A Contemporary Yet Cosy Rural Retreat In The Catskill Mountains

A few years back I visited the Catskill Mountains to capture homes for my first book Modern Pastoral - it was a bit of a whirlwind tour and I've always vowed to return. When I do, I've earmarked the studio at Table on Ten. Table on Ten is a restaurant, cafe, inn and a gathering place for farmers and artists alike. It's located in Bloomville in the western Catskills, just a few hours from New York. Known as 'studio on the hill', the cabin stands alone on a 23 acre hillside overlooking the Catskill Mountains. It's simple and understated, yet contemporary and cosy - just the way I like it! Think vintage furniture and a roaring wood burning stove. Oh yes, and you're only a stone's throw from the best wood-fired sourdough pizza west of the Hudson! 

Did someone say wood-fired pizza?! Even if you don't stay onsite (Table on Ten also offers three other apartments through Airbnb) - it's well worth stopping by at the restaurant to take in the rural surroundings and treat your taste buds! 

Sound like your kind of holiday? Perhaps we'll meet around the table one day! 

You can find out more about Table on Ten here (for the foodies among you - there's a sample of the menu here) and book this studio on Airbnb. 

A few other homes /spaces in the Catskills I think you'll love: 

A Calm White House in the Catskill Mountains

A Black and White Retreat in The Catskills (I visited and captured this one for my book - it was even more wonderful in person!). 

Before and after: an attic in the catskills becomes a light and airy guest room

See you there?!

Niki

Photography courtesy of Table on Ten with thanks.

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Our New Foldable Outdoor Furniture at the Cabin

Sponsored by Carl Hansen & Søn, all words are my own and only work with companies I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the wonderful brands that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

Hej! In Sweden, the Easter week serves as an ideal opportunity to re-open the summer cottage after a long winter. Hearths are swept, cobwebs banished and now that the snow has thawed, furniture can be lifted outside once again. What a great moment! 

Having completed our tiny cabin in 2022, our attention has turned to the garden and one of the biggest steps was to choose a garden table. For someone who struggles to make decisions (ahem understatement!), this was no easy feat. Especially as I had criteria to fill such as it needing to be lightweight and easy to store away in winter as well as small enough to fit on the cabin decking (or moved around at whim!). And of course it needed to look beautiful too!  

In the end I settled on the beautiful Danish BM630 dining table from Carl Hansen & Søn. Designed by Børge Mogensen in the late 1960s, it's part of the Deck Chair Series and the table is made from solid teak. I fell in love with the slatted lines - and how practical it is as it folds completely flat!  

I love this view of the church. Every Saturday at 6pm the bell rings for the best part of five minutes (driving Per insane in the process!!). It is a tradition called 'helgmålsringning' that stems back to olden times to signify the start of weekend mass and the weekend as whole. 

I selected the BM4570 dining chairs to go with the table - also designed by Børge Mogensen and part of the same Deck Chair Series. They're made from solid teak with a suspended seat in water resistant Sunbrella fabric so we don't need to worry about a little rain here and there (important in this part of the world!). Best of all, they fold neatly away and can even be hung on the wall when not in use! 

And finally, since I was looking for a few versatile pieces, I chose the BM5768 deck chair footstool which doubles up as seating and a little teak BM5868 side table from the same collection. They're so nifty as they can be moved with you as you follow the sun! 

I hope you like our new outdoor table and chairs set! Now all we need is some sunshine. Roll on summer, we're ready for you!

In case you're on the look out, Carl Hansen & Søn has lots of other beautiful outdoor furniture too - the new collection in particular looks beautiful! 

Have you started preparing your garden for the summer yet? If so, you might like to check out these posts for some outdoor inspiration: 

8 ways to pep up your outdoor space, scandi style

A Swedish house with an outdoor kitchen and sofa area

7 boho ideas for outdoor areas (big and small)

10 ways to maximise your balcony or tiny outdoor area

Or perhaps you live in the southern hemisphere and winding down for the season? If so, do you do like the Swedes and store your furniture indoors or cover it up for protection? I'd love to know what's the norm around the world! 

I'll be back tomorrow with a final post before the holidays, hopefully see you then! 

Stor kram' from Sweden! 

Niki

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A Dated Home Becomes a Fresh, Modern Farmhouse

Ever since I stumbled across the portfolio of Pittsburgh based interior designer Leanne Ford and featured this incredible home, I've been a huge fan of her work! Leanne is currently the star, along with her brother and contractor Steve Ford, of Restored by the Fords on HGTV, which follows the siblings as they turn some of Pittsburgh's most dated buildings into magazine-worthy homes. Their latest project was to transform the Faraci family's pokey ground floor (made up of three rooms) into a fresh, open-plan space. I caught up with Leanne to find out more about the project...

What was the design brief?

I loved the Faraci family! They are so lovely and loving and their demands were rather simple! They wanted a simple and well designed home to be together as a family and to entertain in. The first floor of their house was separated by three walls when we got our hands on it. And of course, I removed them ALL. We wanted those in the kitchen to be able to see out the front window. And we wanted a more welcome communal living space for them.

What style were the family after and how did you achieve it? 

"They wanted a fresh and modern farmhouse style. We gave them all the classic fixings; subway tile, butcher block counters, classic white cabinets, open shelving, farm table down the center of the kitchen, simple design and decor. And I played with all of these features over the original and very beat up wooden floors. Though they started out as a kind of disaster to try to make them work, they ended up being my favorite feature of the home. Ain't that how it happens. The rough and vintage floor really adds life to the clean lines of the new kitchen." 

 Do you have a favourite feature from the make-over?  

That amazing modern "sculpture" of a stair case that Ed Zeiler from Wood N Wrench made us! We had to totally reconfigure where the staircase went after ripping walls out, so we played with the new "railing/wall" And made it a design feature.

 Did you experiment with anything new? 

"We did Board and Batton on the INSIDE of the home for a change. It was a simple and economical way to bring texture and character into this home. Over the coffee table you see a white chandelier that I TRIED to make... I would say this is one of those examples of letting art evolve...I certainly never set out to make the light look like that, but let's just say it really "wanted to" ;) The family made me feel better when they said it looks like something from the MOMA. I don't know about that, but... I'll take it!"

Photography: Alexandra Ribar

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful make-over with us Leanne!

If you love this look and want to steal a few ideas (I certainly will be!) - here's a quick guide:

Get the look

1. Nuvo lighting, warehouse shade
2. Vintage chopping board
3. Glass cake stand
4. Natural linen napkins
5. L:A Bruket liquid soap
6. Drip Glaze 16-Piece Place Setting
7. Tour Eiffel brackets  
8. IKEA armchair with Bemz Loose Fit Country cover (get 15% off design covers for IKEA furniture at Bemz with code '15myscandinavianhome' until 11th Feb - ships worldwide!).
9. Woven basket pendant light
10. Sisal natural jute rug

Ahhh, so inspired by this space - the statement basket lamp, the asymmetry of the chairs and bench around the table, the open shelves. So much to love. I hope it's inspired you too!

Have a lovely day.

****

Complete Source list:

Kitchen: Cabinets / Miter Box (custom built),  Farmhouse 3018 sink in pearl / Native Trails, Trinsic kitchen faucet in champagne bronze / Delta, White subway tile / Jeffrey Court,  Butcher Block countertop / IKEA. Cutting boards / Whitney Jurgovan of Kinsey Vintage market, Small white rug in bleached jute ivory / world market*, Wooden shelving with Tour Eiffel brackets / Anthropologie*,  Napkins and Tea towels, Parachute home, Vintage Mirror / Garden Style Living, wooden kitchen table / Weisshouse, Woven Basket Pendant / World market. Wooden chairs / 1stdibs. 

Family room (with fireplace): Cloud sofa in beligan linen natural / RH Modern,  Sisal natural jute rug / World market. White linen armchair / Weisshouse. Blue Tin Washer // Kinsey Vintage Market, coffee table / weisshouse, Metal Locker Boxes // Urge Studio.

Living room: White rug in bleached ivory jute / World market, Burlap sofa / Weisshouse,
wooden coffee table / IKEA, Chandlier custom made by Leanne, Green credenza / Urge Studio.

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Lighting up time- inspiration from a lovely Swedish home

Hello! It's soooo grey here this morning, I don't think it's ever going to get light. I've lit a few candles for cosiness. In Scandinavia candles are common in the mornings (they even place them on the breakfast table at my daughter's nursery - so lovely!). How about where you are? While feeling my way around in the dark (almost!) it's also got me thinking about lighting in my home - and how much we're missing! Experts say you should have a whole host of different types of lighting in a space for maximum affect including ambient, task, accent and natural (see this guide). This Swedish home has a great mix of wall, floor, table, string and industrial lights. They even have an oil lamp! Perfect inspiration for anyone like me, who needs to brighten up your home this season!

Entrance

Lovely home! I love the view over the canal as you come out of the front entrance too, not a bad way to start the day?

Lights I know and love: Flowerpot table lamp, the Bellevue floor lamp is similar. Black string lights. This brass wall light is similar to the one in the sitting room. I also love this industrial brass scissor lamp and for a splurge - the Serge Mouille two arm wall light is my favourite (one day huh...?!). This pair of green industrial pendants are similar to the one over the kitchen table. And finally, an incredibly talented friend of mine (and mum of one of the little boys in my daughter's class) has just designed the Little darling table lamp - seen all over the blogosphere right now, it'll definitely be one of the big lights of 2016 - watch this space!

More fab spaces to brighten up your Tuesday include this Finnish house made from containers (you won't believe it!) and a serene Norwegian home overlooking a fjord.

Have a lovely day!

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11 Small Space Tricks to Learn From a Swedish Interior Designer's Home

How does a Swedish interior designer and visual merchandiser decorate a small apartment? With style (as you can imagine!) - but also by being incredibly smart! What Erik Josefsson's Gothenburg home lacks in square feet (it's a mere 52 - or 559 sq ft) it sure makes up for in texture, earthy nuances, beautiful vignettes, Scandinavian design, art and plants - all the while feeling calm and de-cluttered!  I went through it with a fine toothcomb and found 10 lessons we can learn to achieve that elusive balance between clutter-free and cosy! I hope you find something you can apply to your own home, I certainly have! 

1. Leave empty space: empty space (or 'negative space') is just as important as occupied space in a home (especially when size is an issue). It helps to focus the eye, create calm and give you room to breath!

2. Work with texture: even though the wall behind the sofa is blank, Erik has used a paint technique that adds texture to the wall which automatically adds interest without adding clutter. 

3. Display the things you love (and use a lot), hide the things you don't! Bit of an obvious one (sorry!) but if you surround yourself with the things you love, you'll feel happier. Store away more unsightly things behind cupboard doors or use nice storage boxes like the one on the floor (Etsy sell similar vintage ones here*). 

4. Tucked away but still at hand: In small spaces, you can find room for storage in the most unexpected places (I first learned that from the clever home of a danish architect).  It took me several goes before I noticed this little wall-mounted shelf by the radiator! 

5. Group art: This goes back to point number 1 (you know, the one about leaving empty space) - if you group art and other objects you then have more scope to leave an empty space elsewhere). Having said that, it's also nice to pick out one piece of art you really love and display it completely on its own. 

I shared a fail safe way to hang art here (Per breathed a total sigh of relief when I discovered that trick!). The Poster Club* sells prints and frames like these (and ships worldwide) 

6.  Think small and smart: some kitchens are so tiny you wonder if it's actually possible to fit in a table! Small, wall mounted tables like this one are perfect for saving space and creating a table for two! I like the Norbo wall mounted table from IKEA which you can paint any colour you like. 

7. Go dark! Painting a small space dark goes against every rule in the decorating book, but actually many have decided against this and in fact, going for a deep hue in small rooms in the bedroom can make a space feel extra warm and cosy. After seeing Erik's bedroom I kind of regret only painting one wall in my stepson's room - time to paint the rest!

8. Use the windowsill as a side table: I know from previous comments that not everyone has a windowsill (in Sweden we're kind of spoilt on this front) but when space is of a premium, if you do have one, a sill can double up as a great bedside table. 

9. Bespoke bedside shelf: No windowsill? Try a small wall mounted shelf cut to size, like the one seen to the left of Erik's bed. Painting it the same colour as the wall will help to keep the look clean and clutter-free. 

10. Lean-to shelves: narrow shelves that lean against the wall are great for saving space.

11. Hooks and more hooks: I can't tell you how handy I find long racks of hooks - I think we have them in every room of our house. This wooden rack in Erik's hallway is ideal for coats etc - but can also be used for decorative items when not in use. 

Source a similar one here. 

Isn't his home lovely? I love the use of colour too! 

Did you pick up any ideas for your home? I know what I'll be doing this weekend.... painting Albin's room! 

You can see more of Erik's home over at @erinterior and take a peek at his latest projects here. Incidentally Erik was one of the creatives behind this stunning Swedish home I featured last week (I'm still reeling from the tour, how about you? Wonder if anyone has snapped it up yet!).

Other small space inspiration:

10 small space hacks to learn from a Danish apartment
10 ways to turn a pokey top floor flat into a swoon-worthy living space
A tiny cabin and pottery studio in the woods

I see the tiny cabin has just come on the market - Vermont anyone?!

Ha det så fin!

Niki

Photography: Erik Josefsson shared with kind permission
*this post contains affiliate links which means I might make a very, very tiny amount of money if you click on the link and buy the item. 

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