my scandinavian home

A Charming Vintage-Industrial Inspired Home In Düsseldorf

Hejsan hoppsan! I hope you had a wonderful weekend? After a long couple of days working on the summer cottage kitchen I spent the evening looking out over the water towards Denmark to see if I could see the bonfires marking the summer solstice (any excuse for a glass of rosé by the sea! ha!). It's hard to imagine that it's going to get a little darker each day from now on - wah! But there's two things to feel happy about today a) we still have almost 24 hours of daylight and b) I discovered the most inspiring home on instagram yesterday which I had to share with you! This beautiful space belongs to Anne Peter, a graphic designer and food stylist based in Düsseldorf, Germany. Anne and her husband moved in over a year ago and have made their mark by creating the most stunning kitchen (check out the brick wall and beams!), designing their own lights and giving old furniture a whole new lease of life. Let's dive in!

Black kitchens are huge right now. I'm a fan ever since seeing this one. Do you like the look too? In this space, the dilapidated brick work and old wood beams add character and offer a great contrast to the contemporary cabinets.

Black scissor lamp*

Look closely and you'll see that two smaller tables have been used to create a larger table - a perfect solution when it can be so hard (and pricey!) to find a large vintage table - plus it creates a lovely relaxed vibe too!

Loving the pop of pink in the sitting room - such a perfect shade too. I'll see if I can source the exact shade and report back!

This swing arm sconce* is similar.

Daybed from Sofa Company

This space has put a big smile on my face this morning. Has it brightened up your Monday morning too?

Take a peek at more pics of Anne's home over on instagram (@ammenmaerrchen). You might also like to check out a load of other beautiful Scandi-inspired German homes here.

We're well into the school summer holidays here in Sweden and the crazies are tugging on my arm to go down to the sea for a swim, towels draped over their shoulders!

As with every summer, I'll be posting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until the end of July so I can spend some time with my family and soak up that much needed vitamin D!

I hope you get the opportunity to kick back and enjoy a little sunshine with your family and friends too!

See you Wednesday!

Niki

Photography: Anne Peters shared with kind permission
*Affiliate links

Summer Cottage Kitchen Renovation Update: Getting There!

In paid partnership with Bosch
I thought it was time to share a little more about where we're at with our summer cottage kitchen renovation . Per and I have been working like crazy over the past few weeks and it's really starting to come together - phew! Here's a quick round-up:

1. The floor
Having stripped back the plastic laminate floor a few weeks back to reveal a cheap wood floor, we felt the best thing to do would be to sand it down and paint it white (using Flügger hard floor paint) - thank you for all your words of encouragement to do this!

2. The walls
After a LOAD of plastering, Per gave the walls a fresh lick of matt white paint - it feels so much fresher now!

3. The cabinets
The IKEA METOD units were delivered to the cottage and I collected the VEDDINGE fronts from Swiss Metod in Malmö who did a great job spray painting them (read more about the colour samples I tested here). We then spend what felt like forever screwing them together with the help of a MASSIVE pile of IKEA manuals - such an immense job -and not without a few mistakes!!

We'd read a lot about whether or not it's possible to install an IKEA kitchen yourself. To be honest, without Per there's no way I'd have attempted it, but with a lot of patience, the IKEA chat room and you tube, it's starting to take shape!

4. The appliances
All the Bosch appliances arrived - including the fridge-freezer, dishwasher, oven and fan and I had a field day unwrapping them. It felt like Christmas had arrived early!

Feeling super proud with how far we've come, but there's still lots to be done.

Have you ever installed a kitchen? If so, I'd love to hear about your experience!

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.

FILED UNDER: My Kitchen Renovation

6 Simple Foraged Floral Displays For Midsummer's Eve

Tomorrow it's one of my favourite days in the Swedish calendar: Midsummer. As with all big Swedish events, they celebrate the day before on 'midsommarafton' (midsummer's eve). Even if we've enjoyed sunshine for weeks on end, there's an inside joke that the temperature will plummet and the grey clouds will roll in just as the final flower is pinned to the maypole. But boy is it a pretty affair. Forget lavish displays and complicated recipes, the event is a perfectly understated party with pretty flowers plucked from nearby meadows and everyone bringing something to the table. And this year it looks like the weather gods are actually on our side too! Up and down the country this time tomorrow, our Nordic friends will be making floral crowns, dancing around maypoles, and eating pickled herrings, potatoes and strawberries, washed down with Schnapps (along with a ditty or two!), in perfect sunshine! Hurrah! In case you'd like to pay tribute to this beautiful day in your own country, here's a little floral inspiration to get you started!

Forget lavish bouquets, midsummer is all about foraging for wild flowers and creating simple displays with the help of jam jars or simple glass vases. The picture below is from one of Frolic's private foraged flowers workshops.

You might recognise the table setting below from Frida Edlund's beautiful Swedish country home which I featured a few weeks back (it's also available for short term holiday lets - how wonderful is that?! The recipe for the potato-pea salad with honey-mustard dressing can be found here.

I hope this has given you a few pretty ideas!

See also 5 ways to celebrate midsummer like a Swede and a short and pretty guide to celebrating midsummer, Swedish style.

Wishing you all a wonderful Midsummer! See you Monday!

Niki

Photos: 1&6 Our Food Stories / Frida Edlund 2 Annie Gozard 3 Frolic 4 The Meledeos 5 Magnolia Rouge

FILED UNDER: decorating with flowers midsummer

A Striking Holiday House By The Sea in Rural Iceland

Iceland. What an incredible country. Have you been? Per and I had the pleasure of visiting over a decade ago and we were absolutely mesmerised! We took the coastal road South, taking in waterfalls, glaciers, icebergs, and volcanic peaks on one side, and the rugged coastline on the other. Along the way, seals would pop their heads out above the icy waters and eye us over the black sands. The nature was lit by 24-hour sunlight and was as raw, striking and dramatic as you can imagine. After four days we left feeling we'd only just scratched the surface and agreed to return one day. I was reminded of this promise when I stumbled across The Black House this morning.

Located at the foot of mount Hafnarfjäll along the shores of the rugged Snæfellsnes peninsula, the house was designed by Icelandic interior architect Rut Káradóttir. The simple clapboard frame was inspired by the humble 18th century coastal houses typical of the area, which were often treated with natural tar to shield the facade from the harsh climate. Inside, the magical open-plan living space combines a rustic vibe with contemporary touches and the deep, dramatic tones emulate the stark drama outside the window. Enjoy the tour!