10 Ways To Maximise Your Tiny Balcony / Outdoor Space!

The days are getting longer, and the sun is starting to flood our homes once again! Yay! With so many of us spending more (if not all) of our time at home right now, it's become even more important to maximise the outdoor space we have. Thankfully there's so much you can do with even the teeny tiniest of balconies - from creating an urban jungle, to watching the world go by from a deck chair. Here are ten inspiring ways you can make the most of your balcony and tap into nature's stress busting qualities, top up on Vitamin D and feel the wonderful warmth of the sun on your face. 

1. (above): Create an urban jungle by lining your balcony with pots at different levels. Balcony fences also make great 'climber' rigging!  

2. Line your balcony with cushions and blankets so you can enjoy your afternoon tea alfresco - and watch the world go by! 

3. Go boho and take your rattan and jute furniture and mats as well as cushions outside - proof that you don't need a garden to get that garden feel! Oh, and you'll keep your furry friends happy too! 

4. Live in a warm country? Shield yourself from the sun with a natural canopy and create a romantic outdoor space with a small round table and vintage chair. Forest bathing in the heart of the city! 

5. Sadly, we can't all enjoy a view of the Eiffel Tower (isn't it magical?!) but we can pack our balcony with pretty flowers and taller plants to create privacy - and add a couple of deck chairs for a true summer oasis! 

6. Carry lightweight furniture such as benches, side tables and blankets outside as soon as the sun shows up (a blanket will keep you warm if the temperatures start to drop!). It's easy to chuck it all inside again once the clouds start to appear! 

FYI IKEA sells outdoor wood balcony tiles like these. 

7. Keep it simple and sophisticated like Nina of Stylizimo's black Norwegian balcony. Shades and sunhat optional! 

8. Go casual and low with a touch of the tropics like Victoria of SF Girl By Bay has done in her outdoor space (I know it's not a balcony, but it can totally be replicated in smaller spaces too). 

9. Use pillars and poles for climbers ( I love a wisteria and clematis) and make the most of your outdoor space to create a herb and vegetable patch. No access to a garden centre right now? Seeds, pips and stones from your kitchen can be super easy to harvest if you google how! 

And why not cosy up your hard outdoor furniture with fluffy sheepskins while you're at it! 

10. No balcony, no worries! Make the most of a wider windowsill to create a window seat - or rearrange furniture to place your comfiest chair by the window so you can enjoy sunny days to the full!  

I hope this round-up has given you a few ideas. Did you have a favourite? 

If you know of anyone that might benefit from these tips, please feel free to share! 

There's a load more beautiful outdoor space for every budget inspiration here: 

16 Inspiring Outdoor Terraces For Every Size, Style And Budget

My small back yard gets a cosy make-over

7  Boho Ideas for Outdoor Spaces (Big and Small)

Bring on the spring sunshine! 

Niki

PS Feel free to add your own tips below!

Credits: 1. Gardenista / Home of script writer Diane Valsonne 2. Anon 3. 4. House & Garden 5. Clem Around The Corner 6. Anon 7. Nina Holst / Stylizimo 8. SF Girl By Bay 9. Anon 10. Alvhem

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Home tour: A Charming, Rustic House in the Genoa Hills

Why, hello there! Sorry for posting a little late today. I've been busy launching a 30 Day Home Love challenge on Instagram with Holly Becker this morning. We hope it will bring a little light to everyone's day and help to make our homes a brighter place! Please do come and join in if you fancy it! SO, on with today's tour. And I thought we could take a peek inside the beautiful rustic home of Sarah Tognetti in the hills of Genoa, Italy today. Sarah, who founded the magazine Slow Home Slow Living Living, husband Gigi and their two daughters Beatrice (15) and Mathilde (12) enjoy a slow pace of life nestled between the beautiful Ligurian mountains and the sea. Their country home is filled with natural touches, raw materials and earthy tones. Fresh in-season flowers and plants also help to bring nature indoors. Welcome to Sarah's cosy world! 

The family's pink residence is nestled amongst a cluster of pretty houses on the Genoa hillside. She and her family are the first to live in the house in over a century. In the past it has been a carpentry workshop, a tavern and a meeting place where people got together to dance during the war. 

"We love nature and our dream is to buy a house with lots of land and be able to cultivate it," Sarah tells me. 

The kitchen has a really Scandinavian feel to it, don't you think? I love the open wood shelving lined with jars of pasta, pulses and rice - they add a really cosy touch. 

A vintage dresser in the kitchen has been painted in a soft grey from Farrow & Ball and filled with bowls, baskets, tins, glasses, kitchen towels and other necessities! 

Look closely at this beautiful space and you'll spot exposed wood beams over the window (I missed these the first-time round), which add a lovely rustic touch to the room.

Pick up similar factory lighting here*.

Sarah shared this picture in the #30dayhomelove challenge on Instagram today as her favourite room. I can totally see why, it's somewhere cosy where everyone in the home can gather. There's also a great wood burning stove which can be fired into action on chillier days. So toasty! 

There's so much to love about the master bedroom - the whitewashed wood cladding, the linen curtains, the plants..... But also, if you have a sloped ceiling, putting in a dummy wall like this is a great way to optimise space. 

Look what we have here! My book The Scandinavian Home! What an honour that my interior book has been a source of inspiration for Sarah. And I see it's in great company too! 

Such a beautiful home, don't you think? 

Is there anything in particular that stood out to you? 

Sarah's instagram feed is really beautiful too - if you don't already follow her, it's a must! 

If you're in the mood for more mountain / hill home inspiration today, make yourself cosy and take a peek at these charming spaces: 

A magical Norwegian mountain cabin

A family home with a breath-taking view of the Austrian Alps

A Norwegian house by a fjord

Sending lots of love and hugs to Italian readers and all today. 

Niki

Photography: Sarah Tognetti / @shabbychicinteriors 

*affiliate link

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Sharing My Favourite Uplifting, Healthy Swedish Easter Recipe (Thanks To Samsung!)

Sponsored by Samsung

Spring is in the air in Sweden and Påsk (Easter) is around the corner - I can see it from my window! So, today I thought I'd share one of my favourite Swedish Easter dishes to lift the spirits! And the best thing about it: it's super quick and easy to make, requires only a knife, chopping board and bowl and when made in the right way, it's packed with nutrition. Plus, it can be whipped up as a light lunch or even just a snack (we've been known to eat it straight from the bowl in our house, shhhh!). But firstly, you might be curious about why I'm sharing my first ever recipe on MSH (Lagom book aside!). You might recall I acquired a new fridge and freezer a few weeks back (so happy with them - I can totally see why they won best in test at Elgiganten for the past three years!). And now Samsung has inspired me to share my favourite healthy holiday recipe. With many of us spending copious amounts of time at home right now, the timing couldn't be better!

Samsung Refrigerator RR39M73657F/EE and Samsung Freezer RZ32M71357F

The Swedish Easter Feast

Before I dive into the details, I wanted to share a little more about the Swedish Påsk (I'd love to hear about what a spring holiday looks like in your country). Easter in Sweden is a big deal and traditions linger even if many Swedes are largely secular. Maundy Thursday 'påskkäarringar' aside (see Wednesday's post for details!), like all holidays here, the big event happens the day before - on Påskafton (Easter Saturday). And it's something I'm looking forward to at home this year even if it's just Per, I and the kids! In many ways, the Påsk feast bears many similarities to the Julbord (Christmas buffet) and Midsummer's Eve fare. Pickled herrings, new potatoes with dill, poached salmon, a cheese flan, knäckerbröd (crisp bread) and a strong cheese are all delicacies usually included in the Easter buffet - as are any dishes that contain egg. And that's where we come to my favourite: gubbröra! 

So, what is gubbröra?!

Loosely translated as 'old man's mix', gubbröra is a delicious, classic egg-anchovy salad. It can be eaten warm or cold (I prefer mine cold) and tastes best served on dark rye bread or a thin crisp bread and works great as a light lunch, starter or as part of a smörgåsbord!

Gubbröra light!

It always feels great to make something for the family that's both yummy and nutritious and the beauty of gubbröra is that it has both of these elements! Anchovies, for example, are packed with healthy fats such as Omega-3 fatty acids and hard boiled eggs contain vital nutrients such as metabolism boosting B vitamins as well as Vitamin D which helps calcium absorption. 

You might also like to up the amount of radish garnish - it's high on fibre, and if eaten regularly it helps guards the heart. It's also high on Vitamin C which helps boost the body's immune system. I also like to use low fat creme fraiche - it tastes equally as good! 

Fresh ingredients 

If you're lucky enough to have a garden with a great vegetable patch and a window sill lined with potted herbs - wonderful. Otherwise, I keep my herbs and vegetables in the fridge to keep them as fresh as possible. My Samsung Refrigerator RR39M73657F/EE has a special drawer with a Humidity Control setting which helps them stay fresher for longer (a feature I love!)! It's also worth noting that Swedish anchovies differ from the ones you get in The Med and are actually known as 'sprats' elsewhere. Tinned, sprats have a shorter lifespan and need to be kept in the fridge. If you can't find sprats, no probs, normal tinned anchovies will suffice! 

Ready to get started? 

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

Mix:

4 hard-boiled eggs

1 tin sprats (or anchovies)

10 g chives 

10 g dill

1 small red onion (finely chopped)

2 tbsp light creme fraiche

Pepper

Salt

Garnish / serving:

1 radish (sliced)

5 g chives (chopped)

Half red onion (thinly sliced)

Directions:

Hard-boil four eggs and roughly chop before placing into a bowl. Chop the red onion, dill, chives and sprats (or anchovies) and then place everything in the bowl with the eggs. Add two tablespoons of light creme fraiche and mix everything together. Serve on rye bread or crisp bread and garnish with a slice of radish and a sprinkle of chopped chives. 

Why not serve it the Swedish way?!

Gubbröra tastes great washed down with a beer or a shot off schnapps - singing optional of course, but who can resist a round of 'helan går'?! 

Skål! 

Are you tempted to whip this dish up at home? If so, please do share the results, I'd love to see it! 

Roll on Påsk! 

Niki

PS would you like to see more simple Scandinavian dishes on My Scandinavian Home? Let me know if so! 

This is a paid collaboration with Samsung. However, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands and products I love and can truly recommend. Thank you for supporting the businesses that make My Scandinavian Home possible. 

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Step Inside A Relaxed Finnish Oasis in Mallorca

I've absolutely loved reading all your comments over the past few days - thank you for sharing all your thoughts last Thursday and throughout the week, it makes My Scandinavian Home such a great place to be and I feel honoured you can come here and comment - whether you're feeling up or down. Keep 'em coming! Meanwhile, I've also been chatting away to my older sister who lives in Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Have you been to Mallorca? There are many beautiful parts. Wow were meant to visit her this summer but that may need to be put on hold for the time being. Someone who shares my passion for this wonderful Spanish island is Päivi Lemström. Päivi divides her time between her modern Finnish family home in Espoo, near Helskini and the great city of Mallorca. And having featured her home earlier this week, it was no surprise to find that her apartment in Palma Mallorca is equally as inspiring! So, today we're all heading to a little pocket of Palma - to a whitewashed home with striking dark window frames. So, pack your sun hat and pour yourself a sangria - we're off on a virtual trip to sunny Spain! Vamos! 

Tine K sells lounge chairs like these - and I also love these rattan chairs* from Bloomingdales. Pick up a round jute rug online here*.

As we saw from her home in Finland, Päivi has a real penchant for rustic touches and natural materials (even owning a shop with a focus on this type of homeware!). Her Palma home is peppered with rattan lamps, chairs and baskets as well as rustic wood stools, jute rugs and stone pots. It gives the place a wonderful relaxed, summery vibe!  

A rustic side bench like this works equally well in Mallorca (or should it be 'on' Mallorca'? I guess so since it's an island, but then again, you don't say 'on' Great Britain - so I'm wavering here, help me out!). And this seagrass basket* is similar. 

I love the Dutch online shop 'Old Wooden Stool*' who ship pretty much everywhere in the world.  The Poster Club* sells simple line drawings like this (Josephine* and Lana* prints by Anastasia Benko or Portofino* and Antibes* by Peytil make great pairs). 

From personal experience, homes in Mallorca can get really chilly in the winter - not because it plummets below zero (although they did get a load of snow for a few days last year in Pollenca!) but because the buildings are designed for warm weather and keeping people as cool as possible! I can just see this wood burning stove fired into action and Päivi and her family chilling with books on the sofa. Such a lovely corner!

If you're not happy with your sofa and want a quick fix, pick up some striped linen fabric* sold by the metre and fold it gently over like Päivi has done. It will give your sitting room an instant lift and can be chucked in the washing machine (FYI if you go for linen remember to wash at a low temperature).

I don't know about in Palma, but in the Mallorca townhouses and fincas it's vital to keep the surfaces spotless. Even a mortal of food can attract a trail of ants in no time! Seeing Päivi's super clean and tidy kitchen made me think of this! Do you have this problem in your country too?

I love how light an airy this bedroom is, how about you? It's just how uncluttered a sleep zone should be IMHO!

 

What a truly lovely home. I'm feeling the summer holiday vibes all the way from Sweden. Just what I needed!

Is there anything that stood out to you about Päivi's Mallorca apartment?

Follow her instagram account @mondaytosundayhome for more snapshots from her daily life in Finland and Mallorca.

I've featured quite a few homes in Mallorca in the past - so keep that Sangria flowing (alcoholic or non-alcoholic!) and dip into these lovely tours:

An idyllic rustic retreat in rural Mallorca
A relaxed Danish oasis in Palma Mallorca
How about a Sangria by the pool in this Mallorca townhouse?!

Viva Espana! (Sorry to all you language aficionados out there, I couldn't find the special Spanish 'n' on my keypad despite a google search - gah!).

Do you have a country other than your own which you've grown to know and love?

Niki

Photography: Päivi Lemström / @mondaytosundayhome
Affiliate links marked with *

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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

Affiliate links marked with *

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