A Danish Family Home with a Warm, Golden Touch

Good morning! How's life with you? In Sweden, it seems like the weather gods have been storing all the sunshine up for May and June and we're certainly not complaining! In fact, we're busy trying to make the most of it as you never quite know when it will disappear again! In Mie Borup's lovely Danish house, which she shares with her partner and their three young children Wilbert, Ingrid and Bille - the sunshine floods in through the windows, basking the living space in a wonderful golden light. 

Take a look through the rooms and you'll spot a blend of well-loved Danish design as well some must-have pieces of the moment! Let's take a closer look. 

Arguably the most popular lamp of the moment in Scandinavian homes is this one by Valerie Object. I think everyone is drawn to it as it comes in a variety of zesty hues so it's a great way to add a touch of colour. But actually, Mie is a real dab hand at DIY and made this look-alike lamp herself! If you're on instagram, check out her highlights for more information. 

Another popular piece right now: the humble glass wall cabinet! Have you noticed them a lot in Scandinavian homes lately too? I think they add so much to a wall, and you can vary the items for a constantly changing display. 

I don't think I've seen shelves like this before, have you? I have a feeling they are vintage - I'll do a little digging on that one and update the post if I can find out more! 

The mastered has been placed on a raised platform - note that the gaps in the slats mean that air can circulate under the mattress which is vitally important to prevent mould. 

Apart from the beams, which are of course beautiful, I also love the set of three pendant lamps and also the way a pretty top has been hung up for decoration. Easy art which can be changed according to your mood, the day of week or the season! 

The pond mirror from Ferm Living is a popular piece for obvious reasons: mirror and art in one! 

Rattan and vintage furniture ensure a lovely, relaxed look in the children's bedrooms. 

Another beautiful glass cabinet! They are great for storage since you can see everything inside and yet they keep the dust off. Keep a look out for glass cabinets at second-hand stores - and paint them to match your style!

I love the masks! You can pick up similar at Hay. Note the classic Peter Rabbit book. I used to love Beatrix Potter as a child, but my daughter burst into tears when I read out that Peter Rabbit had lost his button and had got himself into danger with Mr McGregor (spoiler alert!), so we had to wait a while longer before we read it again! 

On warm days, the family spills out into the garden and relaxes on rattan furniture or around a table under the boughs of a tree. 

Note what a difference an outdoor rug can do to create a room-like feel! 

I hope you enjoyed this tour of Mie's home! You can see more corners over on her instagram @mieborup. 

Mie also sells secondhand danish children's clothes at @small_reusers and adult clothes at @det.lille.gule.hus.salg. 

Would you like take the tour of a few other Danish homes today? Here are a few that are bound to inspire:

A calm and earthy danish home with a warm golden touch

Prints, pattern and splashes of colour in a Danish home

The Copenhagen home of an interior stylist and vintage store owner

This Danish summer cottage is available to rent this summer and so is this one! Just saying! 

Right, I'm off to enjoy a little sunshine - work can wait. After all, as I mentioned, we're never quite sure how long it'll be around for! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of @mieborup, shared with kind permission. 

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London calling: Could This Be Your Next Home?

You know what they say, you can take a girl out of London, but you can't take London out of the girl. And these Victorian terrace houses get me every time. Except this one has been designed with a twist. A subtle country, oldy woldy yet contemporary twist - and a hint of Scandinavian style too. Be still my beating heart! I wonder who lives here? But more importantly, I wonder who is going to snap it up? You see, this fabulous two bedroom, split level apartment in Stoke Newington has just come on the market, and waiting for a new owner. Complete with quarry tiles, original oak floorboards, and the most fabulous stone fireplace, I'm wondering if it could be me. Bit small for our family though (my very own London a pied á Terre perhaps?) - hmmm. Maybe you'll just have to snap it up on my behalf and I'll pop over for tea from time to time. Deal?! 

 The owners have fitted the living space with black cast-iron radiators and put in a fabulous kitchen (loving the deep blue cabinets and that Smeg range*!).

An open storage rack on castors provides a perfect place for earthenware and Le Crueset* pans - but the real star of this corner is the Scandinavian leather safari chair (there are a few vintage ones available here*)! I'm starting to wonder if one of the owners of this home is Danish? 

The Frame circle shade lamp* is similar to the pendants over the table and in the corner I spy a Lampe Gras Wall Lamp*. 

This original stone fireplace though. 

I love how the mantel piece serves as a spot for pottery (the owners clearly collect pottery / ceramics). I feel like I'm playing a game of 'through the keyhole here' where you have to guess the owners. If anyone knows them, I'd love to hear if my guesses have been correct! 

Last night I spent the best part of an hour looking for a round mirror for my hall. I now feel like a bit of a pro! For the best results, choose a mirror that's about a third smaller than the piece beneath it. This one is super nice! 

How dare they have my favourite Flag Halyard chair. The little side table is also Danish.

The downstairs bedroom also serves as a perfect home work space - flooded with light from the double French doors. 

Check out the skirting boards in dark blue. So lovely! 

Such a charming space, don't you think?

I loved playing the detective. I'll eat a tin of fermented herrings if at least owner isn't from Denmark! Did you see any other clues as to who they might be? 

And most importantly, could you imagine snapping up this London home?! 

Other London homes to love:

Tamsin Flower's cheerful London home

A London home with pops of pastel

Cate St Hill's Scandinavian inspired London home

Starting to feel a little home sick now, I must say! 

Have a wonderful day friends, nearly there - tomorrow's POETS day - hurrah! 

UPDATE! Thank you so much to Charlotte for pointing out the interview with owner Paul West (who happens to have the most beautiful instagem @consideredthings) in the comments! You can read about the renovation here and see if I was right with the Scandi influence....

Niki

Design Paul West. Photography courtesy of The Modern House (found via Planete Deco with thanks).  

Affiliate links marked with *

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Sara's fabulous 'funkis' house in Malmö, Sweden

A few Friday's ago I packed up my photography equipment and nipped over to the other side of Malmö to spend the day with Sara Hallin Sandström. Sara is a Master of CMF (Colour Material/ Finish) at Electrolux and co-producer of Colour Therapy (along with Tina - who's beautiful home I featured here) and lives with her husband Nicklas - an Art Director (and ex colleague of mine - it's a small world!) and their gorgeous sausage dog Kakan in a funkis house from the 1930's. We had a brilliant day, including chats and laughter over a fika (coffee and a small treat) and capturing the details from Sara's wonderful home. I hope you enjoy the tour! 

Tell me about your beautiful house:
Our house was built in 1934 for families working at the nearby airport (Bulltofta, closed in the 1970’s). At that time, it was made up of two apartments with a shared bathroom, laundry room (in the basement) and garden.

What drew you to the house?  

We really love the architecture and the structure. It was made in the early days of the “funkis” (functionalist design) era and this is visible in the details of the house. The very rational structure and the big windows are very “funkis”, while the decorative details inside are more inspired by the 1920’s style. We liked that the house was left in its original state with a lot of original details. We also love the location of our house, it is a cosy, bohemian neighbourhood within walking distance of the city center. And of course, that we have our own garden with several fruit trees (original from 1934) and space to grow our own vegetables.

Have you carried out any major renovations? Yes, we re-made the kitchen and built a modern bathroom next to our master bedroom. But we have also kept the original bathroom with a tub in the basement. When we made the new kitchen, we removed a wall to open up the kitchen towards the entrance of the house, we hired carpenter Christer Bentmon to build a custom-made kitchen inspired by the original but with modern functionality. I painted the kitchen in a traditional, ecological paint made of eggs, linseed oil and pigment. We want this kitchen to live as long as the previous one, for more than 80 years!

How would you describe your interior style?
Eclectic, I like to mix new with old things and things from home with things from other cultures.

How would you describe your colour palette?
Colourful Scandinavian - we have lots of colours in our house but they are all quite muted and not too loud (very Scandinavian!) and work well in combination with other colours.

What tips do you have for anyone looking to introduce colour into their home?  
Dare to be personal. Go for what you like and don’t care too much about trends. But it's always a good idea to try the colour on a small part of the wall before you buy a big bucket. Colours change a lot depending on the light in the room, but that's also the beauty with it! Our grey colour in the living room is shifting from warm to cold depending on the time of the day and the season.

***

Thank you so much Sara, Nicklas and Kakan for inviting me into your home - what a fun and truly inspiring day. I think I need to go and fix a walk-in-wardrobe for myself now - how much would you love a room like this in your house?!

Get the look from Sara's home:

Kitchen - cabinets painted in Ovolin (code 5-632), Sara made the pendant lamp using the
HÖLJES Pendant lamp from IKEA, gold electric cable from a local store and this brass vase which she drilled a hole in.

Dining room - the Olle Alberius for Orrefors lamp was a wedding gift to Sara's parents from her grandparents

Sitting room - the round mirror is an antique (from Bukowskis) - this one is similar (see our mirror round-up here!). Sofa from Bolia, Isamu Noguchi coffee table. Book shelves from IKEA (painted the same colour as the wall: Lin from Alcro). Vase on shelf from Stilleben, Copenhagen.

Walk-in-wardrobe - storage baskets from H&M home, Ilva rug, clothes rails from Vore. This, this and this stand are ideal for jewellery.

For more inspiration check-out Sara's blog and instagram feed!

....And that's me done for the week here on the blog! We're enjoying our last couple of days in Spain before I head to London to celebrate the new limited edition Nespresso Variations Confetto collection in collaboration with artists Craig and Karl (candy inspired coffee blends - What's not to love?!) at the Regent Street boutique on Monday night (keep an eye on Instagram Stories!).

I hope you've got some fun plans over the next couple of days?

Have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday!


Photography - Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home. Design / home-owner: Sara Hallin. Styling support from Tina Lekeberg.

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3 New lamps At Home from Hudson Valley Lighting

MSH partnership, all words are my own: 

Everyone has a 'thing' when it comes to the home, don't you think? For some it's chairs, for others it might be rugs, or smaller items such as books, art and plants. What's yours? I love all these pieces, but for me, it has to be lighting! I love the way it can be used to create an atmosphere. I appreciate how it's vital for practical tasks such as cooking or reading. And I'm inspired by the way it can be used to highlight the things you love - and hide the things you don't! You also can never really have enough lighting in a home (especially in wintertime), so I'm always on the lookout for something new. 

Recently, I added three shiny new lamps to our living space - courtesy of Hudson Valley Lighting Group. You might recognise the name from the wall sconce in my sitting room. The international brand sells hundreds of lamps, offering everything from pendants to outdoor wall sconces, all with exceptional quality. I'm excited to share the ones I've chosen this time, they've certainly brightened up some dark corners of our house and cottage! I hope you'll feel inspired / get some ideas for your own home too! 

New lighting at the Cottage

Last time we were up at the cottage we installed the Barron lamp in aged brass over the sink. I felt immediately drawn to it since it's inspired by the work of mid-century Danish architects who reduced the glare from electric lighting by applying layers and curved shades. The result is a soft, diffused glow, that immediately feels warm and cosy - or as the Danes would say hyggelig. 

In Scandinavia, people love to place lighting in the window since it gives off a warm and inviting feel - which is why I chose this position over the sink. But I could also see it hanging in the corner of a room, or next to a sofa (I have a feeling this one might get moved around quite a lot!). But for now, there'll be a lovely light shining from our cottage kitchen window! 

New Lighting in our Home Hallway

A few months ago I shared my latest hallway update, but we were still missing lighting (cue: guests fumbling around in the dark for their jackets and kids emptying the entire content of the wardrobe to find a tennis racket... that sort of thing!). Needless to say, good lighting in the hallway is key, especially on darker days and nights. We were lucky enough to have the power source already, so all that was needed was the actual fixture! 

I decided on the Estee semi-flush by Mitzi. It's actually available in two colours: polished nickel or aged brass - but you know me, I love a brass look! Usually Per helps me out when it comes to DIY, but actually I did most of the installation myself, it was surprisingly simple (the round glass pendants just screw into place). Admittedly I was wise enough not to attempt the wiring though - being a Physics teacher, that's definitely Per's area! 

I can't tell you what a huge difference this lighting makes to our hallway - it looks way smarter than before, and the Estee emits a great light - which can also be dimmed down with the right switch if you want to make your hall / sitting room / dining area more cosy. Love that! 

If you're curious about this piece, you might be interested to know that there's also a 6-arm version, which would be perfect for bigger spaces. 

I recently installed a mirror and hooks in the narrow section of our hallway (more details here) - which have been great for bouncing around light and also providing space for a (daily) overflow of coats, bags, hats etc. But I really wanted to add some interesting lighting to the area - and the Angela in aged brass by Mitzi fit the bill perfectly. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the weight (it's quite substantial which makes it feel really high quality!). I also love the cable - which is why I decided to hang it this way using a hook - some cables are designed to shine! 

It has a really cosy feel to it when switched on (especially if you use a dimmer switch like I have). Placed next to a mirror, the reflection immediately doubles the light source too, which brightens up this little corner of our home after dark! 

Next step... the hallway tiles - but that's a subject for another day! 

For now, we'll be enjoying the fact that we can actually see something when we arrive home or about to leave! 

Did you have a favourite lamp among these? Or perhaps you're after something different? If so, you can discover the full range of Hudson Valley Lighting Group lighting here. 

Niki

Photography: Niki Brantmark (and my kids - where I feature!)

Cottage kitchen Styling: Niki Brantmark

Hallway styling: Helen Sturesson

*This is a paid post in collaboration with Hudson Valley Lighting Group, however, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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