Before and After: A Dated House Becomes a Fresh Mid-Century Modern Home

I think it's time for an awe-inspiring 'before and after', don't you? It's the only way to truly understand what can be achieved with a little (OK a ton) of vision and hard graft! Even if your home is just the way you want it, an incredible reveal is a pure joy to ogle at. In the case of this beautiful house in Ottewell, Canada, it took the masterful eye of interior designer Kristina Lynne to transform an outdated, stuffy living space into a light and airy mid-century modern home. Let me talk you through it. I hope you feel as mesmerised by the transformation as I am!

Kitchen before

Kitchen after

Kristina opened the kitchen out and used high end warm wood cabinet fronts from Kitch on IKEA units. This is a trick I've grown to love. Using IKEA basics helps to keep the price point down while adding high end pieces where it counts (cabinet doors, worktops, taps etc) will evoke a unique, high end look and increase your enjoyment of your new space!  

I also really like the concrete countertops which add an industrial touch while a textured honeycomb backsplash and open white shelves keep the style fresh and relaxed. Lovely! 

Sitting room before 
If it weren't for the wall-to-wall shag carpet (I mean, seriously, that had to go, right?!) the before is pretty cool in a whisky swigging, mad-men-esque kind of way. But wait until you see the 'after' and you'll quickly decide, like I did that light and bright is the way to go!

Sitting room after

At a first glance I wondered if Kristina had raised the height of the ceiling to reveal beams - and then I realised that actually it's just the effect of the white paint! Painting the beams in a contrasting colour also helps to bring this wonderful feature to life - they were completely lost before!  

One of the biggest changes was blocking off the second door - which served no purpose, making space for useful built-in shelving and a reading corner! The whole room was also given a fresh white update which helps to capitalise on the light pouring in from the panoramic window. Love it! 

An Eames lounge chair* , but of course - what better piece to use in a reading corner and help create a mid-century modern vibe? The only problem is, you could get stuck there for hours! 

Bedroom before

Bedroom after
I am so glad that I was not the one to have to scrape all that stuff off the ceiling. I've done something similar in a previous flat and to say it was unpleasant job is an understatement! But whoever put the hard graft in to even out the walls and white wash them has done a sterling job!

 Bathroom before

Bathroom after
Moving the loo to the side of the room to create room for a shower was key to the success of this space. It's even making me wonder if we should do away with our bath upstairs and put in a lovely shower like this instead. I wonder if I'd miss the bath? Do you enjoy baths?

A huge amount of work also went into tiling the space, re-plumbing it, laying a new floor, as well as fitting a new bathroom cabinet.

Entrance before

Entrance after

Kristina ditched the small closets, red carpet and linoleum floor in favour of hand cubbies, a great bench / coat hook area and tiled floors. The result is a fresh and clutter free hallway. 

What an incredible transformation! Great work Kristina! 

I'm going to look at the Malmö house market in an entirely new way from now on! 

What did you think off this renovation? 

You can see more of Kristine's projects (as well as some really inspiring 'before and after reveals' here). 

If you love a before and after as much as I do, check out this archive (there are some incredibly talented people out there!). 

Have a lovely, sunny day friends. Stay safe, stay well. 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Kristina Lynne, shared with kind permission

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A Beautiful Rustic Swedish Home Where Old Meets New

Why, hello there friends! How are you today? The sun is still shining in Southern Sweden, which is just what we need right now! I thought I'd kick off the week with a beautiful home tour which could have easily have hopped straight out of the pages of The World Of Interiors. It's got this wonderful, old school, rustic, romantic feel about it. Located in central Umeå, East Sweden the house belongs to Soraya Forsberg, a Mother to six children (yes, SIX!) and the founder of Byn Collective - a creative design studio in North Sweden. Soraya is unsure when the house was built since the records were destroyed in a fire, but it's thought to date back to 1800. The living space has been decorated and furnished with a wonderful nod to both the past and present. Look out for textured walls, bare wood ceilings and a wealth of vintage and antique pieces! 

I've looked back through these images a few times and every time I spot something new. It's full of wonderful details! Make sure you take your time to linger on each image, there's so much to feel inspired by!

Did anything stand out to you in particular?

You can see more lovely pics of Soraya's home over on her instagram here.

I've searched archives for similar home tours - so if you're loving this vibe, pour yourself a coffee, put your feet up and enjoy a cosy country home in rural north sweden (the picture of Nicole watching salmon jump in the river from her atelier is etched in my mind - so beautiful!) and a Rustic mill on the shores of lake Rinnen, Sweden.

Have a great start to the week!

Niki

Photography: Soraya Forsberg, shared with kind permission

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Plant Tribe: An Inspiring New Coffee Table Book

It's Friday! Woohoo! Not that I have any wild plans ahead - but it will still be nice to put my feet up this weekend, how about you?! One thing I'll definitely be doing is reading my friend Igor Josifovic's new book - PLANT TRIBE. Launched a few weeks ago, Igor co-wrote the book with Judith de Graaff. It's their second book after the best-selling debut Urban Jungle and the pair also run the popular community Urban Jungle Bloggers). If you love plants, you'll love PLANT TRIBE. Igor and Judith delve into the many ways that nurturing plants help nurture the soul and offer inspiring advice for using plants to increase energy, creativity and well-being - and even attract love and prosperity. Say, what?! I'd better pay close attention! The book is also beautifully illustrated with photography by Jules Villbrandt. Here's a sneak peek at Tim Labenda's Berlin home which features in the book - and a few words from Igor! 

What was the idea behind PLANT TRIBE?

We wanted to write a book that changes our perspective on plants from merely decorating our homes and caring for them. We wanted to highlight how plants actually take care of us - making us happier, more creative, more balanced and more at peace with ourselves. All by making our homes more natural and beautiful. 

It takes a huge amount of work to create a book, but the process can be really rewarding. Is there anything that stood out to you?

We travelled throughout the USA, Brazil and Europe to make this book and we visited some amazing creative people in their plant-filled homes. We wanted to hear their personal stories, their bonds to plants, and why plants improved their lives on so many levels. 

We heard stories that made us laugh out loud and moved us to tears. These personal plant stories make the heart and soul of PLANT TRIBE. We hope this will inspire people to look at houseplants in a new and different way. 

Holding your book in your hands for the first time is such a special moment.  What are you most proud of? 

For the book, we worked with our friend and photographer Jules Villbrandt from Berlin. She managed to capture the magic moments, the personal bonds and emotions through her photography. To me, this book is a compound of good energy and positive vibes - just what we need right now more than ever before. 

Igor Josifovic

If you'd like to treat yourself to a copy of PLANT TRIBE, it's available through Amazon, Book Depositary as well as many other online retailers. You can also ask your local bookstore to order a copy or send a request to your library to stock it! 

Having seen a peek inside Tom's Berlin home in the book, I have a really strong urge to fill my home with plants now - how about you?! In case you'd like a little more inspirationt: 

Igor's happy plant-filled home

At Home with the Arctic Gardener

A guide to indoor climbers

Oh, and how did I not talk about that sculptural light in the first picture? - It's incredible, don't you think?! 

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend friends - see you Monday! 

Niki

Photography credits: Jules Villbrandt for Urban Jungle Bloggers except for the final two which were by Igor Josifovic. 

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A White Danish Home Full Of Art and Scandinavian Design Classics

It's a beautiful sunny day today in Sweden - and I'm dreaming of hopping over the bridge to Copenhagen. The borders are sadly closed (except for those working there), BUT there's no reason why we can't go on a virtual trip, right?! Mathilde Engelund lives in the hip neighbourhood of Vesterbro - one of my favourite parts of town, known for its offbeat shops, art galleries and bars. It's also near the meatpacking district - which is a perfect place to grab a beer in the sunshine (can you tell I'm missing the city?!). Mathilde has a passion for interior design and recycling - which shines through in her choice of art, iconic Scandinavian design classics and eclectic blend of furniture picked up at flea markets, antique fairs and other secondhand sources. As a result, the spacious living space is filled with light and has a wonderful relaxed feel. A perfect family home for Mathilde, her partner and their son Hugo. Velkommen in! 

 

 

 

Oh wow! This home has put a real smile on my face. I love the relaxed vibe, how about you?

Is there anything that caught your eye? 

You can see more pics of Mathilde's lovely home on her Instagram @hjemv. 

It would be kinda rude not to share a few more Danish home tours today don't you think? After all, we've made the effort to take the virtual trip!! Here are a few others I love: 

A cosy danish loft full of plants and other treasures

Johanne's and Lukas' beautiful Danish townhouse

The timeless home of a Danish jeweller and vintage furniture collector

In the words of our Danish friends: Ha en dejlige dag! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Mathilde Engelund and Another Studio

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