The perfect home in which to kick off the week

It's suddenly gone quiet - my man left on his bike for work, the girls are at school / nursery. It's just me, my freshly brewed coffee and my super chunky knit Libertine cardigan). It's one of those Monday's when I feel like I'm never going to wake up - think I need this for breakfast?). I'm going to kick off the week in sunny sweden - and a delightful Gothenburg home tour. The show-stopper really is the roaring Kakelugn in the corner of the sitting room, don't you think? - that and the magnificent high ceilings and period features, coupled with soft light grey walls and beautiful light wood flooring. I'm going to revise my earlier text and say - I think I need this for breakfast with a latte, while padding around here. What do you say - could that be a good way to kick off the week?!

Photography: Anders Bergstedt. Entrance.

Such a beautiful space!

I do love my baths - and actually have a wooden tray across mine too - but I love the idea of using a long slab of rustic wood.

The colour scheme is so calm - for a similar light grey paint colour try this one. 

More serene white and grey homes include this delightful space in Finland,  a graphical Finnish home and a black, white and grey Swedish pad.

This morning I had a little cruise around Pinterest, and found some truly inspiring pictures - here is a round up of some of my favourites: imagine hanging out in this cabin or this cabin for a few days? Got a tiny home? This raised bed solution is super cute and cool and creates oodles more space. And how about sitting and working from this spot today?

Have a great start to the week!

PS Don't forget to enter the give-away to win a Muuto leaf table lamp here! 

READ MORE...

8

A calm swedish home in grey and white

When it's cold outside, the allure of staying indoors and padding around in slippers drinking tea all day is just so appealing, don't you think?! This lovely home in Gothenburg is like a calm oasis in the heart of the city - and with that vast kakelugn (masonry oven), a perfect cocoon from the snow outside the window too! Let's take a tour...

Photography: Anders Bergstedt. Styling: Stilorum. Entrance.

What a perfect home. Loving the original wood floors, large windows and high ceilings. But also the quirky touches - like the 'hand key-holder' in the hallway! (Areaware sells all kinds of hands like this including a hand dock, hand hook, and even a bestow hand!).

Other items I know and love: SINNERLIG pendant lamp, this watercolour / auqarelle wall hanging is similar (also seen in this home), keep an eye out here for a bumling light in brass, white linen bedding, cactus I print, children's bed, hektar lamp.

Does anyone know where the wooden chair and pendant lamp in the bedroom are from? I'd love to know!

I'm gearing up for a quick trip to London tomorrow to meet my publisher (my booklaunches in just two weeks - so exciting!). I can't wait to see my little niece again too, I miss those baby cheeks! I'm also looking forward to a great curry (one of the things I miss most about London is great Indian take-aways!).

Last week I mentioned I was listening to Swedish singer Melissa Horn and I had a flood of e-mails asking for more tips.  So, today's tip is Norwegian singer / songwriter Ane Brun - I could listen to her everyday!

Have a lovely day! 

READ MORE...

13

Helen's Cosy Swedish Summer Cottage Living Room

Kindly sponsored by Nordal, thank you for supporting the brands which make features like this possible*

A few weeks ago, I headed off to My Scandinavian Home interior designer Helen Sturesson's 19th century summer cottage in Blekinge on Sweden's east coast. We had such a lovely time! Last week I shared some information about the cottage's fascinating past and some snapshots of the cosy kitchen, including her Mum's incredible apple pie - take a peek here if you missed it! Today, I'm looking forward to showing you a tour of the main living room area and bedroom (the entire cottage is made up of three rooms: a kitchen, sitting room and bedroom. The loo is at the end of the garden and the bathroom is... in the Baltic Sea! A special thanks to Nordal - the Danish brand who made this trip possible - you'll spot many of their lovely pieces throughout the rooms! Ready to take a look?

The cottage is L-shaped, and the sitting room connects the kitchen (to the right) with the bedroom, when the family of four are here, they all share a room. Two windows flood the space with a warm southerly Autumn light. 

The room is made up of many different items collected over time - including a vintage sofa, a big glass cabinet which helps to keep books and games dust free as well as an incredible mirrored coffee table!

Oka coffee table with antique mirror sides and stone top, Mahe candleholder, Vela linen cushion cover

When Helen moved in, she peeled back the plaster on the wall to discover beautiful wood panelling. The planks are all numbers which could indicate the house has have been moved here - although this isn't confirmed (I have come across 'house moving' before in Sweden, does this ever happen in your country? 

CEMA pots in medium, large and extra-large, Club lounge chair in teak and paper rope.

Large 'kakelugn' (tiled ovens) stand in the corner of the main living room and bedroom and are amazingly effective at heating up the house.

Roa basket

In this picture you can catch a glimpse of the wood floor which squeaks as you move across it. A traditional Swedish 'trasmatta' (rug woven with rags / scraps of cloth which I wrote about in my Lagom book as they are a big part of the Swedish heritage) helps to keep drafts at bay and if you look very closely you'll notice the walls are wonky, adding to the charm! 

In the bedroom, floral wallpaper and natural wood help to bring the outside in and a candle brightens up the dark autumn day while adding a sense of calm.

Teak wooden stool, Aula linen bed cover

I hope you enjoyed this snapshot into Helen's cottage.

If you have any questions about anything, give me a shout in the comment section below and I'll ask Helen for the low down. 

Incidentally, it's not possible to buy the Nordal items directly from their website (they sell wholesale only), however, there are many webshops throughout Europe which stock their things. Find your nearest stockist here. 

Next week, I'm looking forward to sharing the final post of three: Helen's cottage ready for Christmas - weeeee, so excited about this one! 

Meanwhile, I'm busy packing for a two-day trip to Oslo, Norway (very excited!) where I'll be writing a guide for Simply Scandi magazine UK (my guide to Helsingborg appears in the latest edition and there's also a Christmas edition on sale right now which features a piece I wrote about our Swedish Christmas). The mag is available here in case you're curious! 

Do you think it could be interesting to share a guide to Oslo here on My Scandinavian Home too? 

Wishing you all a REALLY wonderful, relaxing weekend - and look forward to seeing you here again on Monday! 

Niki

*Thank you to Nordal for this paid partnership and helping to make My Scandinavian Home possible. All words and photos in this post are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

READ MORE...

6

Pia's Cosy Country Home in Snowy Finland

It's been a very long time since I visited beautiful Finland - both in person and on the blog! While I'd happily hop on a plane, train or boat to Helsinki today, sadly it's not possible. But the good news is, Pia has welcomed us all into her cosy home today - so we can all pay a virtual visit! 

Pia lives in the Finnish countryside with her young family and has decorated her home with antique finds and layers of texture in earthy tones. You'll notice a few Christmas decorations still   - in Scandinavia it's customary to keep decor up until 13th January (a scary prospect when it's considered bad luck past 6th Januaary in England). I've grown to like this tradition as the pretty star lights really help to brighten up the winter darkness and create a cosy feel. 

Keep a look out for the walls - many of which have been decorated with botanical-themed wallpaper (Boråstapater and Sandberg sell classic Scandinavian designs like these) - while exposed wood beams add a rustic touch here and there. I also love the 'kakelugn' (masonry stove oven) and how Pia has created a reading spot beside it. A perfect place to relax while the snow falls outside. 

(Fun fact: Finland has 187,888 lakes, that's a crazy amount of water!)

Tervetuloa (welcome)! 

So pretty! Did you spot the family's four legged friend peeking here and there? So cute! 

A perfect tour to complete the week, don't you think? Don't miss Pia's instagram @pienimaalaistalo for more inspiration. And if you'd like to see a few other Finnish homes today, check out: 

Step inside Maiju's delightful home in Vaasa, Finland

Take the tour of Kati's rustic Finnish log house

Feel inspired by Riika's waterside cabin in the eastern Gulf of Finland

I hope you've enjoyed this virtual trip to Finland today. 

I arrived in Hannover, Germany last night and will be holding a talk at Domotex floor fair today - do come along if you're in town! If you'd like to see the latest trends in the world of rugs, carpets and floor coverings follow along on my instagram stories today! 

Have a cosy weekend, see you Monday! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of @pienimaalaistalo, shared with kind permission

READ MORE...

4