Before and After: A Rundown Croft Becomes an Idyllic Swedish Summer Cottage

When I first visited Sweden at the tender age of nine, I completely fell in love with my Swedish friends' summer cottage. It was everything you'd associate with the Swedish summer: a picturesque red and white cottage surrounded by woodland, lakes and the sweet scent of roses. Oh, and maybe the odd mosquito! When I stumbled across Alex and Erika's country home online yesterday, it took me straight back to that summer! Affectionately known as Gubbetorp, Alex and Erika's croft is located in the beautiful Östergötland countryside and has been lovingly restored one room at a time.  The pair share a passion for  antiques, vintage finds and up cycling all of which add to the charm of the space. Here are a few snapshots from before and after the renovation - including ikea hacks, outdoor loo and all! 

Kitchen before

Kitchen after

Sitting room before 

Sitting room after

The pair peeled back the laminate floor to discover a beautiful wood floor - what a great discovery! Wallpaper from Böråstapeter adds a cosy touch to the room and helps draw nature indoors. 

The hall before 

Hall after 

Alex and Erika picked up an IKEA chest of drawers for a song (100 SEK - or 8 quid!) and painted it in a soft grey-green. Rabarber 1792 wallpaper adds a vibrant feel to the space. 

Outdoor loo before

It's not that uncommon for Swedish cottages to have an outdoor loo with no running water. I recently stayed at Helen's lovely place which was the same! It took me back to the days I spent Grandmother's house. Granny Ruth had an outdoor and indoor loo. We never used the outdoor one as it was always full of spiders! 

But the ones I've experienced in Sweden are so much fresher - especially after a make-over! 

Outdoor loo 

Erika and Alex have completely spruced up their outdoor loo - adding wood panelling which has been painted in the same hue as the cottage interior. 

They've also added home comforts such as a hand towel, magazines, fresh wildflowers and perhaps most importantly - a vintage water tank for washing hands. 

The standout piece though, has to be the magnificent antique dresser - it adds such a homely touch! 

What a difference! 

Their garden is simply magical - especially in summertime. It has me dreaming of midsummer (which is only 8 weeks away!) and long summer days alfresco! 

I hope you enjoyed this before and after feature as much as I have! 

If you'd like to see more snapshots from Alex and Erika's home head on over to @gubbetorp.

You might also like to feel inspired by other idyllic Swedish summer cottages here: 

A fairytale Swedish summer cottage

A photographer's charming summer cottage in the woods

A charming open-plan Swedish summer cottage

And of course, before and afters! 

Here's to a sunny, carefree weekend ahead! 

See you Monday friends! 

Niki

Photography: @gubbetorp shared with kind permission

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Tiny Cabin Bathroom Sneak Peek - Plus a Few Questions!

*GSI Ceramica and Cristina Rubinetterie are kindly partnering in our project. 

I can't tell you how much progress we've made in the bathroom at the cabin* since I shared the original plans. After a copious amount of work (who knew a 3.6 m2 (38f2) bathroom could take up so much time?), it's finally coming together! In fact, it's almost finished, woohoooo! Here are some snapshots of the progress which I snapped with my phone. Oh, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on some of the final details too. 

It's been fun to see the space come together - one layer at a time, starting from the bare bones. 

Wall tiles

For the shower and lower section of the wall we chose matt white square tiles with a simple white grouting (I felt this would give a cleaner, less fussy look in such a small space). 

Wall mounted loo and taps

I love a wall hung loo (specifically the WC Kube X from GSI Ceramica) they look so sleek and also help to contribute to an airier feel in a small space. I was also keen to install wall mounted taps (I selected the Basin Mixer CRITV257 from series Tricolore Verde by CRISTINA Rubinetterie). However, in order to achieve this we needed to build out a section of the wall by 15 cm (wide enough to fit a Gerberit cistern). I was a little nervous as it's already a narrow bathroom - but actually, I'm thrilled with the result. The shelf has turned out to be a real bonus!  

Bathroom paint colour

For the ceiling and walls (without tiles) I went for Kalk from the Jotun Lady Aqua bathroom range. It's a lovely, soft, warm tone which compliments the matt white sink and loo as well as the stone floor. 

Wall mounted sink and cabinet

Here's a close up of the sleek, timeless Kube X washbasin (60 x 47) in matt white. I'm so happy with it as well as the Prisma Unit cabinet (also from GSI Ceramica) - it's perfect for storage, and since the entire unit is mounted, it gives the illusion of space. 

Taps and shower

Above and below you can see a close up of the basin Mixer CRITV257 and External Thermostatic shower mixer with overhead and hand shower CRITV486 from CRISTINA Rubinetterie. The 'brushed old brass' finish has a beautiful patina and adds so much texture. 

Shower door

We still need to add a glass wall (80 cm wide) between the shower and sink. However, I haven't decided if we also need a shower door (70 cm wide) across the front, what do you think? 

Floor tiles and details

And finally - the stone floor. I sourced the Tumbled Turtle tiles from Swedish brand Stiltje (I love the owner Pamela; she has incredible taste!). We really splurged on these and once the floor had been laid, there were a few tiles leftover which we used for the ledge above the sink and a corner shelf in the shower.  

I hope you like what we've done so far! I'm so excited the bathroom is nearly finished. We're on the home straight! 

 

The next step is to add:

1. A shower wall and potentially a shower door 

2. A privacy film inside the garden glass door (or should we go for a blind?) 

3. A loo roll holder - any thoughts on where this should go? 

4. Hooks for towels, robes, swimwear etc. 

5. All our toiletries! 

I'd love to hear your two pennies worth! 

Hopefully it will all be finished in the next few weeks - I'm so looking forward to sharing the final reveal once everything is in place!

Niki

All photos taken with my iPhone. 

*For those of you who are new to My Scandinavian Home - Per and I are building a 30 m2 (323 f2) cabin in the garden of my Mother-in-law's summer cottage on Sweden's West coast. You can see the plans here. 

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A Small-ish City Flat With a Lush Balcony & Clever Room-Divider

Hi campers! I hope you had a lovely, relaxing easter weekend? I'm feeling all revived and ready for some inspiring Scandi-style home inspiration, I hope you are too? I thought I'd kick off with this charming Berlin apartment. Bang in the centre of the city, it measures a mere 50 metres square (538 foot square), but owners Kateryna Gonchar and her partner have made sure it covers all bases. The light-filled kitchen leads out to a lush, green balcony oasis, while a second room has been divided into a bedroom, sitting room and dining area. Oh, and there's even a small workspace and of course, a bathroom! A perfect oasis for two in the heart of the German capital! 

An extendable balcony table ensures that the balcony can cater for a cosy evening for two - or a party for four or more. Smart!

Notice how the shelving also includes a mirror to reflect the light and visually enlarged the room - a clever small space decorating technique. 

Such a clever use of space - and above all, a lovely place to come home to after a day in the office. 

I can just seem myself on that balcony with a cool glass of rosé on a balmy summer evening, how about you? 

See more of Kateryna's home here.

Would you like to feel inspired by more clever small space design ideas today? Check out: 

7 small space styling tricks to learn from a light-filled Stockholm apartment 

Small space inspiration from Swedish Attefall houses

6 small space ideas to learn from a small Swedish home in blue

Har det så fint! 

Niki

Photography: Kateryna Gonchar shared with kind permission

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Have a Lovely Easter Weekend!

I hope you all have a relaxing break planned over the easter holidays. My mother's coming over from London this evening and we'll be heading to Per's Dad's for easter, where the day will kick off with a sauna and dip in the sea - before egg rolling and an easter lunch! 

If you'd like to add some last minute easter touches to your home, here are some DIY ideas: 

6 beautifully simple Easter DIY craft ideas from Scandinavia

Easter touches in a charming Swedish home

And here's a recipe for a simple but delicious dish I make every easter. 

I wrote a little about Swedish Easter traditions last year (in case you're curious). What easter traditions do you have in your country? 

See you Tuesday 19th April. 

Niki

Photography: Malin Mörner

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Cosy Spring Update in My Sitting Room

Paid partnership with Bemz - all words are my own and I only work with brands I love and think you will too! 

I thought I'd kick off with a question - where's the busiest place in your home? As a family of five, it's the sitting room, more specifically the sofa! There's always someone on it - whether that's my stepson watching football, Liv making her way through Gray's Anatomy, or Allie and her friends hanging out. On the rare occasion there's a free spot, Per and I might just get to squeeze in too! It's just how I imagine our sitting room to be - cosy, comfy and full of people! But it also means our sofa (the Söderhamn from IKEA which we've had for donkeys!) gets SO much wear. Do you find the same in your home?

As we bask in the spring light here in Sweden (no need to talk about the snow yesterday!), I realised it was time for a new cover (that's the beauty of Swedish brand Bemz -  you can keep the IKEA sofa and update the cover - making it feel like an entirely new piece of furniture!). Here's what I chose for spring: 

The fabric

I looked at a number of samples (it's always worth ordering a few samples so you can touch and feel the fabric and see what works best in your room) and  went for the IKEA Söderhamn 3 Seater sofa cover Bouclé ivory and IKEA Söderhamn, Chaise long cover in Bouclé ivory. It's an elegant, classic textile with a lovely tactile feel, plus the wool-blend has lots of texture and added depth (you know me, obsessed with texture!). You can see how it looks when the light catches it below - so beautiful! 

The legs

Incidentally, the Sergel Skinny Wooden Furniture legs are also from Bemz (I got rid the of the stainless steel IKEA original legs a loooong time ago!). For a lower sofa, the Märta oval wooden furniture legs in walnut are a beautiful choice.   

You might notice a few other changes to our sitting room too... 

Other items

We updated the gallery wall with some personal art. Some you might recognise from previous posts, others are new. My favourites are the ones by Helsingborg artist Pearl Wallin, a friend of my Mother-in-law's, I love her work. I picked up the rattan chair in a second hand shop a few weeks ago. And the glass table is on loan from a friend. I'm testing it out and can't decide if I should invest in a glass one or keep the wood bench here. What do you think?  

There's something lighter and fresher about the glass, but will I be forever removing fingerprints and dust? 

I hope you like this sitting room update as much as we do! If anyone's looking for the Brantmarks we'll be right here on the sofa - at least the children will be!

Got an IKEA sofa and feeling inspired to change the cover to something a little more special? My suggestion is to start with the free samples and then go from there. 

If you'd like some more inspiration, here are few different looks I've gone for over the years: 

My sitting room refresh 2017

My sitting room three different ways

My autumn sitting room make-over

I've also updated my bedroom and my Malmö studio with Bemz fabrics! 

Wishing you a great start to the week! 

Niki

Photography: Niki Brantmark / My Scandinavian Home

Styling: Helen Sturesson 

This post is brought to you in paid collaboration with Bemz and contains affiliate links. However, all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I absolutely love and think you will too. Thank you for supporting the Nordic businesses that help bring fresh content to your mail box and make My Scandinavian Home possible.

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