A Beautiful, Contemporary Home Designed For Slow Living

One of the things I love about writing My Scandinavian Home is discovering homes all over the world - with a Scandinavian touch! This beautiful home in Netanya, Israel appeared on Vosgesparis the other day and I couldn't resist re-sharing it here. Designed by architect Zachit Tshuva, the home has been finished with calm, light colours and natural materials to create an oasis in which to enjoy a slower pace of life. Enjoy the tour! 

"The space is clean, simple geometric shaped and minimalistic in terms of the architectural plan. We have combined local touches, details and surprising materials in subtle ways to add character. For example, curved classic railings start where a mash industrial rail ends. Basic white linen curtains create a soft filter between the outside and inner space." Zachit Tshuva 

Beautiful! 

Despite the contemporary feel and clean lines, there's a wonderful softness to the space which perhaps stems from using a female architect.

And all that light too! 

Could you imagine living here?

Discover other international homes with a Scandinavian-vibe in this archive. 

Per and I are enjoying our last couple of days in Italy - it's soooo beautiful here (see stories for more!). 

I hope you have a fabulous weekend! See you Monday!

Niki

Photography: Italy Beni / Styling Leeloue Home

READ MORE...

0

An Idyllic Swedish Hide-away On the Island of Dalarö

When I was in Norway a few weeks back, I spotted many lovely houses with a turf roof just like this. Imagine my confusion then, when I discovered this log cabin is actually in Sweden! Yes, in a few week's time, one lucky family of three will be headed to this dreamy Norwegian-style hide-away on the island of Dalarö in the Stockholm archipelago. Tucked away between the forest and sea, the pretty, traditional exterior belies little of the Scandinavian design treasure trove that awaits within! Combine this with a bathroom under the stars, and the residence becomes a perfect oasis from which to enjoy the Scandinavian summer!

Tulip dining table*, Standard chairs* 

Vintage safari chair*

PK22 lounge chair*, Borge Mogensen 2333 sofa, Serge Mouille wall lamp*, Alvar Aalto zebra cushion cover, Adnet mirror

White linen bedding*

 Outdoor furniture from Skagerak

Wooden peg rail, Hammam towel*, linen robe*

How lovely!

Could you imagine getting away from it all over the summer here? I most certainly could! 

I love the outdoor bathroom too - such a big fan of showering under the stars! 

Other delightful Scandinavian summer cottages to dream about today: a charming summer cottage on the Danish island of Fejø, an idyllic Danish summer cottage, a romantic swedish summer cottage and a relaxed cabin in the Stockholm archipelago. 

Tempted to join us for a summer in Sweden? 

20 instagrammable places to stay in Sweden

Stedsans in the woods

Välkommen! 

It's been an early morning start for us today as Per and I are on our way to the Cinque Terra for a few days to celebrate our ten year wedding anniversary (thank you for all your suggestions!). I'm so over excited as I absolutely love Italy, it has everything: the history, the scenery, great people, delicious food, good wine, a beautiful coastline, ice cream, coffee.... ! Heaven! 

I hope you have a lovely couple of days too - see you Friday!

Niki

Photography: Jonas Ingerstedt, shared with kind permission. Found via Nordic Design with thanks

*Affiliate links

READ MORE...

5

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

READ MORE...

2

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.

READ MORE...

4