A Soothing Swedish family Home With the World's Cutest Kitten!

How are you all doing? Ups and downs? I hear you. But hopefully I have something that can really lift all our spirits! Pull up a chair, put your feet up and stay for a while, this Swedish home will have you dreaming about calm spaces and fairy-tale children's bedrooms. Oh, and it even includes a cute dog and fluffy kitten for good measure! Welcome to the home of Anna-Maria Blomqvist. Anna-Maria lives in the pretty town of Sigtuna, just North of Stockholm. It's a lively little place known for its traditional wooden houses and having the oldest main street in Sweden. Anna-Maria, her partner and their children live in an old croft house which they've lovingly restored into a family home. The house is a sea of earthy greys, deep blues and forest greens, reflecting the lake and forests of the surroundings. Look out for the pretty wallpaper too! 

Since moving to Sweden, a blanket on the sofa has become an essential item (we actual have several these days otherwise there are actual fights!). This chunky knit* one sold online is similar. 

The family hound has found a perfect spot to snooze beside a Josef Davidssons wood burning stove. Oh, to be him today! 

Love this dining setting. But, gaaah, I've seen this star pendant light so many times and can't for the life of me remember the name - can anyone help? It would be great to provide the details.  Also, can I get a slice of that cake, please?

This seems to be the week for vintage glass cabinets (did you see the one in yesterday's Finnish home tour?) - beautiful! I love this one in the children's bedroom too, how about you?

The wall has been finished with Kalkitir chalk paint from Iceland. We painted one of our kitchen walls with this recently. It arrives in powder form and you mix it with water. It's surprisingly easy to apply, organic and gives a beautiful texture. Home DIY project perhaps? If there's enough interest, I might be able to organise a discount. Give me a shout if you're interested!

The wonderful Graylag goose mobile is designed in Sweden by Wonderforest Co. 

What a cosy bed, made even prettier by the Boråstapeter Nocturne wallpaper and bed canopy. And the best news of all for parents - with a bed like this, the children will have no need to turn the sofa into a den! Hallelujah!  

 And finally.....

Because who doesn't feel joy from a picture of the world's fluffiest kitten? Isn't she a Darling? Wonder what she thinks of the flying goose mobile?! 

I spotted this last picture in Anna-Maria's Instagram feed. Not only does it show a glimpse of Sigtuna's pretty Main Street, it also gave me a chance to tell you about a Swedish easter tradition you might not know about! 

On Skärtorsdagan (Maundy Thursday) children across Sweden dress up as påskkäringor (Easter hags) wearing brightly coloured head scarves and faces painted with rosy cheeks and freckles - as seen above! They then wander from door to door asking for sweets. I was so taken aback when I opened the door my first Easter in sweden. They look as cute as a button, but still, being British I was a bit baffled and not terribly well stocked up on godis (sweets)! It's one of the main signs that Swedish Påsk (easter) predates Christianity. It was said that on Maundy Thursday, witches flew to consort with the devil at Mount Blåkulla (a tiny island off Sweden's east coast), some swedes (particularly in the western part of the country) light bonfires to ward off the evil spirits - although these days more so on April 30th (Walpurgis Night). 

Do you have unusual Easter / spring holiday traditions in your country? If so, I'd love to hear about them! 

Back to the home tour. Is there anything in particular that stood out to you? I love the wood burning stove! It's a really beautiful one and adds so much warmth to the home. 

Check out more snapshots from Anna-Maria's home over on her instagram @annamaria.blomqvist.  

Other homes I love with a similar vibe include Anna Kubel's beautiful abode, the soothing Swedish home of Frida Andersson and a charming home on Sweden's West coast.  

I hope this lovely tour (and sharing the unusual Swedish Easter traditions!) has given you a little respite today! Do share your thoughts in the comment section below, I'd love to hear from you!

Niki

Photography: Anna-Maria Blomqvist

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A Modern Finnish Home With a Warm, Rustic Touch of The Med

Welcome to 'the bubble'! Today we're heading to Finland and the beautiful home of Päivi Lemström. The contemporary home might be surrounded by forest and have many of the trappings of your archetypal Scandinavian home - but there's something a little different about it too. Päivi splits her time between Finland and Mallorca, collecting beautiful items for her brick and mortar shop Monday to Sunday Home - and filling her own Finnish home in the process.  with rustic treasures that give it a wonderful, summery taste of The Med. Think crisp white linen, vintage stools, market bags and straw hats  - giving her home a wonderful, summery taste of The Med - all year round! Tervetuloa! 

If you love a white linen sofa as much as I do, good news: it's easier than you might think. Bemz sells beautiful loose fit white covers for IKEA sofas. And you can take them off and wash them too. Päivi has five kids and a dog so these sofas still look as crisp as anything! 

Beautiful benches like this can be picked up at this great Etsy shop*. 

Nothing like a collection of straw hats to give your home a summery vibe! If you've got them stashed away in a cupboard or storage - now's the time to bring them out and give your home a little bit of a spring sunshine!

I wish I had space for a cabinet like this in my kitchen. Do you have one? It's perfect for displaying favourite crockery without collecting dust! 

A few weeks back I mentioned that my Mother was stressing over her kitchen since she has gone for white tiles, white cabinets and a stone worktop in her kitchen renovation- and was concerned it was going to be too cold. Päivi's kitchen is a fine example of how you can go for a 'fresh' and contemporary look and then add a load of accessories to make it feel warm. Check out this post on 8 ways to ass instant hygge to your kitchen for more ideas! 

The main living room is very open plan - which is very common in Scandinavia since homes are so well insulated (when I was growing up in the UK, for example, it was more common to have smaller rooms in order to heat one room at a time - although this is definitely changing these days!). 

The last time I was in Mallorca visiting my sister I picked up a few a few basket bags at the market and I use them for everything here in Sweden. I love the ones in Päivi's home - aren't they pretty? She no doubt sells them in her shop - but if you don't live nearby, try this online shop*. 

Such a lovely home, don't you think? 

I wonder if there's a word for when Scandinavian and Mediterranean style come together - any ideas?! Scanderranean? Could that be something?! You heard it here first! 

See more pictures of Päivi's home over on her wonderful instagram account @mondaytosundayhome - or if you're lucky enough to live near Helsinki / Espoo, pop into her shop - it looks incredible! 

Päivi's home in Mallorca looks lovely too - would you like to take a peek? If so, I'll share the tour later on in the week.

In the meantime, here are some more Finnish homes to feel inspired by today: 

Suvi's beautiful, modern home on Finland's west coast

Step inside Maiju's delightful Finnish home

A clutter-free Finnish home with the loveliest children rooms

That's it from me today friends, I hope you're keeping well! 

Niki

Photography: Päivi Lemström / @mondaytosundayhome

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A Rustic Summer Cottage On The Swedish Island of Gotland

Thank you for sharing all your thoughts on Thursday. I've been thinking about you all and also how to approach all of this here on MSH. After some thought, I've decided to do what I (hope I) do best: provide somewhere where we can all come each day, pour a coffee, put our feet up and feel inspired - even if just for a few moments at a time. What do you think? 

With that in mind, today we're heading on a virtual trip to the Swedish island of Gotland. I paid my first visit during our Baltic sailing trip last summer (you can read / see pictures of our trip here) and I've been dreaming about it ever since. Located off the east coast of Sweden, the island offers everything you can possibly imagine: breath-taking scenery, rolling hills, great swathes of deserted sandy beaches, roads lined with banks of wildflowers, hundreds of ateliers, galleries and farm shops, you name it! It's a truly magical place! 

Tempted to add this to your 'future holidays' file? If so, this traditional limestone cottage with pretty blue window frames is waiting for you! It sleeps 8 and made up of a main house and guest house both of which have been decorated in a charming pared-down, rustic way. Oh, and it has a heated pool (after all, the Swedish summer can be highly suspect at times!). Ready for the tour? 

Beautiful!

This is EXACTLY my type of holiday home! Could you imagine staying here too?

Have you been to Gotland? If not I can highly recommend it, and when you do, this place is available to rent through Airbnb (totally one to add to your list!).

In the meantime, here is some more beautiful inspiration from the island:

A charming 19th century house on Gotland
A relaxed Swedish summer cabin by the sea
Your island retreat on the island of Gotland
A pared back Swedish summer house on Gotland
A Beautiful Gotland home in soothing shades of grey

And if you'd like to add one thing to your own home to get a taste of the island - and feel that little more cosy, it's a Gotland sheepskin throw*. I've had mine for 5 years and it's invaluable!

Think I might just go back and look through my pictures of our trip to the Blekinge archipelago and Gotland again and re live it!

Nothing like starting the week with a little dreaming, don't you think?

Niki

Photographs courtesy of Airbnb. 
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A New Home For My Mouth Blown Lamps from the Danish Island of Bornholm

Hello friends. Friday - wooop! Thank you for sharing all your thoughts yesterday, hop on over if you'd like to join the discussion! On an entirely separate note, a few days ago, a local paper asked me if there were any items in my home I'd never part with. My answer was "yes, A TON!" Do you feel the same? My reasoning is firstly, because I'm a bit of a hoarder (admittedly!) and secondly, I really try hard to layer my home with meaningful, timeless pieces. But one thing in particular immediately sprung to mind: my set of three mouth blown limited edition bronze SKY lamps from Pernille Bülow. Made on the beautiful Danish island of Bornholm to mark the gallery's 30th anniversary, each lamp is mouth blown which makes every piece entirely unique. There's also something about the smoky glass and bronze combination that speaks to me. They used to hang over my vintage bar cart but today, they have a new home - over the kitchen island!

If you've never been to the Danish island of Bornholm, it's well worth a trip (you can get there by plane or ferry from Sweden or Denmark) - and we actually sailed there once (I'll never forget it since it was a really stormy day and we arrived utterly drenched!). It was well worth it though as the island is so pretty and dotted with little galleries and ateliers. One of which is the Pernille Bülow gallery in Svaneke where you can watch the liquid glass pulp being collected from a 1120 degree furnace and then blown into wooden moulds or shaped with wet newspaper pads, steel tweezers or paddles. 

If you can't make it in person, no worries, Pernille Bülow sells online too! You might need to be quick with these SKY lamps since they are limited edition. FYI my cluster is made up of small (14 cm), medium (18 cm) and large (22 cm). 

However, they also sell beautiful clear glass ones with a gold fixture (seen over my dining table) as well as various coloured options. I also love the SKY ceramic table lamps which I once photographed in this lovely home in Landskrona. 

What do you think? Do you have a place for these lamps in your home? Trust me, you won't want to ever part with them if so! 

Also, I'd love to know: What do you have in your home that you'd never part with? Family and pets aside, of course! 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Stay calm, be careful and in the words of the Italians: andrà tutto bene (everything will be all right).

Niki

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Pernille Bülow, however all words and pictures are my own - and I really would never part with them! Thank you for supporting the wonderful businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible! 

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A Delightful Home Where Swedish and Danish Style Comes Together

Denmark closed for business last night (more of which at the end of the post), driving everyone to the safe haven of their homes for the next fortnight. Swede Ulrika Horn has retired to her home in Helsingør, Denmark where she lives in a 1950's 'murmestervilla' with her Danish husband and their two daughters. The pair bought the house back in 2008 and have been renovating it ever since. Today it's finally ready and the family enjoy a home full of treasured vintage and antique finds as well as some more modern pieces. The super mysigt (cosy) home combines rustic, industrial and bohemian charm and a place where Swedish and danish style can come together in perfect harmony! I especially love the 'garden room' which the use from late spring when they're not in the garden taking in the views over the Öresund strait. Enjoy the tour! 

Remember that garden room I was talking about in the introduction? Here it is (it's like stepping into Summer!):  

Such a charming home!

I especially love the chequered floor in the hallway and the garden room - so pretty! 

Is there anything that stood out to you?

You can see more of Ulrika's home on her instagram @a_nordic_story. Word on the street is that they recently bought a summer cottage in Sweden - I can't wait to follow the progress! 

Other Danish country homes to love: 

A pretty danish home decorated on a shoe string budget

A Copenhagen home full of vintage finds and plants

The home and Studio of a Danish Carpenter 

I also promised to come back to my comment about Denmark on shut down. I don't really want to talk too much about the Corona Virus here as I see this as a positive bubble in which to escape each day. But it would have been weird to feature a Danish home today and not mention it. 

So, just to share my thoughts - my heart goes out to those currently affected. I'm a little worried of course, as we should be, and I'm certainly washing my hands A LOT and taking responsibility wherever possible. I'm also following the news and following the advice of the Swedish government.  For now, we're still going about our business but they've banned large events and gatherings of over 500 people, which makes total sense. I wouldn't be surprised if they take stronger measures very soon, and this would be welcomed. But I haven't gone out and bought 200 loo rolls just yet. I'm not actually sure where I'd put them?! 

What are your sentiments? Are you concerned? It would be interesting to hear what's happening in your country. 

Niki

Photography: Ulrika / @a_nordic_story

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