I Found The Perfect Table and Chairs For Our Tiny cabin!

Paid partnership with  Skovby, all words and photos are my own and I only ever work with brands I love

Tjena! I hope you had a great weekend! We spent some time up at our little cabin and I'm really excited to share some snapshots of our new dining area with you. I can't begin to describe the feeling when we all sat down for our first family meal there (take-away pizza, so glam!).  

When it comes to furnishing a small space (30 m2 / 322 ft sq.) I've quickly learned that choosing less and choosing right is key, otherwise the space can quickly become cluttered.

These were the criteria I had in mind for our dining area:

1. The table needed to be small but still easily seat four

2. The table should be round to save space and avoid knocking into the corners

3. The table needed to be extendable for extra guests 

4. There should be extra seating which could be stacked to one side 

Danish brand Skovby has been a My Scandinavian Home partner for many years now - and I've always appreciated the high quality craftsmanship of their Denmark-made furniture (you might recall the glass cabinet, Per's desk, the coffee tables as well as countless other pieces). This little gem of a #120 dining table with white oil oak legs and a black laminate surface was the first to spring to mind for our cabin! 

The round table is a compact 102 cm in diameter and extendable with up to two leaves (available to buy separately), which means you can comfortably seat 6 or 8 people depending on how many leaves you add. Perfect! 

Chair wise, I chose the #807 dining chair in oak white oil. You know me, I love wood, it has such a warm feel, and the shell shape has some flex which makes it comfy. But if you want to go all out on the comfort, this model is available with upholstery for a soft touch, and the #802 version also comes with armrests.

I also picked up some #840 stools (in oak white oil) which can be stacked to the side when not in use (we've also already used them as a bedside table, sofa side table and a footrest!).  

I love that its sustainably made from leftover production wood (I first spotted it during my visit to the Danish Skovby carpenter workshop earlier this spring and picked one up there and then!). 

I hope you like the table and chairs as much as we do! In case you're interested in any of these pieces for your own small space, Skovby is available almost worldwide (find your nearest stockist here).

Incidentally, the table is available in 9 different finishes including oak white oil and white laminate tops - you can see all the variations here. 

In case you're wondering about the ladder, it can be removed and placed elsewhere when needed - but I guess someone could perch there too!

Give me a shout if you have any questions about anything in these pictures -I'd be happy to help! If you'd like to add any small space tips and tricks of your own, I'm all ears as the cabin is far from finished! 

I hope to be able to share a post about our kitchen - including all the details - soon (look closely and you'll see the knobs are missing). Watch this space! 

Wishing you all a great start to the week! 

Niki 

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home

Styling: Helen Sturesson

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The Full Tour of Our Tiny Cabin in Sweden!

As the year is slowly coming to a close, I've been looking back at the last twelve months and some of my projects. The one I am most proud of and that gives my family and I an unbelievable amount of joy is our tiny cabin. I absolutely love it. It may only be 30m2 (322 f2), but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in soul! It's hard to imagine that this time last year it was a patch of grass! Here's the complete low down. 

Design

We had a clear vision of how we wanted the cabin to look both inside and out. We turned to talented local architect Anela Tahirovic to help us realise this. Anela was such a joy to work with and sketched a design which perfectly matched our minds eye! 

Inside, we wanted a space where we could be together as a family. We realised that having a separate master bedroom would eat into the main living space, so instead we decided to create an open-plan space with a lower bedroom and upper sleep loft. We also wanted a well-functioning kitchen and bathroom so that it would work as an independent living space. 

The tour!

The exterior of the cabin is clad in different widths of pine which have been treated with 'järnvitriol' (iron sulphate) to give the wood a long-lasting grey-brown weathered appearance. 

The glass doors and windows are from Danish brand Velfac. All the glass doors open up to create a seamlessness between the indoors and outdoors in summertime. In winter it's the perfect space for a little 'light therapy'! 

While we love having so much glass, the downside is that it can heat up incredibly quickly come on a hot summers day. To counter this we had to install a heater / air conditioner (from Electrolux). This wasn't in the original plan, but it's actually turned out to be great as we can maintain 10 degrees Celsius heat in winter to stop the pipes from freezing - and quickly cool the space down on very hot days (few and far between but necessary, especially in the upper sleep loft!). 

We also added bespoke blinds to reflect the sun and heat - and also of course, to block out the light at night. 

Meanwhile, in the kitchen... our Veddinge kitchen cabinets are from IKEA and we added bespoke wooden oak shelves, made from panels bought in a local hardware store. We had the cabinets spray painted in Blek Sand (NCS S2005-Y20R) by Swiss Metod prior to installation. The worktop is a simple laminate one from Hornbach. We installed Helix knobs in antique brass from Beslag Online and a tap from Cristina Rubinetterie.

The kitchen also contains a fridge, small freezer, sink, recycling unit and a portable plug-in stove (all from IKEA). See the complete design plans, more pictures and all the details here.  

The wooden slats and ladder were handmade by a local carpenter. The ladder is detachable and moveable so it can be used for accessing the sleep loft but also to reach items higher up in the kitchen. 

The wood floor and panelling are both from Norrlands Trä (read more about our selection here). 

The extendable table is by Skovby (see it extended here) and the chairs are from Carl Hansen & Søn (these were only on loan for a photoshoot sadly, aren't they lovely?!) but I can also recommend Skovby chairs and stackable Vega chairs for a table like this. 

One of the most essential features for us right form the start was a woodburning stove. We got ours from Swedish brand Contura (see more pictures and details here). There's nothing quite like waking up to a roaring fire on a cold winters day! It gives off an immense amount of heat so we haven't had to turn on the electric heating once this winter (bar the 10 degrees)! 

In the tiny sitting room area we have a Plico Chair (possibly my most treasured item of furniture, I love it!). 

We also went for a Folk sofa bed by Karup. It's ideal for extra guests, but also a cosy place to sleep by the fire come winter! 

We've had the rug for years, it's called 'Beni' from Barfuss Teppiche.

Our bed nook is just over 160 cm wide which provides a snug space for a double bed. We decided to have a built in bed with long drawers on wheels underneath for storage. Today we keep everything from our clothes and bed linen to towels, table cloths and games in the drawers. They are a godsend!  

The mistake we made was using a platform rather than slats. Mattresses need to be able to breathe, otherwise they can get damp and mouldy underneath. We try to air the mattress as much as possible to counter this, but at some point we'll need to drill holes in the platform. 

The sleep loft (which I've realised I've yet to photograph) has space for either three single mattresses or one double. The cabin is 4 metres high, which means there is still quite a lot of head room up there. The girls find it very cosy! 

The bathroom is kitted out with a sink, cabinet, mirror and loo from GSI ceramica and taps from Cristina Rubinetterie. The Tumbled Turtle floor tiles are from Stiltje (one of the areas we splurged). The walls were painted in Kalk by Jotun lady Aqua. 

We weren't sure whether to get a wall hung loo and taps or not as I was worried it would eat into the small space. But actually, wall hung was perfect as it create a natural shelf for all our bits and bobs! 

You can see the complete tour and get the full low down of our bathroom here. 

The hooks in the bathroom (from Norrgavel) serve as both bathroom storage and somewhere to hang our coats. The little stool is either used as a perch to take of your shoes on entering or drying off and moisturising after a shower (pick up a similar little wooden stool here*). 

Finally, the main entrance to the cabin is through the bathroom. We thought we had made a major mistake with this - and we certainly got some strange looks when we told other people about our plan. However, it turned out to be exactly the right decision. Not only do the hooks double up for towels and coats - but the tiled floor is ideal for wet / dirty shoes! Once inside, all the other doors open up so it can be exited and entered through those - it's just when you arrive! 

I hope you enjoyed the tour and seeing a little more of our cabin!

I think I've covered most things, but if you have any questions please do give me a shout below and I'll do my best to help! 

I'm so looking forward to spending a few days up at our little cabin this Christmas! 

Niki 

PS The next project is the garden (it was a complete mess after the build! Gaaaah!). Do you have any tips for me? It's a total blank canvas right now so a little overwhelming! Even so, it's fun to have something to focus on in 2023. 

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Favourite Small Touches in My Bedroom Right Now

You may have noticed that my bedroom has been the centre of attention these past few weeks. I reckon deep down it's because I'm preparing for my winter hibernation - and a whole load of reading under those bed covers! Do you find yourself naturally gravitating indoors over the autumn / winter too? I realised today that I've shared a load of info about the larger items in the room - such as the wall colour, as well as the armchair, headboard and bed covers (which reminds me, tomorrow is the last day to claim your 20% discount if you're looking to buy something from Bemz - more info here!), but since the devil is in the detail, I also wanted to share some info about the smaller pieces! 

I've had the bedside stool for years - and I have to say, it's one of my favourite pieces. I see they sell similar at the Old Wooden Stool* company. The Ikornnes mirror is from IKEA (I love the ash finish and that you can hang clothes on the rail on the back (maybe I might just hang my clothes up at night for once!).  

This beautiful wall light is the Arum wall light* by Danish brand Ferm Living. I love how it's similar to the wall colour yet still stands out due to its form. Do you like it too? 

On my bedside table is the pretty Vulca mini vase with grey dots and beside that is the Vulca mini vase agave - leaving just enough space for a coffee / glass of water and a book! Below is the large Vulca Vase* (do you see a pattern forming?). I love the irregularity and texture. 

Another new piece: the Motljus print* by Sandra Blomén Machinsky. 'Motljus' means 'backlight' in Swedish. It might make its way up on the wall soon, but for now, I love looking at it from my side of the bed! 

Our windowsill doubles up as a ledge for plants and books (and more often than not, a row of coffee cups and glasses!). I've also added the Anse vase* and Anse pot (how cool are the handles?).

Through the window, you can just make out the outline of a building - and beyond that, is the sea. When are neighbours have their curtains open, we can see the sparkling waters through their windows! I'm not sure if an estate agent would classify that as a 'sea view' but we'll take it! 

The bedside light is the classic Mantis BS3 table lamp - I've had it for donkeys and never grow tired of it. 

Peeking behind the vase is my book The Scandinavian Home - I don't usually surround myself with my own books, I promise! 

One of the most asked about items in my bedroom is the pendant light. It's from Paris au mois d'aout. It's also a point of contention as I've had a few comments questioning the size and height over the bed. It works for us, but I guess we're used to it! I love to play with scale and feel that it's important to have at least one thing in a room that's oversized. It adds so much interest. 

The bench is from Skovby and under foot is the Tisca Olbia rug (we painted the wood floor in 'Strong White' - from Farrow & Ball, which strangely, is actually a pale shade of grey!). 

I think that's everything but if I missed anything please do give me a shout below! 

Speaking of which, I'm working to fix commenting issues this week so bear with me if it looks a bit weird / not working in the way you'd like - hopefully it'll be resolved in the next few days. 

Har det så bra!

Niki

Photography: Niki Brantmark 

Styling: Helen Sturesson

*This post contains gifted press items and affiliate links - which means that if you click on a link and buy an item I might make a very teeny amount of money, perhaps enough to cover a morning coffee (a small one!). 

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Our Little Cabin Kitchen (with an IKEA hack!)

Guess what? Our little cabin kitchen (or should I say kitchenette) is finally finished! The cabinets have been in for a while, but the devil is in the detail, and all the hooks and doorknobs are now in place too! I'm looking forward to sharing all the details with you today!  

(See all the design plans for our 30 m2 / 322 f2 cabin on the Swedish West coast here). 

Inspiration

I love everything about the kitchen above by Nordiska Kök -  the grey-beige tone, clean look, the stone and the open wood shelves. I was also keen to bring in some dark grey stone to match the dramatic rocky shoreline in this part of Sweden. 

Floorplan

The designated kitchen area is small and centred around a mid-height window (174 cm wide). Even so we had several criteria: we needed a sink, fridge, small freezer, plenty of food storage and a recycling area. Notice that I haven't mentioned a stove or oven. 

We learned early on that installing a stove would mean it would become a property in its own right and would have electricity / water bill implications (gaaaah!) so we decided we'd use the stove in the main cottage for now. However, there are several options moving forward which include a gas barbecue, outdoor kitchen or even one of IKEA's pop up stoves. We'll see! 

Design

We explored many different kitchen brands, but to be honest, we simply couldn't believe how much even the tiniest of kitchens cost (have you found this too?) and since this is our second (little) home, they were all over our budget, so we had to get creative instead! 

When you're on a tight budget, I think IKEA kitchens are great. I'm a big fan of using them for the basics and then pepping them up by splurging on the details like the tap, handles and worktop. This is what we did in the main cottage kitchen several years ago, and I've been so happy with it! 

I also think the free IKEA kitchen planning service is great (no, this isn't sponsored by the Swedish giant, I promise!)  However, I was hoping to add a few personal touches, so I turned to my dear friend and interior designer Helen Sturesson for advice on how to incorporate hand-built shelves etc. And she sketched the above design. 

Ready to take a look at the results and find out more about the details? 

Results

We chose the Veddinge kitchen and then had it professionally spray painted by Swiss Metod / Lackera Köksluckor (my absolute go-to guys in Malmö) in Blek Sand (NCS S2005-Y20R). 

Worktop

I'd have loved a real stone worktop, but again our budget didn't quite reach for that now. I was really happy to find this laminate worktop at Hornbach. One day, maybe we'll swap it out for real stone, but I love this one for now! 

I think a high quality, beautiful tap is one of the most essential elements of a kitchen. It makes such a difference to the overall experience! We opted for the CRISTINA Rubinetterie CRIKT501 under window kitchen mixer in brushed old brass to match the bathroom taps. I love the finish!  

The sink is HAVSEN from Ikea. 

Handles

I was so happy to find these Cabinet Knob Helix - with a modern industrial vibe by Beslag Online (they have a load of beautiful knobs, hooks and furniture legs in their collection and sell throughout Europe).  The antique bronze matches the tap perfectly too! 

Shelves 

The open shelves were built by hand with oak slabs from Hornbach. I have to say, despite the faff, these are my favourite part of the kitchen - and so handy for cups and glasses and other items we use all the time. 

If we had installed a stove to the right, we wouldn't have been able to have these shelves there as we'd have needed to add a fan (I just wanted to point this out in case you're planning to do something similar). Maybe in the future, if we decide to get a stove, we'll have to do away with the upper right ones (sniff, sniff!). 

Lighting

An essential element - good lighting! In the above picture you can catch a glimpse of the subtle, Strömlinje LED light from IKEA which is connected to the wall switch and also has a remote control. The lighting is excellent, I have to say! 

We made one mistake. And that is that I should have used one panel instead of two on the front of the fridge (lower-centre). I got myself into a bit of a pickle with door handles - and may have used some photoshop trickery with this to show you how the end result will look with the knobs! However, in the long term I think I'll swap the two drawer fronts out to a single unit. What do you think? 

A few other things: 

We do have a kettle (hence all the teapots etc) - it's just not in shot!

The extendable table and chairs are from Danish brand Skovby (see my post about them here) and the ladder - which can be moved across to the kitchen, was built by a local carpenter. You can find all the information about the wood floor and panelling (by Norrlands Trä) in my post here. 

I hope you like our little kitchen as much as we do! 

If you have any questions, please give me a shout in the comments below and I'd be happy to help. 

Have a great weekend all, see you Monday! 

Niki

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24

A White, Light & Airy Cabin on a Danish Island

One for the minimalists - or simply those of you dreaming of owning a Danish cabin! Kristina, an Interior design consultant, has put her white washed cabin on the Danish island of Fur in the Limfjord, just North of the Salling Peninsula, on Jutlund on the market! The Dane has a penchant for all things minimalist, carefully curating her living spaces with only what is needed and nothing more (I've tried to source as many as I can for you!). Tones are soft and muted, with the odd splash of black for contrast, and the architect of the building (think wood panelling sloped ceilings and beams) shines through to add interest. The look is serene and calm - perfect for an interior designed for relaxing and switching off from the hustle and bustle of everyday life! 

Cabinets - Invita Aarhus, Tap - Quooker, VIPP bin

Washing up liquid - Humdakin

Port wood basket - Ferm Living

The Skovby #452 display cabinet is similar. 

Fritz Hansen 7 chair, Nordal bamboo pendant light

Sofa - Ellos

Quilt - Bonne Mere 

Blinds - Color & Co, 'You' print by Sofia Lind*, 'Motljus' by Sandra Blomén Maschinsky*

Mirror - Sika Design, Umi bench - Make Nordic

Lovely - like a breath of fresh air! - And just waiting for someone to come along and put their personal stamp on it! Sadly if I recall right, you are not allowed to buy a property in Denmark unless you are a Danish citizen. But a girl can dream, right? 

If you fit the criteria and interested - reach out to Kristina here. For all others, you might like to check out Kristina's inspiring feed which also includes pictures of her beautiful house in Randers, Denmark. 

Is there anything you love about Kristina's cabin in particular? Could you imagine spending your summers here? I've heard great things about the island of Fur. Sadly it's a little too far for us to sail to, but we're looking forward to discovering other Danish islands when we set sail this summer. Exciting! 

Would you like to see a few more Danish cabins today? 

A charming and relaxed Danish cabin by the sea

A light and airy coastal cabin

A light-filled Danish summer cottage that's available to rent

Before and after: a rundown cabin becomes a summer cottage

A little danish cabin in the woods

Happy Lillördag (little Saturday)! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of @_rosemille - shared with kind permission.

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