5 Beautifully 'Lagom' Ways To Bring Spring Indoors - Swedish Style!

In Scandinavia the winters are looooong - which has never made the arrival of spring feel so good! But it's not us pseudo (and actual) Scandinavians that are buzzing with optimism, I've noticed the arrival of spring is contagious all across the northern hemisphere. Instagram feeds are awash with cherry blossom against bright blue skies and cafés are buzzing with alfresco diners. At home, we can finally throw open our windows and doors and flood our living space with glorious sunlight, morning, noon and night (in Malmö the sun sets at 8.30pm today!) - hurrah! If you're looking for ways to bring the spring feeling into your home this weekend, you might just feel inspired by these five ideas from the home of my talented friend (and wonderful new intern) Felicia Alm.  As with all things Swedish, think subtle, lagom touches that are not too little, not too much: just right!

1. Branch out
Spring is all about nature coming alive and in the spirit of Swedish lagom - simple branches in full bloom are an easy and impactful way to bring a taste of the season indoors!

2.  'Odla'
Bring your windowsill or a side table to life (literally) by growing your own vegetables, herbs and flowers from seed and create a small, indoor spring garden - hopefully, when summer arrives your plants will be ready to move outdoors.

3. Clothes in Bloom

People-watch from a Swedish café in winter and you'll see a line of black - but come April / May the crowds fizz with colour (OK maybe that's an over-statement, but there's certainly a hint of colour involved)! "Don't hide them away - let your prettiest spring clothes be part of the decoration! It's an easy way to add more texture and contrast to your home," Felicia advises.  

4. Lighten Up!

Now that we're heading towards the lighter and (hopefully) warmer season stow away your winter cushions in favour of lighter more colourful covers which are still in tune with your interior to give the room an instant spring lift! 

5. Set the Scene

Enjoy a cosy fika with a taste of spring. Get creative with your table setting by adding fresh spring flowers and branches for your very own spring garden, even on rainy days!

"Hyacinths will last longer and have a beautiful blue colour as well as a lovely scent." 

I love this idea. To achieve a similar look, simply remove the pots and place the hyacinth bulbs in a layer of soil at the bottom of of a large cylinder-shaped glass vase. Potted hyacinths make perfect decoration for outdoor tables too.

Oh so pretty and simple - thank you so much for sharing these ideas with us Felicia!

Please feel free to add your own suggestions for ways to celebrate the season in the comment section below, I'd love to hear your ideas!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend (I have to say, it's beautiful here today but looking decidedly shaky over the weekend - how typical is that?!).

Trevlig helg! 

Niki

PS This is the last weekend to make the most of our 20% discount. Whether you're looking to decorate an empty room, re-shuffle your living room, create a beautiful room for one of your children or even transform your garden shed into a guest bedroom we can help with a floor plan, furniture, colour suggestions and accessories. And it's all online so the service is available wherever you are in the world! Read more about the My Scandinavian Home service and sign-up here (to claim your 20% discount type in MYNEWROOM at check-out).

PPS I am super excited (and a little nervous) about by my summer cottage kitchen renovation (it hasn't been touched since the 1970s!). Read more about my plans and weigh in here. I'd love your input!

Photography and styling: Felicia Alm / @feliciaalm

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My Swedish Summer Cottage Kitchen Renovation (Before)

In paid collaboration with Bosch
I am so excited to introduce a new series today. If you've been following My Scandinavian Home for a while, you'll likely know my family and I have a very small summer cottage on the West coast of Sweden. I've never actually showed pictures of it before because it's in major need of renovation. I mean MAJOR! But all that is going to change! Over the next twelve weeks I'm going to be renovating the kitchen. I know in these pictures it looks surprisingly OK - but trust me, at a closer glance it's not! Firstly, it hasn't been touched since the 1970s - the wallpaper is peeling away in great swathes, the units are all frayed and sometimes the handles have a habit of falling off. Secondly, the current kitchen doesn't use maximum use of space (kind of important in an L-shaped room that measures 8 square metre / 86 square foot) - it could be waaaay more efficient. And finally, none of the appliances work properly (I can't tell you how annoying it is to leave a casserole on the stove for an hour, only to find the hob hasn't been working!) Oh and did I mention there is a family of mice lurking somewhere behind one of those cupboards? I think you get the idea!

The plan
My goal is to transform the space into a fresh, practical, well functioning, beautiful kitchen (big plans, huh?!) in time for the family to descend on the cottage at midsummer. It's also important to ensure the look fits with the rest of the cottage (the house was built in the1930s by my husband's Grandfather and holds lots of fond memories!).



The Partner
One of the reasons our summer cottage has been somewhat neglected over the years is that we're only there a few weeks a year and share it with other members of the family, so money is always invested elsewhere. Back in our kitchen in Malmö we've had Bosch appliances for over 12 years (oven, hob, fan, microwave, fridge freezer, dishwasher.... you name it) and we've always been so happy with them, it therefore felt like a natural step to partner with Bosch for this project and install Bosch appliances in our summer cottage kitchen too. Since we are keen to keep the costs down, it helps that Bosch appliances are a seamless fit with IKEA kitchens too!

Grand plans indeed. I'm feeling very excited and at the same time just a teeny bit daunted!

Over the next twelve weeks I'll be sharing my renovation here on the blog (as well as over on Instagram) including my inspiration, plans, the design, expected surprises (of which I'm sure there'll be plenty!) and of course, with any luck - the final reveal! Please do weigh in - I so welcome your tips, advice and opinion on decisions along the way! And if you're planning a kitchen renovation of your own, I hope you'll find the series helpful.

Time to hit the grindstone!

Niki

*This series is in paid collaboration with Bosch. However, all words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too. 

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A Swedish Home In Soothing Neutrals

Men hejsan! I hope you've had a lovely, relaxing time over Easter? It's our last day in London today (we're flying back to Malmö this afternoon) and I'm writing this post surrounded by cousins chasing each other around the house with Badminton rackets (where are my noise cancelling headphones when I need them?!). As great as it is to see them happy,  I'd very much like to crawl into the sofa in this Swedish apartment, put my feet up and have a cup of tea right now! Although staged for sale (and I know we all prefer a real 'lived-in' home) - I do love the effortless nature of this space, and I felt it might offer inspiration in terms of working with a subtle colour palette, how to inject natural materials (I spy wood, marble, jute, wool, clay etc) and how to creating a calming oasis! Välkommen!

Menu table light*, Muuto table*, Karlstad sofa (source a beautiful linen cover for it over at Bemz*), light blue velvet cushion*

 Such a pretty radiator cover! 

Although small, this reading corner has everything you might need: books, flowers, a blanket and no doubt, noise levels under 85 decibels! 

I absolutely love this bedroom with its bench, linen curtains (clever how they've used both nature linen and white linen - source similar made-to-measure here*), dark grey linen bedding and jute rug. Oh, and there's a balcony leading off it too - perfection! Could you imagine waking up here?! I certainly could!

And relax! 

Did you find any ideas to steal? I really love the dual shade curtains in the bedroom. I was trying to see if there was a black-out blind above the window too (does it look like there's one to you?). 

If you'd like to escape for a while longer and take a peek inside more Swedish homes today, you could always take a leisurely scroll through this archive! 

And guess what? The kids have moved outside and are actually playing badminton rather than just chasing each other with the rackets. I might just be able to have that cup of tea in quiet after all! 

Vi ses imorgen! 

Niki

Photographs courtesy of Alvhem (through whom this home is currently for sale). 

Affiliate links marked with *

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Spreading A Little Easter Bunny Love!

As we pack our bags for London, I thought I'd spread a little Easter bunny love with my simple DIY bunny ear napkin creation I made for last year's table. It's super quick to create too (find out how here).

Wishing you a very happy and relaxed Easter / Spring break!

See you Tuesday!

Niki

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