A simply stunning and calm Swedish space

Sometimes, not very often though, I search and search for the perfect home to post and simply can't find anything. From experience, I know that often this is when the most beautiful home tours of all pop up. And today is one of those days. For me, this home is the epitome of calm, Swedish pared-back simplicity. It has just the right balance of traditional (beautiful period features and architecture, antique and vintage furniture) and modern (brass fittings, grey marble worktop, industrial lights, classic design furniture...) and a wonderful use of natural materials throughout. Beautiful styling by the team at Sarah Widman and definitely worth the wait, don't you think?!

Alvhem Mäklari. Styling: Team Sarah Widman.

To me this is one of those homes in which you could never feel anything but calm. Just what I needed on a rather hectic Thursday!

Could you live here?

Other lovely spaces for a touch of calm today include this striking danish home (cue: music from that piano), a lovely white and grey Swedish space and the serene home of a Swedish singer here in Malmö. Or perhaps a duvet day in this Danish bedroom could do the trick?!

Have a lovely, relaxed day!

PS If you find some time this weekend,  I'll be holding a fabulous give-away with a very cool, coveted Finnish design prize. I'm sooo excited as I think you're going to love it! Watch this space....

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10 ways To Transform Your Home Into a Sanctuary Like a Dane!

Yesterday I talked about one of the hot (or should I say cool?) colour trends of the year. And today I wanted to share another key trend that's been popping up - which centres around well-being. In my Lagom book I wrote about how, in an age where we're connected 24/7 and constantly feeling a little overwhelmed, it's become important to create a living space where you can find balance, switch off and relax. In essence the home has become our sanctuary. Not quite there with that spa-like feel yet? Don't worry, it's easier than you might thing! I was excited to discover the Danish home of Simone Østergaard which is a great example of how a family living space can be transformed into a calming oasis in 10 simple steps. Ready to dive in? 

1. Declutter: There's a big difference between having a minimalist home and one that is devoid of clutter. The essential aspect of creating a calming home is surrounding yourself with things you love and believe to be useful. Even if you have many! Everything else must go - they'll only make you feel disorganised and stressed. 

2. Texture: Keeping things clean doesn't mean boring. Simone has applied Kalkitir paint in powder form to her walls for a beautiful textured look. 

3. Plants and flowers: maybe a cliché but nature is like balm for the soul. Surrounding yourself with fresh or dried flowers and lots of greenery is an instant mood lifter! 

4. Sheer curtains: Sheer window dressings slip in soft, diffused light for instant calm. Source similar made-to-measure curtains here*. 

5. Candles: Where would a Scandinavian home be without candles?! Don't wait until night fall though - a naked flame in daylight hours is perfect for adding a spa-like feel! Add a beautiful scent to really get the senses going.

6. Natural textures: wood, rattan, sheepskin and other natural materials will instantly make a room feel cosier.

7. Calm bedroom: a bit of an obvious one, but for the best type of beauty sleep, your bedroom should be decluttered, calm and fairly cool. Since living in Scandinavia I've also become a real advocate for single duvets too - being able to choose your own down thickness and sticking a limb out in whichever direction you please are tantamount to a great night sleep! 

8. Cocoon: Children love to be cosy and feel safe. Creating a cocoon over their bed in the form of a canopy will sure to send them into a blissful slumber. 

N.B. make sure anything items you choose to place around a cot are child-safe! 

9. Fluffy towels and dressing gowns: Towels rolled up in a vintage wooden dough bowl* and a soft robe give the bathroom instant spa appeal! 

10. Contain your stuff! It's impossible not to have lots of bits and pieces in the bathroom (if you ask me!). Using trays and pretty containers for hair clips, cotton wool, moisturisers and other bits and bobs will help to create a calmer, more organised space and it'll look prettier too! Hay sells a similar marble tray*. 

I'm feeling more relaxed just looking at these pictures, how about you? 

Is there anything that stood out to you in particular - or anything you might implement in your home? 

The first thing I'd like to do is organise our bathroom so there are more containers for all our stuff! It's out of control right now - and I'd sooooo love it to look like Simone's. I have a feeling that if I rolled up towels like that in our bathroom my 11-year-old daughter would use them all in one afternoon though! Guh! 

You can see more calming snapshots of Simone's home on her blog and instagram. 

Other serene homes to feel inspired by: 

A calm, elegant Stockholm apartment

Get the look from a serene family home in Berlin

A delightful green and white swedish home with a pretty bed nook

Have a relaxing day friends! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Simone Østergaard with thanks

This post contains affiliate links which means I might make a tiny amount of money if you click through and buy an item from one of the links marked with *

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Our Weekend At A Swedish Cabin In The Calm of The Forest

My Scandinavian Home Partnership:
In Sweden, there's a season for everything. To me, the summer is about lazy days by the water when the sun sparkles like diamonds on the gentle waves. And when the leaves start to turn, we head to the forests to forage, take in the changing light and enjoy the sweet scent of spruce and pine. Every now and again we come across clearings where a shaft of light dances on the mossy knolls and allows the delicate Harebell to bloom. Little wonder these magical boreal forests are the inspiration behind the wonderful Skog collection from Skandinavisk. Their products come infused with delightful hints of spruce and pine needles, woodland lily of the valley, musk and aged leather - making it one of my favourite collections! As part of my ongoing partnership with Skandinavisk, my family and I headed to a friend's log cabin just North of Malmö to relax, play games and take in the calm of the forest first hand. As we pulled up, life's stresses and strains immediately fell away and we were completely alone save for passing roe deer, foxes, squirrels and the silent badgers - never seen, but forever present! 



Furnished almost entirely with second hand pieces and dotted with sheepskins, my friend's cabin is understated yet super cosy! A wood-burning stove kept away the autumn chill and filled the cabin with a wonderful scent of pine. 



The crazies enjoyed hot chocolate sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, by the light of a Skog scented candle. The only tense moment came when it was discovered the cinnamon buns were different sizes. A lengthy division process began, right down to the last crumb.

Skog scented candle


Per discovered a guitar - which helped to diffuse the bun situation and restore calm to our weekend! The aptly named 'Norwegian Wood' is one of my favourite tunes he plays (I also love 'Streets of London' - can you see him rolling his eyes?!). 

Pots, jugs and containers made from wood, stone and glass line the surface of the bookshelves adding a warm, personal touch. Beneath the shelving there was a great stash of board games which we played well into the night, being a tad competitive none of us were going to bed until we'd won at last one round!

Skog Scent Diffuser

Skog hand and body lotion, hand wash and bar soap.

We discovered that a basket doubles up as a very useful tray  – it’s a perfect way to transport sausages, buns and marshmallows down to the fire pit! 





A walk in the forest led us through a forever changing scene where dense ferns hid in the shadows, fungi clung to bark, and patches of vibrant green moss were lit by sudden beams of light. The only sound came from the distant sound of a babbling brook and the shriek of delight from one of the girls as they stumbled across a chanterelle. 






That's Per with the Skog hand cream - yes Per! We both love it because it's richly moisturising (him!) yet lightly scented (me!) (it contains aloe vera, shea butter, almond, apricot and beeswax with extract of birch bark). Did you know birch bark is a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that calms irritated skin, stimulates circulation and helps skin stay energised? Perfect for the Scandinavian winter. 



A little book (Svampar: Lilla fälthandboken av Rikard Svartvik) helped us to identify mushrooms. However, I would never dare to eat any unless verified by someone in the know - and bearing in mind we were only accompanied by the odd roe deer, we only foraged for fun! We returned to the cabin relaxed, revived and with the sweet aroma of pine, and fir in our hair - and in need of another cinnamon bun!



All in all, it was a truly magical weekend!

I can't wait to return to this wonderful little cabin again soon.

In the meantime, the Skog collection will help to fill our home in Malmö with the calm scent of the Scandinavian Boreal forest, and serve as a wonderful reminder of our weekend - if only I'd won that game of Cluedo!

Do you love the forest too? If so, I'd love to hear more about your favourite time of the year to visit and what you like to do in the forest.

Oh, and one final thing: exciting news, you can win the SKOG hand cream, hand wash, hand lotion, bar soap, body wash, scent diffuser and scented candle 190g on my instagram this weekend. Hop on over tomorrow (Saturday) if you'd like to enter!

Have a fabulous weekend friends!

Niki

This weekend was part of an ongoing partnership with Skandinavisk. All words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands that I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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A Swedish apartment in cool, calm, icy tones

I do love a Friday! But isn't it just so hard to concentrate?! It doesn't help that it's turning into a beautiful spring day outside and the birds are calling my name (I'm sure of it!). To get us in the mood for the weekend I've opted for an incredibly calm apartment in Gothenburg today. The space has been decorated in beautiful icy tones throughout resulting in a striking look reminiscent of trees silhouetted against a stark winter landscape in the North of Sweden. Enjoy!

Photography by Anders Bergstedt. Styling Ingela Berg. For sale through Entrance.

What lovely tones! I'm feeling all calm and ready for the weekend now, how about you?!

Get the look: Kitchen - Superfront cabinet fronts,  Unfold pendant light. Sitting room - keep an eye out for a vintage leather mid-century chair here. Dining area: Ant chair.

You can see more of this lovely apartment here (and even snap it up - yes, it's for sale!).

And finally, four links I thought you'd like:

Hair today art tomorrow. Brilliant! 

New trend alert: matching mother and daughter clothes. I might stop at a bunny ears hairband (but how cute for a small one?!).

Imagine spending the weekend at this cabin, though. 

Have a lovely day!

PS  Don't forget to stop by over the weekend, I've got an a-ma-zing exclusive offer for you which I think you're going to be super excited about! Watch this space!

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