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! 

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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! 

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Ylva's Lovely Swedish Family Apartment with Blue and Yellow Accents

Final stop for the week: this beautiful family apartment by the harbour in Gröndal, Stockholm - a perfect oasis for Ylva, her husband and their two children Maj and August. 

The pad itself is quite the find. Not only does it occupy a corner in a building dating back to 1913 - meaning light from two sides, it also boasts not one, not two, but three beautiful kakelugn (tiles masonry ovens). While bones are important, what you do with it and how it works for you as a family is crucial, and Ylva's home is full of lovely corners and inspiring details. Let's delve a little deeper. 

The dining area in the kitchen might not be big, but it certainly looks cosy thanks to built in seating and plenty of natural light. 

The cosy sitting room is arranged in a sociable way, with two sofas facing one another and cushions, blankets and a fluffy rug for maximum comfort! Notice the pale yellow and light blue tones which act as a the red thread (refer to my previous post for more info!) throughout the apartment. 

A simple wooden IKEA stool can be painted in whatever colour you like and is a great way to add in an extra touch of your chosen accent colour. 

The rug from Nordic knots is a nice twist on the usual Jute mat. I have this exact blue Flowerpot lamp by &Tradition in my home too! The bench table is from IKEA. 

Baskets are a popular storage choice in Ylva's home - used above to store firewood. I love the addition of the little children's chairs in the sitting room - a sign that are all are welcome and catered for. Keep an eye out for my post soon featuring a wonderful danish design classic which is now available in a children's size. Can you guess which one it is? 

A classic Swedish bumling light in brass can be seen over the dining table and mix and matched chairs create an informal, relaxed touch to the space. 

Bedding is a fantastic way to quickly update a room (look closely and you'll notice two single duvets instead of one double as is customary in a Swedish home - and something I've expanded on in my book: Lagom*). Here, a yellow duvet cover matches the art work over the bed - and ties the room in with the rest of the flat. 

The children's bedrooms are the exact mirror reflection of each other. 

Yellow curtains offer a cheerful, sunny feel even when the sky is grey, and an array of baskets make the ideal storage for bears and other bits and bobs (this type of storage is particularly good as children can just chuck things in - which makes tidying up quick and easy). 

The yellow and blue theme is carried through to the bathroom in the form of paint work and art, while the maroon chequered floor is a wonderful nod to the age of the building. If you look back through the pictures, you'll notice this hue in other rooms too, albeit in very subtle ways. 

All in all, a truly lovely, well thought out home, do you agree? I'd love to hear your thoughts and what you have observed, always so interesting! 

If you'd like to see more of Ylva's home, hop on over to @doneriet on instagram where you'll find a ton more images. 

Right folks, that's it from me! Lot's to do today with work to finish off, a daughter's birthday to plan (Liv turns sweet 16 tomorrow!) and packing for my trip to Denmark for Formland on Sunday. All fun things, but I'll really appreciate that Friday glass of wine (or two) this evening!

Skål to the weekend! 

Niki

Photography: @doneriet, shared with kind permission.

PS Just a heads up that there is only two weeks left to make the most of the Skandinavisk 20% discount (myscandinavianhome20). You can read more about my two of my favourite fragrances for hand soaps, body washes, candles etc and see pics of them in my cabin from this sponsored post here. 

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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. 

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