Cabin Update: Our Cosy Wood Burning Stove

Partnership with Contura, all words and pictures are my own

Back in January I shared an update on our little cabin while it was under construction. I remember the day well. The sun was streaming in through the windows, even so, clouds formed in the air as we spoke. We decided then and there we needed a log burner!  

  

The idea was to place it in the corner of the sitting room, so we'd be able to see it from all the corners of the cabin (after all, it's about the hygge, right?). 

Our go-to was Contura, who are well respected for producing high quality and efficient Swedish-made log burners .

Since our cabin is only 30 metres square (323 f2), we were looking for a relatively small model and settled on the woodburning stove Contura 810 Style. 

Above, you can see how it looked when I tested it out using the virtual tool back on that cold January day! 

Would you like to see how it looks today? 

Tadaaaa! This is the view from our bed! I can't tell you how much we love to wake up beside a roaring fire. So cosy! 

The 810 model is available in several different finishes and we chose black steel, with a black steel plate underneath.

We also opted for wood storage underneath to save space (it's only a tiny cabin after all) - it's great to not have to go out to the woodshed every five minutes and I love to be able to see the logs, they add a cosiness to the room even when there's not a fire on the go!

I have to say, the log burner is so efficient that we haven't had to use our electric heating once - we're mercifully grateful for that right now! 

Roll on the Swedish winter, we're ready for you! If anyone's looking for us this weekend, we'll be right here by the fire! 

Do you have a fireplace too? I'd love to hear about your experience!

Have a cosy weekend friends! 

Niki

PS If you're looking for a wood burning stove for your home, Contura offers a really broad selection and has dealers throughout Europe - you can view the entire collection here. 

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My Scandinavian Home - 2015 round-up

Thank you so much for all your wonderful support this year. I've loved reading your comments on here, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. It's been a very special year for My Scandinavian Home. Last December I finally took the plunge and left the corporate world after 14 years to focus on My Scandinavian Home. And what a year it's been! Here's a round-up of 2015:

 Top ten home tours of the year*:

A light-filled family home in Sweden

A fabulous home in Fontainbleu France

A fabulous Swedish apartment

The mid-century LA home of Jessica De Ruiter

The colourful Dutch home

Black and navy in an elegant Swedish home

A beautiful Norwegian home in summer time

An incredibly cosy Finnish home

The calm Finnish home of Anna Pirkola

A Swedish apartment on the dark side of life

 *based on number of pageviews. Click on text under each picture for the full tour and credits.

Did you have a favourite?!

Last year I became a recognised 'Pinfluencer' by Pinterest (needless to say I have a slight Pinterest addiction!), it seems you may have too since some pins received over 400 repins! Here's a round-up of the....

Top five Pinterest pins of 2015:

From post: simple yet beautiful Christmas decorations

Anon. Can anyone kindly supply the credit for this beautiful picture?

From the post - Pretty Danish Christmas inspiration

Swedish Semmeltårta

Anon. If you know the credit for this please let me know so I can update this post!

Loving that the cake is in there!!

In January I started using Instagram (so late to the party I know!). In that time I've gained 24,500 new friends, thank you for making it so much fun!

Top five instagram pictures of the year:

Log cabin in the snow 
A bed next to a roaring log fire
A cabin in the Faroe Islands
A Norwegian cabin on an island
My sitting room

It seems you love your cosy log cabins?!

This December I finally received the first copy of my book: Modern Pastoral (out in Feb, 2016). Publishing my first book has been a dream come true, thanks you for all your tremendous support - and to my publisher CICO Books!

And finally, I owe the biggest amount of gratitude to all the photographers, stylists, designers, architects, and other creatives out there (please take time to look through the credits under the last image in each post) who generously give me permission to share their work and also to my fabulous sponsors who make My Scandinavian Home possible.

This year has been exhilarating, terrifying, thrilling, challenging, exhausting and above all inspirational. I wouldn't change a single moment of it!

I'd love to here about your year too in the comment section below.  

Back later with a final 'Merry Christmas' post! Until then....thank you.

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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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Cabin Update: Wood Burning Stove (Plus Try the Tool!)

Disclosure: Contura have kindly agreed to partner on our cabin project

Over the Christmas holidays, so much more happened than playing about in the snow and drinking glögg: our little cabin sprang to life (see the design plans here)! I'd love to say that the picture above is of the interior - but we're far from finished! The good news is though, the structure is in place:

So exciting! With all the bigger aspects decided including the wood panelling, windows and doors and the bathroom, it's time to decide on a wood burning stove. I LOVE a fireplace, do you? To me, they are pure hygge and I couldn't imagine our little cabin without one! 

Which one?

I knew I wanted to get one from Contura. The Swedish brand is located only an hour from the cabin and recognised as the leading manufacturer of woodburning stoves in Scandinavia as well as a big player across Europe (AKA the guys delivering the hygge!). I've heard many a great things about their Swedish-made log burners when it comes to quality and efficiency, and I love the design!  

Contura 856G Style

Choosing a stove using the virtual tool

Anyone who's been in the market for a wood burning stove will know there are so many out there to choose from, it's almost overwhelming! Keep a look out for a stove that works for the size and design of space you have. Plus, I found the Contura 'build your stove' tool super handy! It allows you to build your own stove and then virtually place it in your home to see how it looks! Hours of fun! 

Admittedly, I got a bit carried away and Per was very nervous when I revealed pictures of how one might look in our bedroom, sitting room and bathroom at home! 

To use it, just head over to Contura and click on ' build your stove' (top right orange button) and follow the simple step by step instructions. 

Contura i8G Cosi

In the end I decided on the Wood burning stove Contura 810 in black steel with built-in wood storage for our cabin, which I think is super sleek and great for space-saving. 

Positioning

Above is a snapshot from inside our cabin right now (taken from the loft bed ). We plan to place the wood burning stove in the far left corner. This is how it will look - except a little larger in size and with a chimney:

I think it's going to be great and feeling so excited now. Here's to cosy days at the cabin! 

Just need the panelling to go in and get the bathroom and kitchen fitted, the floors laid..... gaaah so much to do! 

Do you have a fireplace in your home? Or perhaps you've been considering one (try the tool if so!)? Please do share your experiences below! 

Wishing you all a hyggeligt weekend!

Niki

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A day at a snowy log cabin / DIY Christmas ideas

Hello! How are you today? I have to say I'm feeling a little worse for wear after an evening out with the girls last night (totally self-inflicted I admit!). It's slow mornings like this when I dream of spending the day hiding out at a log cabin. In fact, If I could choose,  my day would look a lot like this. Fancy joining me?!

Credit: Benj Haisch

Credit: Warm Vanilla Sugar

Stylists: ila malù + Trendinozze. Photography: giuli & giordi,

Finch & Fawn

Credit: Paulina Kolondra

Credit: http://www.kardelen.se/

Sooooo cosy!  

In case you're wondering...here's the recipe for the hot chocolate with chocolate dipped cinamon marshmallows.  All the bedding in the last picture is available here. See a full tour of that stunning Italian Osteria wedding (how pretty?). There's a great DIY guide to the wreath.

Lots more pretty Christmas / winter inspiration here. 

Oh, and how cute are these mini Nordic Christmas tree mobiles? They come in a cool little 3D DIY kit...

Stylist Camilla Tange Peylecke, Photographer Gyrithe Lemche

So pretty and simple - the perfect DIY to create together with your little ones (alongside these 'pepparkaka' or ginger biscuit ideas - I can smell the cinnamon from here!), don't you think?

How would your ideal day look?

Have a lovely day, I'll be back tomorrow with a full house tour again!

PS Happy Thanksgiving to all of you heading off for a long weekend...

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