I can't believe the year has almost come to an end! Is it just me or did 2017 whizz by? It's been a strange twelve months, with many disturbing happenings throughout the world. I like to think of My Scandinavian Home as a little bubble in which to escape each day: somewhere you can pour yourself a cup of super strength coffee (got to get into the spirits of the Scandinavians after all!), put your feet up and transport yourself into a world of interiors - and hopefully walk away with a few new ideas too! I hope you experience this! Here's a round-up of the top 5 My Scandinavian Home blog,
Instagram, and
Pinterest posts of 2017 - as well as a few other highlights.....
1.
A magnificent family home in Amsterdam
I used to dabble in it a little, but if there's one thing that's truly taken me by surprise this year - it's just how much I've fallen in love with
Instagram (do you have an ever so slight obsession too?!). I was thrilled to reach over 115,000 friends this year - thank you for making it such a fun place to be, and for all your interesting and passionate comments (and to Vogue UK for including my feed in the
top 12 interior instagram feeds to follow (*strikes a
very happy pose*). Here are the top 5 My Scandinavian Home instagram posts of 2017:
***
1. Living room in a magical mountain cabin
I'm so happy to see a corner of the living room from Marianne Vigtel Holland's magical mountain cabin which James Gardiner and I had the pleasure of capturing for The Scandinavian Home book. Marianne made so many items for her cabin it was
crazy! In this picture alone she knitted the chair cover, sewed together the cushion covers, created the art on the wall and crafted the side table out of tree trunks - I'm not kidding! Check out the full tour of her beautiful cabin
here.
2. Josi's hallway in Berlin
Aaaah, how I love this hallway (the bench is available
here -
just saying!). In fact, I love everything about Josi's
entire Berlin home, it's so charming and relaxed - don't miss the full tour
here.
3. Sitting room with a boho vibe
The modern bohemian vibe captured our hearts and minds in 2017 (once again)- and this Polish home designed by
Magdalena Milejska was up there with the most inspiring! Take the full tour here. PS is this is totally you're kind of style don't miss the
bohemian home archive (
goooorgeous spaces).
4. Credenza and books
A wall bursting with books, a beautiful mid-century credenza, layered rugs.
What's not to love about the relaxed, boho home of Madewell's lead designer - Joyce Lee! See the drool-worthy tour
here.
5. Put a ring on it (see what I did there?)
A beautifully wrapped gift by Finnish blogger
Local Artisan in all its crinkled paper and pine wreath glory has already racked up over 7000 likes in the last 24 hours! In fact, it's so pretty that I'd be happy to receive this without a gift inside, how about you? (Note to man - don't take this last sentence
too literally). If you haven't wrapped your pressies yet - see our complete round-up of
beautiful nature inspired gift wrapping ideas!
Aaaah, Pinterest you'll always be my go-to for moodboards and styling inspiration (if only I could actually tear myself away to do any work - do you find this too?!). Here are the top 5 My Scandinavian Home pins of 2017:
1. This cosy bedroom from a
charming Swedish apartment decorated in white and wood
has totally captured pinners hearts having appeared on Pinterest over
590,290 times. How crazy is that? Then again there is so much to love about this little space, right?
Rember that green sofa we all fell in love with in a sitting room in Yeabridge House? Combine it with a fabulous mix of old and new and you get the top My Scandinavian Home *power pin* of 2017 (yes, this really is a thing - it's measured in terms of clicks and saves in case you're curious!). Whatever you do, don't miss the full tour here - it was one of my favourites!
While green sofas are always fab, greige is a bit of a safer bet - which is why this elegant Swedish sitting room created by H&M Home was hugely popular! Get the complete look and feel here.
The relaxed dining space in the Norwegian home of Maja Hattvang appealed to many - which makes me so happy as I love her edgy and relaxed style! See the full tour here (if you don't already follow Maja on instagram, you must!).
And finally, I was so happy to see the delightfully simple bedroom in the Copenhagen home of Karen Maj Kornum of Another Ballroom - captured by James Gardiner and myself for The Scandinavian Home book! You can see a full tour of her home in the book and here and here (that's how much i love Karen Maj's home!).
I am so grateful for the support of businessed big and small without whom My Scandinavian Home wouldn't be possible (you can see a list of many of my partners and the different types of collaborations we offer
here). It's been a year of fun and inspiring partnerships - but I have to say I do have a little penchant for make-overs! Here are the top 3 from 2017:
Greenhouse makeover with Samsung and The Frame
Oh how I loved working on this make-over in a little greenhouse in Upstate New York with
Emily Henderson and the
Barbarian creative team. A special thanks also to
Brady Tolbert for your amazing organization skills and interior design eye and
Agata Helena for hair and make-up. See more pictures (and films) of the make-over
here and
here.
My sitting room make-over with Bemz
Photo by me, styling by Genevieve Jorn. See more
here!
My new window nook with Nordal
Photo by me, styling by Genevieve Jorn. See the full tour
here!
I've been writing a way in my little corner of the world and was so happy to launch not one but
two new books this year (still not sure how I did it, but it was a wonderful feeling to get them in my hands!) -
Lagom: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life launched in September and is available in
English US,
English UK,
French and
Portuguese with 4 more languages to follow in 2018 -
weeeeee! And
The Scandinavian Home launched back in the spring!
 |
| Photo: Niki Brantmark. |
Aaaah. it's been so much fun looking back over this year. Do you have any favourites from everything I've shared? Or perhaps you have some personal highlights you'd like to share - if so, I'd love to hear from you in the comment section below!! And please do also take it as an opportunity to let us know if there's anything you'd like to see more of in 2018.
Before we head off to enjoy the holidays I just wanted to say a few words of thanks.
I am constantly amazed by the incredible pool of creative talent in the online communities - not only among the professional interior designers and photographers, but also writers, artists, designers etc, all of whom contribute in some way and are kind enough to allow me to share their work. These 'creators' dare to put themselves out there for the world to critique (a scary prospect, I can tell you!) - and I thank each and every one of you who inspires us every day!
I'd also like to say a HUGE thanks to the wonderful team behind My Scandinavian Home - including my right hand gal Ana Degeneer ( a whizz at graphic design, picture research, writing and everything in between - she can even code - isn't that b*d *ss?!!). If you're thinking of starting a blog in 2018 (go for it!), Ana sells the most stunning blog design templates through her
shop alongside her book '
30 days to minimal blogging'.
I've also been lucky enough to work with the talented interior designer
Genevieve Jorn - (we always have such a laugh and no photo shoot is complete without a chicken pasta from my local deli!) as well as the fabulous
Sarah Brooks-Wilson who moved to Malmö earlier this year and is the speediest interior stylist I know (and always arrives with a smile and wearing the most fabulous outfit)! So happy to have you guys on board!
And finally - to all of you, who come here each day and make My Scandinavian Home a happy place - none of this would happen without you. Thank you for all your amazing support this year and making this little space on the web such a pleasure each day. Here's to a fabulous 2018!
Niki
PS those of you who like to reminisce might enjoy looking back at the
2016 and
2015 round-ups (so interesting to see how interior style has evolved!!).
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