, new Nordic brands and natural materials. Let's take a tour...

Credits: Interior design / styling: Laura Säppenen Design Agency / Laura Seppänen. Deko Magazine 12/2016 photographed by Krista Keltanen. 

So lovely and fresh, don't you think?

Get the look from Stina's flat: kitchenware from Formverk, faucet by Nivito, vases, trays and candle holders from Cooee (same shop as the beautiful brass wreath in Elisabeth's home), all posters from The Poster Club, Eames chair, sheepskin throw, light box with changeable letters, Flos 265 lamp (over sofa), By lassen kubus 8 candleholder.

I've featured many of the homes Laura's designed in the passed including this delightful Helsinki penthouse (love the mix of old and new) and a one room apartment. There's also an entire archive dedicated to Finnish homes (including some idyllic summer cottages and cabins- don't miss these!).

Got to love Finnish style?!

Have a great start to the week!

PS It's the last day to enter the give-away to win not one but two beautiful vases from one of my favourite  Danish brands - Nordal. Go go go!

READ MORE...

10

Life Change: A Swedish Family Home In The French Alps

We can all agree it's been one crazy year. Never has the home been so important. It presents a safe haven (although I am aware that sadly this is not the case for everyone) in which we can relax and be ourselves. Living in quarantine / isolation - or simply being at home more - has meant taking stock of where we live, and while there are some who are thrilled with where they live, there are others that will no doubt thinking about making some life changes in the near future! 

For Swedish interior designer Bettina Kapare, her husband and two year old son, it wasn't the pandemic that led to a move abroad - but a search for a more meaningful way of life. In 2019, Bettina and her family left their home in Luxembourg after ten years and moved to a small village in the foothills of the French Alps, just outside Chamonix. Today, they enjoy a slower pace surrounded by nature. I caught up with Bettina to find out how they chose their new location, some of the challenges involved with moving, and how she created a home which merges her Scandinavian heritage with traditional Alpine style. Her story is truly inspiring! 

When did you move to the Alps? 

We moved here from Luxembourg in December last year. I guess you can say we made a complete life change. We left Luxembourg after 10 years. At the same time, I quit my job as a business developer in private banking and started working as an interior designer. It's something I'd been dreaming about and had been studying on the side for some years. 

How did you choose the French Alps? 

We owned a small ski apartment in the Chamonix valley and had been spending countless weekends on vacation here skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. When our son was born, we decided to spend part of our parental leave here and it was during that period we started talking about the possibility of moving here. 

How did you make your move happen? 

At first, it all felt like a farfetched dream. Leaving an organised life and a career in Luxembourg, to go and live in the French Alps. But the more we talked about it, the more we realised that it was what we wanted; for our son grow up in the mountains and change to, what we felt would be, a more meaningful lifestyle, with more family time, more skiing and closer to nature. As the saying goes "create a life you don't need a vacation from".

With that in mind, we started thinking about everything that needed to be put in place. We had to find a house, organise work etc. We thought it was going to be a 5-year plan, but once we'd set our minds to it, the move took less than a year. Somehow everything just fell into place. 

What was one of the biggest challenges with moving to the French Alps? 

One of the most difficult things turned out to be finding a house. There weren't a lot of options that were within budget. I had dreamt of a renovation project involving an old farmhouse with a huge garden. Instead, we bought a traditional style chalet built in 2008. It has an open-plan living room and kitchen on the ground floor and three bedrooms upstairs. It also has a large basement which we use as a home office and studio. 

How did you approach the chalet interior?

I faced a challenge merging our furniture and my style into the traditional chalet style. For me, interior design is not about following trends and constantly buying new stuff, it's about creating a space for the people who live there. Incorporating functional aspects with a personal style and a homely feel.  

Since we're living here all year round, I didn't want our home to have a traditional 'ski holiday' chalet feel. I wanted to turn it into a home where we would feel at home every day of the year.

How have you merged your Scandinavian design heritage with the Alpine style? 

Being Swedish, I believe the Scandinavian style is in my nature. When we moved, I felt that I wanted to incorporate the Scandinavian style. Both the Scandinavian and traditional Alpine style use furniture with simple but elegant craftsmanship - something I always feel inspired by. But the Scandinavian style has a lighter feel than the traditional Alpine style. In our home, I've brought in a lot of solid wood furniture, but with a light white finish instead of the traditional darker one. My Norrgavel coffee table is a fine example of this. 

Where did you source your furniture? 

We actually brought most of it with us from Luxembourg - including many Scandinavian design pieces. It's a blend of items we have inherited and second-hand treasures that I have been collecting over the years. I'm happy that we brought them with us, because it made us feel instantly at home. And with everything that has been happening in the world lately and the past few months of lockdown and isolation - our house has turned into our comfort zone. 

What do you love most about your new home?

Almost every evening I have been cuddling up on the sofa or on the bed, and looking up at the mountains outside the windows feeling grateful for our new home. I love the closeness to nature and I'm so happy we dared to make the life change. We haven't regretted moving one single day, on the contrary, our life choice feels more meaningful than ever. I have never felt happier.  

Thank you so much for telling us about your move and your beautiful home in the Alps Bettina - your story is truly inspiring! 

***

I'd love to hear about how you feel about your home - is it somewhere you can always imagine living, or has your perspective changed this year? 

If you've always dreamed of moving abroad, I hope Bettina's story has inspired you. Your big move might be more tangible than you first thought! 

You can see more picture of her beautiful home over at @chez_kapare and find out more about her interior design service Kapare Interiors. 

Fancy taking a peek at other Scandi homes abroad? 

Step inside a relaxed Finnish home in Mallorca

Feel inspired by a Danish oasis in Palma

Mindful decorating: fall in love with the home of a Swede living in Holland

Ahhhh, I love seeing the Scandinavian design heritage merged with other cultures / styles, how about you? 

Ha det så fint! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Bettina Kapare / @chez_kapare with kind permission.

READ MORE...

4