Before + After: Allie's bedroom make-over

Just as I feel I've got to grips with one stage of my younger daughter's life she suddenly shifts a gear and moves into an entirely new phase! It's Allie's 8th birthday today (happy birthday wonderful girl!), I'm really not sure where the time has gone (this was her at Christmas two years ago)! She suddenly feels so grown-up! Allie's been wanting to update her bedroom for a while now as she's grown tired of her bunk bed and outgrown many of her toys. So, over the past few months we stripped it bear and donated old toys to charity and started all over again. I know I've shared a few snippets on here over the past few weeks, but I thought it'd be fun to run through the complete make-over from start to finish. I hope you enjoy the tour!

Before

The last time we decorated her bedroom was in collaboration with Genevieve Jorn in 2014 - and I still think it has a fresh, vibrant look. Allie had simply grown out of it and wanted something a little calmer and more mature. Gen also gave her fabulous interior design guidance on her new room too.

During

Allie was the cat that got the cream when she got to paint some of the lower sections of the wall (heavily supervised by the ever-concerned man!). We used Jotun Lady 1059 - Complexion on three of the walls (seen here to the left) and Minty Breeze 7163 on the back wall - seen to the right (both kindly gifted by Jotun). Complexion has a subtle pinkish tone to it which was unexpected but creates a lovely, soft feeling the room.

After

The room only came together once the rug and Industriell pendant lamp were in place. It's amazing how that can happen. At night, the lamp fills the room with the warmest light and pretty shadows dance on the ceiling. 

The rug* was handmade by Etsy shop So' Homeso*. it's really soft and made from 100% recycled cotton and fringes of linen. The one thing I haven't done yet is buy an underlay to stop it slipping around. I always forget this but they're so important for a clean finish (and safety!). We've had the wooden blocks for as long as I can remember - they're so simple yet so popular!

I picked up the row of hooks (two combined) from local Malmö shop Geijersgatan 53 (these ash hooks are similar)- I think I've pretty much installed a row of these in every room of the house now! Here is the same set in my  kitchen! The pretty jumper* is from Danish brand Molo this season.

A collaboration with Montana came at the perfect time to swap out the large bunk bed for a single bed and make place for open shelving (Montana Free System Shelving in New White with two Rust panels). I can promise you now, they're not going to stay this tidy! Allie has had the Apple Papple print by Fine Little Day your years - she tells him all her secrets - apparently, he's a great listener!

Allie's always drawing, writing and cutting things out - and now she can pin them onto a cork board - as well as write messages on her pegboard (both from Granit). I was kind of hoping she'd write reminders like 'remember PE kit' - but it looks like that's not gonna happen! 

I can't tell you how many paper fortune tellers the girls make - they're all over the house!

 Allie can't go more than 5 metres without doing a cartwheel. She loves gymnastics! This set of wooden gymnastic rings from Lillagunga were a special request and have been such a hit!

Another hit, is her new rattan bed.  It was originally a daybed (from Nordal), so we added a 105 cm mattress to make it comfy enough to sleep on. In case you missed it, I wrote a post about it here. 

The bed is made with Hanako duvet cover and pillow case from Camomile London. The white linen curtains were made to order by Not Perfect Linen* - I always buy my curtains from them since they are high quality and beautifully made.

And finally, a little place for Allie to sit and write etc (I have to confess she rarely sits at her desk - often preferring the floor instead, but still, I thought she might need it one day!). I was so excited to find the secondhand chair at AB Småland in town. I've seen a load of similar ones here*.

 In case it's been difficult to keep tabs on what's what - here's a quick round-up of the items:

The kit!

From top left: Jotun Lady 1059 - Complexion / Minty Breeze 7163 
/ rust panels from Montana Free System Shelving / green clamp light (Granit) / cork board / pegboard / gymnastic rings / hanako duvet cover & pillow case / Ypperlig mirror (IKEA) /  ash hooks / rattan daybed / rug*

I hope you like Allie's new room as much as my daughter does!

If you're wondering about anything, just give me a shout in the comment section below and I'd be happy to help!

Right, better run. the sun is shining and we've got a birthday to celebrate :)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Vi ses på måndag!

Niki

A special thank you to all the amazing brands that made this bedroom make-over possible and made one little girl super happy! 

Affiliate links marked with *

Photography: Niki Brantmark - My Scandinavian Home. Interior design: Genevieve Jorn. 

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Beautiful Wall Inspiration for Autumn!

Ever since I painted my bedroom in Blushing Peach, I've been crazy about the browns, rusts, chestnut, soft green and pinkish accents that are starting to seep into homes right now. And they're absolutely perfect for Autumn! If you're looking for colour palette inspiration for this season (or early 2019), I'm particularly loving the Calm and Raw series by Jotun Lady Pure Colour - so beautiful! Here's a peek (I couldn't resist including the hipster - this season's muse!!):

Calm

Soft neutral shades and warm, subtle contrasts

Raw

Warm earthy colours, shades of grey and burnt reddish tones which work together to create a relaxing yet refined style with a rustic touch. 

I think I need to get the paint brush out!

What do you think? Could you imagine having these tones in your home? Are you in the Calm or Raw camp?! I have a hard time deciding so perhaps a combination of the two would be beautiful!

You can find out more about these colours here and here.

If you'd like to take inspiration from real homes with beautiful Autumnal hues, I can highly recommend checking out: a dreamy home from home down under, the lovely, relaxed home of a DIY blogger in Berlin, and a beautiful Swedish space with Autumn tones.

Bring on the chill!

My sister's arriving today with my little niece (they're 10 months and 2 years!) - so excited! It's Allie's birthday tomorrow and my sister's two year old has been insisting on wearing a party hat all week in preparation for tomorrow! I hope I can get a few snapshots of them for tomorrow's post (I'll be sharing the full make-over of Allie's room). They're unbelievably cute and funny!

Have a lovely day!

Niki

PS This post is NOT sponsored, I just love the Jotun hues and lifestyle images and thought you might feel inspired by them too!

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A Dreamy Swedish Country Home

This summer photographer Anna Malmberg (owner of this lovely home) and Mari Strengheilm made their way out to the countryside near Nacka, Sweden to capture this charming rural house. Painted in traditional red and white, the 1920's house has wonderful high ceilings and large windows, which are thrown open ion warm evenings to welcome in the sweet scent of jasmine. A disused paddock on the grounds is used as a make-shift dining room for lunch and supper alfresco, even when the rain comes down. With a heavy heart, the owner has decided to put it on the market after twenty years - and now it's up for grabs! How unbelievable tempting is that?!

Bistro chair*, jute rug*

Rustic stool, Gotland sheepskin*

Wishbone chairs*

Wooden bench*, grey linen throw*

 I can feel the warmth from the pools of dappled sunlight from here, how about you?!

This lovely paddock / barn is perfect for parties (one of my friends had a wedding in a place like this a few years back and it was so romantic!). Imagine it all candlelit!

Isn't this place a complete dream?

I need to call the man and break the news that we're moving to Nacka.

Could you imagine living here too?

More country homes here. 

Ha det så fint!

Niki

Photography: Anna Malmberg. Styling Mari Strengheilm. For sale through Historiska Hem.

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Before + After: A Dated Danish 1950's House Gets A Fabulous Make-Over

I love a 'before and after', don't you? And this 1950's house in Fredericia, Denmark, designed by architect Knud Billund, has gone through quite a transformation! When photographer Mia Mortensen, Martin and their adorable baby boy, Aston first moved in, the space was dated and begging for a little TLC.  Mia and Martin set about painstakingly renovating the 3-storey house to create a fabulous family home which combines contemporary touches with 'functionalist' bones - and lovely, warm accent colours.

Before

The master bedroom (before)

 During the renovation

The pair laid a concrete floor in the kitchen and dining room from Danish brand Conteco.

The kitchen and dining area and upstairs landing are connected by a magnificent 1950's staircase.

The couple were really keen to add a large round table to the dining area, and drew a sketch of the room to ensure there was enough space.

 They settled on a fabulous round table from Traefolk and added a set of chairs which include the Ant*, 7-series Thonet (this one* is similar) and CH88P chair not a bad collection!!

After

The back wall of the dining room has been painted in Burnt Earth by Flugger - and has been used as a gallery wall made up of art from Hein Studio (including the Line Collection No.04* and Line Collection No. 05*) and Nelli Arnth, among others. I also spy a fabulous Verpan Moon Pendant light and the Hans Wegner Shell chair!

 The kitchen tap is by Quooker - and the lights over the work station are from Menu. 

Sometimes it can be hard to get an idea of the layout of a space (I really must be more organised and try to provide this... perhaps when the intern AKA knight in shining armour starts!). From the top of the stairs you can catch a glimpse of Aston's room beyond the dining room and the kitchen is to the left. 

I couldn't resist sharing a before picture of the upstairs landing. The pair re-plastered and painted the walls and ripped up the floor boards and replaced it with beautiful square parquet flooring. 

I always get a little nostalgic when I see this type of flooring as we used to have it in our kitchen as a child.  I used to pick out the individual bricks and use them to build homes for my play people. Not popular, I can tell you!

Window nook before

Window nook after

Borders rug by Ferm Living

What a wonderful, light-filled place! I do love a window nook, don't you? I've got a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them!

The warm accent colour (Terracotta by Jotun) creates an almost cocoon like feel in the bedroom, while the light floor helps to brighten up the room (you can see how it looked before the wood was sanded down and white washed in this film!).

The Crinkle thrown in peach by Hay works so well with the Terracotta wall - and I love the touches of brass (that chair!! *jaw drops*).

The bedroom also doubles up as an office space. Seeing this, I'm kind of tempted to update my own office wall - in terracotta, what do you reckon? I hope the man doesn't read this, he'll go nuts that I'm even considering changing the colour once again! 

And finally, Aston's room has been painted in a rich blue hue and all his teddies look completely at home and tucked up for bed in that cosy Stokke Sleepi cot!

What a truly lovely home! I'm such a huge fan of 1950's architecture and so happy Mia and Martin have given it the full treatment and turned the space into a fantastic family home!

Is there anything about this home that you love in particular?

You can keep up with Mia's latest renovation projects over at her Instagram feed still_sunday and take a peek at her photography here.

Oh, and check out more fabulous before and after make-overs here! 

Have a lovely day!

Niki

Photography by Mia Mortensen, shared with kind permission

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