The Cosy Vintage-Inspired Home of a Swedish Artist

I love a home that feels truly personal. One of those cribs that has you marvelling at the details, a little like a (very relaxed) museum! I'm a firm believer that creating an entirely unique space takes years. Years of hunting for second hand pieces and offbeat furniture. Years of collecting art and little accessories that touch you in some way. It also takes a yearning to create a nest that's full of history and sometimes a certain artistic talent too. And that's when I stumbled across the home of Swedish artist Michaela Grut. Michaela lives in Lindingö, Stockholm with her two children and little kitten. Her style is very much about "decorating in a way that lasts" - opting for vintage furniture, interior details and art "that feels special, unique and a bit odd." The result is a rather eclectic home which blends colours, patterns and furniture from different moments in time to create a cosy family home in which to build new memories. Let's take a peek! 

A wood and marble vintage piece pops against Pomona wallpaper. 

When Michaela bought her first home she found it hard to find affordable art and began creating her own paintings and sculptures instead. her work immediately became popular among other and her online shop was born (I've just commissioned the sculpture in the above picture - I couldn't resist! Isn't it beautiful?!). 

Michaela's art is inspired by everything around her: "shapes, colours, structures... and the human body is a huge inspiration. I often exaggerate or understate the shapes to make it more interesting."

The children's room has been decorated in pretty Lilja wallpaper. Michaela designed the bunkbed herself and then got someone to build it. 

Take a closer at the 1940s kitchen (painted in Velvet 10246 by Jotun Lady) and you'll spot 'Staffan' a clay figure by Michaela casually perched on the open shelves! 

The sofa is in fact the IKEA Söderhamn wrapped beautifully in a loose fit Rosendal pure washed linen cover* from Bemz. The walls have been painted in Senses 2024 by Jotun lady. 

Both the artwork and clay bust are by Michaela and can be commissioned through her shop (particularly tempted by the bust, how about you?!). You can find all items in her shop or e-mail her directly to commission a piece (you can find her contact here and here). 

In fact, there are just SO many lovely pieces in this home. It makes me want to spend the whole of next weekend scouring flea markets and second hand shops for furniture and art, how about you? 

Other inspiring Scandinavian artist's homes to love today: 

The beautiful home of a Danish artist

The relaxed Oslo home of a Norwegian artist (I visited this home for my second book and still think about it today!).

Although not owned by an artist, this wonderful Copenhagen house is designed for an artist with its North facing windows (and lived in by an industrial designer) - that counts, right?! It's one of those places that never comes on the market, it's just passed down from generation to generation. 

This Stockholm home is also not own by an artist - but Karolina Modig is the author behind two art books so I think that totally counts - I love the way she's hung art really low in her home. 

Have a wonderful start to the week friends!

Niki

Photography: Michaela Grut - shared with kind permission.

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Our Weekend At A Swedish Cabin In The Calm of The Forest

My Scandinavian Home Partnership:
In Sweden, there's a season for everything. To me, the summer is about lazy days by the water when the sun sparkles like diamonds on the gentle waves. And when the leaves start to turn, we head to the forests to forage, take in the changing light and enjoy the sweet scent of spruce and pine. Every now and again we come across clearings where a shaft of light dances on the mossy knolls and allows the delicate Harebell to bloom. Little wonder these magical boreal forests are the inspiration behind the wonderful Skog collection from Skandinavisk. Their products come infused with delightful hints of spruce and pine needles, woodland lily of the valley, musk and aged leather - making it one of my favourite collections! As part of my ongoing partnership with Skandinavisk, my family and I headed to a friend's log cabin just North of Malmö to relax, play games and take in the calm of the forest first hand. As we pulled up, life's stresses and strains immediately fell away and we were completely alone save for passing roe deer, foxes, squirrels and the silent badgers - never seen, but forever present! 



Furnished almost entirely with second hand pieces and dotted with sheepskins, my friend's cabin is understated yet super cosy! A wood-burning stove kept away the autumn chill and filled the cabin with a wonderful scent of pine. 



The crazies enjoyed hot chocolate sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, by the light of a Skog scented candle. The only tense moment came when it was discovered the cinnamon buns were different sizes. A lengthy division process began, right down to the last crumb.

Skog scented candle


Per discovered a guitar - which helped to diffuse the bun situation and restore calm to our weekend! The aptly named 'Norwegian Wood' is one of my favourite tunes he plays (I also love 'Streets of London' - can you see him rolling his eyes?!). 

Pots, jugs and containers made from wood, stone and glass line the surface of the bookshelves adding a warm, personal touch. Beneath the shelving there was a great stash of board games which we played well into the night, being a tad competitive none of us were going to bed until we'd won at last one round!

Skog Scent Diffuser

Skog hand and body lotion, hand wash and bar soap.

We discovered that a basket doubles up as a very useful tray  – it’s a perfect way to transport sausages, buns and marshmallows down to the fire pit! 





A walk in the forest led us through a forever changing scene where dense ferns hid in the shadows, fungi clung to bark, and patches of vibrant green moss were lit by sudden beams of light. The only sound came from the distant sound of a babbling brook and the shriek of delight from one of the girls as they stumbled across a chanterelle. 






That's Per with the Skog hand cream - yes Per! We both love it because it's richly moisturising (him!) yet lightly scented (me!) (it contains aloe vera, shea butter, almond, apricot and beeswax with extract of birch bark). Did you know birch bark is a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that calms irritated skin, stimulates circulation and helps skin stay energised? Perfect for the Scandinavian winter. 



A little book (Svampar: Lilla fälthandboken av Rikard Svartvik) helped us to identify mushrooms. However, I would never dare to eat any unless verified by someone in the know - and bearing in mind we were only accompanied by the odd roe deer, we only foraged for fun! We returned to the cabin relaxed, revived and with the sweet aroma of pine, and fir in our hair - and in need of another cinnamon bun!



All in all, it was a truly magical weekend!

I can't wait to return to this wonderful little cabin again soon.

In the meantime, the Skog collection will help to fill our home in Malmö with the calm scent of the Scandinavian Boreal forest, and serve as a wonderful reminder of our weekend - if only I'd won that game of Cluedo!

Do you love the forest too? If so, I'd love to hear more about your favourite time of the year to visit and what you like to do in the forest.

Oh, and one final thing: exciting news, you can win the SKOG hand cream, hand wash, hand lotion, bar soap, body wash, scent diffuser and scented candle 190g on my instagram this weekend. Hop on over tomorrow (Saturday) if you'd like to enter!

Have a fabulous weekend friends!

Niki

This weekend was part of an ongoing partnership with Skandinavisk. All words and pictures are my own and I only ever work with brands that I love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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A Dreamy Holiday Oasis In The Heart of The City

The clocks go backward in Sweden on Saturday (for the very last time if I recall right - phew!). If I'm entirely honest, it does fills me with a little dread, the evenings are dark enough already. Yes, I can wax lyrical about candles (see what I did there?!) and the cosiness that comes with hot chocolates and cosy blankets, and I do have many moments where I love to embrace the chill (wait until you see tomorrow's post!) - but today, can I just indulge my longing for sunshine and warmth with this fine specimen of a house? Situated in Bellevue Hill, Sydney (we might have guessed it's on the other side of the world!), this secluded home has been transformed into a magnificent 'holiday oasis within the city' by the talented team at CM Studio. Think furniture and accessories with a beach vibe - made from wood, bamboo, and rattan against a backdrop of fresh white, and windows that let in large, luscious bites of nature. Thank you for the tip The Style Files - you've brought an exotic touch to my day! I hope you enjoy the tour too!  

 

 

All that sunlight! Guh!

.... you'd feel like you were living in year-round paradise here, don't you think?!

I love the simplicity of the interior too. The minimalist vibe works because of all the subtle textures and surfaces at play which are just enough to add depth and interest to each and every room. 

Is there anything you love in particular?

Tomorrow, I'll be tapping into my inner hygge once again and sharing some pictures from our weekend at a friend's cosy Swedish log cabin in the woods. Hope to see you then! 

Niki

Design: CM Studio

Photography: Anson Smart

Styling: Alexandra Gordon

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The Inspiring Monochrome Home of An LA Interior Designer

Hej vänner, hur må ni idag? - Can you tell I'm feeling the Swedish after sharing my film yesterday?! Having said that, I'm about to whisk you to a home far, far, far away where the sun is shining and the weather is warm - yep, today we're going on a virtual trip to Los Angeles and the beautiful home of Anne Sage! Looking at her lovely abode you can probably guess she works in the interior world. And yes, Anne is indeed a full-time interior designer as well as the author of popular design book Sage Living - a business that started when she launched her blog almost 12 years ago (wow -  that makes her blog even older than My Scandinavian Home!). Anne is also a content creator and the co-owner of a creative studio and photography space in LA called LightLab (which looks amazing!). Yet, she's still found the time to do everything from refinishing the floors to renovating the kitchen in her wonderful 1954 LA rental which she shares with her husband Ivan, two cats and a baby on the way. The look is monochrome with warm touches of light wood and brass. Ready for the tour?

The kitchen has been built using cabinet doors from Semihandmade which are designed to fit IKEA units. It was kind of cool to discover that there's a washing machine and tumble dryer hidden behind the cabinets to the right - I'm all for keeping things clean (and I'm not talking about the clothes!!). The oven is from Kitchenaid and the lights are by Schoolhouse.

I do believe it's that Stockholm 2017 coffee table again (remember it appeared at the end of the bed in yesterday's home?). From the name I'm guessing IKEA intended it to be used as a coffee table (rocket scientist that I am!!) but I've yet to see anyone using it that way. It certainly makes a fine bench as seen here in a corner of Anne's kitchen. 

I absolutely love the spotted rug (from Jaipur Living) - it totally makes the space, don't you think? The sofa is from Thayer Coggin) and the wall light is Serge Mouille.

One of the things Anne loves the most about her home is the large windows which flood the living space with light. I like how California Closets have built the units around the window. 

On Instagram Anne declared that she loves the Hoffmann Armchair (seen here as a desk chair) almost  as. much as (if not more) than her husband. I can totally see why! It's a beauty!

Ever since photographing Gen's office a few weeks back, I'm convinced that every workspace needs a daybed. Are you with me on that? This fine specimen is from Blue Dot.

EDIT: I initially thought this nursery was in Anne's house ready for the BIG arrival (and I could be forgiven for thinking that, considering it fits in perfectly with her aesthetic, but actually Anne created this lovely nursery for a client.  The über soothing palette is perfect for lulling a baby to sleep (and that armchair is ideal for exhausted parents!). 

Cot from Babyletto, art from Minted and lighting by Mitzi.

I think I could curl up in that armchair and have a snooze right now.  Doesn't it look inviting? 

Is there anything that stood out to you about Anne's home? 

You can see more snapshots over on Anne's instagram @citysage and blog. 

Shall we take at a few more LA homes? After all, we have come all this way....

California meets Scandinavia in a Cosy LA Home

A Jewel In The Suburbs of LA

A Warm and inviting Boho-Style LA home

Have a lovely day! 

Niki

Photography: Monica Wang shared with kind permission

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