Great Stays: A Rustic Hideaway Surrounded by Rolling Hills

Feel like getting away from it all? This wonderful rustic hideaway is available through Airbnb! Set high up on rolling hills, The Wensley is architecturally designed with an Oregon and Ironbark timber exterior and offers everything you might need to switch off - including cosy sofas with panoramic views, a fully equipped kitchen, and a wonderful indoor and outdoor bathroom (my eyes are on that zinc tub!) - all with a timber and stone touch to emulate the surroundings. Such beautiful work by Lisa Buxton Interiors! OK, there might be a slight catch (at least for the time being) - it's in Wensleydale, around one and half hours from Melbourne, Australia! Yikes! But that shouldn't stop us from dreaming about a future stay, right? 

In my mind, I'm already soaking in that tub - the odd kangaroo hopping passed. Heaven! 

Could you imagine staying here?

If you'd like to do a little more mid-week 'escape' dreaming, here are some other places I'd love to stay at one day:

A Swedish weatherboard cottage in South Australia

A bohemian hideaway in the desert, in USA

A rustic summer cottage on the Swedish island of Gotland

A dreamy Scandinavian-inspired ski chalet in whitefish, USA

An earthy pool villa in Bali

A Swedish run B&B in the South of France

Do any of these capture your imagination? 

Wishing you a fabulous mid-week!

Niki

Photography courtesy of The Wensley

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A Swedish Country Home That's Charming Inside and Out!

Let's go on a trip to Borås, West Sweden today and stop by at the fairy-tale home of  Evelina Lovisa Lind, her husband, two boys and cutest pups Tage and Tore. A photographer, Lovisa takes daily snaps of their home and life in Västra Götaland County while she studies gardening. The family home is a wonderful blend of antique and vintage finds set against a 'moody' backdrop of greys combined with accent walls adorned in William Morris. Evelina has drawn the surrounding landscape indoors using botanical prints, nature inspired wallpaper, climbing plants and fresh flowers from the garden. Keep a special lookout for the beautiful pendant light (I'd love one for my own home!) and the whimsical DIY idea! 

Intercepting the tour to point out the beautiful recycled Tropez pendant lamp - made from paper mâché and inspired by a floppy sunhat! The botanical prints are by Swedish artist Jonna Fransson. 

So beautiful - indoors and out!

Greenhouses are having a real moment in Sweden - popping up left, right and centre and used for everything from traditional gardening to a garden room. Are they popular where you are too? 

And now for the simple, yet pretty DIY idea: a candle wreath wrapped in dried Pearly Everlasting flowers. It's a perfect way to prolong the summer, and it'll stay in place for years!  Here's how: 

1. Pearly Everlasting is known for its excellent dried flowers. To dry them out, cut the stems before the blossoms are fully open and then hang them upside down in a dark place.  

2. Weave the dried flowers around the candle wreath as you would when making any other wreath and keep them in place with a thin wire (see this tutorial for more guidance). make sure you give the candles plenty of space to avoid a fire risk (never leave naked flames unattended). 

Lovely idea!

Is there anything that stood out to you about Evelina's house and garden?

If you'd like to see more snapshots, hop on over to her instagram @lovisalind. 

Ha en bra dag! 

Niki

Photography: Evelina Lovisa Lind shared with kind permission. 

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This Romantic Swedish Art Nouveau Villa Could Be Yours!

Good morning friends, how was your weekend? Monday morning has only just begun and I'm already at my desk in our urban townhouse, dreaming about a move to this romantic Swedish countryside villa (so, that's new? LOL!). But when you see the pictures, you'll probably understand! The early 20th century art nouveau villa dates back to 1910 and with a heavy heart (I'm sure), the artist owner has decided to put it on the market. They say fortune favours the brave, and for anyone willing to take on the project in rural Flen, in Södermanland County, west of Stockholm, this magnificent property is all yours! Think large spacious rooms and magnificent windows which flood the space with light and provide breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. Many of the original features are still intact including the large masonry stoves and wood floor are still intact, so it's just to add your very own personal touch! 

Could you imagine moving here just in time for winter? 

Oh, the ways I could make this place my own. And don't even get me started on the garden. I'm not sure we're quite ready to move 500 km though! 

More details here. 

Dream about other Scandinavian country homes today in this archive.

And a quick reminder to make the most of the 20% discount at Bemz with code MSHfall - a perfect opportunity to get a new slipcover for your sofa like these, update with cushions, or refresh your bedroom in time for autumn (see my recent makeover)! 

Wishing you all a wonderful start to the week! 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Historiska Hem. 

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7 Styling Tricks To Learn From a Serene Swedish Apartment

While yesterday's home tour was all about colour and playful elements, this Swedish apartment is all about serenity. When I pour over the pictures of the milky white tones, minimalist decor and soft touches of light wood I feel my shoulders instantly relax. So, what's the trick to creating an oasis of calm for one? Here are seven clever styling elements at play: 

1. Keeping key furniture white helps to keep the look uncluttered, while mixing and matching different designs helps to keep the look interesting. 

2. A very large white fluffy, shag-pile rug adds texture and warmth as well as helps to dampen sound. 

3. Playing with scale immediately adds interest to a space. In the main living room / bedroom a large pendant lamp floats in the centre. 

4. Elfa storage is hugely popular in Sweden as it's really practical and can be tailored to the space you have. These shelves maximise storage by extending all the way up to the ceiling. And great storage also means a clutter-free room. I'd love to see a little more this space, preferably with some closed storage to hide a load of stuff! 

5. A mirror doubles up as a 'looking glass' but also as a tool to reflect light inwards, visually enlarging the room 

'You' print by Sofia Lind*

6. Bucket storage is ideal for storing books and magazines (I also love to use it in children's rooms as it's so easy to find what you're looking for!). This one is the Douve by Bloomingville*. 

7. Soft earthy colours help to break up the white look while keeping the aesthetic calm and natural. 

Arum wall lamp* by Ferm Living (I have the same one in my bedroom but in beige). 

Beautiful! I could totally imagine rocking about here, could you? 

It's a bit small for my family, but if you're interested, it's for sale here. 

On a different note - I'm not sure if you noticed my announcement the other day - but I'll be blogging four days a week for the time being, with Fridays off. So on this note - I'll leave you to have a fabulous weekend and see you on Monday! 

Niki

Photography: Alvhem

*This post contains affiliate links.

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Maria's Colourful Apartment Will Brighten Up Your Day!

It's very grey here in Malmö today which made it almost impossible to get out of bed this morning (not helped by my new bedroom make-over!). To pep things up a little, I thought I'd go for some colour, what do you think? Maria-Silva Villbrandt's home in Wedding (love the name!), Berlin is just the ticket! Maria is a content creator and manager for the popular lifestyle blog Herz und Blut, founded by her sister Jules. Her creativity transcends through to her apartment, which is made up of a spacious kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. Maria has created a wonderful, unique living space which is a sea of vibrant colours and full of interesting art, eclectic furniture and interesting details. Ready to feel inspired? 

Maria's pink kitchen is from Burger Küchenmöbel. The TR Bulb, Suspension Frame light from Menu hangs over the countertop. 

A Flowerpot portable table lamp* sits atop a vintage table for two in the kitchen. But the showstopper is the striped curtains - very funky and different! Try Etsy* for similar. 

'Illegal Party' lithograph by Stefan Marx (I see there are only a few left on his site). Colourful art by Janes Haid-Schmallenburg. Ambit Lamp* by Muuto. 

Art by Fabienne, Jules Villbrandt, and GABE. The cabinet is by Swedish brand String. 

Colourful parasols are the way forward right now. This fine specimen is from Business & Pleasure Co. I also love the ones by Sunday Supply (here's Ali and I enjoying our yellow and white striped one on the beach a few weeks ago! - yes, I'm on TikTok - just trying to find my feet, with a lot of help from my girls! Are you on there too?).    

Speaking of sunny yellow, Maria's sofa is from the young furniture brand Noah Living. 

One of the big Danish colour trends this Autumn (discovered at Formland) is a yellow accent combined with lavender and coral, as seen above! 

Colourful Montana shelving (on the far side of the sofa) is used to display a variety of eclectic pieces including on-trend colourful twisted candles*, a flowerpot lamp* as well as books. 

Such an inspiring home! I loved all the colour, it's really brightened up my day - and given me a load of ideas. 

Has Maria's home put a spring in your step and inspired you, too? 

See more of her home over at @ponysailor - and feel inspired by her wonderful travel, food and beauty stories over at Herz und Blut. 

Looking for more colour today? I love: 

A fabulous Danish home in a plethora of colours

Home tour: how to add colour the danish way

Lessons to learn from a colourful yet calm Norwegian home

Wishing you all a bright, sunshin-ey day (who knows, the sun might even make an appearance here at some point!). 

Niki

Photography: Jules Villbrandt 

*this post contains affiliate links

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