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Danish Blues And Spring Pastels in a Danish living Area

Here in Southern Sweden, it's ice cold (minus 9 degrees Celsius - BRRRR!).  The sea has started to freeze and icicles cling to the rocks and swimming decks. On my walk yesterday evening I noticed how the world turned from dazzling white to pink and then an incredible blue as the sun went down over the frosty waters. A tone not unlike that seen in Maj Winther Træde's dining area and sitting room. In her sitting room Maj has painted the entire room pale blue and added a pale pink accent as well as touches of easter pastels such as yellow, lavender and turquoise. The theme is carried through to the dining area with one single statement shelving unit in dusty blue. Danish design pieces such as wishbone chairs, a panthella lamp and 7 series chair help to add an elegant vibe. A perfect spring oasis in the heart of a wintery Copenhagen! Welcome to Maj's world!   

In the dining area, Maj has combined an Eiremann 2 dining table from Please wait To Be Seated with classic wishbone chairs and a black and chrome chair. A shelving unit from Hay is used to display colourful glassware, vases and kitchen essentials. The rug is from IKEA. 


I wish I could tell you the tone of this blue, but Maj has mixed it herself. I am currently painting Liv's room blue (at her request!) and my one piece of advice, is to pick up as many different colour cards as possible. The colour you choose TOTALLY depends on the room. 


A pink Fritz Hansen 7 Series chair rests against the wall beside various prints including the Line by Hein Studio. The bench is from FDB Møbler (who've been hand crafting furniture in Denmark since 1942). 

How lovely - it makes me feel like spring is in the air, despite the snow outside! I hope you felt inspired by this dining area and sitting room too!

You can see more of Maj's wonderful world (including what she's wearing (pastels of course!), lifestyle shots and her latest interior projects) over at @majtraede


And a little colour palette inspiration from a feature I wrote last year: True blue baby, 2020 loves you (still proud off that title!). 

Are you feeling the chill where you are too? If so, stay warm out there friends (or if you're Down Under - stay cool - I hear you have the opposite issue!). 

Klem!

Niki

Photography: Another Studio DK / @anotherstudio.dk (accept the 5th picture which was shot by Maj). Shared with kind permission. 

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5 Great Design Tricks To Learn From a Small Swedish Space

It was a while since I featured a small space - which is a shame, as Scandinavian's are masters are these! This delightful apartment in Gothenburg, Sweden measures up at a mere 56 sqm (602 f2) - but the owners have still managed to squeeze in everything they need: including a light and airy kitchen, sitting room, home office, private bedroom, wardrobe space and a bathroom - and all with impeccable style too! Here are five things I love about this space - and what I see as the key to its success! 

1. Keeping to one era: the mint green kitchen cabinets wouldn't look out of place in the 50s - 60s - and yet it was newly renovated in 2016. To match the look, they've added a Gubi semi pendant lamp* which was designed in 1968, a set of classic 7 series chairs (designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955) and a vintage mid-century table and dresser. Despite the eclectic materials, this has helped to create a cosy, cohesive kitchen. 

2. Lots of pieces, without the clutter! If you look closely at the windowsill there's a lot going on - 5 unique pots (love the spotty one - I think it's by Elin Frodig), a little lamp and a candlestick holder. But since they're all in the same tone, it looks interesting without looking visually cluttered, 


I'd love a larder, sadly they rarely build new houses with these! 




3. Grouping: in small spaces, it's really important to leave areas empty. This helps to give the illusion of space. This can easily be achieved by grouping objects together (as seen above with the shelves and gallery wall). If you have shelves at home that feel cluttered, try grouping items together in threes or fives and leaving space between the next group - it will instantly elevate the space! 

4. Elfa storage: I always think Swedish brand Elfa is such an unsung hero of the interior world. The solutions are much more budget friendly than say, String (seen below) - and you can create endless different looks - as seen with the shelf and desk in the home office above, and the wardrobe below. A small space's best friend! FYI I'm not paid to say this, in fact I've never even spoken to them, I just love what they do. Hmmm. Maybe I should reach out? 

5. Sliding doors: No, I'm not talking about the 1990s romantic-comedy (although - I did used to love that film!), I'm talking doors that glide into the wall and simply 'disappear'. We have three sliding doors in our own home and I can't tell you how much space they help save. But also, the door frame can be way wider which means more light can filter into the room. Perfect for windowless rooms like this little bedroom alcove! The one in the picture below is from Bauhaus


PS I also love the use of bold pattern and colour in a tiny space - it adds so much drama and detracts from the size. Are you a fan off this too?

Perhaps you spotted some other great ideas from this lovely Swedish apartment, if so I'd love to hear below. 

In case you're curious to see the layout etc - there's a load more info here (this flat is for sale!). 

All in all, one lovely pad, don't you think?

I'll leave you with a few other teeny Scandinavian apartments to look at this bright and sunny (yet very cold Wednesday - there's a deep freeze going on here right now and tomorrow we're looking at a high of 8 degrees C - BRRRRRR!). 


Have a lovely day friends! 

Niki

Photography Anders Bergstedt for Entrance
*affiliate links

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A Beautiful, Space-Saving Family Home in Stockholm, Sweden

I'm still buzzing the Swedish country home yesterday (and judging by the 20,000 hits about it on my instagram I sense I'm not alone!) - did you fall in love too? There's only one thing for it. Move on. After all, a move to the country is not on the cards for the Brantmarks (being the city slickers we are)! So, today I thought I'd focus on living in the city - and how to deal with the space-limitations that so often come with it. On the surface this wonderful Swedish apartment looks pretty spacious. But add a few children to the mix and the tiny bedrooms become a bit of a conundrum. After all, kids demand quite a lot of their rooms: a bed, a desk, somewhere to hang out with friends and / or play and storage. In this wonderful Stockholm home, the owners have made maximum use of the height to create three loft bed solutions which help to maximise space in the children's bedrooms. They've also worked with internal windows to ensure natural light flows into the darkest of corners. Best of all, everything has been done with the utmost style and the entire home has a wonderful personal and relaxed feel! Ready to feel inspired?


The kitchen has been artfully arranged around a classic masonry oven / tiled stove - with a space for wood storage built into the cabinetry

Imagine how cosy this must be with the roaring fire at night? It's set up for some seriously cosy and romantic dinners! 

A more formal dining setting occupies the window area in the sitting room - with a wonderful Nelson Saucer Bubble lamp overhead! 


One of the biggest decorating mistakes people make is buying a rug which is too small for the space. Well, not in this room! 

As a rule of thumb, a sitting room rug should be at least 15 cm - 20 cm  (6" - 8") wider than your sofa on each side. You may then decide whether to place all four legs of your sofa on the rug, or just the front two. 

FYI: I'd never judge anyone for the size of rug they choose in their home - so this is just a helpful guide if you're struggling to decide. Otherwise, anything goes! 

The owners have made the most of a narrow passage - using it as a library and wardrobe space.

Oh, and check out that beautiful wood floor! 

A built-in shelf behind the bed has becoming increasingly popular and is especially useful in a smaller space. 


I love all three of these small space children bedroom solutions! The owners have capitalised on the tremendous ceiling height to create 'vertical' bedrooms complete with desks, storage and cosy seating areas. 

Fun touches include striped wallpaper, gymnastics rings (my daughter has the same ones from Finnish company Lillagunga - as do all her gymnast friends!) and a Ferm Living pineapple rug


I really appreciate the eclectic mix of pieces in this tiny room - including a round shelf from Ferm Living*, a vintage chair and terrazzo side table. 

It's not unusual for magnificent old apartment blocks in Scandinavia to have grand entryways like this. Look at those tiles and how paintwork has been used to highlight the period features. Wonderful! 

What a truly inspiring home - and great inspiration for anyone looking to maximise space in the city!

Is there anything that stood out to you? 

Here are a few more Scandinavian city homes for you to enjoy today: 


Har det så fint! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Historiska Hem 

*Affiliate link (which means I may make a very tiny amount of money should you click on the link and buy something - at no extra cost to you). 

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This Fairytale Swedish Country Home Could be Yours!

Tjena vänner! Another Monday has rolled around, but it's slightly different here. Our eldest daughter has returned to school. Two down, two to go! One thing that has stayed the same: I'm still dreaming over beautiful homes far and wide. Especially ones that are for sale! Do you enjoy looking at local real estate too? Now, I wouldn't call this one local (I think 600 km is a stretch for USA even) but it IS dreamy - and definitely worth interrupting Per's coffee break (''hey P, how about moving here?''). Dating back to 1915, this beautiful Swedish country home is around 45 mins from Stockholm and part of a row of red and white houses which wouldn't look out of place in Astrid Lindgren's 'Children of Noisy Village' (my kids would fit right in!). The large spacious rooms have been decorated in soothing muted tones which look out over the snowy countryside. In springtime, the melting snow makes way for lush green rapeseed fields which turn a vibrant yellow come May. Enjoy the tour friends - who knows, this might just be your next home! 











So beautiful! 

I love the golden winter light - and would happily sit out there on the terrace for a social distanced gathering, how about you?

Are you tempted to move right in? If so, you can find more details here - including pictures and layout (I know sometimes it can be hard to figure this out from the pictures). 

Since we need to ease ourselves into the week gently, I couldn't resist digging out these incredible Scandinavian country homes from the archive. Time to put those feet up! 


Wishing you a wonderful start to the week!

Niki

PS before Christmas I mentioned I'd planned to introduce a new MSH column about readers homes. I plan to kick this off at the end of Feb - and I need your help! Do you have a room in your home you'd love to share? If so, please e-mail me a picture (a JPEG at least 750 pixels widen- this interior photo guide is helpful) with a little info about why you love the room and any key details (furniture / accessories etc) we'd all find helpful. Tack så mycket! 

Photography courtesy of Bo Sthlm.

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