A 19th Century Swedish Cottage Where the Past Meets the Present

In the space of three years, owners Malin, Wilhelm and their daughter Olivia have transformed a former Fisherman's cottage in beautiful Österlen, South Sweden into a light-filled family home. A combination of white, wood and concrete, the living space has gone through a total gut renovation and appears way more spacious than its 85 m2 (914 f2) thanks to the airy open-plan layout and wonderful high ceilings. Malin and Wilhelm were keen to flirt with the past - and signs of the original 1870 architecture are everywhere: exposed beams, wood panelling and on the upper level - the original floor which has been whitewashed - all of which adds oodles of charm! At this time of year, life spills outside where several seating areas and an abundance of fruit trees await! Anna Truelsen and Jonas Lundberg paid a visit to take these pictures. 

What a summer oasis! 

I can't even begin to imagine the level of work the family have put into this renovation (it would be so interesting to see the 'before' pictures - apparently it was in a total state when they bought it!). 

The bedrooms in particular really stood out to me - I love the dark wood exposed beams, they add a wonderful contrast to the room. 

Is there anything that stood out to you? 

Österlen is a lovely part of Skåne (the county I live in) and known for its beautiful landscape and light, attracting many artists. 

I recently featured this house in Österlen, being sold by Laura and Nora of Our Food Stories and out of coincidence, I met the new owner at a party last week (Sweden is a very small world!). Needless to say, they were thrilled and can't wait to spend summer there! 

Other houses I've featured (and love) from the area include:

Marianne's charming Swedish country home

The before and after pictures of a Swedish fire station that became a home

A 100-year-old Southern Sweden house

A charming shaker-style Swedish country kitchen in Österlen

Here in Sweden, the sun is shining, and the school summer holidays have begun (queue very messy house and an empty food cupboard!). This afternoon, I'm sneaking off over the bridge to Copenhagen to see all the latest design news from 3 Days of Design. If you'd like to follow along, head over to my instagram stories! 

Wishing you all a lovely, sunny day! 

Niki

Homeowner: Malin Hansmark

Photography: Jonas Lundberg 

Styling: Anna Truelsen

Featured in LEVA&BO

READ MORE...

1

Summer at this Swedish pool villa?

Not far from Kivik, a summer paradise on Sweden's Southeast coast, you'll find the picturesque village of Södra Mellby - not far from where Nora and Laura of Our Food Stories used to have their charming summer house. It's well worth a visit by bike - but for those of you who fall in love, you might want to think about snapping up this villa!

The two-bedroom open-plan villa has clearly been revamped by someone with a keen eye for design - and has absolutely everything you might need to rock about in style all summer! I for one, would be perfectly happily flitting between the white linen sofa, to coffee at the rustic table, followed by an afternoon siesta on the daybed (curtains can be pulled across at night to form a bedroom). But on days like today (the sun is shining in South Sweden!), the pool and outdoor kitchen are surely where the action is! 

Note the magnificent ceiling height and the blend of natural materials from concrete and wood to linen and wool - which add so much texture! Ready to dream? 

The villa is laid out over two floors with a bedroom on each. Sometimes it can be hard to gauge the configuration so I've shared the plan below. There is also a separate dwelling with a further bedroom. 

Sovrum - bedroom, kök - kitchen, vardagsrum - living room. 

Could you imagine living here? 

One to share with Per I think, I can already see him setting up the barbecue and our Friday night drinks around the pool! 

Would you like to see a few other pool villas today? It would be rude not too with the lovely weather we have in Scandinavia right now! Here are a few of my favourites: 

A Swedish photographer's magnificent pool villa (the cat steals the show!). 

Airbnb tip - the Stonecutter's farm on the island of Öland

18 ideas to steal from a Swedish pool villa, from budget to blowout

Also, take a peek at 10 small pools for every space and budget and 15 outdoor shower and bathroom ideas!

Niki

Photography courtesy of Erik Olsson, with thanks. 

READ MORE...

4

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! 

READ MORE...

5

A charming home on Sweden's west coast

Happy Friday! Woohoo! Ive got a thing about Friday home tours - I feel a need to find a space I'd like to hang out in all weekend. Something homely, charming and personal. And just a little bit cool too. I This home fits the bill! Kristin Lagerkvist is the blogger behind Krickelin, owner of shop For Good Luck and a stylist and photographer. her creativity shines through in her previous home and now her wonderful new home which she shares with her family in Varberg on Sweden's west coast.  The space has been decorated with lovely vintage and antique touches, an abundance of art and a dramatic dark blue accent colour. Let's take a peak inside Kristin's world. 

Kristin Lagerqkvist - Elle Decoration

What a lovely, relaxed home, don't you think? So personal!

Get the look: Panton globe pendant lamp (over dining table), Thonet chair, macrame hanging plant holder, source a beautiful Beni Ourain rug here. I'm a big fan of antique rocking chairs with cane seating - this vintage one is lovely. Kristin painted the walls with Dijon which she added some black to. For a similar colour you could also try Stiffkey or Hague blue.
 
See more lovely pictures of her home over at Elle Decoration Sweden.

I also love this beautiful home of an artist / florist, also in Varberg. 

Other great links from around the web today:

How to make a super quick and simple cushion for a stool (DIY project for the weekend?!).

It looks like everyday is Friday in the cheerful studio of Joy Cho.

Thoughts on a radiator that pops?

What was I saying yesterday about avocado?! 

Speaking of food - I love this mouth-watering interview with Laura and Noma of beautiful blog Our Food Stories (check out this ice-cream....mmmm!).

If you're looking for some music to play on Spotify over the weekend I love Swedish singer Melissa Horn (such a beautiful voice and a current favourite!).

I hope you have a great weekend - any fun plans?

See you Monday! 

READ MORE...

3

11 Coffee Table Ideas For Every Style And Budget

Coffee tables are making a true style statement right now - and can give your sitting room a lift in an instant. The best thing of all this season? The options are limitless, and the rules are: there ain't no rules! As long as you love it and it serves its purpose you're all sorted! Here's my pick of 11 coffee table ideas for every style and budget.

1. Going boho (above) - the vintage chest in photographer Anna Malmberg's Stockholm home adds texture to the space and doubles up as storage! I'm sure it has plenty of stories to tell too!

2. On a high - Lauren MacLean rests her wares on a Superellipse Side table* from West Elm (the slim size makes it ideal for small spaces) in her Montreal apartment. For something a little lower, try the Superllipse coffee table*.

3. Vintage blues - queen of colour Sofie Amalie made her coffee table using a coloured laminate MDF board that she bought from a carpenter who had leftovers and attached it to some legs. "There are many great coffee table legs to be found online in places like Etsy," Sofie tells me. The table adds a pop of colour while balancing out the art work on the back wall in her wonderful apartment in the Danish capital.

4. Going Low  -all of the tables in Lovisa Häger's Stockholm apartment, including this 'barely there' low glass Lair coffee table, are her own fabulous design. 

5. Doubling up - Swedish photographer and visual storyteller Jasmina Bylund has combined a Menu Turning Table* with a By on design in her cosy Stockholm home (note - look for tables with different heights so they can overlap).

6. Keeping it clean - the super talented Katerina Dima has opted for a Menu plinth marble coffee table* in her minimalist Norwegian home, adding to the contemporary look and feel of the room.

7. A round-up - Laura & Nora of Design Tales and Our Food Stories fame have rounded up two lovely Frama Sintra Side Tables in their Berlin home. I love how they've combined black and white marble. Plus they can move them around depending on who's sitting where. Smart!

8. On a roll - Swedish photographer and stylist Karin Boo Wiklander has squared up with a FontanaArte Tavolo Con Ruote glass coffee table in her 'super snygg' West Coast Home. The shape works particularly well with an L-shaped sofa and large open space. Just make sure your kids keep their paws off, or there'll be a whole lot of polishing required!

9. Bench mark - I've been using a simple rustic bench as a coffee table in my living room for years and it's so handy. Not only is it extra long, it also doubles up as extra seating at the table and as a place for books and clothes at the end of my bed. These guys* sell similar (very beautiful) benches like this.

10. Cool Concrete - freelance interior stylist and CEO of Molge Decor Carla Sofie Molge has opted for a simple round Gallery Coffee Table from House Doctor, a contemporary, monochrome look which is perfectly in keeping with the rest of her soothing Danish home.

11. Feeling reflective -  and last but not least, perhaps one of the hottest trends right now, a Kristina Dam Mirror Table bounces light around in the heart of Sidsel Garsdel's elegant Copenhagen home.

Did you have a favourite look?

I love the mirrored ones - and I'll always have a soft spot for vintage!

Have a fabulous day friends!

Niki

Affiliated links marked with *

READ MORE...

6

Cosy Autumn Ideas From Laura and Nora's Beautiful Homes

I have heard that Autumn is fairly late around the Northern Hemisphere this year, is this the case where you are? In Sweden, it has hit us with full force! Think blustery gusts sending golden leaves spiralling through the chilly October air and dark candlelit days. It's definitely time to update the home to embrace the golden season to the full! 

I have been following Laura and Nora for many years and never tire of the beautiful inspiration they share. Famous for their recipes, the pair live in Germany (although once flirted with a summerhouse in Southern Sweden) and love to share snapshots of their apartment in Berlin and country home. Here are some Autumnal (that's 'fall' for you guys across the pond!) touches from their living spaces (including several tablescapes!) to get us into the spirit and fill us with ideas for the new season ahead. 

Nothing says Autumn like an artisan teapot* and a steaming cuppa to warm the cockles! 

A little side table in their outhouse can be pulled out at dinnertime. At this time of year, small items foraged from the great outdoors help to bring nature in. Why not create a simple bowl of acorns, conquers and other items for an instant display. 

Blankets are your best friend in Autumn and winter - add them to sofas, armchairs and beds so that you can curl up, get cosy and keep the chill at bay! 

Cosy sheepskins add to the cosiness of the season. This Danish-made Little Petra chair is a favourite of mine, but simply draping sheepskins* on furniture can make a difference! 

A thick rug (by Cappelen Dimyr) and branches with berries help to add a cosy in-season touch to their cosy sitting room. 

A simple vase of foraged branches with golden leaves looks so pretty on the dining table. 

Or if you'd like to go all out, hang branches from the ceiling for an autumn dining table with wow factor! 

Edible berries and fallen leaves make a charming touch to the table setting. 

I couldn't resist sharing a snapshot from their powder room. Although tiny, it packs a punch thanks to the textured wall, pretty tiles and linen towel. 

Extend the season outdoors by adding string lights, candles and plenty of cushions and blankets! 

Pumpkins make a really lovely touch to the autumn table. I've noticed that  green pumpkins are particularly popular this season! 

Rustic linen in tones of brown add to the texture of the season and a bouquet of Autumn flowers ensures a burst of colour. 

Don't forget to wrap up warm in cosy knits to keep the chill at bay! 

Trust Nora and Laura to create such beautiful autumn table scapes - great inspiration for the coming months, don't you think?

Is there a particular way you like to update your home in Autumn? if so, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. 

In the meantime, here is a little more Autumn inspiration for the weekend: 

11 Autumn updates to steal from a Danish home

5 mysiga autumn ideas from a Swedish country home

5 cosy Autumn trends, Scandinavian style

Have a cosy weekend! 

Niki

Photography: Our Food Stories, shared with kind permission

READ MORE...

2