my home captured by karin: sitting room

Iiiiiit's Friday, woohoo! I'm looking forward to heading home and taking some down time with my little family. Maybe a walk in the forest with my three year old who's going horse riding, or wrapping up warm to take my elder daughter to her ice skating lesson - BRRRR! (I'll be battling with my man over that one!). Since home is definitely where my heart is today I thought it'd be apt to share the next in my mini series of 'my home captured by Karin'. This time it's my open plan sitting room in the spotlight....I hope you like it!

Pictures 1,2,,5,5,6  by Karin Björklund, Picture 3 by me. 

There's so much to do still - for example we'd like to paint the stairs white or light grey - any thoughts? Also we're in need of more light (especially as the days get shorter), I can't see a thing at night! OK, over exaggeration but...tips welcome!

I think Karin's done a sterling job on the photography. Thank you wondrful, talented K! Note though how my styling left a blanket all messy - just goes to show you can't miss a single trick in styling (I once read about someone who did a shoot over an entire day and then realised there was a bright red toy car under the sofa in every shot!).

In case you're interested here are a few tips on where things are from: Sofa, Scandinavian mid-century table and drinks trolley were inherited, black chairs from a flea market, Diamond print, Wasp print, Chair print, Muuto socket suspension light, phone and coloured cushions, Did I miss anything?!

See also my bedroom, my dining area, and my kitchen if you like :) Do you have any photos to share of your home or one you've photographed / styled?

So, the weekend......so exciting! What are you up to?

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A Stunning Norwegian Home In Many Shades of Blue

This has been a really inspiring week on the blog, I hope you've felt the same! On Monday I was dreaming about buying this holiday cabin on the Swedish island of Gotland complete with sea view and sauna. Yesterday I felt the urge to pack up all my belongings and move to a tiny cabin in the woods and pursue a career in pottery and today, I'm thinking I might just stay put after all and paint my home in shades of blue! When you see the interior of this stunning Norwegian home you'll understand why! Former owner Jan Thoresen and his wife (the apartment was sold last year) hired Tone Kroken to design their beautiful home in Oslo, which she decorated using a range of blue shades, veering from a soft grey-blue in the sitting room and a vibrant middle blue-grey in the hallway to a deep blue in the bedroom. Cognac accents, contemporary art and piles of books also add to the wonderful, unique feel of the space. Så flott!

TIP: To achieve the same rich patina seen in the bedroom and hallway try a minerals based paint like Pure & Original (which was used to paint this home) Jotun Lady Minerals (seen in the first two Norwegian bedroom shots in this post) or Kalklitir powder based paint (which the girls from Our Food Stories used to paint their beautiful studio and home) - the latter ships worldwide. You can also add Roll-A-Tex to normal paint like I did with my dining area (although be warned, this last option is soooo messy!!). Notice how the skirting boards and architraves have been painted in a slightly different blue accent adding interest and depth.

My eyes on that hallway. BE STILL MY BEATING HEART! Anything with piles of books and I'm in (I know I'm not alone either, the open shelving in Katarina Mattson's home is still my number one most popular instagram post E.V.E.R!) - but in combination with the 'mineral walls' - simple amazing!

Is there anything that caught your eye?!

Kudos to photographer extraordinaire Yvonne Wilhelmsen who took these wonderful pictures and interior architect Tone Kroken, the latter of whom who I had the pleasure of meeting when we captured her former home on an tiny car-free island outside Oslo for my second book The Scandinavian Home. It was such a magical day! Check out their interior book here and see more pics of this beautiful home on their website here.

More blue interiors to drool over today: feeling the blue in a Swedish home, a striking dark blue Stockholm pad, the wonderful home of a Swedish food blogger and how to add colour the Danish way.

I hope you're also singing the blues after all this Scandinavian inspiration today!

Niki

Photography: Yvonne Wilhelmsen  Styling: Tone Kroken

PS We've been beavering away on all your new room designs - so fun, thank you so much for signing up! If you'd also like to give my new room design service a whirl, I'm offering a special kick-off discount of 20% off with code MYNEWROOM. Get started here, or read more about the service here! 

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My home captured by karin: bedroom

I hope you had a lovely weekend? I loved all your comments here and on Facebook about where you'd transport your house for the weekend! I stayed right here at home this weekend so I thought it'd be apt to show the second part in my mini series: my 'My home captured by Karin'. This is my bedroom. We've only recently moved up stairs to the top floor (from this room) and I am so happy we did. I love the high ceiling, floor to ceiling windows and balcony, it all feels so bright and airy.

Karin Björklund 

So many pieces I'm not sure where to start on the 'I spy' front! Chinese stools: Lovely & Company, Gold bedside table lamp: vintage, Wall light: Hay, knitted throw and linen bedding: H&M Home, Peacock chair: flee market find, Book shelves: DIY by my husband, plant, plant pot and pendant light: IKEA. Picture behind bed side table: Muuto designed by All The Way To Paris.

My bedroom is not really finished, the next step is a lovely new rug to keep us toasty this Autumn / Winter. Any tips?

PS If you're up for a great give-away today, enter here to win a fab Lee Broom Crystal Table Lamp (hurry, you need to enter by midnight tonight!). I don't know why I'm telling you, I'm hoping to win it myself!!

Have a lovely Monday!

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The cosy home of a Swedish stylist

Hello February! I'm excited as I have so many things lined up this month including my book launch next week (sneak peak tomorrow) and a holiday with my little family (to Sri-Lanka....have you been, tips welcome?!). I hope you've got some exciting things coming up too. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as it's still Monday after all - always a tricky day?! That's why I've chosen this lovely home, belonging to Swedish super stylist Pella Hedeby to cheer us all up. I once featured her previous home here and her current home here (that daybed) but couldn't resist sharing these new pictures captured by Sara Medina Lind for My Home - an exciting new Swedish magazine that hit the shelves last week. Let's take a peek....

Styling / home owner: Pella Hedeby. Photographer: Sara Medina Lind. My Home Magazine.

I love this space. To me, it has the perfect mix of vintage, quirky and designer pieces. And the wood / natural materials give it a warm and cosy touch....perfect home tour to kick off the week don't you think?!

Get the look: sitting room - Bertoia side chair, Kubus candleholder, Lohals rug, this concrete coffee table is similar, BestLite wall lamp. Dining room: Wishbone chairs, vintage chopping boards, sheepskin rug. Bedroom: Koushi lamp, dark grey bed linen, source a vintage step ladder here. Bathroom: Aesop hand wash.

Sara (the photographer behind this shoot) has a lovely home which I once showed here and here.  She was also the photographer behind these pictures of a Santorini hotel (imagine?!).

Speaking of getting away from it all - those of you following me on instagram, will know I've got a slight obsession with the Faroe Islands right now. I've been dreaming about skipping the working and staying at this cabin with a turf roof instead - what do you think, fancy joining me?!The plane leaves at 7......

Failing that, I'd be happy to wile away the day in this pool looking out over the ocean - or maybe this natural pool - I'm not fussy....

Elsewhere....

This moss bubble house is crazy and beautiful, all at the same time!

Love this pretty pale blue work space wall (check out the full tour of The Brunswick studio of ceramicist Lucile Sciallano here).

And just how fabulous is Lino Bo Bardis' glass house?

Have a great start to the week and if it's a tough one remember....this.

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A stunning home on an island outside Stockholm

Do you have a dream home in mind? Or perhaps you are lucky enough to already live in it? I like my home and there are some great things about a modern space - can you see the 'but' coming?! But I do dream of living in an old house one day. And in my mind it looks exactly like Mari Stregnheilm Nord's home in the Stockholm archipelago. Just in case you need a reminder, here are some more pictures of Mari's beautiful home captured by Lina Östling. Mari's home, which she shares with hr husband and two young children, has been renovated using a palette of white, grey and green and furnished with a beautiful mix of vintage and antique finds as well as items found on travels. Let's take a tour...

Photography: Lina Östling (shared with kind permission). Stylist and home-owner: Mari Strengheilm Nord. Found via The Style Files with thanks.

So beautiful don't you think?

I especially love the kitchen (the table and chairs!). Since this picture was taken Mari has renovated and it now looks like this (with the floor painted in S 2000-N from Nordsjö. I also like the curtain room divider - perfect way of stopping room to room drafts and also adding a touch of cosiness!

This 'how to paint diamonds on the floor' guide is really helpful to get the same effect on your hallway (or elsewhere in your home). 

Source beautiful vintage industrial pendant lights like the ones shown in Mari's home here.

Another space that falls into my dream home category is this artist's home in a former school - the light! Could you live here?!

What does your dream home look like?

Have a lovely day!

PS Lina has such a beautiful blog. 

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A bright and cheerful Dutch family home

Oh do I have a refreshingly bright, cheerful family home to share with you today. Located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Lenneke and Joey's charming townhouse is like a little ray of sunshine (much needed on a grey morning in Southerm Sweden I must say!). The pair decorated the home from scratch using several bucket loads of white paint, cheerful second hand pieces and a lorry load of love and patience. The result is a lovely, warm home with a unique signature style.

Photography: Jansje Klazinga, Styling: Emmy van Dantzig.  Shared with kind permission.

Such a lovely space don't you think? I always think The Dutch have a wonderful knack for injecting colour into a home, and this family has proved it once again!

Items in Lenneke and Joey's home I know and love: Dining - Eames chairs, gold / kilim cushions, Tripp Trapp children's chair. Sitting room - Beni ourain rug, this beautiful black vintage scissor lamp is similar, pick up a vintage industrial stool here. Hallway - rustic bench, panama hat, Swedish Kånken rucksack, little yellow and white children's boots. Bedroom - pink linen bedding, lovely throw with pom poms (also seen in this fab bedroom).

You can see more pics of this charming home over at VT Wonen here.

Jansje came to photograph my home a few years ago and it was such a fun, memorable day! Here are some more homes she's captured and I've featured: Valentina Fussell's lovely Copenhagen home, a Dutch home in a former kindergaten, and a home in The Netherlands with red floors (you'll be pleasantly surprised!).

A few other links I love today:

Five ways to add character to a kids room.

Sitting room storage by String (and a new way to add plants to the home). 

How to make drawer pulls from just about anything (our bathroom cabinet hasn't had door handles for several months now - looks like some craft DIY is in order!).

And finally - black bedding? Why not! (This set is on sale.... just saying!).

How to get Scandi-style for your interior by Amara (including a quote from yours truly....:).

Have a wonderful day!

PS Thank you so much to My Warehouse Home for a great review of my book (I'm going to have to pick-up your latest edition, it looks fab!). 

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A vintage inspired Swedish home full of soul

Every now and again I stumble across a beautifully unique, creative, Swedish home that's full of soul.  This is one of them. Tuva Minna Linn, husband Peter and their two children and dog live in a former missionary house in the countryside in Southern Sweden. The house dates back to 1921 and is teeming with vintage treasures and beautiful patterns, and designed throughout so all the family can feel happy and relaxed. So wonderful! A few weeks ago photographer Kristin Lagerqvist (who's home I once featured here), paid a visit.....

Photography: Kristin Lagerqvist Interior design: Tuva Minna Linn

So lovely! And so lovely life!

The wallpapers, the textiles, the quirky art, the one-off pieces. It's all so inspiring, don't you think?

Is there anything that catches your eye?

Get the look from Minna's home: Boucherouite rugs (this one is beautiful - it's a one-off though so you'd need to be quick!) and vintage kilims (love these!), this leather chesterfield is similar, Minna sells vintage kimonos in her online shop. Children's bed canopy and bunting. Try William Morris for similar wallpaper (Hyacinth is a pretty one). 

You can see the full tour of Minna's home here. You might also like to check out Minna's lovely blog, instagram and online shop Oddlovin'. 

Other homes captured by Kristin include the lovely Swedish home of Johanna Bradford, the boho home and studio of an artist and florist and a dairy in the Swedish countryside. Sooooo beautiful, in a fab boho way.

Have a lovely day!

PS With my favourite month of the year just round the corner there are so many exciting things coming up on My Scandinavian Home  (even if I say so myself!) including a big give-away this evening and a tour of my home with Christmas touches tomorrow (I've been busy with my little elves! Always nerve-racking to share too - eeeeek!), as well as lots of other Nordic Christmas inspiration (and of course the usual Scandinavian inspired home tours)....soooooo excited!

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