A lovely family home in a former kindergaten

Our Christmas tree was cast out last night (always a sad moment!). This can only mean one thing: it's time for early spring, I even brought some tulips (optimist)! What better way to kick off the season than the lovely home of Britta and her daughter Emma Lotta in Oldenburg, Germany? Britta is influenced by Scandinavian style (she works as an interior design specialist for IKEA) and has decorated the space using a monochrome and pastel colour scheme. Her abode also reminds me of  some of the Dutch spaces we've seen (such as this and this home) so I wasn't surprise to discover she also enjoys design inspiration trips to Holland. The beautiful old building used to be a kindergaten and has now been transformed into a lovely, harmonious home decorated with a mix of IKEA pieces, vintage finds and nordic design items thanks to Britta's innate sense of style. Bring on spring pastels!

Home and photography: Britta (with kind permission). Via Solebich

Anything you love about this home in particular?

I love the entrance hall- it's simply stunning!! (more hallway inspiration here).  

A few items I know and love - if helpful?: Sitting room: J110 Hay chair, Lenn Bakker grey carpet, stockholm black and white rug, Karlstad sofa.  Kitchen: Industrial pendant lights: IB Laursen, the dining table is vintage,  the Shelf and chair are from IKEA. Office: chair and table, IKEA. Brakig boxes, Lenn bakker decorative boxes. Children's room: many of the items can be found at IKEA. Pastel pom poms. The print is man in the moon.

You can see more pictures of this lovely home here (interview in German).


PS The US version of the free My Scandinavian Home Calendar 2015 is now fixed and ready for you to print! I'm currently looking for pictures of 'February' to show here on the blog - so if you have a fun pic please do send it over!

Have a lovely day!

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Before + After: An Attic Becomes A Light + Airy Guest Bedroom

I'm into tricky spaces at the moment - and love seeing how they can be transformed. Today's make-over sees a cramped attic space in an 1800s farmhouse in the Catskills transformed into a lovely, bright and airy guest bedroom. The house is owned by florist turned writer Lisa Przystup and husband Jonathan Linaberry and used as a weekend retreat; a perfect respite from a more hectic life in Brooklyn, New York. The tools? A lick of paint, a selection of charming furniture and some delightful accessories. In other words - completely cosmetic and not costing the earth either! So, if you've got a spot in your home that's currently full of stuff (don't worry, we all have one!) I think you'll find this hands on DIY make-over truly inspiring!

Before

The attic was already in quite good condition when the couple acquired the house and just needed simple updates like clearing out the clobber, a fresh coat paint on the floor and walls and some pretty pieces! 

Honestly - this is nowhere near the amount of stuff we currently have in our attic - in fact, my husband and I would be congratulating ourselves if our storage looked like this! But still, it's not quite guest bedroom ready! 

After

The pair wanted to keep the backdrop monochromatic to fit the look and feel of the rest of the home. They painted the floors in Tricorn Black and the walls in Extra White by Sherwin-Williams. 

A simple belgian linen blind in oatmeal with a black-out lining adds softness to the space while keeping the sunlight out and a pair of pendant lights have been hung from a single power outlet on the ceiling and hooked to either side of the bed to serve as reading lights (I love this idea - Holly Marder did something similar in this bedroom she designed). Magic Linen is a great source for linen bedding* like this! 

Although pared-back, the bedroom has a lot of charm thanks to the blend of old and new - like this chest-of-drawers left behind by the previous owners and a more contemporary leather and brass chair.  The chest-of-drawers is also perfect for guests staying a little longer, my Mother always says "you've never truly arrived somewhere until you've unpacked."

Every guest room needs a little mirror and side table and these fit perfectly against the central pillar. Feathers and other items found in the Catskills serve as a wonderful reminder of the fantastic nature on their doorstep (I was lucky enough to visit the Catskills for my book The Scandinavian Home and I've been wanting to return ever since, it's a magical place!). 

The room is entered via this beautiful reclaimed door which was already in place when they bought the house. They deliberately left it as it was in order to make it a feature. The folding chairs belonged to one of their grandfathers and serve as extra seating when guests come to stay (source similar vintage ones here*). 

Wow! So simple, yet so lovely! 

I'm already wondering if we should finally do something with our attic space - or even somewhere else in the home. 

Are you feeling inspired too?! 

I first spotted this wonderful make-over on Remodelista (read more about the room and see more pictures here).

If you love a before + after as much as I do, you might also like to brighten up your Monday with these:

A dated 1950's Danish house gets a fabulous make-over

A dingy garage becomes a bright guest house

A dated bathroom becomes a cosy, tranquil oasis

Here's to an inspiring week!

Niki

Photography: Sarah Elliott, shared with kind permission. Design Lisa Przystup

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Anne's Enchanting Family Home in Lille, France

We woke up to pure sunshine today - a true diamond of a day! Honestly such a gift in Southern Sweden in January: it's like a heavy lid has been lifted! A quick walk by the sea at lunchtime is definitely in order. But that's only if I can peel myself away from Le Chien à Taches - my latest blog and instagram find! The account is curated by Anne, a freelance graphic designer based in Lille, France who loves to share her latest home updates and travels as well as beautiful snapshots of family life with husband Kevin,  daughter Ninon and Dalmatian Maggie. Their family home is an eclectic blend of white-washed rooms, darker more cocoon like spaces and soft rose pink which serves as a backdrop for furniture in a blend of materials such as rattan, mid-century teak, wool and rustic vintage wood. It's hard not to feel enchanted by each and every room!

Bamboo pendant lights*, these hexagon tiles are similar

Hay Mags sofa

The gorgeous chair is from La Redoute (out of stock?)

Marshall Stanmore Bluetooth Speaker*

This Mustard yellow / golden linen bedding* is similar

Paint colour: Vieux Rose, Organic birch baby arch, Fiona Walker giraffe, Ligne Confetti cot

Such a lovely home, don't you think?

That Maggie *heart eyes*!

I also love Anne's pictures from her travels and everyday life (seen here) - such beautiful angles!

After a little more interiors inspiration today? Here are three homes I absolutely love thanks to their use of colour: 

A home with pretty pastels and inspiring details

Hygge and pops of colour in a Danish home

Home tour: how to add colour the Danish way

Have a lovely, sunny day!

Niki

PS On a total side note - I'm curious to know - does anyone else suffer from vertigo? I mean, the dizzy-room spinning-feeling sick kind of vertigo? I tend to get it when I'm feeling a little stressed and it's the worst feeling :( Would love to hear from anyone else that suffers from it. 

//Photography: Anne / Le Chien à taches

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A Photographer's Inviting Home On The Danish island of Bornholm

Many years ago, Per and I sailed to the beautiful Danish island of Bornholm, in the Baltic Sea. We explored the picturesque villages, vast open spaces and rugged coastline by bike, stopping every now and again to pop into a gallery or atelier and buy vegetables and fruit from an honesty stall. The one thing we didn't get to do was peek behind one of the pretty facades. That is, until today - as I have just discovered the portfolio of Danish photographer and visual content creator Sofie Hammer. Originally from Copenhagen, Sofie and her family reside on Bornholm - enjoying "the everyday gift of nature, the sea and tranquillity". The granddaughter of a sculptor and daughter of a musician, Sofie's creativity shines through in her photography, styling and the way she has decorated her home. Think earthy tones, an eclectic blend of furniture and art by local craftspeople. Welcome to Sofie's hyggeligt world! 

Vase by local ceramicist Mette Duedahl. Pick up a vintage map of Bornholm here*. 

The window seat mattress was custom made by Mother and daughter company ABA Design & Living

Stacked chairs from TAKT, vase by Mette Duedahl

Bedding from Tiny Tiny, wall hanging from Hagelens and art by Katerina*

Pieces from The Simple Folk Co, MarMar Copenhagen, Grech & Co and Monsieur Mini

How lovely! 

I'm particularly drawn to the way Sofie has sourced furniture and accessories from small businesses - some of which are handmade - it makes her home feel so personal. The brown tones also add a warm and inviting touch!

Is there anything that caught your eye?

Find out more about Sofie's photography over on her home page and see more beautiful snapshots of her home on @by_sofiehammer. 

I'm so looking forward to revisiting this wonderful island again one day. In the meantime, I'll be dreaming about it every time I turn on my mouth blown glass pendant lights which were made on the island! I hope you will also get the opportunity one day too, it's a must if you visit Scandinavia! 

Other homes you might like to take a look at today include a beautiful Danish ceramicist's home by the sea, a charming danish summer cottage on the island of Fejø and a family home in the danish fishing village of Dragør. Ooooh so inspiring! 

Ha en dejlig dag! 

Niki

Photography: Sofie Hammer - shared with kind permission

*affiliate link

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Hygge and Pops of Colour in a Danish home

Hello! I hope you had a fabulous weekend?! The sun's still shining here in Sweden and the dulcet tones of Hanna Järver (thank you for the tip Karolina Modig!) are drifting over from the speakers on the other side of my office! I have a feeling this is going to be a good week, don't you? I thought we'd kick off with the lovely Danish villa of Louise, the creative blogger behind Mor till Mernee, her partner and two children Merle and Neel in Jutland. Welcome to a vibrant family home, filled with interesting art, mid-century classics, wall colours that change according to the season and an all round warm, happy vibe!

In the sitting room Louise has opted for a nougat colour. It's a unique blend that looks a little like a lighter, warmer version of the LADY Pure Color 10961 Raw Canvas. I think the pale pink, red and nougat make a pretty, warm combination, don't you?

Nothing says hygge like a sleeping cat! Don't have a cat?! You can get the vibes from Purrli (I had the sound on for five minutes and kept thinking a feline friend was about to bat my pen - not as relaxing as anticipated!).

The lovely AKARI 3AD light sculpture lamp looks great with the coloured art work on the wall which includes HAND / Paw with golden nails and V. Lundstrom - Opstilling med Kander.

One of the tricks with using colour is balance. Here, Louise has complimented the aforementioned print with a pink junior vernon panton chair.

The dining area is all about the classics. I spy the VP Globe suspension light, wishbone chair and a bright coloured Eames.

A vintage Moroccan rug (source similar here) pops against the white floor and dark grey IKEA kitchen cabinets. I'm loving all the higgledy piggledy crockery on the open shelves too!

A print by Kristine Hellesoe, cushions by Eline Engen (who's home I once featured here) and a restartmilano wall light make a pretty combination in the corner of the sitting room.

The pink wall colour is carried up the stairwell to the upper floor where Merle and Neel sleep.

Merle and Neel's bedrooms are full of vibrant colours and playful details including a Miffy night light and a pair of Series 7 chairs.

All photography © Louise / Mor till Mernee

Oj oj oj. What a fabulous home. So unique, warm and inviting!

Is there anything that stands out to you?

I particularly loved all the items that add pops of colour. I kind of listed some of the pieces as I went along, but to make things a easier, here's a round-up:

Get The Look from Louise's home

1. Eames Molded Fiberglass 4-Leg Side Chair
2. Uden titel
3. Paw with golden nails
4. FLOS IC Lights S Pendant
5. Vintage cushion cover
6. AKARI 3AD LIGHT SCULPTURE
7. VP Globe Suspension Lamp
8. Panton Junior Verner Panton, 1954 Pale pink

If you'd like to see more of Louise's home, there's plenty of inspiration on her lovely blog and instagram here.

And for more Danish home inspiration I'm loving this charming Danish home on a shoestring budget, the cool Copenhagen home of a typographer and a relaxed, mid-century inspired home. 

Have a dejlig start to the week! 

Niki

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