TRIWA Stockholm atelier / 15% discount

A few weeks ago I paid a visit to the TRIWA design atelier in Stockholm. You might recognise the name - TRIWA make the most beautiful classic contemporary 'scandi-smart' watches for men and women - and they're one of My Scandinavian Home's fab partners - yay! It was super exciting and fun to meet the team and find out more about the Swedish brand. For example, I learned that TRIWA stands for "Transforming the Industry of Watches" - which they do by putting love and passion into every single piece, combining quality materials with minimalist style and making details matter.  I've experienced this first hand with my limited edition Blues Aska  and Dixie Aska timepieces (see more here and here ) - and after my visit, I've got a serious crush on a few other pieces too like the one in my gift guide! Check out my snaps from their office below, and if you're looking for a Christmas pressie for family and friends, you might be happy to hear TRIWA are offering My Scandinavian Home readers 15% discount with code NIKI15, plus free shipping and gift wrapping - how handy is that?! Santa baby, hurry down the chimney.....






Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home

Thank you for inviting me to your office TRIWA!


This post is brought to you in collaboration with TRIWA. However all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and think you will too! Thank you for supporting the businesses that help make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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Cosy Danish Outdoor Lights - Handmade Using Recycled Glass!

Partnership*

Determined to make this autumn and winter as cosy as possible, I've added some new lights to our little backyard. After all, once the sun sets, it becomes very dark, very early, very quickly, and there's nothing like the warm glow of lights to lift your spirits! These beautiful ReUse light chains are from Pernille Bülow - a small atelier on the Danish island of Bornholm.  Regular readers will know that Pernille Bülow is a big favourite of mine and I have SO many beautiful handmade pieces from this atelier around my home (including SKY lamps and Odin tableware).  But there's something EXTRA special about these outdoor ReUse light chains, and the clue is in the name. Read on to discover more! 

True to Pernille Bulow style, each of the 9 pendants are mouth blown and handmade in the workshop in Svaneke, Bornholm (if you're ever on the island, you must pay a visit - I love the shop!). This means that each glass light is ever so slightly unique - one of the wonderful hallmarks of handmade pieces. 

I used two sets in our little back yard to create a little extra glow (the chains are three metres long and attachable, so you can easily string together as many sets of lights as you wish which is really handy).

Best of all? The ReUse collection is made of waste from Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company that has large amounts of excess borosilicate glass from their diabetes drug production. Rather than going to waste, Pernille Bülow remelts and moulds the glass into beautiful objects, including these ReUse light chains and a pendant lamp! 

The light chain also come with 9 2 W energy optimised LED bulbs which are CE marked. 

In order to really put them to the test, I invited a few friends over from the neighbourhood for an autumn evening alfresco - (any excuse!).  

It was a bit of a 'knytkalas' - where everyone (including my dear friend Ullis - above - and interior designer Jessica Ward - below) brought whatever they had in their fridge and wine cabinet! 

We had such a mysig (cosy) evening under the warm glow of the lights - even if coats were a must! Brrrr!

Roll on more autumn evenings al fresco! And even when it's time to move indoors, we'll still enjoy the twinkle through the window! 

If you'd love these lights for your outdoor space, the ReUse light chain is available to pre-order here  - and will be available from mid-November. There's a list of countries Pernille Bülow ships to here. 

I'm curious - can you still sit outside in the evenings in your country? 

Wishing you a great day! 

Niki

*This post is a paid partnership with Pernille Bülow. All words and images are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too! Thank you for supporting the small Nordic businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible.  

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Beautiful Danish Christmas Decorations in a Cosy Swedish Cottage

 

These images were taken as part of a paid Christmas campaign for Pernille Bülow*

As I walked home early evening yesterday, the night sky was bathed in a warm light from the glow of fairy lights and candles shining brightly from windows and I felt a sense that Jul (Christmas) is just around the corner. In Blekinge, Sweden, interior designer Helen Sturesson's decorations will be slightly different this year thanks to a stunning handmade Christmas collection by Pernille Bülow - a glass atelier on the Danish island of Bornholm. It's safe to say the Pernille Bülow elves have been burning the midnight oil to create the most beautiful mouth blown baubles you'll find this year (some of which are made from recycled glass) - as well as candleholders, oil lamps, vases and dinnerware. I chatted to Helen to find about her family Christmas traditions up at the cottage, and to take some photos of the collection. 

When does the Christmas period begin for you? 

It starts on the first Sunday of advent when I put up star lanterns and line the windowsills with candles and oil lamps. Around St Lucia (13th December), we put up a Christmas tree and dot more Christmas decorations around the house. 

How do you like to decorate your home for Christmas? 

As well as the star lanterns and candles, I also love to find a little Christmas tree in the garden which I bring indoors and decorate with a few pretty baubles. And I make a wreath or two, also using whatever is available outside. Since it's so small, our cottage doesn't need more than that to feel festive and cosy.

Above: Oil lamp, Handmade SKY christmas ornament Below:  ReUse oil lamp, Waves Christmas ornament, Gaia Candleholder

Your cottage makes the perfect backdrop for Pernille Bülow Christmas decorations - what are your thoughts on the collection? 

I love that the ReUse items (bowls, glasses and decorations) are made from recycled glass and also that everything in the entire collection is handmade or mouth blown on the Danish island of Bornholm. Every piece feels really unique and good quality. You get so much more value from items that come directly from a designer / atelier and are not mass produced.  

Above: Handmade prisma baubles (on a ReUse serving plate), SKY clear ornament, SKY smoke ornament, SKY ornament ruby

When do you head to your cottage for the holidays?

We usually go there one or two days before Christmas. 

Prisma ornament in ruby

What do you love most about being at the cottage at Christmas time?

It's more cosy here than at our apartment in the city. I love to light the fire in the Kakelugn (tiled oven). It's very peaceful here and I really like to be near my parents and brothers who live nearby. 

Where do you spend Christmas Eve and what does your day look like (the day Christmas is celebrated in Sweden)?

On Christmas Eve we drive over to my parents which is around 15 minutes away. The entire family gathers so we're usually about 12 people in total. We all bring dishes for the 'Julbord' (the Christmas spread) and rally around in the kitchen to finalise the meal before it goes on the table. 

After lunch there's always someone who wants to sit down and watch 'Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas' - a bizarre Swedish Christmas tradition - while others chill and chat! In the evening Tomten (Father Christmas) arrives bearing gifts and we drink glögg (mulled wine). 

Over the table: Mouthblown Sky pendant lamp

On the table: Balu wine glass, ReUse jug, ReUse bowl, ReUse drinking glass, Sky vase

What type of dishes does your Julbord include? 

We have a fairly traditional one with ham, pickled herring, Jansson's Temptation (a potato dish with anchovies), meatballs, salmon etc washed down with 'Julmust' (a form of Christmas cola) a little beer and schnapps. In the evening we drink glögg (spiced mulled wine) with gingerbread and tuck into Rice á la Malta or Christmas porridge. 

Above: Baubles: ReUse twisted bauble, ReUse clear glass Setting: ReUse plate from recycled glass, ReUse bowl

What do you do on Christmas Day (the day after the festivities)? 

It's a very relaxed day. We meet up with my parents again and go for a long walk together in the countryside before eating leftovers from the Julbord. Sometimes we head back to the city to meet up with Kristoffer's family. 

Above: ReUse oval platter Below: Sky ceramic lamp, ReUse Sprød christmas ornament

When do you take down your decorations? 

I don't really stick to a specific date - it's basically when the tree starts to look awful! The stars are the last things I take down. It feels so dark without them. My son always gets sad and cries when we take the star down in his bedroom - he loves the cosy, warm light it emits. 

Thank you so much for sharing your Christmas with us Helen, it sounds so lovely!

And thank you to Pernille Bülow for entrusting Helen and I with all the beautiful glassware! 

Follow any of the links in this post to treat yourself or friends (everything they sell makes a perfect present, but especially the clear mouthblown baubles which come in a lovely box!) - or head over to the Pernille Bülow online shop (they ship almost worldwide and it's free if you buy for a certain amount). I have a suspicion their elves will be working overtime in the coming weeks as the Christmas decorations are the prettiest I've seen this year.

Is there anything that stood out to you about the decorations or Helen's mysig family Christmas at the cottage? 

Stay cosy friends!

Niki

Photography; Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home (except for first and last cottage image by Helen)

Styling: Helen Sturesson 

*This post is a paid partnership with Pernille Bülow. All words and images are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and think you will too! Thank you for supporting the small Nordic businesses and ateliers that make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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The fab Brooklyn home and studio of a creative duo

Recently I've shown quite a few makers' spaces. Having made the leap from the corporate world to starting my own business at home (tea, toast and laptop in bed on a snowy day - now you're talking!), I am intrigued by the worlds of others who combine their living and work space. Today's art-filled Williamsburg warehouse in Brooklyn is home and studio to creative duo Jessica Barensfeld and Simon Howell and cat Kooks. Jessica (a jewelry designer) and Simon recently founded Lynn & Lawrence - a shop dedicated to selling hand-knit alpaca and wool hats. The light, airy loft, beautifully captured by Emily Johnston, is adorned with surf boards, large-leaved plants and handmade pieces for a truly inspiring, characterful environment.

Home-owner: Jessica Barensfeld and Simon Howell / Lynn & Lawrence. Photographer: Emily Johnston (with kind permission). For: Urban Outfitters Blog.

Could you work/ live here?

What does your work space look like?

Although I love working from home, my ultimate dream is to share a creative work space. Is there anyone with the same dream? Or perhaps you're already there? Some of my favourite studios include this collaborative workspace in Brooklyn, the light-filled studio of Camille Styles and the industrial style atelier of Love Warriors. One day...!

For those of you looking for home office, atelier, and studio inspiration - there's a ton more inspiration here. Who needs open plan anyway?!

It's never wrong to take time to pour over a few converted warehouse homes too!
 If you'd rather think about anything but work today check out this camper-van / trailer with an unbelievable twist! Something for the summer holidays?!

Have a lovely day!

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The Hepworth Limited Print Collection by Atelier by Mintstudio

The fab Danish 'Atelier by Mintstudio' designs two annual collections of limited edition prints. Led by head designer Cecilie Svanberg, the latest collection pays homage to British artist and sculptor, Barbara Hepworth, a pioneer who broke into the artistic scene when only a few women had made an impression. Barbara was famous for her organic and simple use of shapes, textures and colors. Each (rather lovely) signed and numbered print is made from an original painting with watercolor, gouache and acrylic paint, then printed on Munken Rough 170 gr paper. The question is, which one to choose? Look out for the prints (and frames) at The Poster Club!

GET THE LOOK


Clockwise from top left: 05, 02, 04, 01

Have a great weekend! 

About The Author

Ana Degenaar → My Scandinavian Home Contributor

Author, Graphic and Web Designer.
Mindfulness is at the heart of everything Ana does—from work to life and everything in between.
For over five years she's focused on creating honest, intelligent and refreshing projects—believing that the best way to accomplish this is to dedicate herself to the essential and making things speak of their intrinsic beauty and purpose.


This post includes affiliated links - which means if you click on the links and make a purchase, the My Scandinavian Home team would receive a few pennies - perhaps enough to enjoy a little cup of coffee by the sea! However, all words are our own and we only ever work with brands we absolutely love and think you will too! - And this collection is rather fabulous isn't it?!

     

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Autumn Charm at My Friend Helen’s Cosy Swedish Cottage

I was browsing Pinterest earlier, looking for a little inspiration, when an old photo suddenly popped up and whisked me straight back to the weekend I spent at my friend — interior designer Helen Sturesson’s — cottage in Blekinge. We had such a wonderfully cosy time: shooting beautiful products for clients, eating homemade apple pie, and wandering along the nearby coastline. It all feels like yesterday.

When Helen and her family first took on the cottage, it didn’t have any real heating. They relied almost entirely on the old woodburning stove in the kitchen to warm the space. Once upon a time, a father used that very stove to cook meals for his seven children after their mother sadly passed away — and the entire family slept together in a single bedroom. Can you imagine? Today, things look a little different. Helen now has electric heating, and the stove is mostly used to keep coffee and tea warm while the family potters about.

The sitting room and bedroom each have their own kakelugn too — such beautiful, gentle heat. There’s nothing quite like the soft crackle and glow of a tiled stove on an autumn day.

I couldn’t resist sharing a little tour of her lovely cottage here. Apologies if you’ve seen these photos before, but I’d hate for any new readers to miss out on the magic of this charming little place in the autumn time.

So toasty - and such a perfect weekend. 

The glass candleware in the window is all made by Danish glassblowers Pernille Bülow, who also make the most beautiful Christmas decorations (it is around the corner, after all!). In fact, you might remember the Christmas shoot we did in Helen's cottage - and also my visit to the island Of Bornholm where they have their atelier. 

Is there anything about Helen's cottage that caught your eye? 

Right folks, it's getting late on a Friday and the wine bar just around the corner is beckoning! Thank you as always for stopping by - and for all your wonderful comments. I'm looking forward to catching up and responding this weekend!

 

Trevlig helg! 

Niki

All photography in this post by me! 

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